"Horses" is a broad topic that encompasses various aspects of equine biology, behavior, and management. This category includes studies on the anatomy, physiology, and genetics of horses, as well as their behavior, nutrition, and care. Research in this area may also cover the historical and cultural significance of horses, their roles in agriculture, sport, and therapy, and the challenges associated with their conservation and welfare. The page aggregates peer-reviewed research articles and scholarly studies that explore the multifaceted relationships between humans and horses, examining both scientific and socio-economic perspectives.
Hristov P, Yordanov G, Ivanova A, Mitkov I, Sirakova D, Mehandzyiski I, Radoslavov G.It is believed that population structure of mountain horse breeds is preserved from any genetic introgression, because of their geographical isolation and specific semi-wild life style of husbandry. Till date there are no molecular data for the Balkan horses. In this study we try to give information about some autochthonous mountain horse breeds from Bulgaria. A total of 121 horses from three different mountain massifs are presented: Stara Planina (the Balkan mountain), the Rhodopes and Rila-Pirin massif were genotyped according to mitochondrial D-loop region. The results showed huge diversity...
Vinther AM, Heegaard PM, Skovgaard K, Buhl R, Andreassen SM, Andersen PH.Local inflammation may progress into systemic inflammation. To increase our understanding of the basic immunological processes during transition of equine local inflammation into a systemic state, investigation into the equine systemic immune response to local inflammation is warranted. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the innate peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) immune response to local inflammation in horses, and to compare this response with the PBL immune response during the early phase of acute systemic inflammation. Expression of 22 selected inflammation-related genes w...
Maurice MN, Kazeem HM, Kwanashie CN, Maurice NA, Ngbede EO, Adamu HN, Mshelia WP, Edeh RE.This study was designed to determine the occurrence and species distribution of dermatophyte from cutaneous skin lesions of horses in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A total of 102 skin scrapings were collected from 102 horses with skin lesions. Mycological studies were carried out using conventional techniques. Dermatophytes were isolated from 18 (17.6%) of the 102 samples collected. The 18 dermatophytes were distributed into 10 different species belonging to Microsporum (n = 5) and Trichophyton (n = 5) genera. T. verrucosum (n = 4) was the most predominant species isolated followed by M. equinum (n =...
Madry MM, Spycher BS, Kupper J, Fuerst A, Baumgartner MR, Kraemer T, Naegeli H.Compared to blood or urine, drugs can be detected for much longer periods in the long hair of horses. The aim of this study was to establish and validate a highly sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the detection and quantification of frequently prescribed opioids, sedatives and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents in the mane and tail hair of horses. Based on an average growth rate of about 2 cm per month, times of administration reported by horse owners or veterinary physicians were related to drug localizations in hair. Hair samples were collecte...
Gerritsmann H, Stalder GL, Kaczensky P, Buuveibaatar B, Payne J, Boldbaatar S, Walzer C.Research and conservation of wide-ranging wild equids in most cases necessitate capture and handling of individuals. For free-roaming Mongolian khulan ( Equus hemionus hemionus), also known as the khulan, capture involves a strenuous, high-speed chase, and physiologic responses have yet to be elucidated. We analyzed sequential arterial blood gas (ABG) samples as a proxy for respiratory and metabolic status of khulan during capture-related anesthesia. We recorded precise chase and induction times and monitored vital parameters and ABG from free-ranging khulan during anesthesia performed for GPS...
Lu G, He D, Wang Z, Ou S, Yuan R, Li S.An influenza virus polymerase reconstitution assay based on the human, dog, or chicken RNA polymerase I (PolI) promoter has been developed and widely used to study the polymerase activity of the influenza virus in corresponding cell types. Although it is an important member of the influenza virus family and has been known for sixty years, no studies have been performed to clone the horse PolI promoter or to study the polymerase activity of equine influenza virus (EIV) in horse cells. In our study, the horse RNA PolI promoter was cloned from fetal equine lung cells. Using the luciferase assay, ...
Collins NM, Axon JE, Carrick JB, Russell CM, Palmer JE.To evaluate severe hyponatraemia in foals presenting as medical emergencies to an intensive care unit (ICU) in order to determine the prevalence, clinical findings, primary diagnosis and outcome. Methods: Retrospective case study of records from Thoroughbred foals aged less than 3 months presenting to an ICU as medical emergencies in 2002-12; foals with severe hyponatraemia (serum sodium <122 mmol/L) on admission laboratory data were identified. Data retrieved included signalment, clinical findings, laboratory results, primary diagnosis, treatment and outcome. Results: Severe hyponatraemia w...
Seo MG, Lee SH, VanBik D, Ouh IO, Yun SH, Choi E, Park YS, Lee SE, Kim JW, Cho GJ, Kwon OD, Kwak D.Coxiella burnetii and Coxiella-like bacteria (CLB) are genetically and ecologically distinct despite some genetic similarities. Furthermore, CLB are exceptionally diverse and widespread in ticks, but rarely detected in domestic animals. Since Coxiella bacteria can be transmitted from infected horses by inhalation or by coming in contact with ticks during activities such as horseback riding, it is necessary to study their prevalence. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first large-scale nationwide investigation of the prevalence of C. burnetii and CLB among horses reared in South Korea. O...
Bassuino DM, Konradt G, Cruz RA, Silva GS, Gomes DC, Pavarini SP, Driemeier D.Twenty-six cattle and 7 horses were diagnosed with rabies. Samples of brain and spinal cord were processed for hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC). In addition, refrigerated fragments of brain and spinal cord were tested by direct fluorescent antibody test and intracerebral inoculation in mice. Statistical analyses and Fisher exact test were performed by commercial software. Histologic lesions were observed in the spinal cord in all of the cattle and horses. Inflammatory lesions in horses were moderate at the thoracic, lumbar, and sacral levels, and marked at the lumb...
Rovere G, Ducro BJ, van Arendonk JA, Norberg E, Madsen P.Most Warmblood horse studbooks aim to improve the performance in dressage and show jumping. The Dutch Royal Warmblood Studbook (KWPN) includes the highest score achieved in competition by a horse to evaluate its genetic ability of performance. However, the records collected during competition are associated with some aspects that might affect the quality of the genetic evaluation based on these records. These aspects include the influence of rider, censoring and preselection of the data. The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of rider effect, censoring and preselection on the genetic...
Agnihotri K, Pease B, Oakey J, Campbell G.In 2011, a 2-year-old horse in northern Queensland, Australia, was reported to have developed mild neurologic signs, and a blood sample was submitted for laboratory investigation. Virus isolation was performed using the blood sample, and an orbivirus was isolated. This was confirmed to be a strain of Elsey virus (ELSV) after transmission electron microscopy and nucleotide sequencing. The nucleotide sequence was compared with those in GenBank, and had 100% identity with ELSV previously reported from the Northern Territory, Australia. ELSV is taxonomically closely related to Peruvian horse sickn...
de Waal T, Liebenberg D, Venter GJ, Mienie CM, van Hamburg H.African horse sickness (AHS) is an infectious, non-contagious arthropod-borne disease of equids, caused by the African horse sickness virus (AHSV), an orbivirus of the Reoviridae family. It is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa and thought to be the most lethal viral disease of horses. This study focused on detection of AHSV in Culicoides imicola (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) pools by the application of a RT-qPCR. Midges were fed on AHSV-infected blood. A single blood-engorged female was allocated to pools of unfed nulliparous female midges. Pool sizes varied from 1 to 200. RNA was extracted and prepa...
Anderson SL, Singh B.Horses that develop colitis invariably exhibit signs of a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). A significant contributor to the development of SIRS in human subjects is delayed neutrophil apoptosis, but this has not been specifically studied in horses. Objective: To determine the occurrence of ex vivo neutrophil apoptosis and its contribution to the development of SIRS in an equine colitis model. Methods: Experiment using a colitis model. Methods: Neutrophils were isolated before and after the induction of colitis using an oligofructose overdose model, placed into culture for 12 h o...
Conway ED, Stiles J, Townsend WM, Weng HY.OBJECTIVE To compare the anticollagenase efficacy of fresh feline, canine, and equine serum and plasma on in vitro corneal degradation. SAMPLE Grossly normal corneas from recently euthanized dogs, cats, and horses and fresh serum and plasma from healthy dogs, cats, and horses. PROCEDURES Serum and plasma were pooled by species and used for in vitro experiments. Corneas were collected and stored at -80°C. Sections of cornea were dried, weighed, and incubated in saline (0.9% NaCl) solution with clostridial collagenase and homologous fresh serum or plasma. Corneal degradation was assessed as the...
Godfrey JL, Hardy J, Cohen ND.OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of volume of IV regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) on amikacin concentrations in synovial and interstitial fluid of horses. ANIMALS 8 healthy adult horses. PROCEDURES Each forelimb was randomly assigned to receive IVRLP with 4 mL of amikacin sulfate solution (250 mg/mL) plus 56 mL (total volume, 60 mL) or 6 mL (total volume, 10 mL) of lactated Ringer solution. Horses were anesthetized, and baseline synovial and interstitial fluid samples were collected. A tourniquet was placed, and the assigned treatment was administered via the lateral palmar digital vein. Venous...
Bocian K, Strzelec K, Janczarek I, Jabłecki Z, Kolstrung R.This paper analyzes changes in the length of coat on selected body areas in horses and ponies kept under different husbandry (stable) conditions during the winter-spring period. The study included 12 Małpolski geldings and 12 geldings of Felin ponies aged 10-15 years. Horses were kept in two stables (six horses and six ponies in each stable). The type of performance, husbandry conditions and feeding of the studied animals were comparable. As of December 1, samples of hair coat from the scapula, sternum, back and abdomen areas of both body sides were collected seven times. The lengths of 20 ra...
Viscardi V, Jorge ML, Silva KM, Sad EP, Fonseca AB, Alencar NX, Lessa DA.Collection of fluid from the lower respiratory tract (LRT) plays an important role in both the pathophysiological investigation and diagnosis of respiratory tract disease. Enzymes such as ALP are, among others, indicators of cell damage or death, type II pneumocyte proliferation, and neutrophil invasion, and have been useful as biomarkers of respiratory disease in other species. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine and compare tracheal wash (TW) ALP activity in healthy horses and horses with LRT inflammation (LRTI) determined by TW cytology profile. Methods: Tracheal washes we...
Giancola F, Gentilini F, Romagnoli N, Spadari A, Turba ME, Giunta M, Sadeghinezhad J, Sorteni C, Chiocchetti R.Equine ileocolonic aganglionosis, which is also called lethal white foal syndrome (LWFS), is a severe congenital condition characterized by the unsuccessful colonization of neural crest progenitors in the caudal part of the small intestine and the entire large intestine. LWFS, which is attributable to a mutation in the endothelin receptor B gene, is the horse equivalent of Hirschsprung's disease in humans. Affected foals suffer from aganglionosis or hypoganglionosis of the enteric ganglia resulting in intestinal akinesia and colic. In other species with aganglionosis, fibers of extrinsic origi...
Pozor MA, Sheppard B, Hinrichs K, Kelleman AA, Macpherson ML, Runcan E, Choi YH, Diaw M, Mathews PM.Placental changes associated with SCNT have been described in several species, but little information is available in this area in the horse. We evaluated the ultrasonographic, gross, and histopathological characteristics of placentas from three successful and five unsuccessful equine SCNT pregnancies, established using cells from a single donor horse. Starting at approximately 6-month gestation, the pregnancies were monitored periodically using transrectal (TR) and transabdominal (TA) ultrasonography (US) to examine the placentas, fetal fluids, and fetuses. Of the five mares that aborted, one...
Godman JD, Burns TA, Kelly CS, Watts MR, Leise BS, Schroeder EL, van Eps AW, Belknap JK.Sepsis-related laminitis (SRL) is a common complication in the septic/endotoxemic critically-ill equine patient, in which lamellar injury and failure commonly lead to crippling distal displacement of the distal phalanx. Similar to organ injury in human sepsis, lamellar injury in SRL has been associated with inflammatory events, including the influx of leukocytes into the lamellar tissue and markedly increased expression of a wide array of inflammatory mediators at the onset of Obel grade 1 (OG1) laminitis. The only treatment reported both clinically and experimentally to protect the lamellae i...
Emmerich IU.In 2015, four newly developed active pharmaceutical ingredients for horses and food-producing animals were released on the German market for veterinary drug products. These were the bisphosphonate Clodronic Acid (Osphos®), the 5-hydroxytryptamine (2A) receptor antagonist Ketanserin (Vulketan®), the aminoglycoside antibiotic Paromomycin (Parofor®) and the antibiotic Thiamphenicol (TAF Spray®) from the fenicole group. With Chlorphenamine, a temporary not available active ingredient was reapproved in a new drug. Furthermore, three veterinary drugs with a new formulation as well as one product...
Lightbody KL, Davis PJ, Austin CJ.Tapeworm infections pose a significant threat to equine health as they are associated with clinical cases of colic. Diagnosis of tapeworm burden using fecal egg counts (FECs) is unreliable, and, although a commercial serologic ELISA for anti-tapeworm antibodies is available, it requires a veterinarian to collect the blood sample. A reliable diagnostic test using an owner-accessible sample such as saliva could provide a cost-effective alternative for tapeworm testing in horses, and allow targeted deworming strategies. Objective: The purpose of the study was to statistically validate a saliva ta...
Lyons ET, Dorton AR, Tolliver SC.Activity of fenbendazole (FBZ), oxibendazole (OBZ), piperazine (PIP) and pyrantel pamoate (PRT) alone and combinations of OBZ and PIP and of OBZ and PRT was evaluated against parascarids, strongyles and strongyloides in horse foals (n=281).This was on two farms - Farm A - mixed light-horses (n=26) and Farm B-Thoroughbreds (n=255) - in Central Kentucky in field tests in 2014 and 2015. Foals on both farms were treated one to three times each; an exception was that seven foals on Farm A were nontreated controls. Before treatment, the foals on Farm A were all weighed on scales but weights for Farm...
Funk RA, Pleasant RS, Witonsky SG, Reeder DS, Werre SR, Hodgson DR.Lyme disease can affect people, dogs, and horses, but it remains poorly understood, especially in the horse. Determining the seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in horses in different geographic areas will enable better understanding of the epidemiology of the disease, thus improving diagnosis and treatment of affected animals. Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of B. burgdorferi in horses in southwest Virginia. Methods: Horses presented for routine Coggins testing from January 2013 to January 2014 had additional blood drawn for Lyme Multiplex Assay testing. Methods: Of 492 samples ...
Zholobenko A, Mouithys-Mickalad A, Modriansky M, Serteyn D, Franck T.A recent study showed that silymarin, a standardized extract of S. marianum might be used in the prevention of equine laminitis. We investigated the effects of quercetin and some compounds found in silymarin (silybin, taxifolin and dehydrosilybin) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and myeloperoxidase (MPO) release by stimulated equine neutrophils (PMNs) and on MPO activity. All compounds (tested between 100 nm and 100 μm) inhibited superoxide anion production by stimulated PMNs in a dose-dependent manner. Dehydrosilybin and quercetin inhibited superoxide production and MPO release...
Lambert JL, Fernandez NJ, Roy MF.Band cells and toxic neutrophils are thought to indicate acute and severe systemic illness but no studies have investigated their importance in adult equine emergency admissions. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of band cells and toxic neutrophils with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and outcome in horses. Methods: One hundred and five adult horses admitted on emergency basis to a private primary referral practice. Methods: Prospective observational study with sample collection. All horses admitted on emergency basis over the study period we...
Gautier C, Barrier-Battut I, Guénon I, Goux D, Delalande C, Bouraïma-Lelong H.Estrogen receptors ESR1, ESR2 and GPER are present on mature ejaculated horse spermatozoa, suggesting these cells as putative targets for estrogens. Indeed, spermatozoa are exposed to high level of estrogens during the transit in the male and female genital tracts but their roles are not investigated. So, we evaluated in vitro the role of 17β-estradiol during post-testicular maturations: regulation of motility, capacitation and acrosome reaction. Moreover according to the pseudo-seasonal breeder status of the stallion, we analyzed the putative seasonal variations in the presence of ESRs in sp...
Krueger CR, Mitchell CF, Leise BS, Knych HK.Clodronate is a non-nitrogenated bisphosphonate approved for use in horses. There are no peer-reviewed published reports describing the pharmacokinetics or evaluating renal health indices and urinary excretion patterns in conjunction with plasma and synovial fluid concentration following the systemic administration of clodronate to horses. Objective: Describe clodronate concentrations in plasma, urine and synovial fluid and evaluate the effects on renal indices after intramuscular administration to healthy horses. Methods: Experimental study with repeated measures. Methods: Six healthy adult h...
Masko M, Borowska M, Domino M, Jasinski T, Zdrojkowski L, Gajewski Z.The horses' backs are particularly exposed to overload and injuries due to direct contact with the saddle and the influence of e.g. the rider's body weight. The maximal load for a horse's back during riding has been suggested not to exceed 20% of the horses' body weight. The common prevalence of back problems in riding horses prompted the popularization of thermography of the thoracolumbar region. However, the analysis methods of thermographic images used so far do not distinguish loaded horses with body weight varying between 10 and 20%. Results: The superficial body temperature (SBT) of the ...
Roby KA, Beech J, Bloom JC, Black M.A yearling Arabian-type filly with a history of poor growth, erythrocytosis, hypoglycemia, and high liver enzyme activities was admitted to the hospital for evaluation. Three days after admission, the filly collapsed, deteriorated rapidly despite treatment, and was euthanatized. A metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma with capsular rupture and hemoperitoneum were found at necropsy. Primary liver tumors are rare in horses, and hepatocellular carcinoma has been reported in only 1 other horse. The systemic manifestations of the tumor in this filly included weakness, weight loss, inappetence, erythr...
Murray MJ, Grodinsky C.The pH of the gastric mucosal surface and gastric content was measured in 18 foals (mean age: 20 days) and 27 horses (mean age: 2.9 years) with a pH electrode passed through an endoscope biopsy channel. A reference electrode was attached to a shaved area on the neck. pH Measurements of the gastric mucosal surface at the dorsal squamous fundus (SF), squamous mucosa adjacent to the margo plicatus (MP), glandular fundus (GF) and the fluid or feed contents of the stomach were recorded in duplicate for each animal. In adult horses, the SF pH was greatest (5.46 +/- 1.82), with a decreasing pH ventra...
Herholz C, Füssel AE, Timoney P, Schwermer H, Bruckner L, Leadon D.The past 10-20 years have seen exponential growth in the volume of trade in horses and equine germplasm; and the extent of global horse movements has increased significantly in the last 4 years. In preparing for the transport of elite Olympic horses to Hong Kong in 2008, it will be very important to be as fully informed as possible of the disease situation in both the exporting and importing country, import and re-entry requirements, as well as having a vaccination strategy to protect against particular diseases. In this context the review describes the equine vector-borne disease situation in...
Begg AP, Reece RL, Hum S, Townsend W, Gordon A, Carrick J.Analysis of pathology results from the 2007 equine influenza (EI) outbreak in Australia indicate that young foals in naïve horse populations are prone to developing broncho-interstitial pneumonia, and that this can be a rare manifestation of EI virus infection in mature horses. All horses may develop secondary bacterial bronchopneumonia, with mature horses more likely to die. EI outbreaks among heavily pregnant mares can result in increased neonatal losses because of premature placental separation and dystocia causing fetal hypoxia.
Degueurce C, Pourcelot P, Audigié F, Denoix JM, Geiger D.The reproducibility of gait variables for sound horses is essential for the interpretation of their modifications by locomotor disorders. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the variability of the limb joint angle patterns in a population of sound horses while they trotted in the conditions of the routine lameness examination (slow trot, just held by hand, on a track, outdoors). The kinematics of 14 French Saddle horses was recorded using a 3-dimensional (3D) kinematic analysis system. Angle-time diagrams were established in the sagittal plane and their intra- and inter-indivi...
Dyson S.Thirty cases of peritonitis, in which the diagnosis was based on a peritoneal fluid white blood cell count in excess of 10 x 10(9)/litre, are described. Colic, ileus, pyrexia, weight loss and diarrhoea were common presenting signs. Treatments included intravenous fluids, anti-inflammatory analgesics, broad spectrum antibiotics and anthelmintics. Duration of treatment was determined by the clinical condition of the horse and sequential analyses of the peritoneal fluid and the haemogram. In the majority of cases the primary cause of peritonitis was not accurately determined, but 21 horses (70 pe...
Kopper JJ, Alexander TL, Kogan CJ, Berreta AR, Burbick CR.Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), a technique used to restore normal intestinal microbial communities, has been successful in treating humans with Clostridioides difficile colitis. Subsequently, FMT is being used in veterinary patients with suspected intestinal dysbiosis. Unfortunately, little data are available regarding best practices for FMT in horses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of storing manure prepared for equine FMT (MP-FMT) at -20°C for up to 4 weeks and passage through a simulated proximal gastrointestinal (GI) tract on the viability of MP-FMT. The resu...
De Marco M, Miraglia N, Peiretti PG, Bergero D.Several studies have reported data on comparisons between two methods: the total collection of feces and the internal markers method. The aim of this study was to assess the apparent digestibility of two concentrates and to compare the apparent digestion coefficients using the total collection of feces and acid-insoluble ash (AIA) as the internal marker method. In 2009, six adult geldings aged between 3 and 11 years, with an average weight per trial of 543, 540 and 542 kg, respectively, were used to determine the apparent digestibility by means of three in vivo digestibility trials on hay, hay...
Robinson NE, Sorenson PR.We studied collateral flow resistance in exsanguinated, excised lower lobes and accessory lobes of dog and horse lungs, respectively. A double lumen catheter obstructed a peripheral airway isolating a segment of the lobe. Oxygen flowed into the segment via a rotameter which measured flow (Vcoll) while the inner catheter recorded segment pressure (Ps). Gas delivered into the segment flowed out via collateral channels. Collateral flow resistance was calculated as (Ps - PL)/Vcoll, where PL = static transpulmonary pressure. Rcoll at PL = 20, 10, and 5 cm H2O averaged 0.24, 1.25, and 2.65 cmH2O.ml-...
Dockalova H, Zeman L, Horky P.Veterinarians can recommend milk thistle for the treatment of equine liver disease and laminitis. Milk thistle seed cakes were fed in the range of normal feed doses in this study. The milk thistle seed cakes were fed (twice a day) to the experimental group of the horses ( = 5) and biochemical blood markers (TP, Albumin, ALT (alanine transaminase), AST (aspartate transaminase), ALP (alkaline phosphatase), GGT (gamma-glutamyltransferase), Bilirubin, Cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein), LDL (low-density lipoprotein), TAG (triacylglycerol), BHB (beta-hydroxybutyric acid), NEFA (non-esterif...
Mehl ML, Schott HC, Sarkar DK, Bayly WM.To determine the relationship between plasma beta-endorphin (EN) concentrations and exercise intensity and duration in horses. Methods: 8 mares with a mean age of 6 years (range, 3 to 13 years) and mean body weight of 450 kg. Methods: Horses were exercised for 20 minutes at 60% of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and to fatigue at 95% V02max. Plasma EN concentrations were determined before exercise, after a 10-minute warmup period, after 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes at 60% VO2max or at the point of fatigue (95% VO2max), and at regular intervals after exercise. Glucose concentrations were deter...
Johnson PJ, Scotty NC, Wiedmeyer C, Messer NT, Kreeger JM.An 18-year-old Spanish Mustang mare was referred for evaluation of progressive weight loss and persistent hyperglycemia. Clinicopathologic abnormalities included marked hyperglycemia and glycosuria. Serum cortisol concentration was appropriately decreased following administration of dexamethasone, indicating that the horse did not have pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. Serum insulin and plasma C-peptide concentrations were low, suggesting that hyperglycemia was a result of decreased secretion of insulin by pancreatic beta cells. In addition, glucose concentration did not return to the bas...
McKenzie HC, Murray MJ.To assess gentamicin concentrations in serum and bronchial lavage fluid (BLF) of horses during a 24-hour period after once-daily aerosol administration of gentamicin (GAER) for 7 days and the pattern and degree of bronchial tree inflammation associated with repeated GAER. Methods: 13 healthy adult horses (9 geldings and 4 mares). Methods: The treatment group comprised 8 horses, and 5 horses were untreated control animals. Gentamicin (20 mL of gentamicin [50 mg/mL]) was administered via aerosol once daily for 7 days. Samples of serum and BLF were obtained from all horses before GAER and 0.5, 4,...
Holdstock NB, Ousey JC, Rossdale PD.The aim of this study was to determine glomerular filtration rate (GFR), effective renal plasma flow (RPF) and filtration fraction (FF) values in Pony foals during the first 10 days post partum in order to assess any age-related changes and the reliability of the single injection inulin/p-aminohippurate (PAH) method. Arterial blood pressure and pulse rate were determined in Pony and Thoroughbred (TB) foals during the first 10 days post partum to establish age-related changes, differences between breeds and possible interrelationships with GFR and RPF. Inulin and PAH were injected intravenously...
McGorum BC, Dixon PM, Halliwell RE.Phenotypic analysis of lymphocytes in peripheral blood (PB) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of control and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affected horses, both before and after 'natural (hay and straw) challenge', were performed using immunofluorescent labelling with monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry. BALF lymphocytes were shown to be predominantly EqCD5+ cells, approximately half of which were also EqCD8+, with a smaller proportion of B cells. In comparison with PB, BALF contained higher proportions of EqCD5+ cells and EqCD8+ cells and a lower proportion of B cell...
Giancola F, Rambaldi AM, Bianco F, Iusco S, Romagnoli N, Tagliavia C, Bombardi C, Clavenzani P, De Giorgio R, Chiocchetti R.Serotonin plays a pivotal role in regulating gut motility, visceral sensitivity, and fluid secretion via specific receptors. Among these receptors, 5-HT exerts a prominent control on gut motor function. Although the prokinetic effect exerted by 5-HT agonists is well known, the cellular sites of 5-HT expression remain poorly understood in large mammals, e.g., horses. In this study, we evaluated the distribution of 5-HT in the horse intestine and in foals with enteric aganglionosis, reminiscent of human Hirschsprung's disease. Methods: The intestine and spinal ganglia were obtained from three he...
Cassimeris L, Engiles JB, Galantino-Homer H.Laminitis is often associated with endocrinopathies that cause hyperinsulinemia and is also induced experimentally by hyperinsulinemia, suggesting that insulin initiates laminitis pathogenesis. Hyperinsulinemia is expected to activate pro-growth and anabolic signaling pathways. We hypothesize that chronic over-stimulation of these pathways in lamellar tissue results in endoplasmic reticulum stress, contributing to tissue pathology, as it does in human metabolic diseases. We tested this hypothesis by asking whether lamellar tissue from horses with naturally-occurring endocrinopathic laminitis s...
Rikihisa Y, Johnson GC, Wang YZ, Reed SM, Fertel R, Cooke HJ.Ehrlichia risticii, an obligate intracellular bacterium in the family Rickettsiaceae, causes Potomac horse fever which is often associated with severe watery diarrhoea. The mechanism of the diarrhoea is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether sodium and chloride transport, morphology and cyclic adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) content of colonic mucosa was altered in E risticii-infected horses. Mucosa-submucosa sheets from the large and small colon of nine infected and seven to nine uninfected horses were set up in Ussing chambers for measurement of short-circuit cur...
Quiñones-Pérez C, Martínez A, Ortiz I, Crespo F, Vega-Pla JL.Despite the advances in reproductive technology, there is still a considerable number of low sperm quality cases in stallions. Recent studies in humans have detected several seminal microflora-spermatozoa associations behind some idiopathic infertility cases. However, no studies are available on horses, and there is limited information on the microflora present in stallion ejaculates. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to examine associations to the presence of bacteria families with five sperm quality parameters: concentration, total number of spermatozoa, total and progressive moti...
Ewing PJ, Cowell RL, Tyler RD, MacAllister CG, Meinkoth JH.Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was diagnosed in 3 foals. In 2 foals (No. 1 and 2), diagnosis was by histologic evaluation of pulmonary tissue. On retrospective evaluation, P carinii cysts were found on sediment smears of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in 1 foal (No. 1). A different foal (No. 3) was diagnosed as having pneumocytosis by finding P carinii cysts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and was treated successfully. Definitive diagnosis of pneumocytosis in animals is usually made at necropsy. However, careful cytologic evaluation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid sediment can provide a diagnos...
Studer S, Gerber V, Straub R, Brehm W, Gaillard C, Lüth A, Burger D.The objective of this study was to investigate clinical signs indicating hereditary diseases like equine sarcoid, osteochondrosis (OC) and the idiopathic laryngeal hemiplegia (ILH), and to demonstrate relationships between environment, feeding habits and conformation ("exterieur" evaluation) of the horses. For this purpose, we analyzed veterinary examinations of 403 stallions at the approvals since 1994 examined 493 three-year-old Swiss Warmblood horses, which were shown at the Swiss-Field-Tests in 2005. With the help of the owners a questionnaire on health, environment and feeding habits of t...
Torres R, Hurtado C, Pérez-Macchi S, Bittencourt P, Freschi C, de Mello VVC, Machado RZ, André MR, Müller A.This study aimed to serologically and molecularly survey and in thoroughbred horses from racecourses in Chile. Additionally, the genetic diversity of the positive samples was assessed. A total of 286 thoroughbred horses from the Santiago and Valparaíso racecourses had their serum samples submitted to an ELISA for and , and 457 samples (from the Santiago, Valparaíso, and Concepción racecourses) were tested with nested PCRs for the 48 KDa rhoptry protein (RAP-1) and 18S rRNA genes. Selected RAP-1 and 18S positive products were sequenced to perform phylogenetic and haplotype analyses. An ...
Hurcombe SD, Welch BR, Williams JM, Cooper ES, Russell D, Mudge MC.Intraoperative assessment of colonic viability can be challenging and largely subjective. Objective methods are often impractical. Viability is related to re-establishment of colonic perfusion; particularly microvascular perfusion. This study evaluated the utility of dark-field microscopy (DFM) of the colonic serosa as an objective method of assessing microperfusion. Objective: To measure microvascular perfusion indices (MPI) of the pelvic flexure serosa in horses with surgical colonic lesions and correlate these with macroperfusion indices (MaPI) and histomorphometry. Methods: Prospective, cl...
Tong L, Stewart M, Johnson I, Appleyard R, Wilson B, James O, Johnson C, McGreevy P.The current project aims to build on knowledge of the nociceptive capability of equine skin to detect superficial acute pain, particularly in comparison to human skin. Post-mortem samples of gluteal skin were taken from men ( = 5) and women ( = 5), thoroughbreds and thoroughbred types (mares, = 11; geldings, = 9). Only sections that contained epidermis and dermis through to the hypodermis were analysed. Epidermal depth, dermal depth and epidermal nerve counts were conducted by a veterinary pathologist. The results revealed no significant difference between the epidermal nerve counts of human...
Riond JL, Riviere JE, Duckett WM, Atkins CE, Jernigan AD, Rikihisa Y, Spurlock SL.Intravenous use of doxycycline in horses is associated with deleterious side effects on the cardiovascular system which may result in fatalities. At dosages and infusion rates used in these studies, supraventricular tachycardia, systemic arterial hypertension, clinical signs of discomfort, collapse and death were observed. Results of the present study suggest that the intravenous use of doxycycline should be avoided in horses.
Anderson RR, Nixon DA, Akasha MA.1. Blood samples were obtained from seven species of mammals: horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, guinea pigs and rats for determination of total and free thyroxine and triiodothyronine. Total thyroxine in the order listed above in ng/ml was: 15, 60, 79, 185, 53, 45 and 79. Free thyroxine in pg/ml was: 5.9, 10.0, 19.2, 32.1, 21.7, 6.7 and 51.3. 2. Total triiodothyronine in pg/ml was: 677, 1290, 979, 3170, 760, 317 and 1747. Free triiodothyronine in pg/ml was: 3.22, 4.40, 2.60, 6.74, 2.74, 2.42 and 10.88. 3. Percent free thyroxine was high in rats and low in guinea pigs, while percent free trii...
