"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.
Sampieri F, Allen AL, Pusterla N, Vannucci FA, Antonopoulos AJ, Ball KR, Thompson J, Dowling PM, Hamilton DL, Gebhart CJ.The objective of this study was to demonstrate the susceptibility of rabbits to Lawsonia intracellularis obtained from a case of clinical equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE). This is a preliminary step toward developing a rabbit infection model for studying pathogenesis and therapy of EPE in horses. Nine does were equally assigned to 3 groups. Animals in 2 groups (Group 1 and Group 2) were orally inoculated with different doses of cell-cultured L. intracellularis. Controls (Group 3) were sham-inoculated. Feces and blood were collected before the rabbits were infected and at 7, 14, and 21 da...
Hyde RM, Lynch TM, Clark CK, Slone DE, Hughes FE.This study investigated the influence of perfusate volume on antimicrobial concentration in synovial fluid following intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) and assessed the efficacy of low volume IVRLP. The front limbs of 9 horses were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 volume groups: 10 mL (Group 1), 30 mL (Group 2), or 60 mL (Group 3). A tourniquet was applied distal to the carpus and the limbs were perfused with 500 mg genta-micin diluted to the assigned volume via a catheter placed in the lateral palmar digital vein at the level of the proximal sesamoid bones. Synovial fluid samples were col...
Tsuzuki N, Seo JP, Haneda S, Yamada K, Furuoka H, Tabata Y, Sasaki N.A 13-month-old Thoroughbred filly was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the medial tibial malleolus. A sponge impregnated with platelet-rich plasma, bone morphogenetic protein-2, mesenchymal stem cells and gelatin β-tricalcium phosphate was applied to the OCD site following arthroscopy and debridement. Postoperative radiography (every week for 16 weeks), computed tomography (CT) (16 weeks postoperatively), arthroscopy (16 weeks postoperatively) and biopsy of the regenerated tissue (16 weeks postoperatively) were performed to evaluate the outcome. Radiographically, the defect b...
Klaus CS, Vogt C, Lischer CJ.To describe a technique and the outcome of using 3.5/4.5/5.0 Metaphyseal Locking Compression Plate for corrective osteotomy of mandibular brachygnathia. Methods: Clinical report. Methods: Eight-month Thoroughbred horse. Methods: Severe mandibular brachygnathia was surgically treated by corrective osteotomy and fixation with 2 LCP 3.5/4.5/5.0 Metaphyseal plates inserted using minimally invasive technique. Results: Severe mandibular brachygnathia was treated successfully with minor complications and stable fixation after 3 months. Cosmetic outcome and owner satisfaction was excellent. Conclusion...
Bertin FR, Reising A, Slovis NM, Constable PD, Taylor SD.The epidemiology of equine neorickettsiosis (EN) has been extensively studied but limited clinical and clinicopathological data are available concerning naturally infected horses. Objective: Factors predictive of survival will be identified in horses diagnosed with EN. Methods: Convenience sample of 44 horses with EN admitted to 2 referral institutions. Methods: A retrospective study was performed. A diagnosis of EN was based on the presence of positive blood or fecal PCR. Results: The most common clinical signs included diarrhea (66%), fever (50%), anorexia (45%), depression (39%), colic (39%...
Torres SM, Koch SN.This article reviews various aspects of 3 clinical disorders associated with papillomavirus in horses commonly known as classical viral papillomatosis, genital papillomas/papillomatosis, and aural plaques. Classical papillomatosis is usually asymptomatic and spontaneously resolves within 1 to 9 months; therefore, treatment is often not required. Genital papillomas/papillomatosis have not been reported to spontaneously resolve, and there is increasing evidence that genital papillomas may evolve to in situ or invasive squamous cell carcinomas. Horses with aural plaques may be asymptomatic or may...
Fletcher DJ, Brainard BM, Epstein K, Radcliffe R, Divers T.Antifibrinolytic drugs such as epsilon aminocaproic acid (EACA) and tranexamic acid (TEA) are used to treat various bleeding disorders in horses. Although horses are hypofibrinolytic compared to humans, dosing schemes have been derived from pharmacokinetic studies targeting plasma concentrations in humans. Objective: We hypothesized therapeutic plasma concentrations of antifibrinolytic drugs in horses would be significantly lower than in humans. Our objective was to use thromboleastography (TEG) and an in vitro model of hyperfibrinolysis to predict therapeutic concentrations of EACA and TEA in...
Biddle AS, Black SJ, Blanchard JL.Laminitis is a chronic, crippling disease triggered by the sudden influx of dietary starch. Starch reaches the hindgut resulting in enrichment of lactic acid bacteria, lactate accumulation, and acidification of the gut contents. Bacterial products enter the bloodstream and precipitate systemic inflammation. Hindgut lactate levels are normally low because specific bacterial groups convert lactate to short chain fatty acids. Why this mechanism fails when lactate levels rapidly rise, and why some hindgut communities can recover is unknown. Fecal samples from three adult horses eating identical di...
Feary DJ, Abraham S, Woolford L, Trott DJ.A 6-year-old Arabian mare had a 4-week history of a subcutaneous mass (15 × 15 cm) at the base of the neck, cranial and distal to the prescapular lymph node on the right side. The mass was solid and painful on deep palpation. Ultrasonographic examination showed a soft-tissue abscess. Purulent aspirate was submitted for bacterial culture, which showed a moderate growth of an Actinomyces species. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed for definitive identification. Gene sequencing demonstrated close nucleotide homology with A. denticolens. Prolonged therapeutic management resulted in resolu...
Marenzoni ML, Stefanetti V, Papa P, Casagrande Proietti P, Bietta A, Coletti M, Passamonti F, Henning K.The role of the horse in Coxiella burnetii infection has not been defined. Accordingly, a twofold approach was taken to further our knowledge on this topic: (1) conduct a systematic review of the literature to establish available evidence of C. burnetii infection in the horse; (2) undertake a biomolecular investigation of 122 cases of equine abortion, stillbirth and neonatal foal death, for the presence of C. burnetii using a PCR test targeting the IS1111 gene of C. burnetii. A review of the literature turned up seven studies that identified C. burnetii DNA in equine specimens, especially abor...
Pigott JH, Ishihara A, Wellman ML, Russell DS, Bertone AL.To compare the clinical and inflammatory joint responses to intra-articular injection of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) including autologous, genetically modified autologous, allogeneic, or xenogeneic cells in horses. Methods: Six five-year-old Thoroughbred mares had one fetlock joint injected with Gey's balanced salt solution as the vehicle control. Each fetlock joint of each horse was subsequently injected with 15 million MSC from the described MSC groups, and were assessed for 28 days for clinical and inflammatory parameters representing synovitis, joint swelling, and pain...
Haase B, Signer-Hasler H, Binns MM, Obexer-Ruff G, Hauswirth R, Bellone RR, Burger D, Rieder S, Wade CM, Leeb T.Coat color and pattern variations in domestic animals are frequently inherited as simple monogenic traits, but a number are known to have a complex genetic basis. While the analysis of complex trait data remains a challenge in all species, we can use the reduced haplotypic diversity in domestic animal populations to gain insight into the genomic interactions underlying complex phenotypes. White face and leg markings are examples of complex traits in horses where little is known of the underlying genetics. In this study, Franches-Montagnes (FM) horses were scored for the occurrence of white fac...
Gozalo-Marcilla M, Hopster K, Gasthuys F, Krajewski AE, Schwarz A, Schauvliege S.To compare the effects of a constant rate infusion (CRI) of dexmedetomidine and morphine to those of morphine alone on the minimum end-tidal sevoflurane concentration necessary to prevent movement (MACNM ) in ponies. Methods: Prospective, randomized, crossover, 'blinded', experimental study. Methods: Five healthy adult gelding ponies were anaesthetized twice with a 3-week washout period. Methods: After induction of anaesthesia with sevoflurane in oxygen (via nasotracheal tube), the ponies were positioned on a surgical table (T0), and anaesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane (Fe'SEVO 2.5%) i...
Wilson RT.Equines are minor species in Tanzania's array of domestic livestock. Attempts to use them for transport by early explorers from the mid-nineteenth century usually failed. Donkeys were used extensively as pack animals to complement human porters by both British and German forces in the First World War, but their advantages were often outweighed by slow progress and competition with troops and porters for water, and they died in huge numbers. The British had regular cavalry troops in their campaign and mules found limited use as individual mounts for officers. In modern times, there are very few...
Egenvall A, Tranquille CA, Lönnell AC, Bitschnau C, Oomen A, Hernlund E, Montavon S, Franko MA, Murray RC, Weishaupt MA, Weeren vR, Roepstorff L.Orthopaedic, or other, injuries in sports medicine can be quantified using the 'days-lost to training' concept. Both the training regimen and the surface used in training and racing can affect the health of racehorses. Our aim was to associate 'days-lost to training' in elite-level show-jumpers to horse characteristics, training and management strategies, and the time spent working on various training and competition surfaces. We designed a longitudinal study of professional riders in four European countries. Data were recorded using training diaries. Reasons for days-lost were classified into...
Hori Y, Ozaki T, Yamada Y, Tozaki T, Kim HS, Takimoto A, Endo M, Manabe N, Inoue-Murayama M, Fujita K.Genetic polymorphisms in genes related to neurotransmitters or hormones affect personality or behavioral traits in many animal species including humans. In domestic animals, the allele frequency of such genes has been reported to be different among breeds and it may account for breed differences in behavior. In this study, we investigated breed differences in horses in the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4), which has been reported to affect horse personality. We collected samples from seven horse breeds including those native to Japan and Korea, and compared the sequence of the DRD4 exon3 regio...
Benhajali H, Ezzaouia M, Lunel C, Charfi F, Hausberger M.Discomfort in farm animals may be induced by inappropriate types or timing of food supplies. Thus, time restriction of meals and lack of roughage have been shown to be one source of emergence of oral stereotypies and abnormal behaviour in horses which have evolved to eat high-fibre diets in small amounts over long periods of time. This feeding pattern is often altered in domestic environment where horses are often fed low fibre meals that can be rapidly consumed. This study aimed at determining the effect of the temporal pattern of feeding on reproductive efficiency of breeding mares, One hund...
Mir IA, Kumar B, Taku A, Faridi F, Bhat MA, Baba NA, Maqbool T.Present study was undertaken to study the prevalence of β-haemolytic streptococci in equine of northern temperate region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. One hundred and forty one samples were collected in duplicate from nasopharyngeal tract of diseased (53) and apparently healthy equine (88) for isolation and direct PCR. A total of 77 isolates of streptococci were recovered from 141 samples with an overall prevalence rate of 54.60%. Out of these 77 isolates, 52 were from diseased and 25 from apparently healthy animals. Of the 77 isolates, 4 were identified as Streptococcus equi subsp. equi, 56 a...
Toishi Y, Tsunoda N, Tagami M, Hashimoto H, Kato F, Suzuki T, Nagaoka K, Watanabe G, Tokuyama S, Okuda K, Taya K.Evaluation of a new chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay, the PATHFAST assay system (PATHFAST), for measurement of circulating progesterone in mares was performed. Five mares at the mid-luteal stage were administrated a single i.m. injection of prostaglandin F2α analog (PGF2α; cloprostenol 250 μg/ml), and then blood samples were collected from the jugular vein at 0, 15, 30 and 45 min, at one-hour intervals until 24 and at 48 hr via a catheter in the jugular vein. To monitor the physiological changes in circulating progesterone in mares after induced luteolysis, concentrations of progesterone...
Farmer E, Chase-Topping M, Lawson H, Clutton RE.A significant effect of gender, experience and background, i.e. an evaluator's relationship with horses as equine anaesthetists, orthopaedic surgeons, practitioners or owners, on perceptions of recovery quality after anaesthesia would reduce the validity of recovery quality scoring systems. Objective: To determine the effects of evaluator background, experience and gender on their perceptions of recovery quality; and questionnaire response rate as a function of background. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: A total of 440 potential evaluators were invited to evaluate the video-recorded ...
Christen G, Gerber V, Dolf G, Burger D, Koch C.The mode of inheritance for susceptibility to equine sarcoid disease (ES) remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to analyse a large sample of the Franches-Montagnes (FM) horse population and investigate the heritability and mode of inheritance for susceptibility to ES. Horses were clinically examined for the presence of sarcoid tumours. A standardized examination protocol and client questionnaire were used and a pedigree- and subsequent segregation-analysis for the ES trait performed. To investigate the mode of inheritance, five models were evaluated and compared in a hierarchical ...
Boden LA, Parkin TD, Yates J, Mellor D, Kao RR.Contingency planning for potential equine infectious disease outbreaks relies on accurate information on horse location and movements to estimate the risk of dissemination of disease(s). An online questionnaire was used to obtain unique information linking owner and horse location to characteristics of horse movements within and outwith Great Britain (GB). Results: This online survey yielded a strong response, providing more than four times the target number of respondents (1000 target respondents) living in all parts of GB. Key demographic findings of this study indicated that horses which we...
Hackett ES, Mama KR, Twedt DC, Gustafson DL.To determine the oral bioavailability, single and multidose pharmacokinetics, and safety of silibinin, a milk thistle derivative, in healthy horses. Methods: 9 healthy horses. Methods: Horses were initially administered silibinin IV and silibinin phospholipid orally in feed and via nasogastric tube. Five horses then consumed increasing orally administered doses of silibinin phospholipid during 4 nonconsecutive weeks (0 mg/kg, 6.5 mg/kg, 13 mg/kg, and 26 mg/kg of body weight, twice daily for 7 days each week). Results: Bioavailability of orally administered silibinin phospholipid was 0.6% PO in...
Waldern NM, Wiestner T, Ramseier LC, Amport C, Weishaupt MA.Tölt is a symmetric four-beat gait with a speed range extending into that of trot and canter. Specific shoeing methods, such as unnaturally high and long hooves, are used to enforce individual gait predisposition. The aim of this study was to assess the consequences of this shoeing style on loading and movement of the limbs at walk, tölt and trot, and at different velocities. Simultaneous kinetic and kinematic gait analysis was carried out at walk (1.4m/s) and at two tölting and trotting speeds (3.3m/s and 3.9 m/s) on an instrumented treadmill. Thirteen sound Icelandic horses were first mea...
Grosche A, Morton AJ, Graham AS, Polyak MM, Freeman DE.To determine the effect of large colon ischemia and reperfusion on concentrations of the inflammatory neutrophilic protein calprotectin and other clinicopathologic variables in jugular and colonic venous blood in horses. Methods: 6 healthy horses. Methods: Horses were anesthetized, and ischemia was induced for 1 hour followed by 4 hours of reperfusion in a segment of the pelvic flexure of the large colon. Blood samples were obtained before anesthesia, before induction of ischemia, 1 hour after the start of ischemia, and 1, 2, and 4 hours after the start of reperfusion from jugular veins and ve...
Weishaupt MA, Waldern NM, Amport C, Ramseier LC, Wiestner T.To enhance expressiveness of forelimb movement and improve the four-beat rhythm of the tölt, Icelandic horses are commonly ridden with excessively high and long hooves. The aim of this study was to objectively assess the effect of shoeing on intra- and inter-limb coordination and limb movement consistency (inter-stride variability) at walk, tölt and trot. Thirteen sound and fit Icelandic horses accustomed to exercise with a rider on a treadmill were assessed with long and high hooves commonly used for competition (S(H)) and with the hooves trimmed according to the standards of normal shoeing...
Thomson JR, McPherson EA.The therapy of equine chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) essentially entails minimising the horse's exposure to the aetiological antigens which are predominantly thermophilic actinomycetes and moulds occurring in hay and straw. This can be achieved, for example, by keeping affected horses permanently out of doors, or when stabled, using shredded paper, wood shavings or peat moss as bedding and feeding a complete cubed diet. There should be no supplementary hay feeding apart from dust-free vacuum-packed hay. Applying such measures generally allows horses to become asymptomatic in seve...
Nagamine CM, Castro F, Buchanan B, Schumacher J, Craig LE.Spirochetes were identified histologically in canker (proliferative pododermatitis) in 3 horses. The data suggest that spirochetes may contribute to the pathology of equine chronic foot diseases similar to the manner in which they contribute to the pathology of bovine papillomatous digital dermatitis and contagious ovine digital dermatitis.
Weber JM, Parkhouse WS, Dobson GP, Harman JC, Snow DH, Hochachka PW.Plasma lactate turnover rate of Thoroughbred racehorses was measured by bolus injection of [U-14C]lactate at rest and two levels of submaximal treadmill exercise (3-4 m/s trot, 6% incline, and 6.5 m/s horizontal canter). Our goals were 1) to determine the relative effects of changes in cardiac output and in plasma lactate concentration on turnover rate [using cardiac output data from Weber et al. (28)] and 2) to assess the importance of lactate as a metabolic fuel in a trained animal athlete. Lactate turnover rates were 9.3 mumol.min-1.kg-1 (rest), 75.9 mumol.min-1.kg-1 at the beginning of the...
Pleasant RS, Moll HD, Ley WB, Lessard P, Warnick LD.To determine if intra-articular anesthesia of the distal interphalangeal joint could alleviate lameness associated with the navicular bursa in horses. Methods: Experimental investigation. Methods: Six clinically normal horses. Methods: Lameness was induced in each horse by injecting either the left or right front navicular bursa with 5 mg of amphotericin-B. Forty-eight hours later each horse was videotaped walking and trotting before, and 5, 30, and 60 minutes after injecting the distal interphalangeal joint of the treated limb with 5 mL of 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride. All video recordings we...
Stauffer S, Cordner B, Dixon J, Witte T.The aim of this preliminary proof-of-concept study was to evaluate and compare the success and complication rate of infiltration of the maxillary nerve of cadaver heads using previously described surface landmarks, standard ultrasound and a novel needle guidance positioning ultrasound system (SonixGPS). Methods: Prospective, anatomical, method-comparison study. Methods: Thirty-eight equine cadaver heads. Methods: Twenty-six veterinary students performed the three methods consecutively on cadaver heads using an 18 gauge, 8.9 cm spinal needle and 0.5 mL iodinated contrast medium. Computed tomog...
Kuroda T, Minamijima Y, Niwa H, Tamura N, Mita H, Fukuda K, Kaimachi M, Suzuki Y, Enoki Y, Taguchi K, Matsumoto K, Toutain PL, Bousquet-Melou A....First-generation cephalosporins have good activity against gram-positive bacteria and are extensively used in horses. There are few reports of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) analysis of cephalosporins in horses. Objective: To optimise the dosages of the two first-generation cephalosporins cephalothin (CET) and cefazolin (CEZ) in horses using PK/PD concepts. Methods: Experimental study with single administration. Methods: Drug plasma concentrations following a single intravenous (i.v.) administration of 22 mg/kg bodyweight (bwt) CET in 12 horses and of 10 mg/kg bwt CEZ in six h...
Hansen S, Otten ND, Fjeldborg J, Baptiste KE, Horohov DW.The objectives of this study were to evaluate the natural age-related variation and compare the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the peripheral blood and lower airways of horses. The mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 TNF-α TLR-4 in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were studied by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and differential cell count cytology from 44 horses of different ages. A significant age-related increase was found for the mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-8, TLR-4 and TNF-α in stimulated BAL cells and for T...
Doll CU, Niebert S, Burk J.Tendon lesions are common sporting injuries in humans and horses alike. The healing process of acute tendon lesions frequently results in fibrosis and chronic disease. In horses, local mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) injection is an accepted therapeutic strategy with positive influence on acute lesions. Concerning the use of MSCs in chronic tendon disease, data are scarce but suggest less therapeutic benefit. However, it has been shown that MSCs can have a positive effect on fibrotic tissue. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the interplay of MSCs and healthy or chronically diseased tendon matrix...
Barclay WP, Phillips TN, Foerner JJ.Intussusception associated with Anoplocephala perfoliata infection was found in 5 horses. The unusual types of intussusception and the presence of tapeworms at the leading edge of the intussuscipiens suggested tapeworms as the cause of the problem. Lesions attributable to tapeworm attachment on the mucosa were found to fit a mechanical model of intussusception. Treatment of two of the horses and some of their pasturemates with pyrantel pamoate caused elimination of intact tapeworms.
Friso AM, Segabinazzi LGTM, Cyrino M, Correal SB, Freitas-Dell'Aqua CP, Teoro do Carmo M, Dell'Aqua JA, Miró J, Papa FO, Alvarenga MA.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a therapeutic option for the treatment of inflammation. However, negative effects of non-selective NSAIDs for treatment of mares with endometritis have been described, including delayed uterine clearance and impairment of ovulations. Firocoxib is a specific cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor and has the ability to act in the uterus of mares. We investigated the effects of firocoxib on ovulation rate, numbers of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), and COX-2 protein levels in the endometrial tissue of susceptible mares after insemination. Two ...
Riviere JE, Coppoc GL, Hinsman EJ, Carlton WW, Traver DS.Gentamicin pharmacokinetics and nephrotoxic potential were evaluated in twelve 2 to 3 month-old horses. Whereas recent evidence in our clinic indicated that young horses may be especially susceptible to gentamicin nephrotoxicity, young rabbits and rats are usually resistant. Gentamicin (4.5 mg/kg) was given by rapid intravenous injection. Serum gentamicin concentrations over a 13-hour period were fitted to an open, two-compartment, pharmacokinetic model. Subsequently, the same horses were divided into groups of 3 horses each. Each group received 0, 2.2, 4.4 or 8.8 mg gentamicin/kg, intramuscul...
Strand E, Skjerve E.Many horses demonstrate dynamic collapse of more than one upper respiratory tract (URT) structure during high-speed treadmill videoendoscopy (HSTV). Objective: To report the frequency of complex dynamic URT collapse in harness racehorses and determine if an association exists between occurrence of certain disorders. Methods: Retrospective study of 99 Standardbreds and Coldblooded trotters that had one or more dynamic URT disorders identified during HSTV between 1998 and 2006. The horses underwent HSTV using a protocol that included periods of free head carriage and poll flexion until fully fat...
Hodson NP, Wright JA, Hunt J.Plasma levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol and catecholamines were used to study the role of the sympatho-adrenal system in equine grass sickness. Statistical evaluation determined differences of hormone levels between seven horses with grass sickness (one acute, five subacute and one chronic), six horses with colic (one with laminitis) and 16 control horses before and after mild stress. Plasma levels of the hormones were higher in horses with acute and subacute grass sickness than in the other groups. No differences were detected between horses with colic and stressed contr...
Imboden I, Waldern NM, Wiestner T, Lischer CJ, Ueltschi G, Weishaupt MA.Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is an accepted form of treatment for chronic cases of proximal suspensory desmitis (PSD). Subjective evaluation of horses shortly after being treated with ESWT has led clinicians to comment on an immediate reduction in lameness. This study aimed to evaluate the analgesic effect of ESWT on 16 horses with PSD or PSD-like pain in a fore- or hindlimb. To objectively assess lameness, gait analysis was performed on an instrumented treadmill before and 6, 24, 48 and 72h after ESWT of the origin of the suspensory ligament and the results compared to the effects...
McClintock SA, Collins AM.A 6-month-old Quarter Horse weanling filly was presented with lethargy, weight loss, inappetance, mild diarrhoea, marked ventral oedema and severe panhypoproteinaemia. Serum antibody titres for Lawsonia intracellularis were very high but PCR to detect faecal shedding of the organism was negative. Proliferative enteropathy due to L. intracellularis infection was diagnosed. After treatment for 4 weeks with oral erythromycin and rifampicin the filly made a complete recovery.
Harvey AM, Watson JL, Brault SA, Edman JM, Moore SM, Kass PH, Wilson WD.OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of age and inferred prior vaccination history on the persistence of vaccine-induced antibody against rabies in horses. DESIGN Serologic response evaluation. ANIMALS 48 horses with an undocumented vaccination history. PROCEDURES Horses were vaccinated against rabies once. Blood samples were collected prior to vaccination, 3 to 7 weeks after vaccination, and at 6-month intervals for 2 to 3 years. Serum rabies virus-neutralizing antibody (RVNA) values were measured. An RVNA value of ≥ 0.5 U/mL was used to define a predicted protective immune response on the b...
Yamano S, Eto D, Hiraga A, Miyata H.To consider the optimal training programme for Thoroughbred horses, we examined the recruitment pattern of muscle fibres including hybrid muscle fibres in well-trained Thoroughbred horses. The horses performed exercise at three different intensities and durations; i.e., 100% VO2max for 4 min, 80% and 60% VO2max for 8 min on a treadmill with 10% incline. Muscle samples were obtained from the middle gluteal muscle before, during (4 min at 80% and 60% VO2max), and after exercise. Four muscle fibre types (types I, IIA, IIA/IIX, and IIX) were immunohistochemically identified, and optical density of...
Kellam LL, Johnson PJ, Kramer J, Keegan KG.Signs of mild colic, intermittent lethargy, and weight loss of 6 weeks' duration in a 2-year-old Quarter Horse gelding were attributed to persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) phytobezoar formation. Diagnosis of the phytobezoar was facilitated by gastric endoscopy. Signs of gastrointestinal tract obstruction were associated with a large phytobezoar in the lumen of the stomach, gastric ulceration, and obstruction of the small intestine (as a consequence of fragmentation of the primary bezoar). Conservative treatment, using mineral oil and dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, was unsuccessful. A celiotomy ...
Traversari J, Aepli H, Knutti B, Lüttgenau J, Bruckmaier RM, Bollwein H.The anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) plays an inhibitory role during folliculogenesis by regulating the number of follicles entering the growing pool. Antral follicle counts (AFC) are highly correlated with serum AMH concentrations and both appear to be related to the ovarian reserve in several species. Few data on AMH and AFC in mares exist, especially with regard to fertility. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to investigate the interrelationship between antral follicle count, serum AMH concentrations and fertility outcome in mares. One hundred and twenty-seven mares were enroll...
Baldini M, Stacchini P, C뫝a F, Miniero R, Parodi P, Facelli P.The cadmium content of muscle, liver, kidney and blood samples from 62 horses slaughtered in Italy was investigated. Cadmium was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) after wet digestion of the samples. The mean and median contents of all samples were (on a fresh weight basis) 75 and 41 micrograms kg-1 for muscle, 2.46 and 2.10 mg kg-1 for liver, 20.0 and 13.5 mg kg-1 for kidney. The cadmium level in blood samples was always below 6 micrograms l-1. The cadmium concentrations in muscle, liver and kidney were found to be related to the life span of the specimens a...
Arienti G, Polci A, De Cosmo A, Saccardi C, Carlini E, Palmerini CA.The semen of several mammals contains vesicles of different composition and origin. We have recently reported on the presence of lipoprotein vesicles in stallion semen. To a certain extent, these resemble human prostasomes, but differ from them in amount and composition. These horse-semen prostasome-like vesicles may be important, not only in horse reproductive physiology, but also in view of stallion semen cryopreservation. In this paper, we have studied horse-semen prostasome-like vesicles and found that they possess less saturated fatty acid than human prostasomes. Moreover, their protein p...
Assenza A, Marafioti S, Congiu F, Giannetto C, Fazio F, Bruschetta D, Piccione G.The effect of two jumping competitions, performed in two consecutive weekends, on serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), urea, creatinine (CREA) concentrations were evaluated in 12 healthy jumper horses. Methods: Blood sampling was performed before the 1(st) day of competition (T0), at the end of each show (J1, J2), on the day after the competition (T1); the same sampling plan was followed during the second weekend (J3, J4 and T2). Results: One-way repeated measures analysis of variance showed an increase in CPK at J1 and J2 respe...
Juneja RK, Gahne B, Lukka M, Ehnholm C.By using immunoblotting with antiserum specific to human plasma apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV), a previously reported polymorphic plasma protein of dogs viz postalbumin-2 (Pa2) and one of horses viz serum protein 2 (SP2), were identified as apoA-IV of these species. This along with earlier published results implied that: (1) both dog and horse show a high degree of polymorphism at the APOA4 locus with three common alleles in each of the two species; and (2) apoA-IV phenotyping in these two species can be done by analysing plasma/serum samples by a simple method of two-dimensional electrophoresi...
Pratt S, Bowen I, Hallowell G, Shipman E, Redpath A.Equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) is a common condition causing signs of gastric pain although lesions are highly variable in their appearance. The only definitive method to diagnose EGGD ante-mortem is gastroscopy. The current recommended method for describing these lesions is the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM) guidelines; however, repeatability between users is variable. This study aimed to validate the reliability of lesion descriptions using ECEIM consensus guidelines, using four blinded equine internal medicine diplomates. Ninety-two horses with EGGD with pre- ...
Scott EY, Woolard KD, Finno CJ, Penedo MCT, Murray JD.Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA) is a neurodegenerative disease in Arabian horses affecting the cerebellum, more specifically the Purkinje neurons. Although CA occurs in several domestic species, CA in Arabian horses is unique in that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been associated with the disease. Total RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on CA-affected horses to address the molecular mechanism underlying the disease. This research expands upon the RNA-seq work by measuring the impact of the CA-associated SNP on the candidate gene MutY homolog (MUTYH) and its regulation, isoform-spec...
Taylor EL, Galuppo LD, Steffey EP, Scarlett CC, Madigan JE.To describe a sling recovery system (Anderson Sling) for horses and to evaluate outcome of high-risk horses recovered from general anesthesia by a sling. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Horses (n=24) recovered from general anesthesia. Methods: Complete medical and anesthetic records (1996-2003) for horses recovered from general anesthesia using the Anderson Sling system were evaluated retrospectively. Information retrieved included anesthetic protocol, surgical procedure, recovery protocol, recovery time, and quality of the recovery. Horses were recovered from anesthesia supported by th...
Longworth KE, Smith BL, Staub NC, Steffey EP, Serikov VB.To determine whether a detergent can prevent most of the early effects of i.v. infusion with Escherichia coli endotoxin (< 100 ng/kg of body weight) in horses: marked pulmonary hypertension, acute leukopenia, and fever. Methods: 8 healthy adult horses (4 male, 4 female), 415 to 615 kg. Methods: Control and detergent experiments were performed in each horse while it was awake but sedated. In control experiments, 10 to 100 ng of E coli endotoxin/kg was given. In detergent experiments, 100 mg of detergent/kg was given 1 hour before injecting endotoxin, similar to the control experiments. Resul...
Mazan MR, Deveney EF, DeWitt S, Bedenice D, Hoffman A.This study was conducted to determine whether horses with naturally occurring, severe chronic recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) 1). have a greater resting energy expenditure (REE) than control horses, 2). suffer body mass depletion, and 3). have significantly decreased REE after bronchodilation and, therefore, also 4). whether increased work of breathing contributes to the cachexia seen in some horses with RAO. Six RAO horses and six control horses underwent indirect calorimetric measures of REE and pulmonary function testing using the esophageal balloon-pneumotachograph method before and aft...
