"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.
Carrera JP, Forrester N, Wang E, Vittor AY, Haddow AD, López-Vergès S, Abadía I, Castaño E, Sosa N, Báez C, Estripeaut D, Díaz Y, Beltrán D....The eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) viruses are pathogens that infect humans and horses in the Americas. Outbreaks of neurologic disease in humans and horses were reported in Panama from May through early August 2010. Methods: We performed antibody assays and tests to detect viral RNA and isolate the viruses in serum samples from hospitalized patients. Additional cases were identified with enhanced surveillance. Results: A total of 19 patients were hospitalized for encephalitis. Among them, 7 had confirmed EEE, 3 had VEE, and 1 was infected with both ...
Munsters CC, van den Broek J, van Weeren R, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.The aim of this study was to monitor the fitness level of young Friesian horses and to assess whether fitness data are predictive for final performance score and whether familial aggregation of response to training could be detected. Sixty-six young Friesian horses, the offspring of six different stallions (A, B, C, D, E and F), underwent a 7-week performance test. The horses were given a performance score for their ability for dressage (in weeks 5 and 7; 0-110 points) and were evaluated for fitness using standardised exercise tests (SETs) at the beginning (week 2, SET-I) and the end (week 6, ...
Zhu C, Li Q, Guo W, Lu G, Yin X, Qi T, Xiang W, Ran D, Qu J.We report the complete genomic sequence of A/equine/Heilongjiang/1/2010, a strain of Florida sublineage clade 2 of H3N8 subtype equine influenza virus (EIV) isolated in northern China. This is the first announcement of a complete genomic sequence of EIV of such a clade in China.
Emmerich IU.In 2012, two newly developed active pharmaceutical ingredients for horses and food producing animals were released on the German market for veterinary drug products. Those are the parenterally applicable first generation cephalosporin Cefalonium (Cepravin®) and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug Suxibuzone (Danilon®). Furthermore, one established veterinary active pharmaceutical ingredient is applicable to additional species: The anticoccidial Amprolium (Eimeryl®) has again been authorized for chicken and turkeys. Additionally, two veterinary drugs with a new formulation as well as thr...
Campos-Junior PH, Costa GM, de Avelar GF, Segatelli TM, Lacerda SM, Aponte PM, de França LR.Morphometry is a classical quantitative method often used in biology to provide a data basis for functional interpretations/interactions of a particular organ or system. Herein we took advantage of this valuable approach to evaluate the spermatogonial stem cell niche using the horse testis and immunocytochemical localization of GFRA1 [glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor receptor produced by Sertoli cells)] as an example. Using the NIH ImageJ free software, we describe in detail all the necessary steps to investigate this specific and crucial microenvironment. Based on several recently ...
Kienzle E, Fritz J.Nutrition-induced laminitis is often caused by i) fermentation of large amounts of carbohydrates in the hindgut (usually fructans from grass or starch from cereals), which cause the release and absorption of microbial toxins and ii) insulin resistance induced by being overweight (equine metabolic syndrome). Both causes can act together. Overweight horses with a history of laminitis need to reduce body weight to prevent further incidences of laminitis. Weight reduction occurs normally on a diet of late-cut hay, a hay-straw mixture (maximally one third straw to prevent constipation) or grass see...
Jankunis ES, Whishaw IQ.Evidence suggests that behavioural affective reactions to sweet and bitter substances are homologous in humans, nonhuman primates, and rodents. The sweet taste of sucrose elicits facial responses that include rhythmic tongue protrusions whereas the bitter taste of quinine elicits facial responses that include gapes, featuring an opening of the mouth and protrusion of the tongue. The present study using the horse (Equus caballus) was undertaken for three reasons: (1) there is debate about the presence of a sweet receptor gene in the horse, (2) there is a need to expand the examination of facial...
Zamboulis DE, Senior M, Clegg PD, Milner PI.Tissue sensitisation and chronic pain have been described in chronic-active laminitis in the horse, making treatment of such cases difficult. Purinergic P2X receptors are linked to chronic pain and inflammation. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of purinergic P2X receptor subtypes 1, 2, 3 and 7 in the hoof, palmar digital vessels and nerve, dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord in horses with chronic-active laminitis (n=5) compared to non-laminitic horses (n=5). Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on tissue sections using antibodies against P2X receptor subtypes 1-3 and ...
Murray R, Guire R, Fisher M, Fairfax V.Girths are frequently blamed for veterinary and performance problems, but research into girth/horse interaction is sparse. The study objectives were (1) to determine location of peak pressure under a range of girths, and (2) to compare horse gait between the horse's standard girth and a girth designed to avoid detected peak pressure locations. In the first part of the study, and following validation procedures, a calibrated pressure mat placed under the girth of 10 horses was used to determine the location of peak pressures. A girth was designed to avoid peak pressure locations (Girth F). In t...
Afonso T, Giguère S, Rapoport G, Berghaus LJ, Barton MH, Coleman AE.Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are used in horses with cardiovascular disorders despite the paucity of available data regarding their efficacy. Objective: The degree of serum ACE inhibition varies considerably between drugs. Methods: Eight healthy adult horses. Methods: Randomized prospective study. Horses were fasted overnight prior to receiving one of 4 ACE inhibitors intragastrically, administered at one of 2 dosages, using a randomized Latin square design (benazepril: 0.5 and 0.25 mg/kg; ramipril: 0.3 and 0.1 mg/kg; quinapril: 0.25 and 0.125 mg/kg; perindopril: 0.1 and 0.05...
Horsington J, Hartley CA, Gilkerson JR.Respiratory infections are a major burden in the performance horse industry. Equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV) has been isolated from horses displaying clinical respiratory disease, and ERBV-neutralizing antibodies have been detected in 50-80% of horses in reported surveys. Current ERBV isolation and detection methods may underestimate the number of ERBV-positive animals and do not identify multiple serotype infections. The aim of the current study was to develop a serotyping ERBV antibody-detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and examine the seroprevalence of ERBV in a group of Aus...
Kafarnik C, Donaldson D, Payne R, Holloway A.A 13-year-old cob mare was presented with exophthalmos and periocular swelling of the left eye. The diagnostic work-up included ocular ultrasound, sonographic examination through the thinned frontal bone, radiography, standing computed tomography of the skull and exploratory osteoplastic surgery. Histopathology was consistent with an organized hematoma. An intradiploic hematoma of the frontal bone was diagnosed 5 years after head trauma, with progressive expansion and deformation of the skull resulting in exophthalmos. Exophthalmos with facial bone deformation was the only clinical finding of ...
Nasir L, Brandt S.The Papillomaviridae family comprises a large number of viruses that can infect a broad range of hosts including mammals, birds and reptiles giving rise to benign lesions of the skin or mucosal membranes. They are characterized by great genetic diversity yet adhere to common biological principles. In this review, we first describe the structure and function of the viral proteins encoded by papillomaviruses (PVs), with a particular emphasis on bovine papillomaviruses (BPV). We then discuss the role of BPV types 1 and 2 in the pathogenesis of equine sarcoids and present recent evidence implicati...
Carnwath R, Graham EM, Reynolds K, Pollock PJ.Delayed healing associated with distal limb wounds is a particular problem in equine clinical practice. Recent studies in human beings and other species have demonstrated the beneficial wound healing properties of honey, and medical grade honey dressings are available commercially in equine practice. Equine clinicians are reported to source other non-medical grade honeys for the same purpose. This study aimed to assess the antimicrobial activity of a number of honey types against common equine wound bacterial pathogens. Twenty-nine honey products were sourced, including gamma-irradiated and no...
Ohmura H, Matsui A, Hada T, Jones JH.Training of young Thoroughbred horses must balance development of cardiopulmonary function and aerobic capacity with loading of the musculoskeletal system that can potentially cause structural damage and/or lameness. High-speed equine treadmills are sometimes used to supplement exercise on a track in the training of young Thoroughbreds because the horse can run at high speeds but without the added weight of a rider. We tested the hypothesis that intermittent high-intensity exercise on a treadmill of young Thoroughbred horses entering training can enhance development of aerobic capacity (VO2max...
Nielsen MK, Betancourt A, Lyons ET, Horohov DW, Jacobsen S.Cyathostomins can cause a severe inflammation of equine large intestine characterized by substantial ventral edema and pronounced protein loss. Anthelmintic treatment of horses can result in a localized inflammatory response in the colonic mucosa of clinically normal horses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the systemic inflammatory response of ponies naturally infected with cyathostomins to single dose representatives of three anthelmintic drug classes, namely, oxibendazole, pyrantel pamoate, and moxidectin. Thirty ponies aged between 1 and 18 years of age were allocated to one of three ...
Kaabia Z, Dervilly-Pinel G, Popot MA, Bailly-Chouriberry L, Plou P, Bonnaire Y, Le Bizec B.Nandrolone (17β-hydroxy-4-estren-3-one) is amongst the most misused endogenous steroid hormones in entire male horses. The detection of such a substance is challenging with regard to its endogenous presence. The current international threshold level for nandrolone misuse is based on the urinary concentration ratio of 5α-estrane-3β,17α-diol (EAD) to 5(10)-estrene-3β,17α-diol (EED). This ratio, however, can be influenced by a number of factors due to existing intra- and inter-variability standing, respectively, for the variation occurring in endogenous steroids concentration levels in a si...
Brighton C, Olsen E, Pfau T.Standalone 'low-cost' inertial measurement units (IMUs) could facilitate large-scale studies into establishing minimal important differences (MID) for orthopaedic deficits (lameness) in horses. We investigated accuracy and limits of agreement (LoA) after correction of magnitude-dependent differences of a standalone 6 degree-of-freedom IMU compared with an established IMU-based gait analysis system (MTx) in six horses for two anatomical landmarks (sacrum and sternum). Established symmetry measures were calculated from vertical displacement: symmetry index (SI), difference between minima (MinDif...
Kulbrock M, Lehner S, Metzger J, Ohnesorge B, Distl O.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a common eye disease affecting up to 3-15% of the horse population. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the Illumina equine SNP50 bead chip was performed to identify loci conferring risk to ERU. The sample included a total of 144 German warmblood horses. A GWAS showed a significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on horse chromosome (ECA) 20 at 49.3 Mb, with IL-17A and IL-17F being the closest genes. This locus explained a fraction of 23% of the phenotypic variance for ERU. A GWAS taking into account the severity of ERU, revealed a SNP on ECA18 n...
Niedźwiedź A, Kubiak K, Nicpoń J.The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 8-hour road transport on plasma total antioxidant status (PTAS) and general clinical appearance in horses. Results: The study was conducted on a group of 60 horses of different breeds aged from 4 to 10 years. Venous blood was collected and a clinical examination was performed immediately before loading horses onto trailers for an 8 hour transport (I), immediately after unloading them from the trailer (II), and after a subsequent 24 hour stall rest (III). The ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) was used to determine PTAS. The transpor...
Meyer W, Schoennagel B, Kacza J, Busche R, Hornickel IN, Hewicker-Trautwein M, Schnapper A.We studied the esophageal epithelium for keratinization characteristics from samples of domesticated mammals of three nutrition groups (herbivores: horse, cattle, sheep; omnivores: pig, dog, rat; carnivores: cat) using histochemistry (keratins, disulfides), sulfur measurements, and cryo-SEM. Keratins were found in all esophageal layers of all species, except for the equine Stratum corneum. The positive reaction staining of Pan-keratin was remarkable, but decreased in intensity toward the outer layers, whereas in the pig and cat, staining was confined to the corneal layer. The herbivores reveal...
Santos VG, Beg MA, Bettencourt EM, Ginther OJ.The effects of inhibition of PGF2α synthesis on luteolysis in mares and on the incidence of prolonged luteal activity were studied in controls and in a group treated with flunixin meglumine (FM), a PGF2α inhibitor (n = 6/group). The FM was given every 8 hours (1.0 mg/kg) on each of Days 14.0 to 16.7. Concentration (pg/mL) of PGF2α metabolite averaged over 8 hours of hourly blood sampling at the beginning of each day, was lower in the FM group than in the controls on Day 14 after ovulation (6.7 ± 1.3 vs. 13.8 ± 2.9, P < 0.05), Day 15 (15.0 ± 3.9 vs. 35.2 ± 10.4, P < 0.10), and Day 16 (21...
Croser EL, Marsh GA.The Henipavirus genus represents a group of paramyxoviruses that are some of the deadliest of known human and veterinary pathogens. Hendra and Nipah viruses are zoonotic pathogens that can cause respiratory and encephalitic illness in humans with mortality rates that exceed 70%. Over the past several years, we have seen an increase in the number of cases and an altered clinical presentation of Hendra virus in naturally infected horses. Recent increase in the number of cases has also been reported with human Nipah virus infections in Bangladesh. These factors, along with the recent discovery of...
Khurelbaatar N, Krueger WS, Heil GL, Darmaa B, Ulziimaa D, Tserennorov D, Baterdene A, Anderson BD, Gray GC.In recent years, Mongolia has experienced recurrent epizootics of equine influenza virus (EIV) among its 2·1 million horses and multiple incursions of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus via migrating birds. No human EIV or HPAI infections have been reported. In 2009, 439 adults in Mongolia were enrolled in a population-based study of zoonotic influenza transmission. Enrollment sera were examined for serological evidence of infection with nine avian, three human, and one equine influenza virus strains. Seroreactivity was sparse among participants suggesting little human risk of zoo...
Westcott D, Wescott DG, Mildenberg Z, Bellaiche M, McGowan SL, Grierson SS, Choudhury B, Steinbach F.Equine encephalosis virus (EEV) distribution was thought to be limited to southern Africa until 2008 when we reported EEV in Israel. It was then assumed that the clinical presentation resembled the initial incursion in Israel. To investigate further we conducted a retrospective analysis of equine sera, which had been collected for diagnosis of other suspected diseases, via serum neutralisation test. The data demonstrated that EEV was circulating as early as 2001 with incidence ranging from 20-100% for time period 2001-2008. As the symptoms of EEV can be similar to other equine notifiable disea...
Vendruscolo CDP, Moreira JJ, Seidel SRT, Fülber J, Neuenschwander HM, Bonagura G, Agreste FR, Baccarin RYA.The aim of this study was to verify whether transient inflammatory reactions induced by intra-articular medicinal ozone administration affect joint components, by in vivo evaluation of inflammatory (prostaglandin E2, Substance P, Interleukin-6, Interleukine-1, Tumor Necrosis Factor), anti-inflammatory (Interleukin-10) and oxidative (superoxide dismutase activity and oxidative burst) biomarkers and extracellular matrix degradation products (chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronic acid) in synovial fluid. The effects of medicinal ozone were analyzed at two ozone concentrations (groups A and B, 20 an...
Walsh ML, Meason-Smith C, Arnold C, Suchodolski JS, Scott EM.The eye is host to myriad bacterial, fungal, and viral organisms that likely influence ocular surface physiology in normal and diseased states. The ocular surface mycobiota of horses has not yet been described using NGS techniques. This study aimed to characterize the ocular surface fungal microbiota (mycobiota) in healthy horses in 2 environmental conditions (stalled versus pasture). Conjunctival swabs of both eyes were obtained from 7 adult stallions stabled in an open-air pavilion and 5 adult mares living on pasture. Genomic DNA was extracted from ocular surface swabs and sequenced using pr...
Carmalt JL, Shoemaker RW, Wilson DG.The objective of this study was to determine if ligation of the common vaginal tunic could prevent or reduce the incidence of omental herniation and eventration in draught colts undergoing routine field castration. It was found that common vaginal tunic ligation, while not completely preventing omental herniation and evisceration, significantly reduced the incidence of these complications and should be considered in those males deemed at increased risk of significant post castration complications.
Moorthy AR, Spradbrow PB, Eisler ME.Vaginal swabs from 19 mares and penile swabs from 4 stallions were cultured for mycoplasmas. A single semen sample from one of the stallions was also examined. Twelve vaginal swabs and 2 penile swabs yielded mycoplasmas. Ten of the positive vaginal swabs were from mares with vaginitis, or with a history of failure of conception. Two were from apparently healthy mares, but one had been served by an infected stallion. One positive penile swab was from a stallion with ulcerative lesions and the other from a stallion with breeding difficulties. All 14 strains of mycoplasma utilised arginine, and t...
Farah AW, Hegazy NA, Romany MM, Soliman YA, Daoud AM.Twenty-three blood samples were used in this study; five were from five naturally infected horses with Babesia equi (B. equi), while eighteen were from asymptomatic horses with equine babesiasis from different localities in Egypt. All samples were subjected to microscopic examination, indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The carrier animals were microscopically detected in 7 out of 18 samples (38.8%) and in 9 of 18 by using IFA (50%), whereas PCR revealed that 14 samples were positive (78%). Two synthetic oligonucleotide primers, based on the B. equi me...
Szczepanik MP, Wilkolek PM, Pluta M, Adamek LR, Golyński M, Pomorski ZJ, Sitkowski W.The purpose of this study was to evaluate transepidermal water loss, skin hydration and skin pH in normal polish ponies. Twelve ponies of both sexes were examined in the study. Measurements were taken from seven different sites: the neck region, the shoulder, thorax, lumbar, inguinal, lip region and the pinna. In each of the regions transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration and skin pH were measured. For transepidermal water loss, the lowest values were observed in the pinna (10.54 g/hm(2)), while the highest values were observed in the lip region (30.98 g/hm(2)). In the case of skin hy...
Mankoc S, Hostnik P, Grom J, Toplak I, Klobucar I, Kosec M, Barlic-Maganja D.In the present study, a new one-step real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) strategy with minor-groove-binder (MGB) technology for the detection of EAV from 40 semen samples of Slovenian carrier stallions was tested. A novel MGB probe (EAVMGBpr) and a reverse primer (EAV-R) based on the multiple sequence alignment of 49 different EAV strain sequences of the highly conserved ORF7 (nucleocapsid gene) were designed. The performance of the assay was compared with different molecular detection methods. Three different primer pairs targeting the ORF1b and ORF7 were used, ...
Herbst AC, Johnson MG, Gammons H, Reedy SE, Urschel KL, Harris PA, Adams AA.Loss of skeletal muscle mass likely compromises performance and welfare in horses and thus routine monitoring would be valuable. Currently available methods to assess muscle mass require expert knowledge and are often expensive. To provide a simple method, a muscle atrophy scoring system (MASS) was created and tested by three evaluators (raters) in 38 horses of varying age, breed, and health status. Inter-rater agreement on atrophy scores was in the good-to-excellent range for ratings of the neck (ICC = 0.62), back (ICC = 0.62) and hind (ICC = 0.76) regions but was poor for the abdominal...
Pearson W, Wood K, Stanley S, MacNicol J.Obesity is associated with inflammatory disorders in humans, including degenerative joint disease. While obesity is endemic in horses, its relationship to equine degenerative joint disease has not been explored. The current study sought to describe relationships between: body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), lameness grade (AAEP), total body fat mass (kg; FM) and fat per cent (FP) [multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (mfBIA)], age, gender, activity level (AL), synovial fluid (SF) and plasma (PL) PGE and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in horses. During this field investigation, the...
Snow DH, Mackenzie G.The effects of prolonged cantering before and after a 10 week training programme were studied in 6 horses. Determinations were carried on on venous blood for packed cell volume, glucose, glycerol, free fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate, 11-hydroxycorticosteroids, pH and pCO2. Exercise caused a slight increase in glucose, lactate and pH, a moderate rise in PCV, glycerol and free fatty acids, and a marked rise in 11-hydroxycorticosteroids. A decrease in venous pCO2 occurred and a slight but not significant decrease in beta-hydroxybutyrate. Training was found to cause no significant difference in...
Hesselkilde EZ, Almind ME, Petersen J, Flethøj M, Præstegaard KF, Buhl R.Despite increased focus on cardiac arrhythmias in horses, the nature and prevalence is still poorly described. Case reports suggest that arrhythmias occurring secondary to systemic disease are seen more commonly in the clinic than arrhythmias caused by cardiac disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of arrhythmias in colic horses referred for hospital treatment. Associations between electrolyte disturbances and arrhythmias were also investigated. Results: Heart rate was 37.4 ± 3.7 bpm in the control group, and 51.6 ± 11.8 bpm, in the colic group, which was ...
Rolf SL, Reed SM, Melnick W, Andrews FM.Auditory brain stem response testing, using insert earphones, was performed in 10 healthy horses given general anesthesia. The procedure involved clicks of alternating polarity delivered at a rate of 25 clicks/s. Wave forms, including five peaks, were commonly identified. Latencies were measured in milliseconds for waves I through V for all intensities. Latencies of all waves decreased as stimulus intensity increased. For waves I through V, a least-squares regression line was determined for each horse, using all responses between 87-dB sound pressure level (SPL) and 136-dB SPL, inclusive. Slop...
Mancuso LA, Lassaline M, Scherrer NM.To describe the clinical course, outcomes, and complications associated with use of commercially available porcine urinary bladder extracellular matrix (ECM) grafts (ACell Vet(®) Corneal Discs) in equid patients with keratomalacia, and to evaluate the efficacy of ECM grafts as a viable alternative to other biomaterials for corneal grafting in equid patients. Methods: Sixteen horses and one donkey (17 eyes) with unilateral keratomalacia severe enough to warrant surgical repair between August 2012 and September 2013. Methods: Retrospective medical record review to identify equid patients meetin...
Klingel H.The basic social unit in feral horses is the family group consisting of one stallion, one to a few unrelated mares and their foals. Surplus stallions associate in bachelor groups. Stallions are instrumental in bringing mares together in a unit which then persists even without a stallion. The similarity of social organization in populations living in a variety of different habitats indicates that feral horses have reverted to the habits of their wild ancestors, and that domestication has had no influence on this basic behavioural feature.
Buhl R, Hesselkilde EM, Carstensen H, Fenner MF, Jespersen T, Tfelt-Hansen J, Michael Sattler S.Cardiac arrhythmias in horses are diagnosed by auscultation or electrocardiogram (ECG), which results in a low sensitivity for detecting arrhythmias that occur sporadically. Implantable loop recorders (ILRs) are small ECG devices placed subcutaneously, to automatically detect arrhythmias in human patients. Objective: To test ILRs ability to detect atrial fibrillation (AF) in horses. Furthermore, we hypothesised that anatomical location of the implant site might influence signal quality. Signal quality was evaluated both during exercise and over time. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: In fi...
Carr EA.Nutritional support is an important adjunct to medical therapy in the sick, injured, or debilitated equine patient. What is not clear is the optimal route, composition, or amounts of support. The enteral route should be chosen whenever possible to maximize the benefits to the gastrointestinal tract and the patient as a whole. Complete or partial parenteral nutrition is most useful as a bridge during recovery and transition to enteral feeding in the horse. The reader is encouraged to consider nutritional support whether enteral or parenteral in any anorexic, chronically debilitated, or sick equ...
Yamanaka T, Oku K, Koyama H, Mizuno Y.To clarify time-related changes in equine cardiovascular system during maintenance anesthesia (180 min, 1.2 minimum alveolar concentration) with sevoflurane (Sev-group) compared to isoflurane (Iso-group) as the basis for clinical use of Sev, horses were examined for the heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and pre-ejection period (PEP)/ejection time (ET) that is an index of the cardiac contractility. The HR was almost 30 beats/min in both groups without significant temporal change. MAP was significantly elevated with time but the...
Atherton JG, Pitt TL.Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from equine clinical material were categorised according to their serotype and phage type. Epidemiological evidence showed that serotypes 02a, 03, 04, 06, 09 and 010 were the cause of genital and non-genital infections; somatic type 03 accounted for 50 per cent of isolates. The laboratory tests used were of no value in predicting whether or not a particular isolate was likely to be a venereal pathogen, but all the serotypes encountered had the potential to be pathogenic, given a favourable environment in which to multiply.
Alvarez I, Cipolini F, Wigdorovitz A, Trono K, Barrandeguy ME.The most used and reliable indicator of Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) infection is the detection of its specific antibodies in horse serum. In the present study, the performance of two commercial ELISA tests for the detection of EIAV antibodies as well as the potential advantages of their use as an EIAV infection screening tool were evaluated in 302 horse serum samples. Both ELISA assays showed 100% diagnostic sensitivity, and 92.3-94.3% diagnostic specificity. Discordant results were analyzed by immunoblot. The results showed that both ELISA tests are very efficient at detecting EIAV ...
Hales EN, Habib H, Favro G, Katzman S, Sakai RR, Marquardt S, Bordbari MH, Ming-Whitfield B, Peterson J, Dahlgren AR, Rivas V, Ramirez CA, Peng S....Equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder associated with a vitamin E deficiency within the first year of life. Vitamin E consists of 8 isoforms metabolized by the CYP4F2 enzyme. No antemortem diagnostic test currently exists for eNAD/EDM. Objective: Based on the association of α-tocopherol deficiency with the development of eNAD/EDM, we hypothesized that the rate of α-tocopherol, but not γ-tocopherol or tocotrienol metabolism, would be increased in eNAD/EDM-affected horses. Methods: Vitamin E metabolism: Proof...
Dutta SK, Shipley WD.Foals (farms 1 and 2) and mares (farms 1 and 3) vaccinated with a commercially available rhinopneumonitis vaccine were tested for the level of antibodies and for protection against the natural infection. The serum-neutralization (SN) antibody titers against equine herpesvirus type 1 were 1:8 or less in the majority of foals and 1:16 or higher in about 10%. The level of the nasal secretory antibody in the foals (farm 2) was less than 1:4. The vaccinated foals did not show any apparent respiratory tract infection for about 6 months and then an epizootic of respiratory tract disease appeared on f...
Vemulapalli R, Langohr IM, Sanchez A, Kiupel M, Bolin CA, Wu CC, Lin TL.Leptospirosis was identified to be the possible cause of premature birth in a foal on a farm with a history of repeated abortions. Using an appropriate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, the presence of Leptospira kirschneri was detected in the tissues of the prematurely born foal. Further confirmation of L. kirschneri was obtained by nucleotide sequence analysis of the PCR-amplified DNA fragment and the partial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence. This report further supports mounting evidence that a PCR assay capable of detecting L. kirschneri should be included in routine diagnostic investi...
Geraghty TE, Love S, Taylor DJ, Heller J, Mellor DJ, Hughes KJ.A total of 102 horses that had a catheter introduced intravenously to facilitate treatment had the catheterised jugular vein and contralateral vein examined by ultrasound every 48 hours. Subclinical complications were defined by thrombus formation or thickening of the venous wall, and the data were analysed to establish risk factors for the development of these complications. The horses with a rectal temperature above 38.5 degrees C when the catheter was introduced were four times more likely to develop complications, than the horses with a lower temperature. The administration of a NSAID whil...
Elliott AR, Steffey EP, Jarvis KA, Marshall BE.The hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstrictor response to unilateral hypoxia was analyzed in pentobarbital anesthetized dogs (n = 5), miniature swine (n = 5), and ponies (n = 5). The left and right lungs (LL, RL) were separately ventilated with the LL exposed to inspired oxygen concentrations (CIO2) of 100%, 12%, 8% or 4%, while the RL always received a CIO2 = 100%. Pulmonary blood flow distribution was measured using 15 microns radioactive microspheres. LL PAO2, and percent pulmonary blood flow diversion (%FD) were calculated at each CIO2. At CIO2 of 4% there were significant differences (P greater t...
Whitwell KE, Harris P, Farrington PG.Four out of 12 horses grazing a field in Berkshire, England, suffered a prostrating illness and died within 12 to 72 h. Serum biochemical abnormalities, including markedly elevated muscle enzymes, were demonstrated and at post mortem widespread myodegeneration was found in both skeletal muscle and myocardium. Urine analysis revealed myoglobinuria, and renal changes were seen histologically. Although similar pathologically, the clinical syndrome and circumstances of the outbreak were not typical of equine exertional rhabdomyolysis (EER). The outbreak bore a striking resemblance to other reporte...
Whitlock RH, Buckley C.Equine botulism is being recognized with increasing frequency by veterinarians throughout North America. Muscular weakness and dysphagia that progress during a period of 1 to 4 days, in the absence of laboratory derangements that indicate the presence of systemic disease, are suggestive of botulism. A tentative diagnosis usually is based on the presence of the following findings on physical examination: delayed pupillary light response, mydriasis, ptosis, generalized weakness, decreased tail tone, and slow prehension of feed. Definitive diagnosis requires detection of botulinum toxin in plasma...
Liang FT, Granstrom DE, Zhao XM, Timoney JF.Sarcocystis neurona is the etiologic agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Based on an analysis of 25,000 equine serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples, including samples from horses with neurologic signs typical of EPM or with histologically or parasitologically confirmed EPM, four major immunoblot band patterns have been identified. Twenty-three serum and CSF samples representing each of the four immunoblot patterns were selected from 220 samples from horses with neurologic signs resembling EPM and examined for inhibitory effects on the infectivity of S. neurona by an in vi...
Gray PR, Derksen FJ, Robinson NE, Carpenter-Deyo LJ, Johnson HG, Roth RA.Airway obstruction and hyperreactivity are characteristics of human asthma and of "heaves," a naturally occurring respiratory disorder of horses and ponies. To document the role of cyclooxygenase products of arachidonic acid metabolism in the pathogenesis of heaves, we measured plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid concentrations of metabolites of thromboxane (TX)A2 and prostaglandins (PG) I2 and D2 in five affected ponies and their age- and gender-matched controls prior to and during acute airway obstruction precipitated by housing the ponies in a barn and exposing them to hay dust. P...
Schneider RK, Bramlage LR, Mecklenburg LM, Moore RM, Gabel AA.Open drainage was used to treat 26 horses with persistent or severe septic arthritis/tenosynovitis. Infected synovial structures were drained through a small (3 cm) arthrotomy incision that was left open and protected by a sterile bandage. Joint lavage was performed in all 26 horses. In addition to systemic antibiotics, 23 of these horses were also treated with intra-articular antibiotics; amikacin (17 horses), gentamycin (2 horses), cefazolin (2 horses), and 2 horses were injected at different times with gentamycin and amikacin. The infection was eliminated from the involved synovial structur...
