"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.
Horsington J, Lynch SE, Gilkerson JR, Studdert MJ, Hartley CA.Of the many members that comprise the family Picornaviridae, only two species are known to infect horses: equine rhinitis A virus (ERAV) and equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV). Each species now occupies a distinct phylogenetic branch within the family, with the single serotype of ERAV grouping with the aphthoviruses, such as foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), and the three serotypes of ERBV as the sole members of the genus Erbovirus. The high seroprevalence of equine picornaviruses in horse populations worldwide contrasts with the relatively few reports of detection of these viruses and poor und...
McIlwraith CW.The paper reviews current knowledge on conservative versus surgical options for the treatment of osteochondrosis entities in the horse. Clinical and radiographic signs of each significant osteochondrosis entity in the horse are presented, followed by the value of conservative treatment versus arthroscopic surgery options as well as the results for each option with the various entities. The entities presented in detail include, osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the femoropatellar, tarsocrural, metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal, and glenohumural articulations. The various treatment op...
Taylor P, Coumbe K, Henson F, Scott D, Taylor A.To examine the effect of including buprenorphine with detomidine for sedation of horses undergoing clinical procedures. Methods: Partially blinded, randomised, prospective clinical field trial. Methods: Eighty four client-owned horses scheduled for minor surgery or diagnostic investigation under standing sedation. Methods: The effects of buprenorphine (5 μg kg(-1) ) (Group B, n = 46) or placebo (5% glucose solution) (Group C, n = 38) in combination with detomidine (10 μg kg(-1) ) were compared in standing horses undergoing minor clinical procedures. The primary outcome measure was succ...
Matto TN, Bharkad GP, Bhat SA.A total of 1,304 faecal samples of different species of equids were examined for presence of helminthic eggs from five different centres in Mumbai and Pune regions of Maharashtra state from October 2011 to June 2012. Overall prevalence of helminthic infestation was found to be 20.63 % with higher rate of occurrence in monsoon (31.29 %) followed by winter (20.40 %) and summer (14.23 %). Four species of nematodes viz. strongyles (10.81 %), Strongyloides westeri (13.19 %), Parascaris equorum (0.23 %) and Dictyocaulus arnfieldi (0.23 %); two species of trematodes viz. amphistomes (1.38 %)...
Valenchon M, Lévy F, Górecka-Bruzda A, Calandreau L, Lansade L.The present study investigated the influence of temperament on long-term recall and extinction of 2 instrumental tasks in 26 horses. In the first task (backward task), horses learned to walk backward, using commands given by an experimenter, in order to obtain a food reward. In the second task (active avoidance task), horses had to cross an obstacle after a bell rang in order to avoid emission of an air puff. Twenty-two months after acquisition, horses exhibited perfect recall performance in both tasks. Accordingly, no influence of temperament on recall performance could be observed for either...
Waldschmidt I, Pirottin D, Art T, Audigié F, Bureau F, Tosi I, El Abbas S, Farnir F, Richard E, Dupuis MC.Pulmonary diseases are common in horses and have a major economic impact on the equine industry. Some of them could be associated with an inadequate immune response in the lung, but methods to evaluate this response in horses are lacking. The aim of this study was to develop and validate an experimental model that could be applied in several physiological and pathological conditions to assess the innate immune response of equine pulmonary cells. Equine alveolar macrophages (AMs) obtained from bronchoalveolar lavages were isolated from other cells by adhesion. TLR2, 3, and 4 expression in AMs w...
Oel C, Gerhards H, Gehlen H.Analysis of any effect of retrobulbar block during ocular surgery on heart rate variability and oculocardiac reflex. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: Horses (n = 16) undergoing eye enucleation due to chronic ophthalmologic diseases. Methods: Eye enucleation was performed under general anesthesia. The horses were randomly assigned to the first (inhalation anesthesia only, n = 10) or second group (inhalation and local retrobulbar anesthesia, n = 6). The retrobulbar block was performed using 12 mL of mepivacaine hydrochloride 2%. ECG data were taken by a Telemetric ECG before, during, and aft...
Wagner B, Ainsworth DM, Freer H.Soluble CD14 (sCD14) binds bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and acts as an anti-inflammatory LPS-inhibitor in vivo. In humans, sCD14 is one of the soluble biomarkers used for various inflammatory diseases and conditions, however, sCD14 assays have not yet been evaluated in horses. Here, we developed and optimized a bead-based assay for the quantification of sCD14 in horses. The assay was then used to determine native sCD14 concentrations in serum from healthy and septic foals, in the colostrum of healthy mares and in plasma from adult horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and contro...
Miao Q, Wang X, She LN, Fan YT, Yuan FZ, Yang JF, Zhu XQ, Zou FC.Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that infects almost all warm-blooded animals, including humans, with a worldwide distribution. There have been limited reports about the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in equids around the world and little is known about the seroprevalence of T. gondii in equids in southwestern China, in particular in Yunnan Province. The objective of the present investigation was to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in equids in this area. Methods: A total of 399 serum samples (266 from horses and 133 from donkeys) were collected...
Kaese S, Frommeyer G, Verheule S, van Loon G, Gehrmann J, Breithardt G, Eckardt L.The most frequently used animal species in experimental cardiac electrophysiology are mice, rabbits, and dogs. Murine and human electrocardiograms (ECGs) show salient differences, including the occurrence of a pronounced J-wave and a less distinctive T-wave in the murine ECG. Mouse models can resemble human cardiac arrhythmias, although mice differ from human in cardiac electrophysiology. Thus, arrhythmia mechanisms in mice may differ from those in humans and should be transferred to the human situation with caution. Further relevant cardiovascular animal models are rabbits, dogs, and minipigs...
Journée SL, de Ruijter-Villani M, Hendriks WK, Stout TA.Transvaginal ultrasound-guided pregnancy reduction (TUGR) is a procedure described for the management of twins post-fixation in the horse. Success rates are often disappointing but are reported to be more favorable for bilaterally situated twins and when intervention takes place before day 35 of gestation. This study aimed to determine whether stabbing the embryo/fetus rather than aspirating conceptus fluids improved the likelihood of success, measured as the birth of a normal live singleton foal. Data from 103 TUGR interventions were analyzed by logistic regression analysis; method of treatme...
Kutzner-Mulligan J, Eisemann J, Siciliano P, Smith J, Hewitt K, Sharlette J, Pratt-Phillips S.Management techniques that reduce the insulin response to feeding in horses have application in preventing insulin resistance (IR) and potential associations (e.g., laminitis). Eight mature idle horses of BCS between 5 and 6.5 and with no previous indication of IR were fed a meal of concentrate under 4 feed delivery treatments in a repeated Latin Square design. Treatments were all based on a bucket of equal dimensions. The treatments included a control (CON) and 3 treatments hypothesized to increase time to consume feed (TCF): mobile obstacles above the feed (BALL), stationary obstacles below ...
Welsh CE, Lewis TW, Blott SC, Mellor DJ, Lam KH, Stewart BD, Parkin TD.A retrospective cohort study of important musculoskeletal conditions of Thoroughbred racehorses was conducted using health records generated over a 15 year period (n=5062, 1296 sires). The prevalence of each condition in the study population was: fracture, 13%; osteoarthritis, 10%; suspensory ligament injury, 10%; and tendon injury, 19%. Linear and logistic sire and animal regression models were built to describe the binary occurrence of these musculoskeletal conditions, and to evaluate the significance of possible environmental risk factors. The heritability of each condition was estimated us...
Velineni S, Timoney JF.Streptococcus zooepidemicus of Lancefield group C is a highly variable tonsillar and mucosal commensal that usually is associated with opportunistic infections of the respiratory tract of vertebrate hosts. More-virulent clones have caused epizootics of severe respiratory disease in dogs and horses. The virulence factors of these strains are poorly understood. The antiphagocytic protein SeM is a major virulence factor and protective antigen of Streptococcus equi, a clonal biovar of an ancestral S. zooepidemicus strain. Although the genome of S. zooepidemicus strain H70, an equine isolate, conta...
Fontenot RL, Sink CA, Werre SR, Weinstein NM, Dahlgren LA.This study evaluated the quality and bacteriologic safety of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) produced by 3 simple, inexpensive tube centrifugation methods and a commercial system. Citrated equine blood collected from 26 normal horses was processed by 4 methods: blood collection tubes centrifuged at 1200 and 2000 × g, 50-mL conical tube, and a commercial system. White blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), and platelet counts and mean platelet volume (MPV) were determined for whole blood and PRP, and aerobic and anaerobic cultures were performed. Mean platelet concentrations ranged from 1.55- to 2...
Baratt R.Although diagnostic images can be obtained with traditional rare-earth film-screen combinations, digital radiography (DR) has enhanced the ability of the general practitioner to obtain diagnostic radiographs of the equine head. With the widespread availability of DR in equine practices, the practitioner can more readily learn the correct positioning for the various projections of the equine head that are used to evaluate the dentition and sinuses. Digital systems provide rapid processing of the image, enabling the practitioner to correct positioning errors and retake the image without signific...
Love EJ, Taylor PM, Whay HR, Murrell J.Buprenorphine has recently obtained UK Marketing Authorisation for horses. The analgesic effects are long lasting, and have considerable potential for postoperative pain relief. This observer blinded, randomised study aimed to evaluate postsurgical analgesia in ponies premedicated with buprenorphine prior to castration under intravenous anaesthesia. Ponies received either 0.01 mg/kg bodyweight (BW) buprenorphine (group B) or an equivalent volume of 5 per cent glucose (group C) given intravenously before induction of anaesthesia. Pain was assessed and recorded using dynamic interactive visual a...
Cao X, Vidyashankar AN, Nielsen MK.Decades of intensive anthelmintic treatment has caused equine large strongyles to become quite rare, while the cyathostomins have developed resistance to several drug classes. The larval culture has been associated with low to moderate negative predictive values for detecting Strongylus vulgaris infection. It is unknown whether detection of other large strongyle species can be statistically associated with presence of S. vulgaris. This remains a statistical challenge because of the rare occurrence of large strongyle species. This study used a modified Poisson regression to analyse a dataset fo...
Cillán-García E, Milner PI, Talbot A, Tucker R, Hendey F, Boswell J, Reardon RJ, Taylor SE.The type and location of deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) lesions may be important in predicting outcome. The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of different types of DDFT lesions within the hoof capsule and to determine whether lesion type predicts return to athletic activity. Lesions of the DDFT were divided into: core lesions, dorsal border lesions and parasagittal splits. Lesion location was documented, and follow-up information was obtained by telephone survey at least 18 months after diagnosis. Of 168 horses with primary DDFT injury, 54 horses had dorsal border les...
Moloney E, Kavanagh KS, Buckley TC, Cooney JC.Streptococcus equi ssp. equi is the causative agent of 'Strangles' in horses. This is a debilitating condition leading to economic loss, yard closures and cancellation of equestrian events. There are multiple genotypes of S. equi ssp. equi which can cause disease, but to date there has been no systematic study of strains which are prevalent in Ireland. This study identified and classified Streptococcus equi ssp. equi strains isolated from within the Irish equine industry. Results: Two hundred veterinary isolates were subjected to SLST (single locus sequence typing) based on an internal sequenc...
Wylie CE, Ireland JL, Collins SN, Verheyen KL, Newton JR.The objectives of this study were to describe the demographic characteristics and management practices undertaken by owners of horses/ponies within GB and assess seasonal and geographical variations in management practices. A cross-sectional study was conducted, surveying a random sample of veterinary-registered owners in GB, using a self-administered postal questionnaire. A total of 797 useable responses were received. Only 4.0% of animals were stabled 24h/day, this proportion being greater in winter compared to other seasons (p<0.001). Shavings (45.7%) and straw (35.3%) were the most freq...
Zylicz-Stachula A, Zolnierkiewicz O, Jasiecki J, Skowron PM.Genomics and metagenomics are currently leading research areas, with DNA sequences accumulating at an exponential rate. Although enormous advances in DNA sequencing technologies are taking place, progress is frequently limited by factors such as genomic contig assembly and generation of representative libraries. A number of DNA fragmentation methods, such as hydrodynamic sharing, sonication or DNase I fragmentation, have various drawbacks, including DNA damage, poor fragmentation control, irreproducibility and non-overlapping DNA segment representation. Improvements in these limited DNA scissi...
Brandariz-Fontes C, Leonard JA, Vega-Pla JL, Backström N, Lindgren G, Lippold S, Rico C.Several studies based on a variety of genetic markers have attempted to establish the origins of horse domestication. Thus far a discrepancy between the results of mitochondrial DNA analysis, which show high levels of diversity, and results from the Y-chromosome, with almost no genetic variability, has been identified. Most previous work on the horse Y-chromosome has focused on widespread, popular breeds or local Asian breeds. It is possible that these breeds represent a reduced set of the genetic variation present in the species. Additional genetic variation may be present in local breeds and...
López-Sanromán FJ, Holmbak-Petersen R, Varela M, del Alamo AM, Santiago I.To evaluate the duration of effects on movement patterns of horses after sedation with equipotent doses of xylazine hydrochloride, detomidine hydrochloride, or romifidine hydrochloride and determine whether accelerometry can be used to quantify differences among drug treatments. Methods: 6 healthy horses. Methods: Each horse was injected IV with saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (10 mL), xylazine diluted in saline solution (0.5 mg/kg), detomidine diluted in saline solution (0.01 mg/kg), or romifidine diluted in saline solution (0.04 mg/kg) in random order. A triaxial accelerometric device was used f...
Wagner AL, Urschel KL, Lefta M, Esser KA.To determine the effect of biopsy collection depth on the postprandial activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling factors, particularly protein kinase B, ribosomal protein S6 kinase, ribosomal protein S6, and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 in middle-aged horses. Methods: 6 healthy Thoroughbred mares (mean ± SD age, 13.4 ± 3.4 years). Methods: Horses were fed a high-protein feed at 3 g/kg. Sixty minutes after horses were fed, the percutaneous needle biopsy technique was used to collect biopsy specimens from the gluteus medius muscle at 6, 8, and 10 cm belo...
Tapio HA, Raekallio MR, Mykkänen A, Mama K, Mendez-Angulo JL, Hautajärvi H, Vainio OM.OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of MK-467 and hyoscine butylbromide on detomidine hydrochloride-induced cardiorespiratory and gastrointestinal changes in horses. ANIMALS 6 healthy adult horses. PROCEDURES Horses received detomidine hydrochloride (20 μg/kg, IV), followed 10 minutes later by MK-467 hydrochloride (150 μg/kg; DET-MK), hyoscine butylbromide (0.2 mg/kg; DET-HYO), or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (DET-S), IV, in a Latin square design. Heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, arterial and venous blood pressures, and cardiac output were measured; blood gases and arterial plas...
Vander Werf KA, Davis EG, Kukanich B.The objective of this study was to assess the pharmacokinetic profile and determine whether any adverse effects would occur in seven healthy adult horses following oral meloxicam tablet administration once daily for 14 days at a dose of 0.6 mg/kg·bwt. Horses were evaluated for health using physical examination, complete blood count, serum chemistry, urinalysis, and gastroscopy at the beginning and end of the study. Blood was collected for the quantification of meloxicam concentrations with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The mean terminal half-life was 4.99 ± 1.11 h. There was n...
Jäderkvist Fegraeus K, Lawrence C, Petäjistö K, Johansson MK, Wiklund M, Olsson C, Andersson L, Andersson LS, Røed KH, Ihler CF, Strand E....The Swedish-Norwegian Coldblooded trotter (CBT) is a local breed in Sweden and Norway mainly used for harness racing. Previous studies have shown that a mutation from cytosine (C) to adenine (A) in the doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 3 (DMRT3) gene has a major impact on harness racing performance of different breeds. An association of the DMRT3 mutation with early career performance has also been suggested. The aim of the current study was to investigate this proposed association in a randomly selected group of CBTs. 769 CBTs (485 raced, 284 unraced) were genotyped for the DMR...
Hennessy KD, Quinn KM, Murphy J.Horses are individual, each having differential characteristics such as height, color, breeding, conformation, and temperament. These bio-characteristics often influence potential purchasers when buying horses. This study sought to investigate if producers and potential purchasers placed similar emphasis on equine bio-characteristics. Sport-horse stakeholders--n = 1377 (792 producers and 585 potential purchasers)--rated various equine bio-characteristics on a Likert psychometric response scale during a questionnaire-based survey. The study analyzed responses, using the Wilcoxan test for statis...
Carmalt JL, Waldner CL, Allen AL.The objectives of the present study were to determine if diagnosis and treatment of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) vary by geographic region and to report the prevalence of PPID in horses as observed by veterinarians across locations. An online questionnaire was developed for veterinarians who treat horses. Veterinary associations, especially equine specialty subgroups, were contacted and a survey link was sent to members of each organization. Generalized linear models were used to examine whether the method of diagnosis and treatment of this condition, as well as its repo...
Ochi A, Hifumi T, Ueno T, Katayama Y.Capillaria hepatica is a zoonotic parasite in humans and animals and has a worldwide distribution. However, infections in mammals apart from rodents, which are natural hosts of the parasite, have rarely been reported. This report describes the first known case of C. hepatica infection in a horse in Japan. Methods: A 3-year-old filly without clinical signs was presented at a slaughterhouse in Japan. Gross examination revealed white to tan nodules 0.5 to 1.5 cm in diameter in the parenchyma of the liver. Histologically, the nodules had mature fibrous capsules and consisted of multifocal to coal...
Halliwell RE, Fleischman JB, Mackay-Smith M, Beech J, Gunson DE.Twenty-five horses with chronic pulmonary disease were skin tested with allergenic extracts of 24 molds, 4 thermophilic actinomyces, barn dust, hay dust, soya-bean mill dust, and grain mill dust. The results were compared with those obtained on 25 normal horses. Between the 2 groups of horses, there was a highly significant difference in positive skin test results at 30 minutes and 4 hours.
de Lemos ER, Machado RD, Coura JR, Guimarães MA, Chagas N.In order to obtain information on Brazilian spotted fever, a study in domestic animals was performed in the County of Pedreira, State of São Paulo, Brazil, where 17 human cases had been notified. Serum samples obtained from animals were tested by indirect immunofluorescence for detectable antibodies to spotted fever-group rickettsiae. Seropositivity was revealed in 12 (36.4%) of 33 dogs and seven (77.8%) of nine horses from the endemic area. For comparison, blood samples from dogs and horses from non endemic area were tested and four (12.9%) of 31 dogs and three (27.3%) of 11 horses were posi...
Christophersen MT, Tnibar A, Pihl TH, Andersen PH, Ekstrøm CT.There is a paucity of studies addressing sporting activity and horse owners' satisfaction after horses have undergone colic surgery. Objective: To determine 1) survival rate after colic surgery, 2) prevalence of horses returning to, or starting, sporting activities and 3) assess the owners' satisfaction regarding colic surgery. Methods: Cases that underwent exploratory celiotomy for colic between January 2005 and August 2010 were reviewed. All horses that had one or more celiotomies and were discharged after colic surgery were included in a telephone questionnaire survey. Only horses that surv...
Ferlazzo A, Cravana C, Fazio E, Medica P.In order to acquire a pattern of thyroid involvement in welfare maintenance in Ruminants and Equines, this review summarizes data concerning the reference values of total and free iodothyronines and their modifications in physiological conditions and in different management conditions (pregnancy, lactation, weaning, growth, isolation, restraint, shearing, confinement and transportation). Thyroidal and extrathyroidal tissues efficiently respond to management practices, giving a differentiated contribution to circulating iodothyronine changes. The hormonal response could be mainly attributed to ...
Boehart S, Arndt G, Carstanjen B.The aim of the study was to determine morphometric values of the superficial and deep digital flexor tendon, the inferior check ligament and the suspensory ligament in the palmar metacarpal region of sound Haflinger horses using ultrasonography and to assess the influence of different factors on them. The findings were compared with the literature. A total of 30 sound Haflinger mares aged 4-20 years were used. Transverse ultrasound images were obtained with an 8-10 linear MHz transducer and the cross-sectional area, the circumference and the dorsopalmar and lateromedial width were determined f...
Borena BM, Meyer E, Chiers K, Martens A, Demeyere K, Broeckx SY, Duchateau L, Spaas JH.Mammal skin plays a pivotal role in several life preserving processes and extensive damage may therefore be life threatening. Physiological skin regeneration is achieved through ongoing somatic stem cell differentiation within the epidermis and the hair follicle. However, in severe pathological cases, such as burn wounds, chronic wounds, and ulcers, the endogenous repair mechanisms might be insufficient. For this reason, exogenous purification and multiplication of epithelial-like stem/progenitor cells (EpSCs) might be useful in the treatment of these skin diseases. However, only few reports a...
Fischer AT, Vachon AM.Laparoscopic intra-abdominal ligation and removal of cryptorchid testes in horses was evaluated retrospectively in 50 horses that underwent the procedure between 1991 and 1996. Sixty-one cryptorchid testes were removed by one of the following methods; the use of 1) an endoscoping stapling and transection device, 2) an endoscopic clipping device, 3) an endoscopic ligating loop. Monopolar electrosurgery was combined with these methods to facilitate coagulation and cutting of tissue. In 8 horses, 9 testes were retained between the internal and external inguinal rings. The inguinal testes were rem...
Sánchez Bruni SF, Fusé LA, Moreno L, Saumell CA, Alvarez LI, Fiel C, McKellar QA, Lanusse CE.The study of novel pharmacological strategies to control parasitism in horses is required since many parasite species have developed resistance to anthelmintic drugs. Objective: To evaluate the effects of piperonyl butoxide (PB) (a metabolic inhibitor) on the plasma availability and enantiomeric behaviour of oxfendazole (OFZ) given orally to horses, and to compare the clinical efficacy of OFZ given either alone or co-administered with PB in naturally parasitised horses. Methods: Fifteen naturally parasitised crossbred male ponies were allocated into 3 groups (n = 5) and treated orally as follo...
Minshall GJ, Wright IM.Clinical association between the branches of insertion of the suspensory ligament (SL) and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints has been reported. However, there has been no assessment of the lengths of the SL branches which are subsynovial with respect to the joints or reports of involvement of the MCP/MTP joints in injuries of the SL branches. Objective: To establish proportions of SL branches subsynovial with respect to the MCP/MTP joints and report clinical and arthroscopic findings in horses with desmitis of SL branches identified as having an articular component...
Johansson AM, Gardner SY, Jones SL, Fuquay LR, Reagan VH, Levine JF.This study was initiated to identify the signalment and clinical variables potentially associated with hypomagnesemia in horses evaluated at the North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine (NCSU-CVM) veterinary teaching hospital between January 1999 and May 2001. A nested case reference study (nested case-control study) was conducted to examine the potential relationship between hypomagnesemia and signalment, serum chemistry panel analyses, number of hospitalization days, discharge status, and diagnosis. A series of independent and multivariable logistic regression models w...
Gibbs PG, Potter GD, Blake RW, McMullan WC.Milk production was measured in fourteen Quarter Horse mares at seven stages of a 150-d lactation period. Mares were divided into two groups of seven and fed diets containing either soybean meal or soybean meal and urea as nitrogen supplements. Rations were isocaloric, contained approximately 12.5% crude protein and were fortified with vitamins and minerals. Daily milk yield was estimated by the weigh-suckle-weigh method and milk composition was determined from samples taken by hand milking. Average daily milk yield ranged from 11.8 kg in early lactation to 9.8 kg in late lactation. Difference...
Kim YM, Ha SJ, Seong HS, Choi JY, Baek HJ, Yang BC, Choi JW, Kim NY.In this study, genome-wide CNVs were identified using a total of 469 horses from four horse populations (Jeju horses, Thoroughbreds, Jeju riding horses, and Hanla horses). We detected a total of 843 CNVRs throughout all autosomes: 281, 30, 301, and 310 CNVRs for Jeju horses, Thoroughbreds, Jeju riding horses, and Hanla horses, respectively. Of the total CNVRs, copy number losses were found to be the most abundant (48.99%), while gains and mixed CNVRs accounted for 41.04% and 9.96% of the total CNVRs, respectively. The length of the CNVRs ranged from 0.39 kb to 2.8 Mb, while approximately 7.2% ...
Ihler CF, Rootwelt V, Heyeraas A, Dolvik NJ.The caecum and the adjacent 30 cm lengths of ileum and large colon of 201 horses from two different regions of Norway (Ostlandet and Trøndelag) were examined for the presence of Anoplocephala perfoliata. In all, 20% of the horses were infested with the cestode (27% in Ostlandet and 7% in Trøndelag). The mean number of worms in infected horses from the two regions was 18 and 6, respectively. Information was obtained on the age, sex, breed, type of pasture and anthelmintic treatment after the grazing season for 183 of the 20 horses. The degree of infestation with A. perfoliata was not influenc...
Satué K, Miguel-Pastor L, Chicharro D, Gardón JC.For diagnostic purposes, liver enzymes are usually classified into hepatocellular and cholestatic. These two groups of equine liver-specific enzymes include sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). SDH and GLDH mostly reflect hepatocellular injury and cholestasis, while GGT expresses high values in biliary necrosis or hyperplasia. Likewise, AST, LDH, and ALP also reflect hepatocellular and biliary disease, but these enzymes are not liver specific. F...
Casella S, Giannetto C, Giudice E, Marafioti S, Fazio F, Assenza A, Piccione G.Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation in fed and fasted horses after addition of tramadol hydrochloride was evaluated in vitro. On 10 horses citrated blood samples were collected 2h after feeding (fed animals) and 21 h after feeding (fasted animals). Final concentrations of ADP 1 and 0.5 μM, and tramadol hydrochloride (1, 15, 30, 45 and 60 min after the addition of tramadol) were used to determine the maximum degree and initial velocity of platelet aggregation. Repeated measures multifactor analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to evaluate the effect of feeding/fasting con...
Spadavecchia C, Arendt-Nielsen L, Spadavecchia L, Mosing M, Auer U, van den Hoven R.To assess the effects of a single intravenous dose of butorphanol (0.1 mg kg(-1)) on the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) using threshold, suprathreshold and repeated subthreshold electrical stimuli in conscious horses. Methods: 'Unblinded', prospective experimental study. Methods: Ten adult horses, five geldings and five mares, mean body mass 517 kg (range 487-569 kg). Methods: The NWR was elicited using single transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the palmar digital nerve. Repeated stimulations were applied to evoke temporal summation. Surface electromyography was performed to record a...
Whitehair KJ, Blevins WE, Fessler JF, Van Sickle DC, White MR, Bill RP.Regional perfusion of carpal tissues by forced intramedullary administration of fluids was evaluated in 10 horses. Results of subtraction radiography after perfusion with a contrast medium demonstrated that perfusate was delivered to the carpal tissues by the venous system. Perfused India ink was distributed uniformly in the antebrachiocarpal and middle carpal synovial membranes. Histologically, the ink was within the venules of the synovial villi. Immediately after perfusion with gentamicin sulfate (1 g), the gentamicin concentrations in the synovial fluid and synovial membrane of the antebra...
Lu G, Fu C, Huang J, Xu H, Wu P, Ping X, Li S.Equine pegivirus (EPgV) is a newly discovered equine virus, which is taxonomically classified in the Pegivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family. Until now, only the complete genome sequence of the first reported EPgV strain, from the USA (strain name: C0035) is available on online databases. Considering this, horse serum samples were collected from horses in China and screened for EPgV RNA by RT-PCR. One EPgV strain, LW/2016, was obtained and its near-complete genome sequence was acquired by standard PCR. Further analysis of its nucleotide sequence indicates LW/2016 is genetically divergent fr...
Albert E, Sahin-Tóth J, Horváth A, Papp M, Biksi I, Dobay O.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bearing the mecC gene (mecC-MRSA) has been reported from animals and humans in recent years. This study describes the first mecC-MRSA isolates of human and equine origin in Hungary (two isolates from horses and one from a veterinarian, who treated one of the infected horses, but was asymptomatic). MRSA isolates were identified by cultivation and PCR detection of the species-specific spa gene and mecA/mecC methicillin resistance genes. The isolates were characterized by antibiotic susceptibility testing, MLST, spa, SCCmec typing, PFGE and whole genome...
