"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.
Lescun TB, Frank EA, Zacharias JR, Daggy JK, Moore GE.To compare the bone temperature and final hole dimensions associated with sequential overdrilling (SO) and single 6.2-mm drill bit (S6.2DB) methods used to create transcortical holes in the third metacarpal bones (MCIIIs) of horse cadavers. Methods: 60 MCIIIs from 30 horse cadavers. Methods: In phase 1, hole diameter, tap insertion torque, peak bone temperature, and postdrilling bit temperature for 6.2-mm-diameter holes drilled in the lateral or medial cortical region of 12 MCIIIs via each of three 2-bit SO methods with a single pilot hole (diameter, 3.2, 4.5, or 5.5 mm) and the S6.2DB method ...
Uzal FA, Diab SS, Blanchard P, Moore J, Anthenill L, Shahriar F, Garcia JP, Songer JG.Clostridium perfringens type C is one of the most important agents of enteric disease in newborn foals. Clostridium difficile is now recognized as an important cause of enterocolitis in horses of all ages. While infections by C. perfringens type C or C. difficile are frequently seen, we are not aware of any report describing combined infection by these two microorganisms in foals. We present here five cases of foal enterocolitis associated with C. difficile and C. perfringens type C infection. Five foals between one and seven days of age were submitted for necropsy examination to the Californi...
Klein C, Troedsson MH.Maternal recognition of pregnancy in the horse is the sum of events leading to maintenance of pregnancy; in a narrow sense, maternal recognition of pregnancy refers to the physiological process by which the lifespan of the corpus luteum is prolonged. The horse is one of the few domestic species in which the conceptus-derived pregnancy recognition signal has not been identified. The presence of the conceptus reduces pulsatile prostaglandin F(2α) secretion by the endometrium during early gestation in the mare, partly attributed to the reduced expression of cyclooxygenase-2. Cyclooxygenase-2 has...
Lönnell C, Roepstorff L, Egenvall A.Lameness is the most commonly diagnosed condition in equine veterinary practice. To examine whether variations in management and husbandry strategies in riding schools could influence wastage due to orthopaedic injury schools with high (HUIO) or low (LUIO) insurance claims for orthopaedic injuries (as an indirect measure of wastage) were compared epidemiologically using an extensive questionnaire and field study visits. Schools differed in management strategies and these influence injury rate and longevity. For horses in the LUIO schools a significantly longer time period had elapsed since acq...
Suagee JK, Corl BA, Swyers KL, Smith TL, Flinn CD, Geor RJ.High glycaemic feeds are associated with the development of insulin resistance in horses. However, studies that evaluated the effect of high glycaemic feeds used horses that either ranged in body condition from lean to obese or were fed to increase body condition over a period of months; thus, the ability of high glycaemic feeds to induce insulin resistance in lean horses has not been determined. This study evaluated the insulin sensitivity of 18 lean horses fed a 10% (LO; n = 6), 20% (MED; n = 6) or 60% (HI; n = 6) non-structural carbohydrate complementary feed for 90 days. Alth...
Gulati BR, Singha H, Singh BK, Virmani N, Khurana SK, Singh RK.The seroprevalence of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) among equines was evaluated from January 2006 to December 2009 in 13 different states of India by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and virus neutralization test (VNT). Antibodies against JEV were detected in 327 out of 3,286 (10%) equines with a maximum prevalence reported in the state of Manipur (91.7%) followed by Gujarat (18.5%), Madhya Pradesh (14.4%), and Uttar Pradesh (11.6%). Evidence of JEV infection was observed in equines in Indore (Madhya Pradesh) where a 4-fold or higher rise in antibody titer was observed in 21 out of 34...
Songsermsakul P, Böhm J, Aurich C, Zentek J, Razzazi-Fazeli E.Concentration profile of zearalenone (ZON) and its metabolites in plasma, urine and faeces samples of horses fed with Fusarium toxin-contaminated oats is described. In plasma, β-zearalenol (β-ZOL) was detected at high levels on day 10 of the study (3.21-6.24 μg/l). β-Zearalenol and α-zearalenol were the major metabolites in urine. Zearalenone, α-ZOL and β-ZOL were predominantly found in faeces. Zearalanone could also be detected in urine (1.34-5.79 μg/l) and faeces (1 μg/kg). The degree of glucuronidation was established in all sample types, approximately 100% in urine and plasm...
Amato C, Martin L, Dumon H, Jaillardon L, Nguyen P, Siliart B.Leptin is an adipocytokine mainly expressed by adipose tissue. Secretion of leptin in healthy animals is closely related to fat mass and metabolic activity. The aim of this study was to investigate plasma leptin variations, in relation to nutritional and exercise parameters in adult show horses during a work season. EDTA-blood samples were taken at rest from 37 Iberian horses. Body weight, body condition score and fat percentage determined by ultrasonic measurement of rump fat thickness were measured. Plasma leptin was determined with a multi-species RIA kit. Linear mixed effects model was use...
Qablan MA, Sloboda M, Jirků M, Oborník M, Dwairi S, Amr ZS, Hořín P, Lukeš J, Modrý D.DNA of two species of piroplasmids was detected in dromedaries during a survey of blood protozoans in Jordan between 2007 and 2009. Ten clinically healthy camels (10%) originating from three Jordanian districts were found, using a PCR assay, to harbor Theileria or Babesia species in their blood and no mix infection was determined. Analysis of the partial 18S rRNA gene sequences of these parasites allowed their unambiguous identification as equine piroplasmids Babesia caballi (n=6) and Theileria equi (n=4). In case of latter species, a novel genotype was found in horses. This first molecular-ba...
Bai DY, Yang LH, Unerhu U, Zhao YP, Zhao QN, Hasigaowa H, Dugarjaviin M.Coat color of horse is an important basis for both species identification and individual recognition and is also one of the important references traits for breeding. Therefore, the research on the mechanism of coat fading has become an important part of horses' coat color study. It has been found that the white phenotype is closely related to the mutation of kit gene, which is located on chromosome 3. Investigated results showed that the formation of the epidermal melanoblast and melanin relies on the expression of kit gene, which determines the presence of white phenotype. Nevertheless, studi...
Feofilov AV, Bardukov NV, Glazko VI.Using ISSR-PCR marker data, comparative analysis of the gene pools of Altaic and trotting horse breeds was carried out. Horse groups of different origin demonstrated differences in amplification spectra of DNA fragments flanked by inverted repeats of four microsatellites. Combinations of certain DNA fragments present in these profiles reproducibly distinguished genomes of the Altaic breed from the trotting breeds. Genetic differentiation between some trotting breeds, based on Nei genetic distance values, was found to be comparable to that between the groups of horses of Altaic breed from two d...
Ferrer MS, Lyle SK, Paccamonti DL, Eilts BE, Hosgood G, Godke RA.Low-dose insemination has been proposed to reduce persistent breeding-induced endometritis (PBIE) in mares with delayed uterine clearance (DUC). Others proposed that hysteroscopic insemination induces an exaggerated inflammatory response and should be avoided in DUC mares. The objectives here were to evaluate presence and severity of PBIE in normal and DUC mares after hysteroscopic insemination with fresh semen, and to determine if hysteroscopy could be used in DUC mares without inducing excessive inflammation. Reproductively normal (n = 4) and DUC (n = 5) mares received four treatments in ran...
Schwarz B, Brunthaler R, Hahn C, van den Hoven R.Equine grass sickness (EGS) occurs mainly in Great Britain, but has once been reported in Hungary. The stud which was affected by EGS in 2001 had no new cases until 2009/10, when 11 of 60 and five of 12 one- to three-year-old colts died or were euthanased due to EGS. Following a few hours in the high-risk field during the winter of 2010/11 further four cases of acute EGS were noted among these horses. The affected horses showed somewhat different clinical signs compared with the cases reported in Great Britain. Histopathological findings in these horses were consistent with EGS. In most examin...
Paillot R, Prowse L.The humoral immune response induced by ISCOM-matrix (Immuno Stimulating COMplex-Matrix)-adjuvanted equine influenza virus (EIV) vaccine is well documented in horses. ISCOM-matrix adjuvanted vaccines against human influenza are strong inducers of cell-mediated immunity (CMI), including T cell proliferation and virus-specific cytotoxic T cell. In the horse, the CMI response to equine influenza vaccination is less well characterised. An ISCOM-based vaccine has been shown to induce interferon gamma (IFN-γ) synthesis, a CMI marker, in the horse, but this has not been shown for the ISCOM-matrix vac...
Holbrook TC, Tipton T, McFarlane D.Equine metabolic syndrome is characterized by obesity and regional adiposity coupled with evidence of recurrent laminitis. Although inflammation has been well characterized in several experimental models of acute laminitis, the inflammatory events associated with endocrinopathic laminitis are not well documented. The aim of this study was to characterize selected markers of inflammation in horses with clinical evidence of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). Neutrophil phagocytosis and oxidative burst, as well as endogenous and stimulated cytokine expression were evaluated. A marked increase in ne...
van den Wollenberg L, Butler CM, Houwers DJ, de Grootv MW, Panhuijzen H, van Maanen C, van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) is an emerging infectious enteric disease caused by the obligate intracellular gram-negative bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis. EPE was tentatively diagnosed in six weanling foals, aged between 5 and 7 months. Clinical signs included depression, anorexia, ventral oedema, and weight loss. Plasma biochemistry consistently revealed severe hypoproteinaemia. The ante-mortem diagnosis of EPE was based on clinical signs, hypoproteinaemia (6/6), the detection of moderate-to-high titres of L. intracellularis antibody (6/6), and severe thickening of the small inte...
Bordin AI, Liu M, Nerren JR, Buntain SL, Brake CN, Kogut MH, Cohen ND.Rhodococcus equi is an intracellular bacterium that causes pneumonia in foals and immunocompromised adult horses. Evidence exists that foals become infected with R. equi early in life, a period when innate immune responses are critically important for protection against infection. Neutrophils are innate immune cells that play a key role in defense against this bacterium. Enhancing neutrophil function during early life could thus help to protect foals against R. equi infection. The objective of our study was to determine whether in vitro incubation with the TLR9 agonist CpG 2142 would enhance d...
Anzai T, Kamada M, Niwa H, Eguchi M, Nishi H.Contagious equine metritis (CEM), a contagious venereal disease of horses, invaded Japan in 1980 and spread in the Thoroughbred population of the Hidaka-Iburi district of Hokkaido. To eradicate CEM, we ran a program aimed at detecting Taylorella equigenitalis, the causal agent, in carrier horses by using the PCR test, followed by culling or treatment. In 2001, the first year of the program, 12,356 Thoroughbred racing stallions and mares were tested and 11 carriers were found. Four, two, one, and one carrier mares were detected in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively, by application of the ...
Morgan RA, Raftery AG, Cripps P, Senior JM, McGowan CM.The prevalence and nature of arrhythmias in horses following general anaesthesia and surgery is poorly documented. It has been proposed that horses undergoing emergency surgery for gastrointestinal disorders may be at particular risk of developing arrhythmias. Our primary objective was to determine the prevalence and nature of arrhythmias in horses following anaesthesia in a clinical setting and to establish if there was a difference in the prevalence of arrhythmias between horses with and without gastrointestinal disease undergoing surgery. Our secondary objective was to assess selected avail...
Mendez-Angulo JL, Mudge M, Zaldivar-Lopez S, Vilar-Saavedra P, Couto G.To evaluate citrated recalcified thromboelastography (TEG) in healthy newborn foals, and to determine intra-assay, inter-individual and intra-individual (at 12 h, 24 h and 7 days after birth) variations. Additionally, to compare TEG variables, haematological values and conventional coagulation profiles from healthy, sick non-septic, and septic foals. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: The study group comprised 18 healthy, 15 sick non-septic and 17 septic foals. Two citrated (3.2%; 1 : 9 anticoagulant : blood ratio) blood samples were submitted for haemostatic evaluation using a TEG analyser ...
Boughattas S, Bergaoui R, Essid R, Aoun K, Bouratbine A.The present study was conducted to investigate the serological survey of Toxoplasma antibodies in local.horses from three major regions: a neighbourhood of a city in the North (Sidi Thabet), a neighbourhood of a city on the coast (Monastir) and a neighbourhood of a city in the middle (Battan) of Tunisia (North of Africa). Methods: A total of 158 serum samples were obtained from clinically healthy horses which consisted of 111 (32 female, 79 male) 2-10 years old and 47 (11 female, 36 male) older than 10 years. All of the horses were tested for antibodies to T. gondii using the Modified Agglutin...
Grimsrud KN, Mama KR, Steffey EP, Stanley SD.To describe the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics following an intravenous (IV) bolus dose of medetomidine in the horse. Methods: Prospective experimental trial. Methods: Eight, mature healthy horses age 11.7 ± 4.6 (mean ± SD) years, weighing 557 ± 54 kg. Methods: Medetomidine (10 μg kg(-1) ) was administered IV. Blood was sampled at fixed time points from before drug administration to 48 hours post administration. Behavioral, physiological and biochemical data were obtained at predetermined time points from 0 minutes to 24 hours post administration. An algometer was also used to measu...
Dawson DR.This article provides an overview of the more common toxins and adverse drug reactions, along with more rare toxins and reactions (Table 1), that result in neurologic dysfunction in horses. A wide variety of symptoms, treatments, and outcomes are seen with toxic neurologic disease in horses. An in-depth history and thorough physical examination are needed to determine if a toxin or adverse drug reaction is responsible for the clinical signs. Once a toxin or adverse drug reaction is identified, the specific antidote, if available, and supportive care should be administered promptly.
Wilsher S, Gower S, Allen WR.Previous reports documenting progesterone receptors (PR) and oestrogen receptors (ER) in the endometrium of early pregnant mares included specimens only up to Day 20 post ovulation. This study aimed to localise PR and ERα on equine feto-maternal tissues between Days 20 and 68 to encompass the period around fixation of the conceptus, development of the endometrial cups and attachment and initial interdigitation of the allantochorion. During early pregnancy mares had the same pattern of PR in the endometrium as that reported for other mammals; namely, a loss of PR from the endometrial epithelia...
Dyson SJ.Lesions of the neck are an uncommon primary cause of pain resulting in either lameness or poor performance but should be considered if local analgesic techniques of the limbs fail to abolish lameness or if there are clinical signs directly referable to the neck such as pain, abnormal neck posture, stiffness, or patchy sweating. Accurate diagnosis requires careful clinical examination, exclusion of other causes of lameness or poor performance, and accurate interpretation of diagnostic imaging findings.
Gardner RB.Evaluation and management of recumbent horses are challenging. Familiarity with disorders that can result in recumbency will facilitate more rapid diagnosis and more appropriate formulation of a prognosis. With rapid and appropriate diagnosis, appropriate treatment can be pursued and, with good nursing care, can result in a favorable outcome.
Sandersen C, Detilleux J, Art T, Amory H.Stress echocardiography could be a useful diagnostic test in horses suspected to suffer from exercise-induced myocardial dysfunction as a cause of exercise intolerance. Objective: To evaluate the effect of treadmill exercise and pharmacological stress test on left ventricular echocardiographic parameters. Methods: Echocardiography was performed in 2 groups of 5 healthy horses, either immediately after a near-maximal treadmill exercise (Group EXE) or during a pharmacological challenge (Group DOB) consisting of 35 microg/kg atropine, followed by incremental dobutamine infusion rates of 2-6 micro...
Lord CC, Woolhouse ME, Mellor PS.A simulation model including two hosts (horses and donkeys) and one vector (Culicoides imicola) for African horse sickness in Spain is extended to consider vaccination strategies. If hosts were protected prior to virus introduction, elimination of simulated epidemics was related nonlinearly to the fraction protected. Protecting donkeys as well as horses increased the effectiveness of vaccination. Prevention of 50% of epidemics required 75% coverage of horses and donkeys or 90% coverage of horses only. Protection after the introduction of the virus was rarely successful in preventing outbreaks....
Karasek I, Butler C, Baynes R, Werners A.Ectoparasites infestations are a growing concern to horse owners and equine veterinarians alike. Ectoparasites cause significant health and welfare issues and can potentially can serve as vectors for a variety of pathogens. The prevalence of ectoparasites increases around the world, and especially in horses information on the successful prevention and treatment of ectoparasite infestations in scarce and in many instances anecdotal. This poses a challenge to the equine veterinarian and off-label use of drugs can lead to detrimental effects in horses. In this review we describe the current avail...
Causey RC, Artiushin SC, Crowley IF, Weber JA, Homola AD, Kelley A, Stephenson LA, Opitz HM, Guilmain S, Timoney JF.Attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium MGN707, expressing the SzP protective protein of the MB9 serovar of Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus (SzP-MB9) was tested for its safety and efficacy as a nebulised intranasal vaccine against streptococcal uterine infections in mares. In a preliminary study, vaccinated mares (n=5) displayed serum, nasal and uterine responses (P<0.05) to S. Typhimurium lipopolysaccharide (St-LPS). Subsequently, vaccinated mares (expressor group, n=7), but not mares vaccinated with the vector only (control group, n=7), displayed significant increas...
Onyekaba C, Bueon L, King P, Fahrmann J, Goyal SM.A comparative study was carried out to determine the susceptibility of five different cell lines to pseudorabies virus (PRV), a herpes virus of pigs. The cell systems tested were swine testicle (ST), mink lung (ML), equine dermal (ED), porcine kidney (PK15), and bovine turbinate (BT) cells. Virus titers obtained were 10(4.88), 10(4.38), 10(3.75), 10(2.63), and 10(0.25) for ML, ST, PK15, BT and ED cells, respectively indicating that ML, ST, and PK15 are optimal cell lines for the growth of PRV whereas BT and ED are not very sensitive.
Morris DD, Moore JN, Crowe N, Moldawer LL.A study was conducted to determine whether serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) activity increased in horses during experimentally induced endotoxemia and whether serum IL-6 activity correlated to changes in clinical or laboratory data. Six clinically normal horses were given endotoxin IV (30 ng/kg of body weight) in 0.9% NaCl solution over 1 hour. Five of these and 1 additional horse served as controls and were given only 0.9% NaCl solution. Venous blood, for determination of serum IL-6 activity and WBC count, was collected before and at various times through 8 hours after the start of endotoxin or NaC...
Hartman W, Schamhardt HC, Lammertink JL, Badoux DM.Rosette strain gauges were bonded to the cranial, caudal, and medial surfaces of the tibia in the middiaphyseal region of 6 adult ponies. While the ponies were walking, the cranial side was mainly subjected to tension, and the caudal side, to compression. The compression strain on the caudal side was 1.5 times greater than the tension strain on the cranial side. None of these principal strains was aligned along the long axis of the bone; both deviated laterally from the long axis. On the medial surface, the principal strain deviated caudally about 40 degrees from the long axis. From analysis o...
Fernie DS, Batty I, Walker PD, Platt H, Mackintosh ME, Simpson DJ.The vaccination of four ponies on two occasions with a formolised culture of Haemophilus equigenitalis produced a high circulating antibody titre to the organism in each pony. Three out of four vaccinated and all of three unvaccinated ponies developed typical symptoms of contagious equine metritis (CEM) when subsequently challenged with a vaginal exudate containing H equigenitalis. Similarly, three ponies which had previously been infected with H equigenitalis and which had recovered spontaneously also developed contagious equine metritis when rechallenged with the organism. The clinical and b...
Fischer AT, Spier S, Carlson GP, Hackett RP.In 6 horses with urinary bladder neoplasms, common clinical findings included a palpable mass in the bladder, anemia, hematuria, and/or proteinuria. Squamous cell carcinoma was found in 4 horses and appears to be the most common bladder tumor in the horse. Single cases of transitional cell carcinoma and fibromatous polyp also were identified. All horses except one were over 10 years of age. In one mare, treatment with 5-fluorouracil intracystically resulted in decreased bleeding from the bladder mass and apparent stabilization of the mass size. The mare ultimately died because of abdominal met...
Gunsen U, Yaroglu T.Aflatoxin levels were determined by ELISA in 18 dog and 20 horse feed samples, collected from different firms from June 2000 to June 2001 in Turkey. The minimum and maximum levels of total aflatoxin in the dog and horse feeds were <1.75-20 microg/kg and <1.75-14 microg/kg, respectively; 3/18 dog feed samples (16.7%) and 2/20 horse feed samples (10%) exceeded the Turkish tolerance limit of 10 microg/kg in food or feed.
Cunneen A, Wood KA, Mathison K, Herndon AM, Bertin FR.Blood glucose is tightly regulated in horses; however, since hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia are associated with poor prognosis, close monitoring is warranted. This study aimed at evaluating a continuous indwelling glucometer (CIG) by comparing performance with a point-of-care glucometer (POC). Ten horses were equipped with CIG and an intravenous catheter. Interstitial glucose concentrations were determined by CIG every 5 min at rest, during insulin-induced hypoglycaemia and dextrose-induced hyperglycaemia, and compared with blood glucose determined by POC. Glucose concentrations were compa...
Perez-Ecija A, Mendoza FJ, Estepa JC, Bautista MJ, Pérez J.A 2-month-old foal with septic shock and severe respiratory distress was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Due to poor prognosis, the foal was euthanized. Histopathology showed lesions suggestive of Rhodococcus equi infection associated with a diffuse interstitial infiltrate of foamy macrophages and syncytial cells presenting large acidophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies, fibrin exudates and hyaline membranes. Bacteriological examination from lung and respiratory exudates confirmed R. equi infection, whilst immunohistochemistry and PCR yielded a positive result for Equid herpesvi...
Shaw K, Ursini T, Levine D, Richards J, Adair S.Core strengthening and postural stability are desired outcomes of certain therapeutic exercises performed in horses. This study aimed to quantify changes in muscle activation at a walk and trot in horses traveling over eight consecutive ground poles evenly spaced (at 30 inches for walk and 48 inches for trot) in parallel fashion in a straight line, and with hindquarter and abdominal elastic resistance bands applied at 25% stretch. Surface electromyography (sEMG) data were collected for the longissimus dorsi and rectus abdominus muscles in six horses. A 2 × 2 repeated measures ANOVA was perf...
Wahl K, Adams SB, Moore GE.To assess fetlock joint contamination with tissue debris and hair after arthrocentesis. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Fetlock joint tissues (n = 10 horses). Methods: Soft tissue flaps including the joint capsule were dissected from the dorsal fetlock joints of 7 anesthetized horses leaving an intact proximal base. Needles inserted through the tissue flaps were flushed into tissue cell culture plates and examined for debris. Studies were repeated on excised fetlock tissue preparations after being stored for 5 days. Variables included gauge and type of needle, insertion of spinal needles with ...
Meier M, Bettschart-Wolfensberger R, Schwarzwald CC, Portier K, Gysler A, Ringer SK.Dobutamine is routinely used to improve cardiovascular function in anaesthetized horses. However, dobutamine in conscious horses is insufficiently investigated. Ten research horses that were already instrumented for a preceding trial were included into the study. Cardiovascular variables were recorded and blood samples taken after instrumentation (Baseline), before starting dobutamine and after 10 min of dobutamine infusion (2 µg kg min ). A significant increase in systemic blood pressure, mean pulmonary artery pressure and right atrial pressure, and a decrease in heart rate were observe...
Carrasco L, Mendez A, Jensen HE.An atypical case of chronic equine bronchopulmonary aspergillosis with an unusual hyphal morphology was diagnosed in a horse with Cushing's syndrome. Because of the hyphal localization in chronic ectatic bronchi and bronchioles, and juxtabronchiolar processes, the observed type of aspergillosis is similar to 'saprophytic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis' or 'semi-invasive pulmonary aspergillosis' in humans. The aetiological diagnosis of aspergillosis was accomplished by the application of a panel of monospecific polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies in immunohistochemical techniques.
Awinda PO, Mealey RH, Williams LB, Conrad PA, Packham AE, Reif KE, Grause JF, Pelzel-McCluskey AM, Chung C, Bastos RG, Kappmeyer LS, Howe DK, Ness SL....Tick-borne pathogens that cause persistent infection are of major concern to the livestock industry because of transmission risk from persistently infected animals and the potential economic losses they pose. The recent reemergence of Theileria equi in the United States prompted a widespread national survey resulting in identification of limited distribution of equine piroplasmosis (EP) in the U.S. horse population. This program identified Babesia caballi-seropositive horses using rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP-1)-competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA), despite B. caballi be...
Sanders-Shamis M, Bramlage LR, Gable AA.The case records, radiographs and treatment results of 47 consecutive equine radius fractures presented to The Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital from 1975 to 1985 were examined retrospectively. Chip fractures and incomplete fractures were not considered. Both diaphyseal fractures and fractures involving the physes were included. Diaphyseal fractures were placed into three major categories: comminuted, oblique and transverse; and subclassified as proximal, mid-diaphyseal, or distal. Fractures involving a physis were classified using the Salter-Harris classification system. The horses ra...
Latham CM, Dickson EC, Owen RN, Larson CK, White-Springer SH.To test the hypothesis that complexed trace mineral supplementation would increase antioxidant capacity and decrease muscle oxidative stress and damage in young horses entering an exercise training program, Quarter Horses (mean [Formula: see text] SD; 9.7 ± 0.7 mo) balanced by age, sex, and BW were assigned to receive complexed (CTM; n = 8) or inorganic (INORG; n = 8) trace minerals at -12 week relative to this study. Blood and muscle samples were collected before (week 0) and after 12 week of light exercise training surrounding a 1.5-h trailer stressor. Muscle glutathione peroxid...
Orsini JA, Baird DK, Ruggles AJ.A 7-year-old female Thoroughbred was admitted with a history of labored breathing, stridor, and exercise intolerance. Examination revealed a mass in the left paranasal sinuses that was determined to be an ossifying fibroma. Initial treatment consisted of surgical removal of the mass alone; however, the mass recurred 9 months after surgery. The mass was again removed, and adjunctive radiotherapy consisting of 3,000 cGy of cobalt radiation was administered. This time, the tumor did not recur for > 6 years. A third surgery was performed to remove the mass, and adjunctive radiotherapy consisting o...
Brault LS, Penedo MC.A putative mutation causative of cerebellar abiotrophy (CA), a genetic defect found almost exclusively in Arabian horses, was recently identified. Objective: To investigate the presence of the CA mutation in breeds other than Arabian and ascertain whether the mutation had been introduced into these breeds by Arabian ancestry. The CA mutation is present in breeds of horses with Arabian ancestry. Methods: Allele-specific PCR was used to genotype 1845 non-Arabian horses for the CA mutation. For those breeds in which at least one carrier was identified, an additional 266 horses were genotyped to d...
Martin CA, Kerr CL, Pearce SG, Lansdowne JL, Bouré LP.To determine reasons for epidural catheter placement among horses examined at a veterinary teaching hospital, efficacy of epidural administration of analgesics, duration of catheter placement, reasons for catheter removal, and complications encountered. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 43 horses. Methods: Medical records were reviewed. Results: A total of 50 epidural catheters were placed in the 43 horses. Underlying conditions included fractures, lacerations, septic arthritis, myositis, perineal injuries, and cellulitis. Horses ranged from 2 to 21 years old and weighed between 365 and 7...
Rebhun WC, Shin SJ, King JM, Baum KH, Patten V.Malignant edema (clostridial myositis) was diagnosed in 9 horses with signs of illness that included fever, depression, painful muscular swellings, and toxemia. The infection followed intramuscular injections in 8 horses and developed in a puncture wound in 1 horse. Treatment consisted of surgical fenestration of the involved muscle, high doses of penicillin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents and analgesics, and supportive fluid therapy. Five horses recovered and 4 died. Those that died had advanced signs of the disease at admission.
Rapacz-Leonard A, Kankofer M, Leonard M, Wawrzykowski J, Dąbrowska M, Raś A, Paździor-Czapula K, Janowski T.In mammals, placenta separation at term may involve degradation of the extracellular matrix by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). The activity of MMPs is modulated by TIMPs. We hypothesized that the placentas of mares that deliver fetal membranes physiologically and those that retain fetal membranes (FMR) differ in terms of histology; mRNA expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9; protein expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-2; and the potential activity of both MMPs. Methods: Placenta biopsies were taken from mares (n = 9; 4 FMR, 5 controls) immediately after foal expulsion. Retention was defined as fail...
Koroleva E, Steffen HC, Bosch C, Flemming L, Botha A.Increasing cases of equine infertility and early embryonic loss in the Western Cape, South Africa, were documented in recent years. These appeared to be associated with Corynebacterium uterequi isolated from the uteri of infected mares. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to investigate the physiology and potential pathogenicity of this bacterium. Histopathological analyses were conducted on five mares suffering from reproductive complications, and from which Corynebacterium strains were detected on culture of uterine swabs. The histopathology revealed that the mares suffered from variou...
Paillot R.The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has recently estimated that the world equid population exceeds 110 million (FAOSTAT 2017).[...].
Malikides N, Mollison PJ, Reid SW, Murray M.The haematological response of regular, repeated blood harvesting was investigated in 40 Thoroughbred and non-Thoroughbred horses that donate 8 litres of blood every 3 weeks for the purposes of commercial blood production. When this volume of blood was removed on five occasions over 12 weeks, no adverse effect on packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (HB), and red blood cell count (RCC) was observed. Although PCV, RCC and Hb values decreased during the first week after blood collection, followed by a gradual increase in values until the next harvest time, all values remained within published r...
