"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.
Kerbert MP, Freeland RB, Verhaar N, Baker WT. The lateral trochlear ridge (LTR) of the femur is the most common predilection site for osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in the equine stifle. The objective was to investigate the relationship between lesion size, racing performance, and sale result of Thoroughbreds with LTR OCD following arthroscopic removal as a yearling. Methods: In this retrospective study, medical records of 145 Thoroughbreds from one equine hospital that underwent surgery for LTR OCD were reviewed; the length and depth of the lesions were measured on preoperative radiographs. Horses were allocated to group S if they...
Ugulu I, Khan ZI, Ahmad K, Bashir H, Mehmood N, Zafar A.The present study aimed to determine the accumulation levels of arsenic in pasture soil, forage and animals. An atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine the concentration of metals in the samples of soil, forage and blood plasma of horses. The level of arsenic ranged between 4.26 mg/kg (summer) and 4.66 mg/kg (winter) in soil samples and 2.67 mg/kg (summer) and 2.94 mg/kg (winter) in forage samples. In blood plasma samples, the mean arsenic (As) values varied between 1.38 and 1.52 mg/L. In the blood plasma samples, the mean As values varied between 1.38 and 1.52 mg/L. No...
Kashani-Carver A, O'Halloran C, Scurrell E, Featherstone H, de Freitas FF, Lowe R.Only 27 cases of equine conjunctival haemangiosarcoma have been reported in the literature over the past 37 years. Out of these, 22% of cases were lost to follow-up, 52% were euthanized, and 26% survived. A scarcity of cases and information is available for this rarely seen conjunctival tumour. Unassigned: To describe the clinical features, management, and outcome of conjunctival hemangiosarcoma in seven horses in the UK. Unassigned: Optivet medical records were reviewed for equine cases seen or advised on with a histopathological diagnosis of conjunctival haemangiosarcoma between January 2013...
Schäfer J, May A, Wittenberg J, Hahn K, Graubner C, Gerber V, Drögemüller C, Unger L.SCC (squamous cell carinomas) are among the most common eye neoplasms in horses. In recent studies Haflinger horses with a homozygous genotype for a missense variant in the DDB2 gene (damage specific DNA binding protein 2) had a significant increased risk of developing ocular SCC. The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of the SCC-associated risk allele in the DDB2 gene in Swiss and Austrian Haflinger populations and to validate the previously described phenotypic correlation. For this purpose, Haflingers presented at various horse clinics in Switzerland (n = 21, including 1...
Yarali C, Özsensoy Y, Kösemann A, Seker I, Toprak B, Zengin K.This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of parentage verification in Arabian and Thoroughbred horses in Türkiye using microsatellite markers. A total of 813 Arabian and 959 Thoroughbred horses were genotyped using a total of 17 microsatellite markers. The mean effective number of alleles was 3,34 and the mean number of alleles was 7,41 in Arabian horses. It was calculated that the mean He and Ho values in Arabian horses were 0,677 and 0,680, respectively. The mean effective number of alleles was 3,55 and the mean number of alleles was 6,59 in Thoroughbred horses. It was calculated tha...
Fowler MA.In 1853, Rosa Bonheur first exhibited what would become her most widely celebrated work: . Although the work's modern setting and animal-focused subject matter do not obviously characterize it as an instance of classical reception, the artist claimed that it was inspired by the Parthenon frieze. A significant amount of feminist and queer scholarship has been dedicated to Rosa Bonheur's life, career, and art practices, all of which reveal the complex ways in which the artist negotiated the gender norms of 19th-century France. These ranged from her decision never to marry, instead living in hous...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A, Petkova M....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of an essential oil obtained from the fruit of L. (coriander oil), when used as a sensory additive in feed for all animal species. The EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) concluded that the use of coriander oil is safe up to the maximum proposed use levels of 30 mg/kg complete feed for piglets, pigs for fattening, sows, veal calves (milk replacer), cattle for fattening, sheep, goats and horses, salmonids, dogs and ornamental ...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A, Petkova M....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of essential oils from fruit and stems of Mill. (bitter fennel oil and sweet fennel oil), when used as sensory additives (flavourings). For long-living and reproductive animals, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) considered of low concern the use of bitter fennel oil (with a content of estragole up to 6.1%) at the proposed use level in complete feed: 0.6 mg/kg for laying hens and rabbits, 1.0 mg/kg for sows and dairy cows, ...
Giraudet C, Moiroud C, Beaumont A, Gaulmin P, Hatrisse C, Azevedo E, Denoix JM, Ben Mansour K, Martin P, Audigié F, Chateau H, Marin F.Hydrotherapy has been utilized in horse rehabilitation programs for over four decades. However, a comprehensive description of the swimming cycle of horses is still lacking. One of the challenges in studying this motion is 3D underwater motion capture, which holds potential not only for understanding equine locomotion but also for enhancing human swimming performance. In this study, a marker-based system that combines underwater cameras and markers drawn on horses is developed. This system enables the reconstruction of the 3D motion of the front and hind limbs of six horses throughout an entir...
Vaughn SA, Norton NA, Hurley DJ, Hart KA.Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are the end-products of physiologic functions in health. Oxidative stress occurs when endogenous antioxidants are insufficient to neutralize ROS in the system. As a result, ROS can damage DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, and cell organelles. To obtain accurate measurements of plasma oxidative stress, levels of both oxidants and antioxidants must be measured. This study validates a commercially available, semi-quantitative, photometric analytical system that measures systemic determinants of reactive oxygen metabolites (dROM) and plasma antioxidant capacity (PAC) in sto...
Knych HK, Katzman S, McKemie DS, Arthur RM, Blea J.Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that is sometimes administered in combination with epinephrine. The addition of epinephrine increases the time lidocaine remains at the site of administration, thus prolonging the duration of effect. Due to their potential to prevent the visual detection of lameness, the administration of local anesthetics is strictly regulated in performance and racehorses. Recent reports of positive regulatory findings for lidocaine in racehorses suggests a better understanding of the behavior of this drug is warranted. The objective of the current study was to describe serum ...
Dąbrowska I, Grzędzicka J, Niedzielska A, Witkowska-Piłaszewicz O.Green coffee extract is currently of great interest to researchers due to its high concentration of chlorogenic acid (CGA) and its potential health benefits. CGA constitutes 6 to 10% of the dry weight of the extract and, due to its anti-inflammatory properties, is a promising natural supplement and agent with therapeutic applications. The purpose of our study was to discover the effects of CGA on peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation, and the production of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines as well as reactive oxidative species (ROS) in horses during exercise. According to the find...
Massie SL, Bezugley RJ, McDonald KJ, Léguillette R.Arrhythmias are commonly reported in exercising horses, however due to regulatory constraints electrocardiograms (ECGs) are acquired during training but not competition, raising questions about the repeatability of findings. The aims were (1) compare training and competition arrhythmias and (2) describe the repeatability of arrhythmias during maximal-intensity exercise. A convenience sample of 52 healthy Thoroughbreds (aged 8.7 ± 2.5 years) competing in the World Professional Chuckwagon Association were obtained, totaling 152 training or competition ECGs (2-7 ECGs/horse). Speed, heart rate ...
Gossett CL, Guyer D, Hein J, Brooks SA.White spotting is an iconic feature of the American Paint Horse. The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) is dedicated to recording pedigree and performance of this stock-type breed, while preserving its distinctive coat color and conformation. Here, the depigmented proportion of the coat (% white coat) was measured using digital photograph analysis of 1195 registered American Paint Horses. Genotypes for nine white-spotting polymorphisms commonly found in Paint Horses, and two pigment-producing loci and genes, were also provided by the APHA. White-coat percent significantly increased in h...
Lee SY, Kim SM, Oyungerel B, Cho GJ.In this study, we aimed to evaluate the usability single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for parentage testing of horse breeds in Korea. Unassigned: The genotypes of 93 horse samples (38 Thoroughbred horses, 17 Jeju horses, 20 Quarter horses, and 18 American miniature horses) were determined using 15 microsatellite (Ms) markers (AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG10, LEX3, and VHL20) and 101 SNP markers. Unassigned: Paternity tests were performed using 15 Ms markers and 101 SNP markers in Thoroughbred horses and Quarter horses. AHT5, ASB2, ASB17, ASB2...
Lejeune M, Mann S, White H, Maguire D, Hazard J, Young R, Stone C, Antczak D, Bowman D.The American Association of Equine Practitioners strongly advocates evidence-based intestinal strongyle control in horses. It recommends targeted treatment of all heavy egg shedders (>500 eggs per gram (EPG) of feces), while the low shedders (0-200 EPG) are left untreated. As 50-75% of adult horses in a herd are low shedders, preventing them from unnecessary anthelmintic exposure is critical for tackling resistance. There are various fecal egg count (FEC) techniques with many modifications and variations in use, but none is identified as a gold standard. The hypothesis of the study was that...
White JM, Colbath AC, Schott HC.Treatment with phenylbutazone (nonselective COX inhibitor) decreases the diuretic and natriuretic effects of furosemide by nearly 30% but the effects of COX-2 specific inhibitors (firocoxib) and atypical NSAIDs (dipyrone) are unknown. Objective: Furosemide-induced diuresis after pretreatment with firocoxib or dipyrone is diminished to a lesser extent than after pretreatment with phenylbutazone. Methods: Eight healthy mares. Methods: Each mare received 4 treatments in a prospective experimental crossover study using a replicated 4 × 4 Latin Square design: furosemide alone (FU), furosemide an...
Chapard L, Meyermans R, Gorssen W, Hooyberghs K, Meurrens I, De Smet S, Buys N, Janssens S.The main goal of the Belgian Warmblood horse studbook (BWP) is to breed successful competition horses, with emphasis on show jumping. However, competition results are only available later in life and competition traits are lowly heritable. Hence, the use of phenotypes that record performance-related traits at an early life stage could help increase genetic progress. In this study, we evaluated the potential of eleven linear scored early life jumping traits assessed during jumping in freedom (2-5 years old) or under the saddle (4-6 years old) as proxies for later success in show jumping com...
Chien RC, Mingqun L, Yan Q, Randolph N, Huang W, Wellman M, Toribio R, Rikihisa Y.The tick-borne obligatory intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum infects humans as well as domesticated and wild animals, causing a febrile disease collectively called granulocytic anaplasmosis. The epidemiology and the host species specificity and zoonotic potential of A. phagocytophilum strains remain unclear. In this study, ankA (encoding ankyrin A) and p44 gene sequences of A. phagocytophilum were determined in clinical specimens from horses in Ohio and compared with those found in A. phagocytophilum strains from various hosts and geographic regions. With increasing numbers of s...
Sobotková E, Kopec T, Mikule V, Kuřitková D.The aim of the research was to assess how age, sex, sire, country of foaling, country of training and race distance influenced the international racing and performance of Thoroughbreds. The research was based on performance ratings of 6216 horses assigned by the International Federation of Racing Authorities between 2004 and 2022. The most common sex was stallion (58.54 %) and more than half of the population consisted of 3- and 4-year-old horses (54.68 %). The majority of the horses had the USA as their country of foaling (25.92 %) and also as their country of training (24.87 %). The ...
Jia H, Gao S, Tang L, Fu Y, Xiong Y, Ente M, Mubalake S, Shao C, Li K, Hu D, Zhang D.The Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) is the only surviving wild horse species in the world. A significant population of Przewalski's horses resides in Xinjiang, China. Parasitosis poses a considerable threat to the conservation of this endangered species. Yet, there is limited information on the nematode parasites that infect these species. To deepen our understanding of parasitic fauna affecting wild horses, we identified the intestinal nematodes of Przewalski's horses in Xinjiang and added new barcode sequences to a public database. Methods: Between 2018 and 2021, nematodes were ...
Quéré E, Volmer C, Mespoulhès-Rivière C.Diagnosing equine grass sickness (EGS) requires histopathological evidence of chromatolysis and/or neuronal loss in peripheral autonomic ganglia. Previous investigators performed postmortem biopsies of gustatory papillae located on the tongue and found chromatolytic subgemmal neurons in all 13 EGS horses. The present study aimed to design a standardized lingual biopsy sampling method through a transbuccal approach in healthy standing horses and assess the quality of the obtained samples, to allow antemortem diagnosis of EGS in clinical cases. Methods: 6 healthy horses. Methods: A transbuccal a...
Lallemand EA, Bousquet-Mélou A, Chapuis L, Davis J, Ferran AA, Kukanich B, Kuroda T, Lacroix MZ, Minamijima Y, Olsén L, Pelligand L, Portugal FR....The aim of this international project was to establish a species-specific Clinical Breakpoint for interpretation of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of benzylpenicillin (BP) in horses. Unassigned: A population pharmacokinetic model of BP disposition was developed to compute PK/PD cutoff values of BP for different formulations that are commonly used in equine medicine around the world (France, Sweden, USA and Japan). Investigated substances were potassium BP, sodium BP, procaine BP, a combination of procaine BP and benzathine BP and penethamate, a prodrug of BP. Data were collected from 40 ...
Macaire C, Hanne-Poujade S, De Azevedo E, Denoix JM, Coudry V, Jacquet S, Bertoni L, Tallaj A, Audigié F, Hatrisse C, Hébert C, Martin P, Marin F....The assessment of lameness in horses can be aided by objective gait analysis tools. Despite their key role of evaluating a horse at trot on a circle, asymmetry thresholds have not been determined for differentiating between sound and lame gait during this exercise. These thresholds are essential to distinguish physiological asymmetry linked to the circle from pathological asymmetry linked to lameness. This study aims to determine the Asymmetry Indices (AIs) with the highest power to discriminate between a group of sound horses and a group of horses with consistent unilateral lameness across bo...
Reißmann M, Rajavel A, Kokov ZA, Schmitt AO.RNA sequencing makes it possible to uncover genetic mechanisms that underlie certain performance traits. In order to gain a deeper insight into the genetic background and biological processes involved in endurance performance in horses, the changes in the gene expression profiles induced by endurance runs over long (70 km) and short (15 km) distances in the blood of Kabardian horses () were analyzed. For the long-distance runs, we identified 1484 up- and 691 downregulated genes, while after short-distance runs, only 13 up- and 8 downregulated genes (FC > |1.5|; < 0.05) were found. These...
Wong ASM, Morrice-West AV, Hitchens PL, Whitton RC.Catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries (CMI) in horses are associated with both too little and too much high-speed exercise. In order to advise trainers on training and management strategies that minimize the risk of musculoskeletal injury (MSI), a better understanding of how training practices affect MSI in racehorses is needed. Data from prospective studies relating training data and MSI are complicated by the gradual development of pathology and the effect of this on the ability of horses to train consistently prior to the identification of an injury. To circumvent this, 66 Australian Thorou...
Burk J, Wittenberg-Voges L, Schubert S, Horstmeier C, Brehm W, Geburek F.The treatment of tendinopathies with multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is a promising option in equine and human medicine. However, conclusive clinical evidence is lacking. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into clinical treatment efficacy and to identify suitable outcome measures for larger clinical studies. Fifteen horses with early naturally occurring tendon disease were assigned to intralesional treatment with allogeneic adipose-derived MSCs suspended in serum or with serum alone through block randomization (dosage adapted to lesion size). Clinicians and horse owners...
Frampton A, Floriano D, Simpson K, Hopster K.To evaluate the agreement between the Tafonius large animal ventilator-integrated volumetric capnography (vCap) software and the Respironics NICO noninvasive cardiac output monitor reference system. Methods: Data were collected from 56 healthy adult horses undergoing general anesthesia. Methods: Animals were placed under general anesthesia and connected to the Tafonius large animal ventilator circle system. A flow partitioning device with CO2 and flow sensors was utilized to couple the endotracheal tube to the NICO monitor. Tafonius CO2 and flow sensors are incorporated into the Y-piece of the...
Pige C, Spriet M, Perez-Nogues M, Katzman S, Le Jeune S, Galuppo L. F-sodium fluoride ( F-NaF) positron emission tomography (PET) has been validated as a useful imaging technique in the racehorse fetlock. The use of F-NaF PET in the nonracehorse fetlock has not been reported. Objective: To describe F-NaF PET findings in nonracehorse fetlocks, to compare with computed tomography (CT) findings and to compare PET findings between horses with and without fetlock pain. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Methods: All horses undergoing F-NaF PET and CT imaging of the fetlock between October 2016 and March 2021 were included in the study. Medical records ...
Haase L, Winter J.A study was conducted to find out user ideas for the design and workflow of an mHealth application supporting triage of horses by equestrians. Results focus on information input elements and also include some requirements for information.
Orpin CG.Microscopic examination of horse caecum contents revealed vegetative growth of phycomycete fungi on particles of digesta, and uniflagellated cells similar to fungal zoospores in the liquid phase. Three morphologically distinct isolates of strictly anaerobic phycomycete fungi were obtained from the caecum contents and cultured in vitro. Two of the isolates were able to utilize a wide range of plant carbohydrates for growth, including alpha-cellulose, xylan and particulate starch, and extensively digested water-insoluble plant tissues.
Kawai M, Minami Y, Sayama Y, Kuwano A, Hiraga A, Miyata H.We examine the muscle fiber population and metabolic properties of skeletal muscles from the whole body in Thoroughbred horses. Postmortem samples were taken from 46 sites in six Thoroughbred horses aged between 3 and 6 years. Fiber type population was determined on muscle fibers stained with monoclonal antibody to each myosin heavy chain isoform and metabolic enzyme activities were determined spectrophotometrically. Histochemical analysis demonstrated that most of the muscles had a high percentage of Type IIa fibers. In terms of the muscle characteristic in several parts of the horse body, th...
Nautscher N, Bauer A, Steffl M, Amselgruber WM.This study described corneal morphology in different domestic animals using histological and immunohistochemical methods. Specifically, we evaluated the species-specific distribution pattern of cytokeratins (CKs) and aquaporins (AQPs) to assess their contribution to the strength and transparency of the cornea, respectively. Methods: Corneal sections (2 μm thick) were obtained from 28 pigs, 11 cows, two goats, six horses, four dogs, and five cats and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) reaction. Immunohistochemistry was also performed using CK1 to 3 and AQP1 and 5 an...
Pruvost M, Bellone R, Benecke N, Sandoval-Castellanos E, Cieslak M, Kuznetsova T, Morales-Muñiz A, O'Connor T, Reissmann M, Hofreiter M, Ludwig A.Archaeologists often argue whether Paleolithic works of art, cave paintings in particular, constitute reflections of the natural environment of humans at the time. They also debate the extent to which these paintings actually contain creative artistic expression, reflect the phenotypic variation of the surrounding environment, or focus on rare phenotypes. The famous paintings "The Dappled Horses of Pech-Merle," depicting spotted horses on the walls of a cave in Pech-Merle, France, date back ~25,000 y, but the coat pattern portrayed in these paintings is remarkably similar to a pattern known as...
Nielsen MK, Haaning N, Olsen SN.Knowledge of horses that shed the same number of strongyle eggs over time can lead to the optimization of parasite control strategies. This study evaluated shedding of strongyle eggs in 424 horses on 10 farms when a selective anthelmintic treatment regime was used over a 3-year period. Faecal egg counts were performed twice yearly, and horses exceeding 200 eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces were treated. The results are presented as probabilities of the egg count outcome, when two previous egg counts are known. A horse with no strongyle eggs detected in the two previous faecal examinations had an 8...
Bosch G, Lin YL, van Schie HT, van De Lest CH, Barneveld A, van Weeren PR.Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has recently been introduced as a new therapy for tendon injuries in horses, but little is known about the basic mechanism of action of this therapy. Objective: To study the effect of ESWT on biochemical parameters and tenocyte metabolism of normal tendinous structures in ponies. Methods: Six Shetland ponies, free of lameness and with ultrasonographically normal flexor and extensor tendons and suspensory ligaments (SL), were used. ESWT was applied at the origin of the suspensory ligament and the mid-metacarpal region of the superficial digital flexor ten...
Fingerhut L, Ohnesorge B, von Borstel M, Schumski A, Strutzberg-Minder K, Mörgelin M, Deeg CA, Haagsman HP, Beineke A, von Köckritz-Blickwede M....Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is considered one of the most important eye diseases in horses and typically appears with relapsing inflammatory episodes without systemic effects. Various disorders have been described as an initial trigger, including infections. Independent of the initiating cause, there are numerous indications that ERU is an immune-mediated disease. We investigated whether neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are part of the ERU pathogenesis. Therefore, vitreous body fluids (VBF), sera, and histological sections of the eye from ERU-diseased horses were analyzed for the prese...
Lencioni GC, de Sousa RV, de Souza Sardinha EJ, Corrêa RR, Zanella AJ.The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a machine vision algorithm to assess the pain level in horses, using an automatic computational classifier based on the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) and trained by machine learning method. The use of the Horse Grimace Scale is dependent on a human observer, who most of the time does not have availability to evaluate the animal for long periods and must also be well trained in order to apply the evaluation system correctly. In addition, even with adequate training, the presence of an unknown person near an animal in pain can result in behavioral ch...
Orlando L.The horse was essential to past human societies but became a recreational animal during the twentieth century as the world became increasingly mechanized. As the author reviews here, recent studies of ancient genomes have revisited the understanding of horse domestication, from the very early stages to the most modern developments. They have uncovered several extinct lineages roaming the far ends of Eurasia some 4000 years ago. They have shown that the domestic horse has been significantly reshaped during the last millennium and experienced a sharp decline in genetic diversity within the last...
Gerber V, Baleri D, Klukowska-Rötzler J, Swinburne JE, Dolf G.Mode of inheritance of equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is unknown. Objective: Major genes are responsible for RAO. Methods: Direct offspring of 2 RAO-affected Warmblood stallions (n = 197; n = 163) and a representative sample of Swiss Warmbloods (n = 401). Methods: One environmental and 4 genetic models (general, mixed inheritance, major gene, and polygene) were tested for Horse Owner Assessed Respiratory Signs Index (1-4, unaffected to severely affected) by segregation analyses of the 2 half-sib sire families, both combined and separately, using prevalences estimated in a representa...
Pacholewska A, Kraft MF, Gerber V, Jagannathan V.MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate post-transcriptional gene expression and may be exported from cells via exosomes or in partnership with RNA-binding proteins. MiRNAs in body fluids can act in a hormone-like manner and play important roles in disease initiation and progression. Hence, miRNAs are promising candidates as biomarkers. To identify serum miRNA biomarkers in the equine model of asthma we investigated small RNA derived from the serum of 34 control and 37 asthmatic horses. These samples were used for next generation sequencing, novel miRNA identification and differential miRNA expression ana...
Li F, Craigo JK, Howe L, Steckbeck JD, Cook S, Issel C, Montelaro RC.Previous evaluations of inactivated whole-virus and envelope subunit vaccines to equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) have revealed a broad spectrum of efficacy ranging from highly type-specific protection to severe enhancement of viral replication and disease in experimentally immunized equids. Among experimental animal lentivirus vaccines, immunizations with live attenuated viral strains have proven most effective, but the vaccine efficacy has been shown to be highly dependent on the nature and severity of the vaccine virus attenuation. We describe here for the first time the characterizati...
Caloni F, Cortinovis C, Rivolta M, Davanzo F.A retrospective study was carried out by reviewing all suspected cases of domestic animal poisoning attributed to pesticides, reported to the Milan Poison Control Centre (MPCC) between January 2011 and December 2013. During this period, pesticides were found to be responsible for 37.3% of all suspected poisoning enquiries received (815). The most commonly species involved was the dog (71.1% of calls) followed by the cat (15.8%), while a limited number of cases involved horses, goats and sheep. Most cases of exposure (47.1%) resulted in mild to moderate clinical signs. The outcome was reported ...
Diaz-Mendez A, Viel L, Hewson J, Doig P, Carman S, Chambers T, Tiwari A, Dewey C.The objective of this project was to develop and implement an active surveillance program for the early and rapid detection of equine influenza viruses in Ontario. For this purpose, from October 2003 to October 2005, nasopharyngeal swabs and acute and convalescent serum samples were collected from 115 client-owned horses in 23 outbreaks of respiratory disease in Ontario. Sera were paired and tested for antibody to equine influenza 1 (AE1-H7N7), equine influenza 2 (AE2-H3N8), equine herpesvirus 1 and 4 (EHV1 and EHV4), and equine rhinitis A and B (ERAV and ERBV). Overall, the cause-specific mor...
Wagner B, Miller WH, Morgan EE, Hillegas JM, Erb HN, Leibold W, Antczak DF.In horses, allergies have been characterized by clinical signs and/or intradermal (i.d.) allergen testing. Our aim was to find the first direct evidence that immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediates equine allergy. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that immediate skin reactions in horses can also be mediated by IgG. Anti-IgE affinity columns were used to purify IgE from serum of one healthy horse and three horses affected with summer eczema, an allergic dermatitis which is believed to be induced by Culicoides midges. A modified Prausnitz-Küstner experiment was performed in four clinical healthy ho...
Voss KA, Norred WP, Plattner RD, Bacon CW.Currently there is no convenient bioassay to determine the potential toxicity of corn naturally contaminated with Fusarium moniliforme. A short-term bioassay would be useful for future investigations aimed at isolating as yet unidentified toxins produced by this fungus. Two groups of five male Sprague-Dawley rats were each fed one of two F. moniliforme contaminated corn samples, designated CS-1 and CS-2, that were associated with separate field cases of equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM). A control group, also consisting of five male rats, was fed uncontaminated seed corn. All animals survive...
Pfau T, Spence A, Starke S, Ferrari M, Wilson A.When animals carry loads, there is a proportionate increase in metabolic cost, and in humans this increase in cost is reduced when the load is elastically coupled to the load bearer. Major horse race times and records improved by 5 to 7% around 1900 when jockeys adopted a crouched posture. We show that jockeys move to isolate themselves from the movement of their mount. This would be difficult or impossible with a seated or upright, straight-legged posture. This isolation means that the horse supports the jockey's body weight but does not have to move the jockey through each cyclical stride pa...
Short MA, Clark CK, Harvey JW, Wenzlow N, Hawkins IK, Allred DR, Knowles DP, Corn JL, Grause JF, Hennager SG, Kitchen DL, Traub-Dargatz JL.A 7-year-old Quarter Horse gelding was hospitalized in Ocala, Fla, because of lethargy, fever, anorexia, and swelling of distal aspects of the limbs. A tentative diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis (EP) was made on the basis of examination of a blood smear. The case was reported to the Florida State Veterinarian, and infection with Babesia equi was confirmed. The subsequent investigation included quarantine and testing of potentially exposed horses for B equi and Babesia caballi infections, tick surveillance, and owner-agent interviews. Results: 210 horses on 25 premises were tested for infectio...
Bertoni L, Branly T, Jacquet S, Desancé M, Desquilbet L, Rivory P, Hartmann DJ, Denoix JM, Audigié F, Galéra P, Demoor M.Osteoarthritis is a significant and costly cause of pain for both humans and horses. The horse has been identified as a suitable model for human osteoarthritis. Regenerative therapy with allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a promising treatment, but the safety of this procedure continues to be debated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety of intra-articular injections of allogeneic MSCs on healthy joints by comparing two different dosages and two different tissue sources, namely, bone marrow and umbilical cord blood, with a placebo treatment on the same individuals. We also ...
Dupuis MC, Zhang Z, Durkin K, Charlier C, Lekeux P, Georges M.We used the data from a recently performed genome-wide association study using the Illumina Equine SNP50 beadchip for the detection of copy number variants (CNVs) and examined their association with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN), an important equine upper airway disease compromising performance. A total of 2797 CNVs were detected for 477 horses, covering 229 kb and seven SNPs on average. Overlapping CNVs were merged to define 478 CNV regions (CNVRs). CNVRs, particularly deletions, were shown to be significantly depleted in genes. Fifty-two of the 67 common CNVRs (frequency ≥ 1%) we...
Taniguchi K, Urasawa T, Urasawa S.We determined the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the VP4 genes of five equine, two feline, and two canine rotavirus strains. A high degree of homology (> 97.0%) was found among the VP4 amino acid sequences of the equine strains H2, FI-14, and FI23. Equine strain L338 has a distinct VP4 amino acid sequence from those of the other equine strains (78.1% or less homology), and the L338 VP4 exhibited more than 17.0% divergence at the amino acid level from those of rotavirus strains published so far. The VP4 amino acid sequence of equine strain H1, which showed low homology with t...
Petersen JL, Valberg SJ, Mickelson JR, McCue ME.Two variants in the equine myostatin gene (MSTN), including a T/C SNP in the first intron and a 227-bp SINE insertion in the promoter, are associated with muscle fiber type proportions in the Quarter Horse (QH) and with the prediction of race distance propensity in the Thoroughbred (TB). Genotypes from these loci, along with 18 additional variants surrounding MSTN, were examined in 301 horses of 14 breeds to evaluate haplotype relationships and diversity. The C allele of intron 1 was found in 12 of 14 breeds at a frequency of 0.27; the SINE was observed in five breeds, but common in only the T...
Butler PJ, Woakes AJ, Smale K, Roberts CA, Hillidge CJ, Snow DH, Marlin DJ.A new design of flowmeter is described and used in a comprehensive study of the respiratory and cardiovascular adjustments that occur during a standardised exercise test in Thoroughbred horses. The flowmeter system and associated lightweight, fibreglass mask (total mass, 0.7 kg) have a maximum dead space of 500 ml and negligible resistance to airflow. They have no systematic effect on blood gases and, together with a rapidly responding mass spectrometer, enable an accurate computation of gas exchange to be performed together with breath-by-breath determination of other respiratory variables. A...
Parkin TD, Clegg PD, French NP, Proudman CJ, Riggs CM, Singer ER, Webbon PM, Morgan KL.The characteristics of, and pre-existing pathology associated with 75 cases of fatal lateral condylar fracture sustained by Thoroughbreds while racing in the UK were described. Cases were identified from 220 cases of fatal distal limb fracture submitted as part of studies designed to identify risk factors for all fatal distal limb fractures. Fractures were most common in hurdle races and affected the right forelimb twice as often as the left forelimb. Fracture dimensions were similar to previous reports, however there was a much greater prevalence of articular and diaphyseal comminution and of...
Argüelles D, Carmona JU, Climent F, Muñoz E, Prades M.Two horses with acute tendinopathy of a superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) and three horses with chronic proximal desmitis of the suspensory ligament (PDSL) were treated by injecting autologous concentrates of their platelets into the lesions. The lesions were monitored ultrasonographically and clinically. There were significant ultrasonographic and clinical improvements in the two horses with SDFT, but no ultrasonographic improvements in the horses with PDSL; however, they improved clinically and became less lame. All the horses had returned to their pre-injury level of performance by s...
Milinovich GJ, Klieve AV, Pollitt CC, Trott DJ.Equine laminitis is the most serious foot disease of the horse, often resulting in death or euthanasia. Laminitis has long been recognized as an affliction of horses, as has the association of this condition with the ingestion of carbohydrates. Research into the pathophysiology of this condition has been facilitated by the development of reliable models for experimentally inducing laminitis, and DNA-based techniques for profiling complex microbiomes have dramatically increased the knowledge of the microbiology of this disease. Recent studies have provided substantial evidence showing equine hi...
Gieling F, Peters S, Erichsen C, Richards RG, Zeiter S, Moriarty TF.Bacterial osteomyelitis in veterinary patients can be challenging to diagnose and treat, given limited therapeutic options and reported success rates. Osteomyelitis is frequently associated with surgical implant devices, including those required to optimise stability and healing of fractures. However, management of osteomyelitis sometimes necessitates the removal of these surgical implant devices in order to eradicate infection or limit implant-related osteolysis. The goal of this article is to provide a general and species-specific review of bacterial osteomyelitis in a selection of domestic ...
Bisgard GE, Forster HV, Klein JP.Resting ventilation (PaCO2) and ventilatory responses to acute hypoxia and to intravenous NaCN were assessed over a 4-yr period following cutting of the carotid sinus nerves and stripping the adventitia of the aortic arch. The data indicated essentially complete loss of peripheral chemoreceptor function immediately after surgery and hypoventilation during normoxia (delta PaCO2 = +8.7 Torr). There was a time-dependent, partial recovery of peripheral chemoreceptor function between 2 and 22 mo after surgery. Approximately 10% of the ventilatory response to iv NaCN returned, and 30-40% of the norm...
