"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.
Watts AE, Johnson AL, Felippe MJ, Divers TJ.A Thoroughbred gelding in North America was evaluated for Actinobacillus peritonitis on three different occasions over a 4-year period. At each presentation, peritoneal fluid had an elevated nucleated cell count (220,000-550,000 cells/µL) characterised by non-degenerate neutrophils, no visible bacteria, an elevated total protein (4.6-5.5 g/dL) and bacterial culture yielding Actinobacillus spp. Actinobacillus peritonitis appears to be a regional disease occurring in Australia and less commonly in New Zealand and North America. Recurrence, other than incomplete resolution, has not been previous...
Pearl CA, Mason H, Roser JF.In various species, androgens and estrogens regulate the function of testicular Leydig, Sertoli, peritubular myoid, and germ cells by binding to their respective receptors and eliciting a cellular response. Androgen receptor (AR) is expressed in Sertoli cells, peritubular myoid cells, Leydig cells and perivascular smooth muscle cells in the testis depending on the species, but its presence in germ cells remains controversial. Two different estrogen receptors have been identified, estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), and their localization and function in testicular...
de Laat MA, van Eps AW, McGowan CM, Sillence MN, Pollitt CC.Laminitis has many triggers and comparing the histopathology of lesions induced by different causes may help to establish whether a common mechanism or multiple pathologies are involved. The aim of this study was to describe the microscopical lesions and to quantify morphometric changes in the lamellae of horses with insulin-induced (n=4) and oligofructose (OF)-induced laminitis (n=4) compared with normal controls (n=4). Archived lamellar samples collected during two previous studies were used. Laminitis was induced within 48 h in standardbred horses with either a euglycaemic, hyperinsulinaemi...
Frost AB, Lindegaard C, Larsen F, Østergaard J, Larsen SW, Larsen C.In the area of parenteral depots, a strong need exists for the development of suitable in vitro drug release models that might enable establishment of in vitro-in vivo relations (IVIVRs). Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of establishing an IVIVR between morphine disappearance from the joint cavity and in vitro release data obtained employing the rotating dialysis cell model. Methods: In vitro release experiments were conducted using the rotating dialysis cell model. For establishment of an IVIVR, data from a previous study on pharmacokinetics of intra-a...
Hobson-Peters J, Arévalo C, Cheah WY, Blitvich BJ, Tan CS, Sandis A, Araya LN, Hernández JL, Toye P, Hall RA.We conducted a serosurvey for West Nile virus (WNV) infection in equines in Costa Rica in 2004. Antibodies to WNV were detected in 28% of the horses using an epitope blocking ELISA that is specific for WNV. WNV infection was confirmed for a subset of these sera by plaque reduction neutralization tests and Western blot. This is the first evidence of WNV activity in Costa Rica.
Harris SP, Hines MT, Mealey RH, Alperin DC, Hines SA.Rhodococcus equi is an important respiratory pathogen of young foals for which a vaccine has long been sought. Two major impediments to effective vaccination are the functionally immature type I immune responses of neonatal foals and early exposure to the bacterium via the environment. Despite these obstacles, it appears that under specific circumstances foals can develop a protective immune response. In this study we investigated the protective mechanisms behind oral inoculation of foals with virulent R. equi bacteria. Two foals receiving an oral inoculum demonstrated accelerated development ...
Burns TA, Westerman T, Nuovo GJ, Watts MR, Pettigrew A, Yin C, Belknap JK.Oxidative stress reportedly plays a role in sepsis-induced organ dysfunction and failure in many species. In septic horses, laminae are targeted; evidence of laminar oxidative stress has been reported experimentally in the black walnut extract (BWE) model. Carbohydrate (CHO)-induced laminitis may be more similar to clinical sepsis-related laminitis than the BWE model in that animals with CHO-induced disease commonly develop laminar failure. The role of oxidative stress in the CHO model remains unknown. Objective: Markers of oxidative stress will be increased in laminae from horses with BWE- an...
Cousty M, Firidolfi C, Geffroy O, David F.To compare ultrasound-guided lateral and medial approaches for periarticular injections of the thoracolumbar intervertebral facet joints (IFJ). Methods: Experimental cadaveric study. Methods: Adult equine cadavers (n=4). Methods: IFJ (T12-T13 to L5-L6) were identified by ultrasound (transducer perpendicular to the spine axis) and insertion of a 13 cm, 18 g spinal needle monitored until bone contact using medial (right side) and lateral (left side) approaches. Number of needle insertions at each site, needle repositioning, and insertion depth were recorded. On bone contact 2 mL latex was ...
Retamal P, Ríos M, Cheuquepán F, Abalos P, Pizarro-Lucero J, Borie C, Gutierrez J.Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a widespread facultative intracellular pathogen that causes caseous lymphadenitis disease in sheep and goats, and generates cutaneous abscesses and granulomas in horses and cattle. Although some genes have been studied for diagnostic and phylogenetic analysis within the genus Corynebacterium, at subspecies level the pathogen has been poorly analyzed. The aim of this study was to characterize C. pseudotuberculosis strains isolated from domestic animals, through the sequencing of a hypervariable rpoB gene segment. As result, there were identified host associ...
Beard WL, Slough TL, Gunkel CD.Cecal cannulation is necessary for sampling of intestinal contents for a variety of nutritional or digestive physiology studies. This report describes a 2-stage technique for permanent cecal cannulation in standing horses. For the first procedure, a right flank laparotomy is performed and a small pouch of the cecal base exteriorized and sutured to the body wall. The second procedure is performed approximately 1 wk later. During the second procedure, the exposed cecal pouch is removed and the cannula inserted. Ten horses were cannulated using this technique. After the first procedure, 1 horse d...
Mattos MC, Bastos MR, Guardieiro MM, Carvalho JO, Franco MM, Mourão GB, Barros CM, Sartori R.The aim of this study was to evaluate the superovulatory (SOV) response of Sindhi (Bos indicus) donors submitted to an ovarian follicular superstimulatory protocol replacing the last two doses of pFSH by eCG. Forty-eight SOV treatments were performed in a crossover design in 19 nulliparous and primiparous females that were randomly divided into two groups: FSH (n=24), which consisted of eight pFSH injections, or FSH/eCG (n=24), which consisted of six pFSH injections followed by two eCG injections. Each female underwent two or three SOV treatments that consisted of an i.m. injection of 2mg estr...
Gildea S, Arkins S, Walsh C, Cullinane A.Protection against equine influenza virus (EIV) relies largely on the production of circulating antibodies specific for the haemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein. The objective of this study was to determine the antibody response of National Hunt horses in training to booster vaccination. The antibody response to the six equine influenza vaccines available in Ireland (three whole inactivated vaccines, two subunit vaccines and a canary pox recombinant vaccine), was monitored by single radial haemolysis (SRH) for six months post vaccination. There was no significant difference between antibody respon...
Awasthi G, Srivastava G, Das A.Comparative genomics and evolutionary analyses of conserved genes have enabled us to understand the complexity of genomes of closely related species. For example: β-globin gene present in human hemoglobin is one such gene that has experienced many genetic changes in many related taxa and produced more than 600 variants. One of the variant, HBS causes sickle-cell anemia in humans but offers protection against severe malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum. In the present study, we characterized and performed evolutionary comparative analyses of the ?-globin gene in different related and unrelated...
Balssa F, Fischer M, Bonnaire Y.5α-Estrane-3β,17α-diol is the major metabolite of nandrolone in horse urine. The presence of 5α-estrane-3β,17α-diol in female and gelding urines is prohibited by Racing Rules and its natural presence in male urine led regulation authorities to establish a concentration threshold of 45 ng/mL. This paper describes a rapid, simple and stereoselective synthesis of 5α-estrane-3β,17α-diol, providing horseracing laboratories with an essential reference material for their antidoping performance.
Knobbe MG, Maenhoudt C, Turner RM, McDonnell SM.2 Standardbred racehorses that had been winning races while competing as mares underwent postrace drug testing and had serum testosterone concentrations above the acceptable limit for female racehorses. Results: Initial physical examinations by the referring veterinarian revealed ambiguous external genitalia and suspected intra-abdominally located testes leading to a preliminary diagnosis of male pseudohermaphroditism. Horses were referred for further evaluation of sex. Physical examination of the external genitalia confirmed the findings of the referring veterinarian. Transrectal palpation an...
Stubbs NC, Kaiser LJ, Hauptman J, Clayton HM.In human subjects with back pain, the deep spinal stabiliser m. multifidus is inhibited ipsilaterally leading to atrophy, asymmetry and intervertebral instability. Specific physiotherapeutic exercises are required to reactivate m. multifidus. This study assesses the effect of dynamic mobilisation exercises on size and symmetry of m. multifidus in the equine caudal thoracic and lumbar spine. Objective: Regular performance of dynamic mobilisation exercises over a period of 3 months increases cross sectional area (CSA) and left-right symmetry of m. multifidus muscles in the caudal thoracic and lu...
Keller MD, Pollitt CC, Marx UC.NMR-metabonomics is an unbiased evaluation method, which allows to comprehensively study changes of the equine metabolic profile in early time point laminitis. This might give insight into the early stages of disease development. Objective: To detect hitherto unknown changes in blood metabolites during the development of oligofructose-induced laminitis by comparing pre- and post induction blood samples. Methods: Prior to laminitis induction blood was sampled to establish control values. Post oligofructose administration (POA) blood was collected every 3 h for 24 h. One-dimensional (1) H-NMR sp...
Hazlett MJ, Kircanski J, Slavic D, Prescott JF.Beta 2 (β2)-toxigenic Clostridium perfringens type A was recovered in large numbers from the intestine of a neonatal foal with colitis. The foal had been treated with gentamicin. Necropsy revealed marked distension of cecum and colon with watery, rust-colored homogeneous fluid and gastric infarction. Microscopic colonic lesions were superficial necrosis of 50% of the colonic mucosal surface and scattered 1-3-mm ulcers with subjacent neutrophilic infiltration and large Gram-positive bacilli in the necrotic mucosa. Beta-2 toxin was demonstrated in the lesions by immunohistochemical staining.
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...
Reed SR, Jackson BF, Mc Ilwraith CW, Wright IM, Pilsworth R, Knapp S, Wood JL, Price JS, Verheyen KL.No large scale epidemiological studies have previously quantified the occurrence of carpal, metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal (MCP/MTP) joint injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses. Objective: To develop an objective classification system for carpal and MCP/MTP joint injuries and estimate the incidence of these injuries in young Thoroughbreds in flat race training. Methods: In a prospective cohort study, data on daily exercise and veterinary-diagnosed carpal and MCP/MTP joint injuries were collected from Thoroughbreds monitored since starting training as yearlings, for up to 2 years. Cases were ...
Costa MF, Davies HM, Anderson GA, Slocombe RF.Studies in man have shown a correlation between Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) genetic polymorphisms, ACE activity in the blood and superior athletic performance in sports requiring endurance. It has been hypothesised that the same correlation occurs in horses. There is no information in the literature concerning the effects of training on ACE activity in equine plasma. Objective: Exercise training influences the activity of circulating ACE and the response observed is dependent on the exercise protocol. Methods: Thirteen horses of mixed breeds were randomly allocated 2 different traini...
Hudgens E, Tompkins D, Boyd P, Lunney JK, Horohov D, Baldwin CL.This report describes the cloning and characterization of expressed gene sequences of bovine, equine, and swine CXCL9 from RNA obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and other tissues. The bovine coding region was 378 nucleotides in length, while the equine and swine coding regions were 381 nucleotides. Mapping showed that all three sequences were coded for in four exons in the genome, as are the human and mouse genes. The bovine, equine, and swine coding regions shared 83%, 86%, and 84% homology with human CXCL9, respectively, and all three were 74% homologous with mouse CXCL...
Zhang L, Franchini M, Wehrli Eser M, Dip R.Accumulation of extracellular adenosine has been closely associated with human asthmatic responses. However, the relevance of adenosine signalling in equine airways has not previously been investigated. Objective: To determine the expression of adenosine receptors (AR) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells and assess the reactivity of these cells to AR ligands ex vivo, employing IL-6 as readout of adenosinergic inflammatory signalling. Methods: Eight horses with varying degrees of lower airway inflammation and 10 healthy controls were analysed. Expression of AR-subtypes in each BAL sample was ...
Liu Y, Uboh CE, Soma LR, Li X, Guan F, You Y, Rudy JA, Chen JW.Gabapentin (GPT) is an antiepileptic drug that was approved in 1993 for use in the management of neurotrophic pain and as an adjunctive therapy for refractory partial seizure in humans. It is also being tested in veterinary medicine as an adjunctive medication in the treatment of pain due to laminitis, neuropathic, or chronic pain. Gabapentin is readily available by prescription and even on the internet; therefore, it has the potential of being used in racehorses to mask pain. It is for this reason that a sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method has now been developed fo...
Sparks HD, Nixon AJ, Boening KJ, Pool RR.To describe the clinical symptoms, treatment, and outcome of meniscal cysts in horses. These structures have not been previously described in the literature as a potential cause of lameness in the horse. Objective: Meniscal cysts are an uncommon condition of the femorotibial joint but can be a significant cause of lameness. Symptoms can be resolved by arthroscopic excision. Methods: Records of horses diagnosed with meniscal cysts and treated by cyst excision and meniscal debridement at 2 surgical practices were reviewed. Clinical outcome was determined by repeat veterinary examination and cont...
Tugirimana PL, De Clercq D, Holderbeke AL, Kint JA, De Cooman L, Deprez P, Delanghe JR.A turbidimetric method to determine serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration, based on soybean oil-phosphocholine interaction, was performed on horse serum samples to evaluate its potential diagnostic value in veterinary medicine. Intralipid 20% in 0.1 M Tris-calcium buffer (pH 7.5) was added to horse serum. After 30 min of incubation at 37 °C, the CRP-phosphocholine complexes were turbidimetrically, bichromatically (660 nm/700 nm) quantified on a commercial analyzer. Furthermore, comparison between CRP and other inflammatory markers, including white blood cell and neutrophil counts, was ...
Faramarzi B.Hoof health is a major concern of horse owners as well as the equine industry. However, many questions remain concerning regional variations of laminar junction and its potential to remodel. Objective: To examine regional variations in the morphology of the laminar junction and thickness of the hoof wall in Thoroughbred horses. Methods: The forefeet of 25 Thoroughbred cadavers were examined. Each hoof was divided into 20 blocks through 4 proximodistal slices (below the coronary band, each 1 cm apart) and 5 circumferential positions (toe, medial and lateral quarters and heels). In each block, 2...
Ahmadnejad F, Otarod V, Fallah MH, Lowenski S, Sedighi-Moghaddam R, Zavareh A, Durand B, Lecollinet S, Sabatier P.We report the first large-scale serosurvey for West Nile virus (WNV) conducted in the equine population in Iran. Blood samples were obtained in 2008-2009 from 1054 equines collected from 260 districts located in 27 provinces. The overall seroprevalence rate for WNV neutralizing antibodies was 23·7%. Marked geographical variations were observed as province-specific seroprevalence rates ranged from 1% to 88%, the highest values being observed in the southern and western parts of the country. The presence of IgM-positive animals (n=9) indicated a recent circulation of WNV in several provinces. L...
Klein L, Hopkins J.4-Aminopyridine was administered in incremental IV doses to healthy horses to evaluate cardiorespiratory and behavioral effects. Doses of 100 micrograms/kg produced apparent sensory discomfort, manifested by wiggling or curling of the lips and tongue, arching or stretching the neck, snorting, squealing, and coughing. At cumulative dosages of 300 to 500 micrograms/kg, muscle tremors, a stilted gait, and signs of excitement occurred. Once signs of excitement occurred, additional administration of 4-aminopyridine resulted in prolonged excitement consisting of severe muscle tremors and exaggerated...
O'Callaghan MW, Pascoe JR, Tyler WS, Mason DK.Gross post mortem examinations were performed on the lungs of 26 Thoroughbred horses of known exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) status. The most consistent finding was a variable degree of bilaterally symmetrical, dark discolouration of the dorsocaudal regions of the caudal lung lobes. In more severely affected lungs, the stained areas extended cranially along the dorsal surfaces of the lungs, and in some cases affected approximately one third of the lung surface. Discoloured areas of lung were denser than normal, collapsed less readily, often contained trapped air and were slow to...
Ueno TEH, Cutolo AA, Martins TF, Moraes-Filho J, Azevedo SS, Labruna MB.The aim of this study was to investigate rickettsial infection in equids, opossums and ticks in the municipality of Monte Mor, a place where a Brazilian spotted fever case occurred in 2005. In addition, characteristics possibly associated with seropositivity in horses were analyzed. Serum samples from horses, mules and opossums (Didelphis albiventris) were subjected to indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) against Rickettsia rickettsii. The ticks collected from the animals were identified and Amblyomma sculptum ticks from the equids were tested using PCR for Rickettsia spp. Anti-R. rickettsi...
Mahalingam-Dhingra A, Bedenice D, Mazan MR.Hemosiderophages in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) are commonly ascribed to exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). Little information exists regarding the presence of these cells in horses that perform light or no work and that are referred for respiratory problems. Objective: Evaluate the presence of hemosiderophages in BALF of horses suspected of respiratory disease without history of or risk factors for EIPH and determine predictors of hemosiderophages in BALF in this population. Methods: Observational retrospective cross-sectional study using STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting...
Mariat D, Oustry-Vaiman A, Cribiu EP, Raudsepp T, Chowdhary BP, Guérin G.In order to increase the number of markers on the horse cytogenetic map and expand the integration with the linkage map, an equine BAC library was screened for genes and for microsatellites. Eighty-nine intra-exon primers were designed from consensus gene sequences in documented species. After PCR screening, 38 clones containing identified genes were isolated and FISH mapped. These data allowed us to refine the available Zoo-FISH results, to define ten new conserved cytogenetic segments and expand two others, thus leading to the identification of a total of 26 conserved segments between horse ...
Kleiboeker SB, Turnquist SE, Johnson PJ, Kreeger JM.In previous studies, novel putative viral pathogens designated that asinine herpesvirus 4 (AsHV4) and asinine herpesvirus 5 (AsHV5) were associated with fatal interstitial pneumonia in donkeys (Equus asinus). Nucleotide sequence analysis of a portion of the DNA polymerase gene identified these putative pathogens as herpesviruses and possibly as members of the Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily. Although similar to equine herpesvirus 2 (EHV2) and equine herpesvirus 5 (EHV5), sequence diversity was observed among the detected viruses. In this study, novel sequence is reported for a DNA-packaging prote...
Winton CL, McMahon R, Hegarty MJ, McEwan NR, Davies-Morel MCG, Morgan C, Nash DM.The UK and Ireland have many native pony breeds with historical and cultural importance as well as being a source of uncharacterized genetic diversity. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research investigating their genetic diversity and phylogenetic interrelationships. Many studies contain a limited number of pony breeds or small sample sizes for these breeds. This may result in erroneous grouping of pony breeds that otherwise have intricate interrelationships with each other and are not evaluated correctly when placed as a token subset of a larger dataset. This is the first study that...
Patel JR, Didlick S, Bateman H.Currently, there is no recommended immunoprophylaxis against febrile respiratory diseases due to equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) and -4 (EHV-4) in horses below age 5-6 months. This is because of interference by maternally-derived antibody (MDA) of vaccines. Objective: Unweaned equine foals are an important reservoir of EHV-1 transmission; therefore, we experimentally assessed the efficacy of a live EHV-1 vaccine in foals age 1.4-3.5 months with MDA. Methods: Following vaccination and challenge, parameters assessed were virus shedding in nasal mucus, leucocyte-associated viraemia, circulating viru...
Nemoto M, Bannai H, Ochi A, Niwa H, Murakami S, Tsujimura K, Yamanaka T, Kokado H, Kondo T.Getah virus is mosquito-borne and causes disease in horses and pigs. We sequenced and analyzed the complete genomes of three strains isolated from horses in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, in 2016. They were almost identical to the genomes of strains recently isolated from horses, pigs, and mosquitoes in Japan.
Tornquist SJ, Oaks JL, Crawford TB.Thrombocytopenia is a common finding in infection with equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV), a lentivirus with some homology to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The thrombocytopenia of EIA, like that in some HIV patients, appears to have a multifactorial pathogenesis. To investigate the decreased platelet production seen in experimental EIA, the levels of three potential negative regulators of platelet production--tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha)--were measured in serum and bone marrow of six severe combi...
Tomizawa N, Nishimura R, Sasaki N, Nakayama H, Kadosawa T, Senba H, Takeuchi A.Nineteen wobbling foals (17 males and 2 females) showing lameness of hindlimbs at 6 to 21 months of age were investigated radiographically and histopathologically. Minimum sagittal diameter (MSD), minimum flexion diameter (MFD) and minimum dural sagittal diameter (MDD) were measured on plain radiograms or myelograms taken at neutral and flexed positions as indicators of narrowed vertebral canal. After necropsy, the cervical spines and the spinal cord were examined macroscopically and respectively the relationships between radiographic findings and the corresponding morphological lesions were e...
Reyner CL, Wagner B, Young JC, Ainsworth DM.To examine gene expression of selected cytokines in pulmonary mononuclear cells isolated from healthy horses and horses susceptible to recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), and to determine whether interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-23 were associated with pulmonary inflammation. Methods: 6 RAO-susceptible and 5 healthy horses. Methods: Bronchoalveolar lavage cells were retrieved from horses that were stabled and fed dusty hay for 24 hours. Lavage cells devoid of neutrophils were incubated for 24 hours with solutions of PBS, hay dust, lipopolysaccharide, or B-glucan. Gene expression of IL-17, IL-23 (p19...
Soverchia L, Mosconi G, Ruggeri B, Ballarini P, Catone G, Degl'Innocenti S, Nabissi M, Polzonetti-Magni AM.Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) is a precursor protein that contains the sequences of several bioactive peptides including adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), beta-endorphin (beta-EP), and melanocyte-stimulating-hormone (MSH). POMC is synthesized in the pituitary gland, brain, and many peripheral tissues. Immunoreactive POMC-derived peptides as well as POMC-like mRNA have been evidenced in several nonpituitary tissues, thus suggesting that POMC is actively synthesized by these tissues. The present study was aimed at evaluating if also in the case of stallion POMC-derived peptide, beta-EP, is produced local...
Journal of proteomicsMarch 26, 2022
Volume 261 104571 doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2022.104571
Koziy RV, Bracamonte JL, Yoshimura S, Chumala P, Simko E, Katselis GS.Septic arthritis (SA) is a life-threatening condition in horses, and identifying eradication of infection in equine SA is challenging. This study explored the discovery of putative biomarkers for the eradication of joint infection in horses. We performed proteomics analysis of synovial fluid (SF) and plasma from horses with experimental SA, non-septic lipopolysaccharide-induced arthritis, and controls. The point of eradication of infection in horses with SA was determined previously. We compared spectral intensities between groups as well as before and after the eradication of infection. Twent...
Furuoka H, Ito H, Hamada M, Suwa T, Satoh H, Itakura C.The endocrine cell components in the pancreatic islets of the following 4 pancreatic regions of the horse were investigated by immunohistochemical methods: lobus pancreatis sinister (left lobe); lobus pancreatis dexter (right lobe); and 2 regions of Corpus pancreatis (body), the duodenal lobe which lies along the cranial duodenal flexure and descending duodenum, and the intermediate lobe which is situated around the portal vein. The islets in the left and intermediate lobes contained a central mass of glucagon cells surrounded by insulin cells, a few somatostatin cells and sporadic pancreatic ...
Kam YN, McKenzie K, Coyle M, Bertin FR.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is a common endocrinopathy of horses diagnosed with a thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test. Objective: Describe the repeatability of TRH stimulation in horses with and without PPID in winter and autumn. Methods: Twenty adult horses; 6 controls and 6 with PPID tested in autumn, 8 controls and 6 with PPID tested in winter with 3 controls and 3 with PPID tested in both seasons. Methods: Thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation was performed on 2 consecutive occasions, 1 week before and 1 week after the winter solstice and the autumn ...
Levi O, Waner T, Baneth G, Keysary A, Bruchim Y, Silverman J, Harrus S.The presence of reacting antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum has previously been demonstrated in Israel, both in humans and the golden jackal (Canis aureus syriacus). This study was undertaken to determine the seroprevalence of A. phagocytophilum antibodies in two additional potential hosts, domestic dogs and horses in order to investigate the possibility of exposure to the organism in Israel. Of 195 dogs tested, 9% were seroreactive with A. phagocytophilum antigen and 30% were seroreactive to Ehrlichia canis. Twenty-nine percent of the dogs seropositive for E. canis were also reactive to ...
Trostle SS, Dubielzig RR, Beck KA.Nine horses with clinical and radiographic findings of cervical vertebral malformation that were necropsied and examined using frozen cervical spinal cord cross sections were reviewed. Only cases with actual distortion of the spinal cord due to compression were selected. The goal of the study was to determine the morphologic features responsible for narrowing of the spinal canal and compression of the spinal cord. In individual cases, bony changes are associated with osteochondrosis and osteomyelitis of the dorsal articular facets and osteosclerosis of the dorsal cervical lamina. Soft tissue p...
Casey MB, Tremaine WH.With the advent of detailed oral examination in horses using dental mirrors and rigid endoscopy, secondary dentinal lesions are observed more frequently. More information regarding the association of secondary dentinal defects with apical dental disease would improve the sensitivity of oral examination as a diagnostic aid for pulpitis. Objective: To assess prevalence and severity of secondary dentinal defects observed on examination of occlusal surfaces of cheek teeth (CT) from horses showing clinical signs of pulpitis compared to asymptomatic controls. Methods: Records from all cases of equin...
Houpt KA.The value of behavioral techniques in assessing animal welfare, and in particular assessing the psychological well being of animals, is reviewed. Using cats and horses as examples, 3 behavioral methods are presented: (1) comparison of behavior patterns and time budgets; (2) choice tests; and (3) operant conditioning. The behaviors of intact and declawed cats were compared in order to determine if declawing led to behavioral problems or to a change in personality. Apparently it did not. The behavior of free ranging horses was compared with that of stabled horses. Using two-choice preference tes...
Wimmer-Scherr C, Taminiau B, Renaud B, van Loon G, Palmers K, Votion D, Amory H, Daube G, Cesarini C.Equine atypical myopathy (AM) is caused by hypoglycin A (HGA) and methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG) intoxication resulting from the ingestion of seeds or seedlings of some Acer tree species. Interestingly, not all horses pasturing in the same toxic environment develop signs of the disease. In other species, it has been shown that the intestinal microbiota has an impact on digestion, metabolism, immune stimulation and protection from disease. The objective of this study was to characterize and compare fecal microbiota of horses suffering from AM and healthy co-grazers. Furthermore, potential d...
Oliver A, Conrado FO, Nolen-Walston R.Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis is a clinically significant and common disease of equids that has a broader prevalence than was once thought. The most common clinical signs include high fever and edema, with mild to mderate thrombocytopenia and lymphopenia typically noted on complete blood count. Subclinical cases are reported and many are self-limiting. Rare clinical presentations include neurologic disease, vasculitis, dysphagia, rhabdomyolysis, or bicavitary effusion. Most cases resolve rapidly with appropriate antimicrobial intervention.
Roberts MC, Clarke LL, Johnson CM.A reproducible, reversible model of colitis induced in ponies by administering castor oil (2.5 ml/kg bodyweight [bwt] per os) was characterised by abdominal pain, fever, watery diarrhoea, dehydration, hypovolaemia, toxaemia, leucopenia, decreased serum Cl, Na and K levels and metabolic acidosis. The signs were most severe between 24 and 48 h post induction, stabilisation was frequently observed after 72 h, although diarrhoea could persist beyond 96 h. Morphological and in vitro transport studies (right ventral colon) were conducted on tissues from animals destroyed at 24, 48 and 72 h. In the c...
Watson ED, Stokes CR, David JS, Bourne FJ.The bactericidal and phagocytic activities of blood neutrophils suspended in uterine washings and the mobilization of neutrophils into the uterine lumen were studied in ovariectomized mares receiving oestradiol benzoate (N = 4), progesterone (N = 4) or oily vehicle (N = 4). Uterine lavage was performed sequentially up to 144 h after induction of endometritis by intrauterine infusion of glycogen (1%). There was no significant difference between the 3 groups in speed of mobilization of neutrophils into the uterus in the first 6 h after infusion but there were significantly more uterine luminal n...
Pisano MB, Seco MP, Ré VE, Farías AA, Contigiani MS, Tenorio A.Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) complex belongs to alphavirus genus in the family Togaviridae. Several species of this complex are pathogenic to humans. VEE infections can produce severe or mild disease, and many cases remain undiagnosed. A specific and sensitive reverse transcriptase nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-Nested PCR) method was developed for the detection of all VEE subtypes, including Rio Negro Virus (RNV) (subtype VI), which circulates only in Argentina. Degenerated primers were designed and thermal cycling parameters were standardized. This technique is suitable for rap...
de la Concha-Bermejillo A, Kennedy PC.A retrospective analysis was made of 79 endometrial biopsy specimens obtained from mares with histories of infertility. The specimens were classified into 3 standard prognostic categories, according to the severity of the histologic changes. The 36 mares that had few endometrial lesions (category I) had a foaling rate of 78%. The 29 mares that had more severe endometrial changes (category II) had a foaling rate of 55%. The 14 mares with the most severe endometrial lesions (category III) had a foaling rate of 35%. The pregnancy losses for each category were 9.7%, 23.8%, and 44.4%, respectively....
