"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.
Beghelli D, Giacconi R, Mocchegiani E, Cipriano C, Malavolta M, Renieri C.The aim of this study was to validate an A/T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) corresponding to a LINE2 sequence located ∼1.1kb downstream of the IL-6 gene (SNP BIEC2-911738) and to determine if this variant is correlated with interleukin 6 (IL-6) modulation or with different plasma concentrations of Zn, Cu, Se and Fe. The frequency of the newly described variant T ranged from 0 to 23.1% among different breeds of horses. SBIEC2-911738 was not associated with changes in IL-6 plasma levels. Increased Cu:Zn ratios were observed in horses carrying the AT genotype independently of breed when s...
Slater C, Dymond S.Inappropriate behavior during common handling procedures with horses is often subject to aversive treatment. The present study replicated and extended previous findings using differential reinforcement to shape appropriate equine handling behavior. In Study 1, a multiple baseline across subjects design was used with four horses to determine first the effects of shaping target-touch responses and then successive approximations of full truck loading under continuous and intermittent schedules of reinforcement. Full loading responses were shaped and maintained in all four horses and occurrences o...
Jesty SA, Kraus MS, Johnson AL, Gelzer AR, Bartol J.Accessory bypass tracts are rarely documented in horses. Here, we present a case of an accessory bypass tract which was initially masked by the presence of atrial fibrillation. Evidence of ventricular pre-excitation was recognized after cardioversion to normal sinus rhythm and the horse was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. In people, atrial fibrillation in the presence of an accessory bypass tract is considered dangerous due to the risk of sudden cardiac death. Although we did not consider this horse safe to ride, he continues to compete successfully and has not had recurrence of...
Olstad K, Ytrehus B, Ekman S, Carlson CS, Dolvik NI.Failure of the cartilage canal blood supply to epiphyseal growth cartilage has been implicated in the pathogenesis of articular osteochondrosis in horses and other animal species. In a previous study of the developmental pattern of the blood supply in the tarsus of foals, early lesions of osteochondrosis were consistently found in regions where the cartilage canal vessels traversed the chondro-osseous junction. The developmental pattern of blood vessels has also been described in the distal femoral epiphysis; however, the group of foals examined in that study did not have lesions of osteochond...
Sairanen J, Katila T, Virtala AM, Ojala M.Racing and fertility are connected with each other in many ways. Stress and increased body temperature induced by racing may have negative effects on fertility, but on the other hand, high quality nutrition and management of racing horses may have positive effects. Fertility may also be genetically associated with racing performance. The analysed data consisted of Finnish mating records of Standardbreds (n=33,679) and Finnhorses (n=32,731), from 1991 to 2005, and the harness racing records of both mares and stallions. Fertility was measured by foaling outcome, and racing performance was measur...
Sünder U, Moors E, Hagemann K, Gauly M.The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of flying insects (Order Diptera) on the behaviour of grazing horses in relation to the use of insecticide and repellent substances. The investigations were done between June and August in 2008 in 3 periods of 7 days each. As insecticide and repellent two substances were used: "Well-care emulsion" (Co. Essex Tierarznei, München, GER) containing Permethrin and "Bremsen-Frei-Plus" (Co. Dr. Schaette AG, Bad Waldsee, GER) based on etheric oils. Both groups were compared with a non treated control group in a crossover-design. Each group (n = 3-5) w...
Hagos A, Degefa G, Yacob H, Fikru R, Alemu T, Feseha G, Claes F, Goddeeris BM.This paper presents the results of a seroepidemiological survey of trypanozoon infection in horses carried out between September 2007 and June 2008. The survey was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of anti-trypanozoon antibodies in 880 serum samples collected randomly from selected horse-breeding districts of the Bale highlands of Ethiopia. The seroprevalence of trypanozoon infection was found to be 173 (19.66%) and 140 (15.91%) for the CATT/T. evansi and LATEX/T. evansi tests, respectively. The high seroprevalence of trypanozoon infection strongly indicates that the infection is endem...
Aleman M, Williams DC, Jorge NE, Magdesian KG, Brosnan RJ, Feary DJ, Hilton HG, Kozikowski TA, Higgins JK, Madigan JE, Lecouteur RA.Botulism is a potentially fatal paralytic disorder for which definitive diagnosis is difficult. Objective: To determine if repetitive stimulation of the common peroneal nerve will aid in the diagnosis of botulism in foals. Methods: Four control and 3 affected foals. Methods: Validation of the test in healthy foals for its comparison in foals with suspected botulism. Controls were anesthetized and affected foals were sedated to avoid risks of anesthesia. The common peroneal nerve was chosen for its superficial location and easy access. Stimulating electrodes were placed along the common peronea...
Pantaleon LG.Fluid therapy is an important component of resuscitation and treatment of critically ill equine patients. However, the decision of which fluid type to use in certain critical situations is somewhat controversial. This article focuses on the potential benefits of performing small-volume resuscitation in critically ill horses by combining hypertonic saline with a colloid (e.g., hetastarch).
Stadler S, Kainzbauer C, Haralambus R, Brehm W, Hainisch E, Brandt S.Based on the anecdotally reported eradication of a sarcoid using aciclovir cream, the curative potential of this ointment was investigated in 22 sarcoid-affected horses referred to the Equine Clinic Tillysburg, Austria, between 2006 and 2009. Sarcoid disease was diagnosed by clinical examination and bovine papillomavirus types 1 and 2 from intact skin and tumour tissue. As nine horses had more than one lesion, a total of 47 sarcoids were treated by daily topical application of aciclovir 5 per cent cream for a period of two to six months; in four horses, surgical tumour ablation was performed b...
Espinoza JR, Terashima A, Herrera-Velit P, Marcos LA.Fasciola hepatica is the causative agent of fasciolosis in Peru; the disease is an important public health problem by the high prevalence of the human infection affecting mainly children and a major veterinary problem by the high rates of infected livestock. The human disease is endemic in the Sierra and the Coast but sporadic in the Amazonia, and reported in 18 Departments, while the animal infection in 21 of 24 Departments of Peru. Transmission occurs in Andean rural populations engaged in agriculture, but recently an increasing number of people became infected in the cities. The epidemiolog...
Perkins JD, Meighan H, Windley Z, Troester S, Piercy R, Schumacher J.To determine whether ventriculocordectomy (VCE) performed before prosthetic laryngoplasty (PL) results in increased rima glottidis size compared with PL alone. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Equine cadaver larynges (n=13). Methods: Right arytenoid cartilages were maximally abducted using a standard PL technique. Standard PLs were then performed on the left side and the force required to maximally abduct the left arytenoid cartilage recorded (F(max) ). Photographs were taken of the rima glottidis at zero force and at five equal levels of force up to F(max) . The force applied was release...
Epstein KL, Brainard BM, Gomez-Ibanez SE, Lopes MA, Barton MH, Moore JN.Coagulopathies in horses with gastrointestinal disease are frequently identified and associated with morbidity and fatality. Objective: Determine if thrombelastography (TEG) identifies abnormalities associated with lesion type, presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), morbidity, and fatality more consistently than traditional coagulation testing. Methods: One-hundred and one horses examined for gastrointestinal disease and 20 healthy horses. Methods: TEG, tissue factor (TF)-TEG, and traditional coagulation panels parameters and percentages of horses with coagulopathies were ...
Marsh CA, Watkins JP, Schneider RK.To describe partial removal of the intrathecal component of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) in horses with chronic septic DDF tendonitis and tenosynovitis unresponsive to conventional therapy, and to report long-term outcome. Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses (n=4). Methods: Four horses with chronic septic DDF tendonitis and tenosynovitis were treated by surgical tenectomy of the intrathecal component of the DDFT, followed by stabilization in casts and subsequent corrective shoeing. All horses were previously managed unsuccessfully with combinations of conventional therapy consisting...
Suagee JK, Corl BA, Wearn JG, Crisman MV, Hulver MW, Geor RJ, McCutcheon LJ.Obesity and insulin resistance increase the risk of laminitis in horses. Pioglitazone (PG) is an insulin-sensitizing drug used in humans that is absorbed after oral administration to horses. Objective: PG treatment will increase insulin sensitivity and transcript abundance of glucose and lipid transporters in adipose and skeletal muscle tissues. Methods: Sixteen lean, healthy horses. Methods: Eight horses were administered PG (1 mg/kg bodyweight PO) for 12 days before induction of insulin resistance through IV administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Treated and untreated controls (CN; n = ...
Durando MM, Birks EK, Hussey SB, Lunn DP.Myocarditis is thought to occur secondary to equine influenza virus (EIV) infections in horses, but there is a lack of published evidence. Objective: We proposed that EIV challenge infection in ponies would cause myocardial damage, detectable by increases in plasma cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations. Methods: Twenty-nine influenza-naïve yearling ponies: 23 were part of an influenza vaccine study (11 unvaccinated and 12 vaccinated), and were challenged with 10⁸ EID₅₀ EIV A/eq/Kentucky/91 6 months after vaccination. Six age-matched healthy and unvaccinated ponies concurrently housed...
Waller AP, Burns TA, Mudge MC, Belknap JK, Lacombe VA.Insulin resistance (IR) has been widely recognized in humans, and more recently in horses, but its underlying mechanisms are still not well understood. The translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the cell surface is the limiting step for glucose uptake in insulin-sensitive tissues. Although the downstream signaling pathways regulating GLUT translocation are not well defined, AS160 recently has emerged as a potential key component. In addition, the role of GLUT12, one of the most recently identified insulin-sensitive GLUTs, during IR is unknown. Objective: We hypothesized that cell-su...
Sano H, Martin-Flores M, Santos LC, Cheetham J, Araos JD, Gleed RD.To evaluate the effect of epidural morphine on gastrointestinal (GI) motility in horses. Methods: Randomly ordered crossover design. Methods: Six healthy adult horses weighing 585± 48 kg (mean±SD). Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to receive either 0.2 mg kg(-1) morphine or an equal volume (0.04 mL kg(-1)) of saline epidurally (the first inter coccygeal space) with 2 weeks between treatments. The horses were stabled, fed a standardized diet and allowed water ad libitum throughout the duration of the study. Radiopaque spheres were administered by stomach tube. Xylazine 0.2 mg kg(-1) int...
Dangoudoubiyam S, Oliveira JB, Víquez C, Gómez-García A, González O, Romero JJ, Kwok OC, Dubey JP, Howe DK.Serum samples from 315 horses from Costa Rica, Central America, were examined for the presence of antibodies against Sarcocystis neurona, Neospora spp., and Toxoplasma gondii by using the surface antigen (SAG) SnSAG2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the NhSAG1 ELISA, and the modified agglutination test, respectively. Anti- S. neurona antibodies were found in 42.2% of the horses by using the SnSAG2 ELISA. Anti- Neospora spp. antibodies were found in only 3.5% of the horses by using the NhSAG1 ELISA, and only 1 of these horses was confirmed seropositive by Western blot. Antibodies to T...
Pang DS, Panizzi L, Paterson JM.A 3-year-old, 400 kg, gelding Quarter Horse was presented for investigation of epistaxis. Methods: The horse was bright, alert and responsive with rectal temperature, heart rate and respiration rate within normal limits. Results: During a second general anaesthetic for surgical treatment of guttural pouch mycosis by balloon-tipped catheter occlusion of the right major palatine artery and ligation of the right external carotid artery, signs consistent with hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) were exhibited. These included concurrent hyperkalaemia, hypercapnoea, sinus tachycardia, and muscle...
Sandersen C, Mouithys-Mickalad A, de la Rebière G, Deby G, Serteyn D, Franck T.To investigate the effect of acepromazine (ACP) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by stimulated equine neutrophils. Methods: Ex vivo biochemical experiments. Methods: Isolated neutrophils from healthy untreated horses. Methods: Neutrophils were incubated with ACP at concentrations of 10(-4), 10(-5) or 10(-6) M and then stimulated with phorbol-myristate-acetate (PMA) before measurement of lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL). In a second experiment neutrophils were incubated in the presence of α-keto-γ methylthiobutyric acid (KMB) and treated with ACP at concentrations of 10(-4...
Bründler P, Frey CF, Gottstein B, Nussbaumer P, Neuhaus S, Gerber V.An association between equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and increased resistance to intestinal parasites has been demonstrated in descendants of an RAO-affected stallion. It was hypothesised that members of another high-incidence RAO family (F) and unrelated RAO-affected Warmblood horses (UA) would shed fewer strongylid eggs than unrelated RAO-unaffected pasture mates (PM) under the same environmental conditions. Faecal worm egg counts were performed on faecal samples (63 F, 86 UA, 149 PM) and classified into three categories: 0, 1-100 and >100 eggs per gram. While results for F di...
Hausberger M, Muller C, Lunel C.It has been repeatedly hypothesized that job characteristics are related to changes in personality in humans, but often personality models still omit effects of life experience. Demonstrating reciprocal relationships between personality and work remains a challenge though, as in humans, many other influential factors may interfere. This study investigates this relationship by comparing the emotional reactivity of horses that differed only by their type of work. Horses are remarkable animal models to investigate this question as they share with humans working activities and their potential diff...
McClure S, Sibert G, Hallberg J, Bade D.The efficacy and safety of sustained release ceftiofur administered twice, 4 days apart, for treatment of horses with naturally acquired Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (Strep. zoo.) pneumonia was evaluated in a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial. The study included 373 horses (278 treated and 95 placebos) with naturally acquired pneumonia. Inclusion in the statistical analyses for treatment efficacy for Strep. zoo. required recovery of ≥10(4) CFU/mL of Strep. zoo. on the primary isolation plate which resulted in 201 cases (145 treated and 56 p...
Weisrock KU, Winkelsett S, Martin-Rosset W, Forssmann WG, Parvizi N, Coenen M, Vervuert I.Intermittent administration of parathyroid hormone (PTH) is an anabolic therapy for osteoporotic conditions in humans. This study evaluated the effects of equine PTH fragment (ePTH-1-37) administration on bone metabolism in 12 healthy horses. Six horses each were treated once daily for 120days with subcutaneous injections of 0.5μg/kg ePTH-1-37 or placebo. Blood was collected to determine ionized calcium (Ca(++)), total Ca (Ca(T)), inorganic phosphorus, serum equine osteocalcin (eOC), carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, and carboxy-termin...
Tulsiani SM, Graham GC, Moore PR, Jansen CC, Van Den Hurk AF, Moore FA, Simmons RJ, Craig SB.Hendra virus (HeV) was first isolated in 1994, from a disease outbreak involving at least 21 horses and two humans in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra, Australia. The affected horses and humans all developed a severe but unidentified respiratory disease that resulted in the deaths of one of the human cases and the deaths or putting down of 14 of the horses. The virus, isolated by culture from a horse and the kidney of the fatal human case, was initially characterised as a new member of the genus Morbillivirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. Comparative sequence analysis of part of the matrix prote...
Kokotovic B, Angen Ø, Bisgaard M.Genetic diversity detected by analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) of 54 Actinobacillus lignieresii isolates from different hosts and geographic localities is described. On the basis of variances in AFLP profiles, the strains were grouped in two major clusters; one comprising strains isolated from horses and infected wounds of humans bitten by horses and another consisting of strains isolated from bovine and ovine hosts. The present data indicate a comparatively higher degree of genetic diversity among strains isolated from equine hosts and confirm the existence of a sep...
van den Boom R, Kempenaars M, van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is the most common cause of pruritus in horses and is a serious welfare issue for affected animals. In this study, the effect of a topical phytogenic ointment on the healing of cutaneous lesions was investigated in a double-blind trial involving 26 horses with I B H. The number of lesions and their total surface area were recorded on days 0, 7, and 21 in horses treated for 3 weeks with either verum or placebo ointment. After unblinding of treatment assignment, the horses that had been treated with the placebo ointment received the verum preparation for an add...
Wilkins PA.Rapid evaluation and intervention is a requirement and a characteristic of patient management in neonatal intensive care units, and this applies for equine neonates also. Appropriate interventions are based on solid knowledge of age, maturity, and species-specific differences in reference ranges. Point-of-care (POC) testing devices speedup decision making regarding treatments and interventions. However, there are potential limitations of these devices when applied to age groups and species beyond those they were specifically developed for. This article discusses the age-specific differences in...
Meucci V, Minunni M, Vanni M, Sgorbini M, Corazza M, Intorre L.Detection of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in equine plasma is a significant analytical problem in veterinary anti-doping controls. Results: A new HPLC method coupled to selective extraction with molecularly imprinted polymers was developed for the simultaneous determination in equine plasma of the NSAIDs phenylbutazone, flunixin, oxyphenbutazone, ketoprofen and naproxen. The analytical performances of the method have been evaluated both in standard solutions and equine plasma samples. Recovery: Molecularly imprinted polymers solid-phase extraction for all NSAIDs was >94% with ...
Crijns CP, Martens A, Bergman HJ, van der Veen H, Duchateau L, van Bree HJ, Gielen IM.Computed tomography (CT) is increasingly accessible in equine referral hospitals. Objective: To document the level of agreement within and between radiography and CT in characterising equine distal limb fractures. Methods: Retrospective descriptive study. Methods: Images from horses that underwent radiographic and CT evaluation for suspected distal limb fractures were reviewed, including 27 horses and 3 negative controls. Using Cohen's kappa and weighted kappa analysis, the level of agreement among 4 observers for a predefined set of diagnostic characteristics for radiography and CT separately...
Forster HV, Lowry TF, Pan LG, Erickson BK, Korducki MJ, Forster MA.We determined the effect of pulmonary vagal (hilar nerve) denervation (HND) and diaphragm deafferentation (DD) on inspiratory load compensation. We studied awake intact (I; n = 10), DD (n = 5), HND (n = 4), and DD+HND (n = 7) ponies at rest and during mild (1.8 mph, 5% grade) and moderate (1.8 mph, 15% grade) treadmill exercise before, during, and after resistance of the inspiratory circuit was increased from approximately 1.5 to approximately 20 cmH2O.l-1.s. During the first loaded breath in I ponies at rest, inspiratory time (TI) increased, expiratory time decreased, and inspiratory drive in...
Hamm D, Turchi P, Jöchle W.In a double blind study, eight horses were treated intravenously at seven-day intervals with detomidine at doses of 10, 20 and 40 micrograms/kg, or with romifidine at doses of 40, 80 and 120 micrograms/kg, or with a placebo solution. Their sedative and analgesic effects were evaluated by objective measurements and by a clinician at 15-minute intervals for three hours and the horses' instability in stocks, locomotor ataxia and heart rate were recorded simultaneously. The administration of both drugs at all doses resulted in sedation. The sedation achieved with romifidine was significantly shall...
Herholz C, Tschudi P, Gerber H, Moens Y, Straub R.A new computerised ultrasound-based spirometry system according to Buess et al. (1995) modified by a double flow measurement facility was used to study pulmonary function in healthy horses and horses affected with subclinical and manifest chronic bronchiolitis (CB). The horses were first evaluated at rest without any medication. On another occasion all horses were tested following i.v. administration of xylazine (0.4 mg/kg) and following i.v. administration of lobeline hydrochloride (l.hy.; 0.2 mg/kg) to evaluate the effect of xylazine and l.hy. on different spirometric variables. Ultrasound-b...
Hussein H, Boyaka P, Dulin J, Russell D, Smanik L, Azab M, Bertone AL.Selective inhibition of Cathepsin K (CatK) has a promising therapeutic potential for diseases associated with bone loss and osseous inflammation, such as osteoarthritis, periodontitis, and osteoporosis. In horses, stress-related bone injuries are common and accompanied by bone pain and inflammation resulting in excessive bone resorption and periostitis. VEL-0230 is a highly selective inhibitor of CatK that significantly decreased bone resorption and increased bone formation biomarkers. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the presence of CatK in equine bone and a simultaneous influence on...
Ogilvie TH, Rosendal S, Blackwell TE, Rostkowski CM, Julian RJ, Ruhnke L.Mycoplasma felis was the only organism recovered from the thoracic cavity of a horse with pleuritis. Large numbers of mildly degenerative neutrophils were in the pleural fluid. The horse developed a serologic response to M felis and recovered during hospitalization. Experimentally, a pony was inoculated in the thoracic cavity with a pure culture of the M felis isolate suspended in the pony's serum. A control pony was inoculated with serum only. Within 48 hours, the principal pony developed fever, increased respiratory rate, pleural effusion, and signs of pain. A highly cellular exudate with no...
Scheurer L, Bachofen C, Herteman N, Hilbe M, Wolfer N, Schoster A.This case series describes three cases of equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF) diagnosed at the Clinic for Equine Internal Medicine at the University of Zurich between 2012 and 2017. Current information on etiology and treatment options are presented. Two horses showed mild signs of chronic lower respiratory tract disease and one horse was presented with acute signs of disease including recurrent fever spikes and tachypnea. Diagnosis was achieved by physical examination, radiographic findings, and PCR testing for equine herpesviruses (EHV) of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid or lung...
Lee GKC, Tessier L, Bienzle D.The Salivary Scavenger and Agglutinin (SALSA) protein is an innate immune protein with various alleged functions, including the regulation of inflammation and tissue remodeling. Transcriptomic studies of severe equine asthma (SEA) showed downregulation of the gene encoding SALSA in bronchial epithelium of asthmatic compared to non-asthmatic horses. This study aimed to characterize expression of SALSA in equine tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC), corroborate potential differences in epithelial gene expression between asthmatic and non-asthmatic horses, and assess the structure of equine SALS...
Bellei MH, Kerr C, McGurrin MK, Kenney DG, Physick-Sheard P.To describe management of anesthesia for transvenous electrical cardioversion (TVEC) in horses and report perianesthetic complications. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 62 horses with atrial fibrillation and without underlying cardiac disease and 60 horses without atrial fibrillation. Methods: Medical records of horses with atrial fibrillation anesthetized for TVEC were reviewed, as were records of horses without atrial fibrillation anesthetized for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The TVEC group horses were compared with MRI group horses for incidence of intraoperative bradycardi...
Dietrich J, Handschuh S, Steidl R, Böhler A, Forstenpointner G, Egerbacher M, Peham C, Schöpper H.As the longissimus dorsi muscle is the largest muscle in the equine back, it has great influence on the stability of the spine and facilitates proper locomotion. The longissimus muscle provides support to the saddle and rider and thereby influences performance in the horse. Muscular dysfunction has been associated with back disorders and decline of performance. In general, muscle function is determined by its specific intramuscular architecture. However, only limited three-dimensional metrical data are available for the inner organisation of the equine longissimus dorsi muscle. Therefore, we a...
Peng Z, Shen D, Zhang D, Li X, Wang L, Zhai Q, Hou Z, Li H.The equine Parascaris spp. is large, parasitic nematodes, and predominantly focuses on the intestine of foals and young weanlings. There are two roundworms, Parascaris equorum and Parascaris univalens, recognized among equine hosts. In this study, all fifty-nine Parascaris worms were harvested from three different equine hosts (twenty specimens from Equus zebra, twenty specimens from E. caballus, and nineteen specimens from E. asinus). The ribosomal gene (ITS) and mitochondrial genes (cox1 and nadh1) were amplified to identify and genetically characterize these worms. Analysis of ITS sequences...
Holmes JM, Gilkerson JR, El Hage CM, Slocombe RF, Muurlink MA.A 5-year-old Thoroughbred mare presented with signs of severe pain and was taken to exploratory laparotomy based on suspicion of an acute abdominal lesion. A mild gastrointestinal lesion was discovered, but was considered disproportional to the severity of signs displayed. The mare was later euthanased because of intractable pain. Comprehensive postmortem examination, including polymerase chain reaction testing of central nervous system tissue samples, allowed a definitive diagnosis of Murray Valley encephalomyelitis to be made. This case demonstrates the variability of clinical presentations ...
Ryhner T, Müller N, Balmer V, Gerber V.The mechanisms leading to mucus accumulation in equine inflammatory airway disease (IAD) and recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) are unclear. In airways of human patients with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as in animal models of these diseases, associations of mucus hyperproduction with increased calcium-activated chloride channel 1 (CLCA1), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), mucin 5AC (MUC5AC), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), interleukin (IL)-13 and interferon (IFN)-gamma expression have been reported. We hypothesized that increased mucus accumulation in RAO and ...
Honnens A, Weisser S, Welter H, Einspanier R, Bollwein H.The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between uterine perfusion and estrogen, progesterone and the uterine nitric oxide synthase (NOS) system in five trotter mares during the estrous cycle. Color Doppler sonography for measurement of uterine blood flow and collection of blood for determination of plasma estrogen and progesterone concentrations were performed on days 0 (= ovulation), 1, 5, 11 and 15 and daily during estrus (days -1 to -4) of one estrous cycle; endometrial biopsy collection for mRNA expression analysis of NOS and estrogen receptors was performed on day...
Christmann U, Hite RD, Witonsky SG, Elvinger F, Werre SR, Thatcher CD, Tan RH, Buechner-Maxwell VA.Surfactant alterations are described in horses after exercise, anesthesia, and prolonged transport, in horses with recurrent airway obstruction, and in neonatal foals. The effect of horse age or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) sample characteristics on surfactant is unknown. Objective: To evaluate surfactant phospholipid composition and function in healthy horses, and to investigate the influence of age and BALF sample characteristics on surfactant. Methods: Seventeen healthy horses 6-25 years of age maintained on pasture year-round. Methods: BALF was collected by standard procedures and w...
Greene CE, Tsang VC, Prestwood AK, Meriwether EA.Optimal reaction conditions for the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), 1-stage prothrombin time (PT), and Russell's viper venom time were studied for pooled plasmas of horses, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, dogs, cats, and persons. Changes in CaCl2 and NaCl concentrations had significant effects on the APTT and PT reactions. The APTT was more sensitive than the PT to changes in CaCl2 concentration. The CaCl2 concentration recommended by the manufacturer for the APTT was suboptimal for some of plasmas of domesticated animals in ths study. Infusorial earth (Celite, activator) concentrat...
Schmitz A, Thormann W, Moessner L, Theurillat R, Helmja K, Mevissen M.Ketamine, an injectable anesthetic and analgesic consisting of a racemic mixture of S-and R-ketamine, is routinely used in veterinary and human medicine. Nevertheless, metabolism and pharmacokinetics of ketamine have not been characterized sufficiently in most animal species. An enantioselective CE assay for ketamine and its metabolites in microsomal preparations is described. Racemic ketamine was incubated with pooled microsomes from humans, horses and dogs over a 3 h time interval with frequent sample collection. CE data revealed that ketamine is metabolized enantioselectively to norketamine...
Kawai S, Igarashi I, Abgaandorjiin A, Ikadai H, Omata Y, Saito A, Nagasawa H, Toyoda Y, Suzuki N, Matsuda H.In-vitro-propagated Babesia caballi parasites were examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Many small pores were observed over the entire surface of infected erythrocytes on scanning electron microscopy, and on transmission electron microscopy these small pores were found to be openings of tubular structures. By the examination of a number of infected cells the tubular structures were found to be connected with the parasite, and this observation might indicate that the tubular structures arose the edge of the parasite and terminated at an Invagination on the surface of the e...
Zaha C, Schuszler L, Dascalu R, Nistor P, Florea T, Imre K, Rujescu C, Sicoe B, Igna C.Horses with palmar foot pain do not show a typical increase in temperature in the palmar aspect of the hoof and heel due to low blood flow. The objectives of the current study were to determine the changes and differences in the thermographic pattern of the sole surface in horses with unilateral palmar foot pain and non-lame horses before and after training. We hypothesized that the thermal pattern and the local temperature of the frog area and toe area would be similar, with an increased local temperature after training in both lame and non-lame horses. A pilot study was conducted to investig...
Figueredo LA, Cafarchia C, Otranto D.Fungi of the genus Geotrichum are commonly found in the environment and, in some circumstances, they may cause diseases in humans and animals. Although these fungi have been isolated from skin lesions of some animal species, their pathogenic role in horses remains uncertain. With the aim to investigate the role of Geotrichum candidum as etiological agent of dermatomycoses, a retrospective study of 64 horses presenting skin lesions and suspected to have fungal infections was carried out. For each animal, anamnestic data were recorded and fungal culture were performed using hair. Out of 64 cases...
Robinson JA, Allen GK, Green EM, Fales WH, Loch WE, Wilkerson CG.Fourteen mares and their foals were attended at parturition. After mare-foal bonding, 8 colostrum-deprived (CD) foals were removed from their dams, deprived of colostrum, and provided with an alternative milk source for the first 24 h of life. The mares were milked out every 2-4 h during this period to remove colostrum, after which the CD foals were returned to their mares and allowed to nurse. Six colostrum-fed (CF) foals were allowed to suck colostrum in the normal manner. Foal serum IgG concentration was determined by single radial immunodiffusion (means, CD = 0 mg/dl; CF = 1,508 mg/dl). Ac...
Roberts HA, Hurcombe SD, Hillier A, Lorch G.House dust mite (HDM) and storage mite (SM) stable fauna and their associated equine intradermal test (IDT) threshold concentrations (TCs) for the midwestern region of the USA are unknown. Objective: To determine IDT TCs and serum IgE concentrations for two HDM and three SM species in clinically normal horses over two seasons, and to identify the mite taxa and habitats in a stable. Methods: Thirty-eight clinically normal horses. Methods: Threshold concentrations for HDMs and SMs were determined using IDT subjective measurements and a statistical model. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was ...
Higson FK, Jones OT.The exposure of animal neutrophils to crystals implicated in joint inflammation induces superoxide and peroxide generation in a concentration and temperature dependent fashion. Active crystals were urate, hydroxyapatite, pyrophosphate and brushite; diamond and cholesterol were inactive. Cytochalasin B increased superoxide yield after addition of brushite, and inhibitors of the PMA induced respiratory burst blocked the crystal induced response. Addition of urate to anaerobic neutrophils causes the reduction of a b-type cytochrome, a likely component of the neutrophil superoxide generating syste...
Wang JL, Zhou DH, Chen J, Liu GX, Pu WB, Liu TY, Qin SY, Yin MY, Zhu XQ.Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii, which can infect warm-blooded animals and humans. The present study was performed to investigate the seroprevalence of T. gondii in horses in Xinjiang, northwestern China. A total of 637 blood samples were collected from seven regions in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang in 2011 and assayed for T. gondiiantibodies using the modified agglutination test (MAT). Risk factors (age, gender, and region) related to seroprevalence were determined by a multivariate logistic regression analysis. A total of 200 horses (31.4%, 95%...
Vivrette SL, Sellon DC, Gibbons DS.Diagnosis of pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi can be made more rapidly by use of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay than by use of conventional bacteriologic culture techniques. Use of a PCR assay aids in the differentiation between virulent and avirulent strains of R equi, and the assay may be used to identify R equi in feces and soil of breeding farms.
Rubio-Martínez L, López-Sanromán J, Cruz AM, Santos M, San Román F.To study the pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in plasma obtained from the medullary sinusoids of the proximal phalanx (P1) after intravenous (IV) and intraosseous (IO) regional limb perfusion (RLP). Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Twelve horses. Methods: IV and IO RLP were performed in 2 groups (n = 6) of horses. Vancomycin hydrochloride (300 mg in 60 mL 0.9% NaCl) was randomly infused in 1 front limb, with the contralateral limb as control (60 mL 0.9% NaCl). A hole was drilled in the lateral cortex of P1, and blood samples from the medullary sinusoids of P1 were collected before infusion,...
