"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.
Ruff JH, Tufts S, Robertson J, Horne C, Schnabel LV, Jacobs C.To compare palpation and ultrasound scores of effusion of the medial femorotibial and femoropatellar joints of horses. Methods: 40 horses (80 stifles) were evaluated over a 12-week period. Methods: Horses > 1 year of age without history of stifle disease were enrolled from September to December 2022. Palpation of right and left medial femorotibial and femoropatellar joint compartments was performed. Amount of effusion was scored by a board-certified large animal surgeon, a third-year large animal surgery resident, and an equine sports medicine intern. Effusion of right and left medial femoroti...
Chun J, Kang T, Seo JP, Jeong H, Kim M, Kim BS, Ahn M, Kim J, Shin T.Vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a tubular pheromone sensing organ in which the lumen is covered with sensory and non-sensory epithelia. This study used immunohistochemistry and lectin histochemistry techniques to evaluate developmental changes, specifically of the glycoconjugate profile, in the horse VNO epithelium. Immunostaining analysis revealed PGP9.5 expression in some vomeronasal non-sensory epithelium (VNSE) cells and in the vomeronasal receptor cells of the vomeronasal sensory epithelium (VSE) in fetuses, young foals, and adult horses. OMP expression was exclusively localized in receptor ce...
Uhrin A, Pazour J, Křivohlávek M.A saddle-horn injury of the pelvis can be considered a separate category of injuries. They occur during horse riding, when a horse rider hits the horn of the saddle and suffers from anteroposterior compression of the pelvic ring. The hits can cause symphyseolysis or even sacroiliac joint injury, and thus also pelvic ring instability. So far, just a few articles have been published dealing with horse saddle-related injuries. Our report describes a rare case of abnormal haemorrhage in vascular anastomosis called corona mortis. The discussion part is then about appropriate treatment of such injur...
Song Y, Day CM, Afinjuomo F, Tan JE, Page SW, Garg S.While the global market for veterinary products has been expanding rapidly, there is still a lack of specialist knowledge of equine pharmaceutics. In many cases, the basic structure of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and integumentary system of the horse shares similarities with those of humans. Generally, the dosage form developed for humans can be repurposed to deliver equine medications; however, due to physiological variation, the therapeutic outcomes can be unpredictable. This is an area that requires more research, as there is a clear deficiency in literature precedence on drug delivery...
Gysens L, Depuydt E, Patruno M, Haspeslagh M, Spaas JH, Martens A.Sarcoids are the most common equine skin tumours Although they do not metastasize, they can be locally aggressive and cause significant clinical symptoms in affected horses. Despite being common, very little is known about the host immune response and the biological mechanisms underlying persistence and recurrence of equine sarcoids. The latter reflects the need for further research in this field. This in-vitro study used sarcoid explants from horses with naturally occurring sarcoids (n = 12) to evaluate the induction of a humoral immune response directed against equine sarcoid-derived bovin...
Yildirim F, Yildiz A, Cengiz MM, Temel M, Küreksiz A.Horses in stalls generally remain in single-stall housing, so abnormal behavior can be observed in this management condition. Abnormal behavior can harm the horse's keeper, rider, or even the animal itself. The present study aims to examine the effect of goats on abnormal behaviors in horses. For this purpose, it placed six horses and six goats in the single-stall housing of the horses, one horse and one goat, and monitored them for 45 d. The research was divided into three observation phases during this time: in the first observation, the horses were left alone (0-15 d), in the second obs...
Halvarsson P, Tydén E.Gastrointestinal nematode parasites are of major concern for horses, where Strongylus vulgaris is considered the most pathogenic among the Strongylus species. Diagnosis of S. vulgaris infections can be determined with next generation sequencing techniques, which are inherently dependent on reference sequences. The best marker for parasitic nematodes is internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and we provide the first complete ITS2 sequences from five morphologically identified S. vulgaris and additional sequences from two S. edentatus. These sequences have high similarity to already published part...
Tyma JF, Epstein KL.Sinusitis and pneumonia following exploratory celiotomy in horses were studied, evaluating associations between these 2 respiratory complications and selected pre-, peri-, and post-operative variables. The incidence of sinusitis was 2.5% (8/318) and pneumonia 3.5% (11/318). These respiratory complications were associated with peri-operative reflux, longer antimicrobial treatment, and longer hospitalization. . La sinusite et la pneumonie consécutives á une coeliotomie exploratoire chez le cheval ont été étudiées, afin d’évaluer les associations entre ces deux complications respiratoire...
Harding C, Viljanto M, Habershon-Butcher J, Taylor P, Scarth J.YK-11 is a steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator, a compound class prohibited in both equine racing and human sports because of their potentially performance enhancing properties. YK-11 is easily accessible via internet-based supplement vendors making this compound a possible candidate for doping; however, its phases I and II metabolism has not yet been reported in the horse. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo metabolites of YK-11 in urine and plasma following oral administration with three daily doses of 50 mg to two Thoroughbred horses. In vitro incubations ...
Ternisien T, Dunn M, Vachon C, Manguin E, Bonilla AG, Jean D.Three client-owned horses diagnosed with obstructive ureteral stones were referred and treated in a minimally invasive manner by retrograde ureteroscopy in conjunction with electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL) or laser Holmium:YAG lithotripsy (HYL). For all 3 horses, additional tests revealed variable degrees of azotemia and ureteral obstruction. Ultrasound examination (2 horses) revealed a loss of cortico-medullary distinction consistent with a chronic nephropathy. Ultrasound-guided biopsy of the right kidney in 1 horse revealed moderate glomerulosclerosis and lymphoplasmacytic nephritis. A sta...
Johnson SA, Frisbie DD, Griffenhagen GM, King MR.Blood flow restriction (BFR) has become a key rehabilitative tool for human orthopaedic conditions. With modernised technology and evolution of clinical application, patient-specific delivery of occlusion percentages is now considered the standard of care in human patients due to improved therapeutic outcomes and minimised safety risks. Safety validation and limb occlusion pressure (LOP) data for horses, however, are lacking. Objective: (1) To determine if BFR exposure resulted in forelimb biomechanical gait dysfunction as safety validation and (2) to investigate inter-horse and inter-limb LOP...
Bannai H, Kambayashi Y, Nemoto M, Ohta M, Tsujimura K.The immune response and protective efficacy of a modified equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) vaccine administered by two different routes were tested in horses. Horses that received intramuscular (IM) priming and an intranasal (IN) booster with a 28-day interval (IM-IN group [n = 6]), IN priming and IM booster (IN-IM group [n = 5]), or no vaccination (control group [n = 6]) were challenged with EHV-1 strain 10-I-224 28 days after the second vaccination. Both vaccinated groups had significantly higher serum virus-neutralizing titers than the control group, with increased levels of ser...
Shilton CA, Kahler A, Roach JM, Raudsepp T, de Mestre AM.Embryonic and foetal loss remain one of the greatest challenges in equine reproductive health with 5-10% of established day 15 pregnancies and a further 5-10% of day 70 pregnancies failing to produce a viable foal. The underlying reason for these losses is variable but ultimately most cases will be attributed to pathologies of the environment of the developing embryo and later foetus, or a defect intrinsic to the embryo itself that leads to lethality at any stage of gestation right up to birth. Historically, much research has focused on the maternal endometrium, endocrine and immune responses ...
Jones MM, Nuñez CMV.Stress responses can be triggered by several physical and social factors, prompting physiological reactions including increases in glucocorticoid concentrations. In a population of feral horses (Equus caballus) on Shackleford Banks, North Carolina, females previously immunized with the immunocontraceptive agent porcine zona pellucida (PZP) change social groups (bands) more often than unimmunized females, disrupting the social stability within the population. We assessed the effects of increased female group changing behavior (or female turnover) on individual male stress by comparing fecal cor...
Mattei D, Fenn MS, Caraguel C, Vinardell T.The characterization of the blood groups, antibody profiles, and its distribution pattern among different horse breeds and geographic locations, can be very useful in life-threatening situations where a blood transfusion is needed, and compatibility tests are not readily available. This study estimated the distribution of blood types and antibody profiles in Straight Egyptian Arabian horses from Qatar. A total of 20 Straight Egyptian Arabian horses, from multiple origins and genetic background were included. Venous blood from each horse was typed and screened for anti-red blood cell (RBC) hemo...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Fašmon Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of a tincture from the fruit of Mill. ssp. v var. (sweet fennel tincture) when used as a sensory additive in feed and water for drinking for all animal species. The product is a ■■■■■ solution, with a dry matter content of approximately 2.16%. The product contained 0.0586% polyphenols (of which 0.0052% were flavonoids), anethole (0.0006%), anisaldehyde (0.0035%) and estragole (0.0006%). The Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FE...
Davíðsson HB, Rees T, Ólafsdóttir MR, Einarsson H.Automated gait classification has traditionally been studied using horse-mounted sensors. However, smartphone-based sensors are more accessible, but the performance of gait classification models using data from such sensors has not been widely known or accessible. In this study, we performed horse gait classification using deep learning models and data from mobile phone sensors located in the rider's pocket. We gathered data from 17 horses and 14 riders. The data were gathered simultaneously from movement sensors in a mobile phone located in the rider's pocket and a gait classification system ...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Fašmon Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of a tincture derived from the fruit of (Mill.) Fuss (parsley tincture) when used as a sensory feed additive for all animal species. The product is a ■■■■■ solution, with a dry matter content of approximately 0.82%. The product contained 0.0198% polyphenols (of which 0.0085% were flavonoids), apiole (0.0083%), elemicin (0.0015%) and myristicin (0.0011%). The Panel on Additives and Prod...
Kimura R, Borankulova S, Maratbek SZ.This study aimed to evaluate the effect of differences in trainer skills on horse training during the early stages of riding habituation by measuring the levels of stress and changes in stress levels. Among nine untrained horses employed, five in Group A were trained by two low-skilled trainers, whereas the remaining four in Group B were trained by two high-skilled trainers using the traditional Kazakh method. Salivary α-amylase concentration was measured as a biomarker of stress immediately before and after each riding session during the training period. In the duration of riding and mooring...
Musa-Gobe R, Omeiza G, Nafarnda W, Adamu A.West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging arbovirus which affects humans and horses. A cross sectional study was carried out on 106 local horses in Kaduna and 78 domestic chickens in Federal Capital Territory. A total of 184 sera were screened for West Nile virus anti Pr‑E antibodies using ID Screen® West Nile competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. For the horses, an overall prevalence of 92.45% was recorded while domestic chickens had a preponderance of 7.69%. From our study, there was a statistical significant difference between the occurrences of WNV in stallions than mares with p <...
Hammad A, Gadallah S, Misk T, Sharshar A, Thabet N, Mourad A.This study describes the selected pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of nalbuphine (NAL) in xylazine (XYL)‑sedated horses. Five adult healthy horses were randomly received 2 treatments at a 1‑week interval; XYL treatment (0.55 mg/kg IV) and XYL/NAL treatment (XYL, 0.55 mg/kg IV; NAL, 0.3 mg/kg IV). The measured pharmacodynamic variables were sedative and analgesic effects and the effect on ataxia and some physiological parameters. for the pharmacokinetics of NAL, its plasma concentrations were measured using HPLC and a 2‑compartment analysis was performed. Greater and prolonged sedati...
The Kushum breed is one of the top breeds in the structure of horse breeds in the Aktobe region. In terms of numbers, it ranks third after the Kazakh and Mugalzhar breeds. The Kushum breed in the Aktobe region compares favorably with a number of horse-draft factory breeds in terms of early maturity, fertility, high meat, milk productivity, and economy of keeping. This article describes a new intra-breed type, the "Mamyr-Aktobe" type of the Kushum horse breed of the Aktobe population. The structure of the intra-breed type of Mamyr-Aktobe of the Kushum breed includes three factory lines of stall...
Felici M, Cogger N, Riley CB, Padalino B.There is a lack of information on the number of horses shipped globally by air annually, the purpose of air travel and the routes of their journeys. This pilot study aimed to collect retrospective data on the international movements of horses by air from 2018 to 2021, describe their routes, and identify the possible effects of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. Equine transport data was gathered from 7 of 15 international shipping companies (ISCs) and 5 of 8 airlines contacted by email. The seven ISCs performed a median of 10,401 horse movements annually, ranging from a few hundre...
de Laat MA, Warnken T, Delarocque J, Reiche DB, Grob AJ, Feige K, Carslake HB, Durham AE, Sillence MN, Thane KE, Frank N, Brojer J, Lindase S....A glycemic challenge test is used for the diagnosis of insulin dysregulation (ID) in horses and ponies. Different forms of the test exist where the administrative route and dose of glucose vary, which makes interpretation of results challenging. Objective: To evaluate the palatability of, and blood glucose and insulin responses to, carbohydrate pellets fed as an oral glucose test (OGT), and to establish the diagnostic threshold for ID when using the pellets. Methods: University and privately-owned horses and ponies (n = 157) comprised of 31 breeds and both sexes. Methods: Multicenter cohort ...
Ibrahim M.Rhinoestrus species larvae are considered obligatory parasites of the nasal cavities of equine. This type of myiasis is characterised by sneezing, coughing, olfactory nerve damage and encephalomyelitis. Also, it has a zoonotic importance as the larvae might cause ophthalmomyiasis and conjunctivitis in human. While few studies describing R. purpureus adult fly antennal sensillae are available, the R. usbekistanicus antennal sensillae have never been described. Also, scanty data are available on the adult flies of Rhinoestrus species morphology. For this reason, the current study aimed at identi...
La Rosa L, Twele L, Duchateau L, Gasthuys F, Kästner SB, Schauvliege S.To study the antinociceptive properties of epidural magnesium sulphate (MgSO) in standing horses Experimental, placebo-controlled, masked, cross-over A group of six healthy horses Through an epidural catheter, 1 mg kg MgSO (treatment Mg) diluted to a volume of 15 mL or the same volume of saline (treatment S) was administered over 15 minutes. Electrical, thermal and mechanical nociceptive thresholds were determined on the pelvic limb before and 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160 and 180 minutes after the start of the injection. Heart rate (HR) and respiratory frequency (f) were recorded every ...
Adams VJ, LeBlanc N, Penell J.Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been used to evaluate the effect of various interventions on the equine microbiome. The aim of this randomised blinded clinical trial was to determine if a prebiotic nutritional supplement would result in a change from baseline in the faecal microbiome composition of racing Thoroughbred horses in training being fed a high concentrate/grain-based diet to be more similar to that found in forage fed/pasture grazed horses. Thirty-two horses on one training yard were randomised to either receive the supplement or not. Faecal samples were collected at baseline, 6...
Shen Y, Ulaangerel T, Ren H, Davshilt T, Yi M, Li X, Xing J, Du M, Bai D, Dugarjav M, Bou G.The follicular fluid and oviduct fluid play major roles in oocyte maturation, sperm activation, and fertilization. To better understand the physiological environments for equine oocyte maturation and fertilization, here we conducted the proteome analysis and comparison on follicular fluids and oviduct fluids from the ovulatory side and the anovulatory side. The results showed that there is no significant difference between two side oviduct fluids, but a total of 71 differential abundance proteins (DAPs) were identified between two side follicular fluids, of which 9 are up-regulated and 62 are ...
Fedorka CE, Ali HE, Troedsson MHT.Galectins are a family of proteins that bind to glycans, acting in a cytokine-like manner throughout the body. In the majority of mammalians, galectins have been found to be involved in pregnancy maintenance, but few studies have evaluated this in the horse. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the expression of various galectins in pregnant and nonpregnant mares. Next-generation RNA sequencing was performed on the chorioallantois and endometrium of healthy pregnant mares at 120, 180, 300, and 330 days of gestation (n = 4/stage), as well as 45-day chorioallantois (n = 4), post...
Mott RO, Hawthorne SJ, McBride SD.Measuring animal stress is fundamentally important for assessing animal emotional state and welfare. Conventional methods of quantifying stress (cortisol levels, heart rate/heart rate variability) require specialist equipment and are not instantly available. Spontaneous blink rate (SBR) has previously been used to measure stress responses in humans and may provide a non-invasive method for measuring stress in other animal species. Here we investigated the use of SBR as a measure of stress in the domestic horse. SBR was measured before and during a low-stress event (sham clipping) and compared ...
Bullitta S, Re GA, Manunta MDI, Piluzza G.Mediterranean farmers traditionally utilized plants, animals, and minerals sourced locally to treat their animals. Research is needed to understand at what extent such knowledge of domestic animal care still survives and to document such traditions for further developments. Methods: We carried out our field study to recover ancient ethno-veterinary practices by means of questionnaires and interviews to farmers in rural areas of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia (Italy). Quantitative indices were used to evaluate the distribution and diversity of the acquired information. Results: We report ...
Silva EC, Oliveira TJ, Moreli FC, Harada LK, Vila MMDC, Balcão VM.In the present research work, we propose a new antimicrobial treatment for pyoderma via cutaneous permeation of bacteriophage particles conveyed in a hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) gel integrating ionic liquid as a permeation enhancer. Ionic liquids are highly viscous fluids constituted exclusively by ions, that are usually hydrolytically stable and promote solubilization of amphipathic molecules such as proteins, hence serving as green solvents and promoting the transdermal permeation of biomolecules. In the research effort entertained herein, the synthesis and use of choline geranate for integr...
Huser CA, Davies ME.The objective of this study was the development and characterization of an in vitro model of the initiation of traumatic osteoarthritis (OA). Articular cartilage was obtained from seven healthy horses and from four horses diagnosed with OA. Cartilage disks were subjected to a single-impact load (500 g from 25, 50, or 100 mm) using a simple drop-tower device and cultured in vitro for up to 20 days. Cartilage sections were examined histologically to observe surface damage and proteoglycan loss. Percentage cell death was determined using TUNEL, release of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) to the medium wa...
Bogaert L, Van Poucke M, De Baere C, Dewulf J, Peelman L, Ducatelle R, Gasthuys F, Martens A.Equine sarcoids, the most common skin tumours in horses, are induced by bovine papillomavirus (BPV). Their clinical appearance varies from small stable patches to aggressively growing masses. Differences in BPV load and mRNA expression and Ki67 and p53 immunostaining among four clinical types (fibroblastic, occult, nodular and verrucous sarcoids) were evaluated to test the hypothesis that the clinical behaviour of equine sarcoids correlates with BPV activity. Viral load and expression of the BPV E2, E5, E6 and E7 genes were determined using quantitative real-time PCR. The proliferative fractio...
Gold JR, Divers TJ, Barton MH, Lamb SV, Place NJ, Mohammed HO, Bain FT.Little information exists on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in septic foals. Objective: The plasma concentrations of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol are expected to be higher in septic foals as compared to normal foals. The concentrations of hormones in septic foals also are expected to differ further depending upon survival. Methods: Twenty-eight control foals and 46 septic foals 11 or a positive blood culture. The control foals were age matched to the septic foals in the study. ACTH and cortisol concentrations were measured by a chemiluminescent immunoassay system. Results: ...
Kurachi K, Schmer G, Hermodson MA, Teller DC, Davie EW.A comparison of the physical-chemical properties of human, bovine, and horse antithrombin III has been made. These three plasma proteins are strong inhibitors of bovine factor Xa and form a 1:1 molar complex with this coagulation enzyme. Human, bovine, and horse antithrombin III are glycoproteins containing hexose, hexosamine, and neuraminic acid. The total carbohydrate was 9, 12, and 16% for human, bovine, and horse antithrombin III, respectively. These proteins have a similar amino acid composition, although some monor variations were noted. Each antithrombin III is composed of a single poly...
Weese JS.Infectious diseases are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in horses, along with economic costs and broader impacts associated with the loss of members of a species that generates income, acts as a working animal and is a companion. Endemic diseases continue to challenge, emerging diseases are an ever-present threat and outbreaks can be both destructive and disruptive. While infectious diseases can never be completely prevented, measures can be introduced to restrict the entry of pathogens into a population or limit the implications of the presence of a pathogen. Objective research ...
Brault LS, Cooper CA, Famula TR, Murray JD, Penedo MC.Equine Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA) is a neurological disease found in Arabian horses. CA is characterized by post-natal degeneration of the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. Signs of CA include ataxia, head tremors, and a lack of balance equilibrium. We have discovered a linkage of the CA phenotype to a microsatellite marker on ECA2 and identified a region of conserved homozygosity spanning approximately 142 kb. Complete sequencing of the four genes in this region identified one SNP found only in Arabian horses, located in exon 4 of TOE1 and approximately 1200 base pairs upstream of MUTYH, adja...
Franzén P, Aspan A, Egenvall A, Gunnarsson A, Aberg L, Pringle J.Six horses were experimentally infected by administration of horse blood containing a Swedish strain of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) signal was consistently detected 2-3 days before appearance of clinical signs and persisted 4-9 days beyond abatement of clinical signs, whereas diagnostic inclusion bodies were 1st noted on average 2.6 +/- 1.5 (SD) days after onset of fever. Clinical signs and hematologic changes were largely indistinguishable from those previously reported for diseases caused by A phagocytophilum (formerly Ehrlichia equi--"Californian agent") a...
Textor JA, Clark KC, Walker NJ, Aristizobal FA, Kol A, LeJeune SS, Bledsoe A, Davidyan A, Gray SN, Bohannon-Worsley LK, Woolard KD, Borjesson DL.Distal extremity wounds are a significant clinical problem in horses and humans and may benefit from mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy. This study evaluated the effects of direct wound treatment with allogeneic stem cells, in terms of gross, histologic, and transcriptional features of healing. Three full-thickness cutaneous wounds were created on each distal forelimb in six healthy horses, for a total of six wounds per horse. Umbilical cord-blood derived equine MSCs were applied to each wound 1 day after wound creation, in one of four forms: (a) normoxic- or (b) hypoxic-preconditioned cells ...
Olstad K, Ytrehus B, Ekman S, Carlson CS, Dolvik NI.The developmental pattern of the cartilage canal blood supply to epiphyseal growth cartilage has been linked to osteochondrosis (OC) in the tarsus of foals. This pattern has not yet been described in the distal femur, another site frequently affected by OC. Objective: To describe the developmental pattern of the blood supply to the distal femoral epiphyseal growth cartilage in 8 Standardbred foals age 0-7 weeks. Methods: One foal was sacrificed weekly from birth to age 7 weeks (n=8) to undergo a barium perfusion procedure to demonstrate vessels within cartilage canals of one hindlimb. The dist...
Hue ES, Fortier GD, Fortier CI, Leon AM, Richard EA, Legrand LJ, Pronost SL.Equid gammaherpesviruses-2 and -5 are involved in respiratory problems, with potential clinical manifestations such as nasal discharge, pharyngitis and swollen lymph nodes. These viruses are sometimes associated with a poor-performance syndrome, which may result in a significant and negative economic impact for the horse industry. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate quantitative PCR methods for the detection and quantitation of EHV-2 and EHV-5 in equine respiratory fluids. Two distinct tests were characterised: (a) for the qPCR alone and (b) for the whole method (extractio...
Khurelbaatar N, Krueger WS, Heil GL, Darmaa B, Ulziimaa D, Tserennorov D, Baterdene A, Anderson BD, Gray GC.Avian (AIV) and equine influenza virus (EIV) have been repeatedly shown to circulate among Mongolia's migrating birds or domestic horses. In 2009, 439 Mongolian adults, many with occupational exposure to animals, were enrolled in a prospective cohort study of zoonotic influenza transmission. Sera were drawn upon enrollment and again at 12 and 24 months. Participants were contacted monthly for 24 months and queried regarding episodes of acute influenza-like illnesses (ILI). Cohort members confirmed to have acute influenza A infections, permitted respiratory swab collections which were studied w...
Morita H, Nakano A, Shimazu M, Toh H, Nakajima F, Nagayama M, Hisamatsu S, Kato Y, Takagi M, Takami H, Akita H, Matsumoto M, Masaoka T, Murakami M.To detect the predominant lactobacilli in the intestinal flora of healthy thoroughbreds, we isolated lactobacilli from the feces of nine thoroughbreds (five males and four females; 0-15-year-old). The isolated lactobacilli comprise 17 species (37 strains), and they were classified into five groups: Lactobacillus salivarius (6 species), L. reuteri (6 species), Lactobacillus delbrueckii (3 species), L. buchneri (1 species) and L. vitulinus (1 species). On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences, we identified 3 other phylogenetic relatives belonging to the genus Lactobacillus. These results suggest...
Colpitts J, McLoughlin PD, Poissant J.Understanding inbreeding and its impact on fitness and evolutionary potential is fundamental to species conservation and agriculture. Long stretches of homozygous genotypes, known as runs of homozygosity (ROH), result from inbreeding and their number and length can provide useful population-level information on inbreeding characteristics and locations of signatures of selection. However, the utility of ROH for conservation is limited for natural populations where baseline data and genomic tools are lacking. Comparing ROH metrics in recently feral vs. domestic populations of well understood spe...
Allen WR.Four separate components combine to produce the progesterone and biologically active 5 alpha-reduced pregnanes needed to maintain pregnancy in the mare. The primary corpus luteum (CL) is prolonged beyond its cyclical lifespan by the down-regulation of endometrial oxytocin receptors to prevent activation of the luteolytic pathway and its waning progesterone production is supplemented from day 40 of gestation by the formation of a series of accessory CL which develop in the maternal ovaries as a result of the gonadotrophic actions of pituitary FSH and the equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG). Fr...
Scoppetta F, Tartaglia M, Renzone G, Avellini L, Gaiti A, Scaloni A, Chiaradia E.Physical exercise induces various stress responses and metabolic adaptations that have not yet been completely elucidated. Novel biomarkers are needed in sport veterinary medicine to monitor training levels and to detect subclinical conditions that can develop into exercise-related diseases. In this study, protein modifications in horse plasma induced by prolonged, aerobic physical exercise were investigated by using a proteomic approach based on 2-DE and combined mass spectrometry procedures. Thirty-eight protein spots, associated with expression products of 13 genes, showed significant quant...
Cogger N, Perkins N, Hodgson DR, Reid SW, Evans DL.Musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) in racehorses have been identified as the most common cause of lost training days and weeks spent resting at pasture. Several training-, track- and horse-related risk factors have been identified. However, there is no clear understanding of the inter-relationship between these factors. The aim of this longitudinal cohort study was to investigate risk factors for MSI in 2-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses. Australian Thoroughbred trainers were convenience sampled and enrolled in a 27-month longitudinal cohort study. The study population consisted of all 2-year-old ...
van den Hurk AF, Hall-Mendelin S, Webb CE, Tan CS, Frentiu FD, Prow NA, Hall RA.In 2011, a variant of West Nile virus Kunjin strain (WNVKUN) caused an unprecedented epidemic of neurological disease in horses in southeast Australia, resulting in almost 1,000 cases and a 9% fatality rate. We investigated whether increased fitness of the virus in the primary vector, Culex annulirostris, and another potential vector, Culex australicus, contributed to the widespread nature of the outbreak. Methods: Mosquitoes were exposed to infectious blood meals containing either the virus strain responsible for the outbreak, designated WNVKUN2011, or WNVKUN2009, a strain of low virulence th...
Colbath AC, Dow SW, Hopkins LS, Phillips JN, McIlwraith CW, Goodrich LR.Allogeneic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMDMSCs) could provide multiple advantages over autologous BMDMSCs, including creating an 'off-the-shelf' treatment together with the ability to control for donor variation. Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the clinical and synovial fluid response of the normal equine joint to autologous and pooled-allogeneic BMDMSCs while controlling for individual variation and joint variations in response to intra-articular injections. We hypothesised that, by controlling for individual animal and joint variation, we could identify d...
Lu G, Wu L, Ou J, Li S.Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) was first reported in a horse that died of equine serum hepatitis in the USA in 2018, and was determined having a strong association with equine serum hepatitis in the following studies. As a newly discovered virus, the genomic sequences of only seven EqPV-H strains have been reported. Considering this, an epidemiological study was performed to investigate the prevalence of EqPV-H in equines in Guangdong Province in China, and obtain genomic sequences of the field prevalent EqPV-H strains. The detection rate of EqPV-H was finally determined to be 8.33% (95%...
Maśko M, Domino M, Jasiński T, Witkowska-Piłaszewicz O.Blood testing is one of the most important ways to improve performance, facilitate recovery and monitor the training of endurance and race horses. However, little is known about the physical activity-dependent changes of blood parameters in horses used for pleasure and in riding schools. This study aimed to perform routine blood tests for training monitoring of sport horses in three different horse types of use. Then the values of blood indicators were compared between school, endurance and race horses to find similarities in the physical activity-dependent profile. The study was carried out o...
Pronost S, Léon A, Legrand L, Fortier C, Miszczak F, Freymuth F, Fortier G.Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is a common pathogen of the horse which may induce mild respiratory distress, abortion, neonatal death and neurological disease. A single nucleotide polymorphism in the EHV-1 DNA polymerase (ORF30 A(2254) to G(2254)) has been associated with clinical signs of Equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM). The aim of this work was to analyze the ORF30 genomic region among a panel of EHV-1 DNA extract in order to estimate the prevalence of the EHV-1 neuropathogenic genotype in France. Samples coming from cases associated with EHM, horses with respiratory symptoms and abort...
Folsom RW, Littlefield-Chabaud MA, French DD, Pourciau SS, Mistric L, Horohov DW.Equine influenza virus remains a major health concern for the equine industry in spite of ongoing vaccination programmes. Previous work has shown that the immune system of horses can be affected by strenuous exercise. The possible adverse consequence of exercise-induced alterations in lymphocyte responses measured in vitro was unknown. Here we demonstrate that subjecting vaccinated ponies to a 5 day strenuous exercise programme results in a significant suppression of their T cell-mediated immune response to equine influenza virus as measured by decreased lymphoproliferation and gamma interfero...
Tanner JC, Rogers CW, Firth EC.There is increasing evidence that exercise early in life has a positive effect on musculoskeletal health. At present, there is little whole population research investigating the effect of racing as 2-year-olds on future racing career. Objective: To investigate the association between attaining training milestones as 2-year-olds with length of career and racing success in Thoroughbred horses in New Zealand. Methods: Retrospective data were obtained of the 2001/02-born Thoroughbred foal crop. The 3 training milestones were: registered with a trainer, trialled and raced. The association of the tr...
Huber L, Giguère S, Cohen ND, Slovis NM, Hanafi A, Schuckert A, Berghaus L, Greiter M, Hart KA.The combination of a macrolide and rifampicin has been the mainstay of therapy in foals with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia for decades. Recent studies suggest that mass antimicrobial treatment of subclinically affected foals over time has selected for antimicrobial resistance. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of R. equi strains resistant to macrolides and rifampicin at horse breeding farms in Kentucky. A hundred breeding farms in Kentucky were surveyed and R. equi were cultured from soil samples. Data were analyzed with logistic regression and generalized linear modeling (P < 0...
Persson-Sjodin E, Hernlund E, Pfau T, Haubro Andersen P, Rhodin M.Detailed knowledge of how a rider's seating style and riding on a circle influences the movement symmetry of the horse's head and pelvis may aid rider and trainer in an early recognition of low grade lameness. Such knowledge is also important during both subjective and objective lameness evaluations in the ridden horse in a clinical setting. In this study, inertial sensors were used to assess how different rider seating styles may influence head and pelvic movement symmetry in horses trotting in a straight line and on the circle in both directions. A total of 26 horses were subjected to 15 dif...
Oosterlinck M, Pille F, Huppes T, Gasthuys F, Back W.Modern pressure plates (PP) could be an alternative to traditional force plates (FP) for quantitative equine gait analysis, thereby providing the clinician with objective data on the horse's gait while unravelling the loading of different regions of the hoof during the stance phase. The aim of this study was to determine whether a stand-alone PP allows reliable measurement of gait kinetics, compared to simultaneously recorded FP variables. Six sound Warmblood horses were walked and trotted over a combined PP and FP system for collection of a set of five valid kinetic measurements for each fore...
