The immune response in horses involves a complex network of cells, tissues, and molecules that work together to protect the animal from pathogens and other harmful agents. This process includes both innate and adaptive immune mechanisms. Innate immunity provides the first line of defense and involves components such as physical barriers, phagocytic cells, and the complement system. Adaptive immunity, on the other hand, is characterized by the activation of lymphocytes and the production of antibodies, which provide a targeted response to specific antigens. Key components of the equine immune system include T cells, B cells, and various cytokines that facilitate communication between immune cells. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanisms, regulation, and implications of immune responses in equine health.
Prudhomme J, Bardet C, Rakotoarivony I, Garros C, Bouhsira É, Lienard E.Insect bite hypersensitivity in horses ("sweet itch") is a common pruritic, chronic, seasonal, and recurrent dermatitis affecting approximately 10% of horses in France and is a major concern for the horse industry and private owners. This dermatitis results from an allergic reaction to the saliva of specific biting flies (Diptera: Nematocera), primarily from the Culicoides genus. Given the frequent occurrence of this health problem and the limited investigation in France, we conducted a field survey in the vicinity of a riding stable in southwestern France with a reported chronic case of recur...
Arnade H, Ivie IE, Gordon J, Peroni JF.To evaluate the feasibility of short-term 3-D tissue culture in maintaining the structure and function of equine synovial explants and demonstrate that day 4 explant characteristics were not significantly different from day 0. We hypothesized that a 4-day culture period in 3-D explant culture would not significantly disrupt synovial tissue health and function compared to baseline measurements. Unassigned: Synovial explants (n = 24/horse) from healthy carpal joints of 5 horses were cultured in 12-well plates using tissue-stabilizing agar rings. Explants were evaluated in triplicate or quadrupli...
Hansen S, Otten ND, Ceron JJ, González-Arostegui LG, Peres-Rubio C.The contribution of redox imbalance to equine asthma (EA) pathogenesis remains unclear. Objective: (1) validate and measure a panel of redox biomarkers in the tracheal wash (TW) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples from horses with neutrophilic and mastocytic mild-moderate EA (MEA) and severe EA. (2) Evaluate the same panel in saliva and serum for comparative purposes. Methods: A total of 117 horses: 37 healthy, 26 mastocytic MEA, 29 neutrophilic MEA, and 25 severe EA. Methods: Cross-sectional study using TW, BAL, and serum and saliva sampling. After assay validation, redox biomarkers-ferr...
Liu D, Zhao X, Wang X.Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), EHV-4, EHV-8, and EHV-9, are classified within the subfamily and are recognized as causative agents of respiratory, urogenital, and neurological disorders in horses. These viruses, collectively referred to as αEHVs, exhibits both unique and shared characteristics in terms of host interaction, pathogenesis, epidemiology, and immune evasion, which arise from both the identities and discrepancies among respective genomic homologs. The genomic architecture of αEHVs is similar to other members of the same subfamily, such as well-known HSV-1, VZV, and PRV. However, r...
Penazzi L, Pagliara E, Nervo T, Ala U, Bertuglia A, Romano G, Hattab J, Tiscar PG, Bergagna S, Pagliasso G, Antoniazzi S, Cavallarin L, Valle E....Foals commonly experience diarrhoea in the first weeks of life. Although this condition is rarely life-threatening, it can have significant health consequences. This study investigated whether new-born foals can benefit from a dietary supplement of nucleotides, as already demonstrated in other species. Dietary nucleotides have positive effects on rapidly proliferating tissues and are considered "semi-essential nutrients" since cells have only a limited capacity to synthesize these compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate whether providing foals with a dietary nucleotide supplementat...
Tsujimura K, Bannai H, Kambayashi Y, Nemoto M, Ohta M.Equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EqAHV1; Orthoherpesviridae, Varicellovirus equidalpha1) spreads by viremia to susceptible organs. Because EqAHV1 circulates in the bloodstream in a cell-associated manner, serum samples are not considered valuable for detecting EqAHV1 and have therefore not been tested by highly sensitive detection methods such as real-time PCR (rtPCR). We investigated whether EqAHV1 could be detected by this method in equine serum samples. We performed rtPCR on archived sera and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from 3 horses experimentally inoculated with EqAHV1. ...
Yu Y, Wang J, Ruan L, Chen L, Khan MZ, You A, Wang C, Li L, Ren H, Wang T, Liu W.Equid alphaherpesvirus type 8 (EHV-8) is a contagious pathogen that causes reproductive disorders, respiratory diseases, and viral encephalitis in equids, resulting in significant economic losses for the global horse and donkey industries. Currently, there are no approved antiviral drugs or vaccines available for EHV-8 control. In this study, we investigated the antiviral efficacy of celastrol against EHV-8 both in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrated that celastrol significantly inhibited EHV-8 infection in Rabbit kidney (RK-13) and equine dermal cells (NBL-6) in a dose-dependent manne...
Kamr AM, Bartish C, Summers J, Horton J, Hostnik LD, Orr K, Browne N, Dembek KA, Saliba C, Gomez DE, Toribio RE.Information about the association of antimicrobial peptides with hypovitaminosis D in hospitalized foals is lacking. Objective: We aimed to longitudinally determine the association of serum concentrations of vitamin D metabolites, vitamin D binding protein (DBP), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) with antimicrobial peptides (β-defensin-1 and cathelicidin-1) and the mRNA expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR), 1α-hydroxylase (CYP27B1), 24-hydroxylase (CYP24A1), toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), disease severity, and mortality in hospita...
Sheahan BJ, Schubert AG, Schubert W, Sheats MK, Schnabel LV, Gilbertie JM.Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) play a significant role in response to a variety of infectious and inflammatory stimuli in human and veterinary medicine. Although entrapment of bacteria can be an important function of NETs, the exuberant release of DNA and other intracellular molecules has also been negatively implicated in the pathogenesis of different diseases. Thus, NET formation must be tightly controlled and represents an opportunity for therapeutic interventions. Horses are particularly sensitive to bacterial stimuli that have previously been shown to cause NETs in other species, b...
Branda F, Yon DK, Albanese M, Binetti E, Giovanetti M, Ciccozzi A, Ciccozzi M, Scarpa F, Ceccarelli G.Equine influenza (EI) is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the equine influenza virus (EIV), posing a significant threat to equine populations worldwide. EIV exhibits considerable antigenic variability due to its segmented genome, complicating long-term disease control efforts. Although infections are rarely fatal, EIV's high transmissibility results in widespread outbreaks, leading to substantial morbidity and considerable economic impacts on veterinary care, quarantine, and equestrian activities. The H3N8 subtype has undergone significant antigenic evolution, resulting in the...
Asif S, Gulzar MW.Endometritis is a significant cause of infertility in mare. Some infectious agents disrupt the endometrium's innate immune system, resulting in a prolonged systemic inflammatory response that circulates via the blood or cellular degeneration, which ultimately leads to endometritis from bacterial endotoxins. Numerous biological processes use various small, non-coding RNA molecules called MicroRNAs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression after transcription by blocking transcription and translation. This manuscript examines patho-morphological discoveries in equine endometritis, the express...
Fedorka CE, Scoggin KE, Coleman SJ, Hatzel JN, Burleson MD, Troedsson MHT.Alterations during the early stages of embryo development have been associated with long-term effects on the fetus, neonate, and adult, but this has not been investigated in horses. In recent years, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has gained in commercial popularity in the equine population. Research suggests an association between ICSI-produced embryos and placental malformations, but there exists little understanding of the physiology involved. Therefore, we aim to produce a complete transcriptomic analysis of chorioallantois and provide potential pathways that may be impacted follow...
Fleischer AB, Amann B, von Toerne C, Degroote RL, Schmalen A, Weißer T, Hauck SM, Deeg CA.Retinal Müller glial cells (RMG) play a crucial role in retinal neuroinflammation, including autoimmune uveitis. Increasing evidence supports their function as active modulators of immune responses and potential atypical antigen-presenting cells (APCs). To further investigate this hypothesis, we conducted a differential proteome analysis of primary equine RMG from healthy controls and horses with equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), a spontaneous model of autoimmune uveitis. This analysis identified 310 proteins with differential abundance. Among these, the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) c...
Chakraborty A, Dutta P, Amrit R, Dey P, Osborne WJ.Endosymbiotic bacteria are known to synthesize bioactive compounds which have biotechnological potentials that enhance immune responses by stimulating the production of immune cells. Horse milk is widely known to have nutraceutical and antimicrobial activities; however, there are no scientific reports on its inhibitory effects. VITAPRJS1, isolated from horse milk, showed non-hemolytic properties and was significantly tolerant to bile salt and NaCl. The isolate also exhibited potent antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Sta...
Sanz MG, Jellen G, Cody L, Bergsma J, Cha M, Kogan C, Kordas G, Bayly WM, Leguillette R.Mild-moderate asthma is common in horses. Inhaled ciclesonide has been approved only for treatment of severe asthma in horses. Objective: We hypothesized that a 10-day treatment course of inhaled ciclesonide (Aservo EquiHaler) would improve clinical signs, endoscopic tracheal mucus scores, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology in racehorses with moderate asthma. Methods: Racehorses with moderate asthma housed at the Emerald Downs Racetrack in Auburn, WA. Methods: Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical study. Horses received inhaled ciclesonide (n = ...
O'Kennedy MM, Reedy SE, Abolnik C, Khan A, Smith T, du Preez I, Olajide E, Daly J, Cullinane A, Chambers TM.Equine influenza (EI) is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of wild and domesticated horses, donkeys, mules, and other Equidae. EI is caused by the Equine Influenza virus (EIV), is endemic in many countries and outbreaks still have a severe impact on the equine industry globally. Conventional EI vaccines are widely used, but a need exists for a platform that facilitates prompt manufacturing of a highly immunogenic, antigenically matched, updated vaccine product. Here we developed a plant-produced bivalent EI virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate which lacks the viral genome an...
Jacob O, Hause B, Peters-Smith K, Adam EN, Page AE, Floyd C, Tucker C, Eertink LG, Wang D, Li F.Equine sarcoids are the most identified skin tumors of horses, which are highly associated with bovine papillomavirus infection. Sarcoids can impair the use of the horse and are difficult to treat, resulting in significant economic losses and a welfare concern. There is no vaccine available to protect global equines from sarcoids. We aimed to determine the safety and protective antibody response in horses immunized with a recombinant baculovirus vector vaccine expressing the L1 protein of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV1). A group of 10 clinically healthy, sarcoid-free horses were immunized ...
Rosada T, Lis K, Bartuzi Z, Ukleja-Sokołowska N.The domestic horse is the third most common source of animal allergens. Currently, five equine allergens have been classified (Equ c 1, 2, 3, 4, 6). Despite the apparently low exposure to allergens, equine allergy is still of great clinical importance. The aim of the study was to analyze equine allergy based on the results of ImmunoCAP ISAC and Allergy Xplorer ALEX tests. The study was retrospective. A total of 1553 patients were analyzed. Immunological tests were performed using the ImmunoCAP ISAC and Allergy Xplorer ALEX systems. From all the results, those with a positive result for at leas...
Wright CA, Lawton K, Barnum S, Craig BW, Farwell BR, Blea J, McCook C, Pusterla N.This study aimed to determine if exercise increases the frequency of selected respiratory viruses/bacteria shedding in non-clinical horses using nose wipes. Nose wipes were taken pre- and post- exercise from 133 healthy horses of various ages and disciplines. Wipes were assayed for the presence of selected common (equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV), EHV-4, S. equi spp equi) and commensal (EHV-2, EHV-5, S. equi spp zooepidemicus) respiratory pathogens. The frequency of detection increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the post-exercise wipes for EHV-1, EHV-2, EHV-5, and S. zooepidemicus. EHV-4 and S. equ...
Stejskalova K, Vychodilova L, Janova E, Oppelt J, Horin P.Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play important roles in innate immunity and developmental processes. Due to their nature as molecular pattern recognition receptors, their genetic diversity may reflect the effects of various pathogen pressures. Here, the extent of variability in the TLR1-6-10 gene cluster in three geographically and historically distinct breeds of horses was analysed. A genetically diverse group of representatives of 14 other horse breeds provided additional information on the variability of this gene cluster in the domestic horse. Altogether, 25 SNPs were identified in the TLR6-1-1...
Story MR, King M, Nout-Lomas YS, Barrett MF, Kawcak C, Frisbie D, McIlwraith CW, Haussler KK.To develop and define a model of acute neck pain in an equine cervical articular process joint (APJ) using recombinant equine IL-1β (reIL-1β). Unassigned: 12 horses in this experimental study received a randomly assigned, unilateral intra-articular injection of 50 ng (n = 6) or 100 ng (n = 6) of reIL-1β and saline (contralateral side as control) into the C5-to-C6 APJ. Blinded ultrasonographic, clinical, and biomechanical parameters were evaluated between 4 hours and 14 days. Unassigned: There was a significant increase in APJ effusion on ultrasonographic examination that peaked at 24 hours ...
Hartwig S, Burron S, Richards T, Rankovic A, Ma DW, Pearson W, Ellis J, Trevizan L, Seymour DJ, Shoveller AK.Camelina sativa is an oilseed crop rich in α-linolenic acid (ALA), an n-3 fatty acid (FA), and is resistant to harsh climates and pests. Previously, supplementation with camelina oil (CAM) in horses had no adverse effects on basic health parameters and had comparable skin and coat parameters as both flaxseed oil (FLX) and canola oil (OLA). Further, the plasma FA profile of horses was reflective of their respective treatment oil. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of dietary CAM supplementation on skin FA profile, immune, and inflammatory responses as compared to two commonl...
Scheike AS, Plomp S, Fugazzola MC, Meurot C, Berenbaum F, van Weeren PR, Tryfonidou MA, von Hegedus JH.This study investigates the anti-inflammatory properties of liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, in equine in vitro models and in an in vivo acute synovitis model in Shetland ponies. The anti-inflammatory effect of liraglutide was assessed by measuring concentrations of inflammatory biomarker C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 2 (CCL2) in culture media of equine whole blood, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), chondrocytes, and synoviocytes, with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or interleukin-1β. In the in vivo experiment, acute synovitis was bilaterally induced with ...
Campebell RC, Oliveira AB, Fagundes JLA, Fortes BNA, Veado HC, Macedo IL, Dallago BSL, Barud HS, Adorno J, Salvador PAV, Santos PS, Castro MB.This study evaluates the wound-healing process in horses following the application of two treatment modalities: bacterial cellulose hydrogel with alginate (BCAW) and frog skin (FSW) dressings on experimentally induced skin wounds. Throughout the experiment, no clinical abnormalities were noted in the horses, although initial wound assessments indicated edema and sensitivity. Local hemorrhage was observed in some cases on Day 0, with granulation tissue formation evident by Day 14. Epithelialization began around Day 14 but did not reach complete healing in any group by Day 28. The analysis showe...
Helbig H, Berghaus LJ, Venner M, Berghaus R, Hart KA.Adequate vitamin availability is vital for cellular and immune function and for normal growth. Available data on age-related changes in serum concentrations of vitamins in foals are limited. In addition, associations between circulating vitamin concentrations and the development of bronchopneumonia in foals are not described. Objective: (1) To quantify circulating concentrations of vitamins C, D and E from birth to weaning in foals; (2) to determine associations between vitamin concentrations and the development of bronchopneumonia during this period. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Methods...
Durward-Akhurst SA, Valberg SJ.Several inflammatory myopathies have an infectious or immune-mediated basis in the horse. Myosin heavy chain myopathy is caused by a codominant missense variant in MYH1 and has 3 clinical presentations: immune-mediated myositis, calciphylaxis, and nonexertional rhabdomyolysis in Quarter Horse-related breeds. An infarctive form of purpura hemorrhagica affects numerous breeds, presenting with focal firm, painful muscle swelling, and subsequent infarction of multiple tissues. While Streptococcus equi equi is often the inciting cause, anaplasmosis, sarcocystis, piroplasmosis, viruses, and vaccines...
Perera TRW, de Ruijter-Villani M, Gibb Z, Nixon B, Sheridan A, Stout TAE, Swegen A, Skerrett-Byrne DA.Embryo-maternal signaling during the establishment of pregnancy in horses remains one of the biggest mysteries in large animal physiology. Early pregnancy loss represents a major source of economic loss to the breeding industry. This study aimed to investigate the systemic changes associated with early pregnancy by mapping the proteome of blood plasma at 14 days in pregnant and non-pregnant mares. Methods: Plasma proteomes were analysed in commercially bred pregnant (n = 17) and non-pregnant (n = 17) Thoroughbred mares at 14 days after ovulation, using high-resolution mass spectrometry. D...
Drzewiecka EM, Molcan T, Sadowska A, Piotrowska-Tomala K, Słyszewska M, Dias GF, Skarżyński DJ, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A.Mares with endometrosis exhibit histological changes not only in the endometrium but also in the myometrium that suggest possible functional impairment. The molecular background of these changes is not well understood. We hypothesize that the transcriptomic profile of the mare myometrium varies depending on the degree of endometrosis in mares. Myometria were collected from mares in the mid-luteal phase of the estrous cycle with endometrium categories I, IIA, IIB, and III (∑n = 23), according to Kenney and Doig´s histopathological classification. Myometrial RNA was isolated and subjected...
Fegraeus K, Riihimäki M, Nordlund J, Akula S, Wernersson S, Raine A.Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a valuable tool for investigating cellular heterogeneity in diseases such as equine asthma (EA). This study evaluates the HIVE™ scRNA-seq method, a pico-well-based technology, for processing bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from horses with EA. The HIVE method offers practical advantages, including compatibility with both field and clinical settings, as well as a gentle workflow suited for handling sensitive cells. Our results show that the major cell types in equine BAL were successfully identified; however, the proportions of T cells and macropha...
Wong D, Sahoo DK, Faivre C, Kopper J, Dersh K, Beachler T, Esser M.Oxidative injury occurs in septic people, but the role of oxidative stress and antioxidants has rarely been evaluated in foals. Objective: To measure reactive oxygen species (ROS), biomarkers of oxidative injury, and antioxidants in neonatal foals. We hypothesized that ill foals would have higher blood concentrations of ROS and biomarkers of oxidative injury and lower concentrations of antioxidants compared to healthy foals. Methods: Seventy-two hospitalized and 21 healthy neonatal foals. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Reactive oxygen species (hydrogen peroxide [HO]), biomarkers of oxidati...
Martens RJ, Martens JG, Fiske RA, Hietala SK.The immunoprophylactic capacity of specific immune plasma was evaluated in pony foals infected experimentally with Rhodococcus equi. Immune plasma, produced by repeated parenteral administration of viable R. equi to adult horses, was harvested and frozen. Group I (six control foals) and Group II (six principal foals) received lactated Ringers solution and immune plasma respectively at three and five days of age. R. equi were aerosolised into a caudal lung lobe of all foals at seven days of age. Clinical signs, haematological alterations, immune responses, thoracic radiographs and technetium99m...
Barrachina L, Cequier A, Romero A, Vitoria A, Zaragoza P, Vázquez FJ, Rodellar C.Antibody production after allogeneic administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could impact their clinical application. Proinflammatory priming of MSCs can potentiate their regulatory ability in vivo but increased expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) might augment their immunogenicity, potentially leading to immune memory thus limiting repeated allogeneic administration. This study aimed at evaluating the production of cytotoxic allo-antibodies directed against donor's ELA (equine leukocyte antigen) in mismatched and halfmatched horses receiving repeated intraarticular ad...
Noronha LE, Antczak DF.The horse has proven to be a distinctively informative species in the study of pregnancy immunology for several reasons. First, unique aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the equine conceptus facilitate approaches that are not possible in other model organisms, such as non-surgical recovery of early stage embryos and conceptuses and isolation of pure trophoblast cell populations. Second, pregnant mares make strong cytotoxic antibody responses to paternal major histocompatibility complex class I antigens expressed by the chorionic girdle cells, permitting detailed evaluation of the antigen...
Ljungberg K, Whitmore AC, Fluet ME, Moran TP, Shabman RS, Collier ML, Kraus AA, Thompson JM, Montefiori DC, Beard C, Johnston RE.A novel genetic vaccine that is based on a Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) replicon launched from plasmid DNA is described. The plasmid encodes a VEE replicon under the transcriptional control of the cytomegalovirus immediate-early promoter (VEE DNA). The VEE DNA consistently expressed 3- to 15-fold more green fluorescent protein in vitro than did a conventional DNA vaccine. Furthermore, transfection with the DNA-launched VEE replicon induced apoptosis and type I interferon production. Inoculation of mice with VEE DNA encoding human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp160 significantly ...
Christoffersen M, Troedsson M.A transient uterine inflammation post-breeding is a normal physiological reaction in the mare, and it is believed that the inflammatory response is necessary to eliminate bacteria and excess spermatozoa introduced into the uterine lumen. A tight balance between multiple pro- and anti-inflammatory factors is required for resolving the breeding-induced inflammation within 24-36 hr in the reproductively healthy mare, whereas a subpopulation of mares is susceptible to development of a persistent infection that can interfere with fertility. The aetiology of persistent endometritis can be either ba...
Mealey RH, Zhang B, Leib SR, Littke MH, McGuire TC.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a lentivirus that causes persistent infections in horses. We hypothesized that high-avidity CTL specific for nonvariable epitopes might be associated with low viral load and minimal disease in EIAV-infected horses. To test this hypothesis, memory CTL (CTLm) responses were analyzed in two infected horses with high plasma viral loads and recurrent disease (progressors), and in two infected horses with low-to-undetectable viral loads and mild disease (nonprogressors). High-avidity CTLm in one progressor recognized an envelope gp90 epitope, and the data doc...
Bode L, Reckwald P, Severus WE, Stoyloff R, Ferszt R, Dietrich DE, Ludwig H.Borna disease virus (BDV), a unique genetically highly conserved RNA virus (Bornaviridae; Mononegavirales), preferentially targets neurons of limbic structures causing behavioral abnormalities in animals. Markers and virus in patients with affective disorders and schizophrenia have raised worldwide interest. A persistent infection was suggestive from follow-up studies, but inconstant detectability weakened a possible linkage.This study for the first time discloses that detection gaps are caused by BDV-specific circulating immune complexes (CIC), and their interplay with free antibodies and pla...
Anggakusuma , Brown RJP, Banda DH, Todt D, Vieyres G, Steinmann E, Pietschmann T.Multiple novel members of the genus Hepacivirus have recently been discovered in diverse mammalian species. However, to date, their replication mechanisms and zoonotic potential have not been explored in detail. The NS3/4A serine protease of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is critical for cleavage of the viral polyprotein. It also cleaves the cellular innate immune adaptor MAVS, thus decreasing interferon (IFN) production and contributing to HCV persistence in the human host. To investigate the conservation of fundamental aspects of the hepaciviral life cycle, we explored if MAVS cleavage and suppress...
de Mestre A, Noronha L, Wagner B, Antczak DF.Split immunological tolerance refers to states in which an individual is capable of mounting certain types of immune responses to a particular antigenic challenge, but is tolerant of the same antigen in other compartments of the immune system. This concept is applicable to the immunological relationship between mother and fetus, and particularly relevant in equine pregnancy. In pregnant mares, antibody responses to paternal foreign Major Histocompatibility Complex class I antigens are robust, while anti-paternal cytotoxic T cell responses are diminished compared to those mounted by non-pregnan...
Wang X, Rikihisa Y, Lai TH, Kumagai Y, Zhi N, Reed SM.Anaplasma phagocytophilum immunodominant polymorphic major surface protein P44s have been hypothesized to go through antigenic variation, but the within-host dynamics of p44 expression has not been demonstrated. In the present study we investigated the composition and changes of p44 transcripts in the blood during the acute phase of well-defined laboratory A. phagocytophilum infections in naive equine hosts. Three traveling waves of sequential population changeovers of the p44 transcript species were observed within a single peak of rickettsemia of less than 1 month. During the logarithmic inc...
Rossi SL, Russell-Lodrigue KE, Killeen SZ, Wang E, Leal G, Bergren NA, Vinet-Oliphant H, Weaver SC, Roy CJ.Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an arbovirus endemic to the Americas that is responsible for severe, sometimes fatal, disease in humans and horses. We previously described an IRES-based VEE vaccine candidate based up the IE serotype that offers complete protection against a lethal subtype IE VEEV challenge in mice. Here we demonstrate the IRES-based vaccine's ability to protect against febrile disease in cynomolgus macaques. Vaccination was well tolerated and elicited robust neutralizing antibody titers noticed as early as day 14. Moreover, complete protection from disease chara...
Christoffersen M, Baagoe CD, Jacobsen S, Bojesen AM, Petersen MR, Lehn-Jensen H.Infectious infertility in the mare is clinically well described, little is however known about the systemic acute phase reaction (APR) and local immunological responses accompanying equine endometritis. The aim of this study was to monitor selected markers of the APR in the systemic circulation and to correlate them to the local innate immune response in the uterus during infectious endometritis. Six adult standard bred mares received an intrauterine infusion of 10(9)CFU Escherichia coli. Blood samples were obtained before (0 h) and 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h post inoculation (pi),...
Samadi S, Wouters IM, Houben R, Jamshidifard AR, Van Eerdenburg F, Heederik DJ.Workers in horse stables are likely exposed to high levels of organic dust. Organic dusts play a role in increased risk of inflammatory reactions and are associated with respiratory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate dust, endotoxin, beta(1-->3)-glucan, and culturable microorganisms exposure levels in horse stables. Methods: Ambient (n = 38) and personal (n = 42) inhalable dust samples were collected using PAS-6 sampling heads. As a special measurement, we included sampling near the horses' heads. Samples were analyzed for endotoxin and beta(1-->3)-glucan by Limulus amebo...
Mach N, Ramayo-Caldas Y, Clark A, Moroldo M, Robert C, Barrey E, López JM, Le Moyec L.Endurance exercise in horses requires adaptive processes involving physiological, biochemical, and cognitive-behavioral responses in an attempt to regain homeostasis. We hypothesized that the identification of the relationships between blood metabolome, transcriptome, and miRNome during endurance exercise in horses could provide significant insights into the molecular response to endurance exercise. For this reason, the serum metabolome and whole-blood transcriptome and miRNome data were obtained from ten horses before and after a 160 km endurance competition. We obtained a global regulatory ...
Beards GM, Brown DW, Green J, Flewett TH.Pleomorphic virus-like particles have been observed by electron microscopy in the faeces of children and adults with diarrhoea. Some of these particles were approximately 100 nm in diameter and had a "fringe" of closely applied peplomers approximately 10 nm long; they closely resembled Berne virus of horses and Breda virus of calves, the two representatives of a newly proposed family called the Toroviridae. In one sample a toroidal nucleoprotein-like structure was observed within the particles. For two samples a buoyant density of 1.14 g/ml was determined by centrifugation through a sucrose de...
Quintana AM, Landolt GA, Annis KM, Hussey GS.Our understanding of innate immunity within the equine respiratory tract is limited despite growing evidence for its key role in both the immediate defense and the shaping of downstream adaptive immune responses to respiratory disease. As the first interface to undergo pathogen invasion, the respiratory epithelium is a key player in these early events and our goal was to examine the innate immune characteristics of equine respiratory epithelia and compare them to an in vitro equine respiratory epithelial cell model cultured at the air-fluid interface (AFI). Respiratory epithelial tissues, isol...
Pepys MB, Baltz ML, Tennent GA, Kent J, Ousey J, Rossdale PD.A sensitive and precise immunoassay for equine serum amyloid A protein (SAA) was established and used to determine, for the first time, the circulating concentration of this protein in health and disease. As in other species, equine SAA was present only at trace levels in healthy animals but behaved as an extremely sensitive and rapidly responding acute phase reactant following most forms of tissue injury, infection and inflammation, objectively reflecting the extent and activity of disease. Measurements of SAA should make a significant contribution to diagnosis and management of viral and bac...
Newton JR, Townsend HG, Wood JL, Sinclair R, Hannant D, Mumford JA.Field outbreaks of influenza that occurred in vaccinated Thoroughbred racehorses in Newmarket in 1995 and 1996 were investigated by nucleoprotein ELISA and serology. Investigations showed that serum levels of vaccine-induced single radial haemolysis (SRH) antibody correlated closely with protective immunity against equine influenza and were consistent with observations made in previous experimental studies using nebulised aerosol challenge. In the second part of this study, antibody levels stimulated by vaccination were investigated to examine probable protection in high risk groups, such as y...
Troedsson MH.The objective of this article is to review the role of uterine defense mechanisms in natural resistance to chronic or persistent endometritis. A breakdown of uterine physical clearance mechanisms is currently believed to play a major role in susceptibility to persistent endometritis. Mares with increased susceptibility to persistent endometritis have impaired myometrial contractility in response to an acute inflammation, resulting in an accumulation of fluid and inflammatory products within the uterine lumen. The origin of this defect remains unknown. Recent studies have demonstrated that sper...
Lavoie-Lamoureux A, Leclere M, Lemos K, Wagner B, Lavoie JP.Systemic inflammation in horses with heaves is poorly characterized. Objective: To assess acute phase proteins (APP) and inflammatory cytokine profiles in serum of healthy horses and horses with heaves. Methods: Six healthy horses and 6 heaves-affected horses belonging to the University of Montreal. Methods: Prospective, observational study. Healthy and heaves-affected control horses were exposed to a 30-day natural challenge with hay and straw to induce clinical exacerbation of heaves. Serum samples were obtained by venipuncture before (T0) as well as after 7 (T7) and 30 days (T30) of stablin...
Tessier L, Côté O, Clark ME, Viel L, Diaz-Méndez A, Anders S, Bienzle D.Severe equine asthma is a naturally occurring lung inflammatory disease of mature animals characterized by neutrophilic inflammation, bronchoconstriction, mucus hypersecretion and airway remodeling. Exacerbations are triggered by inhalation of dust and microbial components. Affected animals eventually are unable of aerobic performance. In this study transcriptomic differences between asthmatic and non-asthmatic animals in the response of the bronchial epithelium to an inhaled challenge were determined. Results: Paired endobronchial biopsies were obtained pre- and post-challenge from asthmatic ...
Van de Walle GR, May ML, Sukhumavasi W, von Einem J, Osterrieder N.Glycoprotein G (gG) of alphaherpesviruses has been described to function as a viral chemokine-binding protein (vCKBP). More recently, mutant viruses devoid of gG have been shown to result in increased virulence, but it remained unclear whether the potential of gG to serve as a vCKBP is responsible for this observation. In this study, we used equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) as a model to study the pathophysiological importance of vCKBP activity. First, in vitro chemotaxis assays studying migration of immune cells, an important function of chemokines, were established. In such assays, supernat...
Allen G, Yeargan M, Costa LR, Cross R.An experimental system that permits sensitive and reproducible detection of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1)-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity in the horse was developed. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) collected from immune horses were restimulated in vitro by culture with live EHV-1. Cytotoxic activity against virus-infected, pokeweed mitogen-stimulated lymphoblast targets was assessed in a 4-h 51Cr release assay. The optimal conditions for in vitro stimulation of equine memory CTLs and for preparation of EHV-1-infected target cells expressing viral antigens were systemati...
Malalana F, Stylianides A, McGowan C.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a spontaneous disease characterised by repeated episodes of intraocular inflammation. The epidemiology of ERU has not been fully elucidated, but the condition appears to be much more common in horses than is recurrent uveitis in humans, especially in certain breeds and geographical regions. Both humans and horses show a similarly altered immune response and a marked autoimmune response as the primary disease pathophysiology. However, an inciting cause is not always clear. Potential inciting factors in horses include microbial agents such as Leptospira spp. Mic...
Gildea S, Fitzpatrick DA, Cullinane A.Outbreaks of equine influenza (EI) in endemic populations cause disruption and economic loss. Objective: To identify (i) factors involved in the spread of EI (ii) virus strains responsible for outbreaks (iii) single radial haemolysis (SRH) antibody levels correlating with protection against current virus strains (iv) evidence of vaccination breakdown. Methods: RT-PCR, virus isolation and SRH were carried out on nasopharyngeal swabs and blood samples collected from horses, ponies and donkeys on affected premises. Data relating to 629 samples from 135 equidae were analysed. Conclusions: Outbreak...
Fingerhut L, Ohnesorge B, von Borstel M, Schumski A, Strutzberg-Minder K, Mörgelin M, Deeg CA, Haagsman HP, Beineke A, von Köckritz-Blickwede M....Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is considered one of the most important eye diseases in horses and typically appears with relapsing inflammatory episodes without systemic effects. Various disorders have been described as an initial trigger, including infections. Independent of the initiating cause, there are numerous indications that ERU is an immune-mediated disease. We investigated whether neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are part of the ERU pathogenesis. Therefore, vitreous body fluids (VBF), sera, and histological sections of the eye from ERU-diseased horses were analyzed for the prese...
Pacholewska A, Kraft MF, Gerber V, Jagannathan V.MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate post-transcriptional gene expression and may be exported from cells via exosomes or in partnership with RNA-binding proteins. MiRNAs in body fluids can act in a hormone-like manner and play important roles in disease initiation and progression. Hence, miRNAs are promising candidates as biomarkers. To identify serum miRNA biomarkers in the equine model of asthma we investigated small RNA derived from the serum of 34 control and 37 asthmatic horses. These samples were used for next generation sequencing, novel miRNA identification and differential miRNA expression ana...
Li F, Craigo JK, Howe L, Steckbeck JD, Cook S, Issel C, Montelaro RC.Previous evaluations of inactivated whole-virus and envelope subunit vaccines to equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) have revealed a broad spectrum of efficacy ranging from highly type-specific protection to severe enhancement of viral replication and disease in experimentally immunized equids. Among experimental animal lentivirus vaccines, immunizations with live attenuated viral strains have proven most effective, but the vaccine efficacy has been shown to be highly dependent on the nature and severity of the vaccine virus attenuation. We describe here for the first time the characterizati...
Rwambo PM, Issel CJ, Adams WV, Hussain KA, Miller M, Montelaro RC.Three ponies were inoculated with plasma containing 10(4.8) TCID50 of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) and observed for 165 to 440 days. Each pony developed a febrile response within 3 weeks of infection during which a plasma viremia greater than or equal to 10(3.5) TCID50/ml was observed. Analyses of four isolates from sequential febrile episodes in a single pony were conducted by two-dimensional tryptic peptide maps and with monoclonal antibodies in immunoblots. Structural and antigenic alterations were observed in the envelope glycoproteins gp90 and gp45, with greatest variation in gp9...
Bureau F, Bonizzi G, Kirschvink N, Delhalle S, Desmecht D, Merville MP, Bours V, Lekeux P.Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, in which many inflammatory genes are overexpressed. Transcription factor, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), which is thought to control the transcriptional initiation of inflammatory genes, has been poorly investigated in asthma. In the present report, bronchial cells (BCs), recovered by bronchial brushing in healthy and heaves-affected horses (i.e., an animal model of asthma), were assessed for NF-kappaB activity. Small amounts of active NF-kappaB were present in BCs of healthy horses, whereas high levels of NF-kappaB activity was foun...
