The immune system in horses is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body from pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. This system includes both innate and adaptive immune responses, which function to identify and eliminate foreign invaders. The innate immune response provides an immediate, non-specific defense, while the adaptive immune response involves a more targeted and long-lasting protection through the production of antibodies. Key components of the equine immune system include white blood cells, such as lymphocytes and macrophages, as well as various signaling molecules like cytokines. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the structure, function, and regulation of the immune system in horses, with an emphasis on understanding its role in maintaining equine health and its response to diseases.
Christen G, Gerber V, van der Kolk JH, Frey CF, Fouché N.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) has been associated with diminished immune response in aged horses. This prospective study hypothesised that this may result in increased strongyle egg shedding in affected animals and that horses treated with pergolide would have reduced fecal egg counts (eggs per gram, EPG) compared to placebo-treated animals. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations and EPG were tested in 48 horses. There were no significant differences in baseline EPG between horses with pre-clinical PPID and healthy controls. There was no significant difference in EPG ...
Tomlinson JE, Wagner B, Felippe MJB, Van de Walle GR.Immune phenotyping of equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) is commonly described by single or double marker labeling, which limits complex phenotypic descriptions and subpopulation identification. Our objective was to develop a new multispectral flow cytometry protocol to identify and sort equine lymphocyte subpopulations using commercially available, pre-conjugated monoclonal antibodies to cell surface markers. Two clones of anti-equine CD8 (CVS8 and CVS21) were compared in combination with CD3. Clone CVS21 bound non-T CD3 cells in addition to CD8 T cells. Further analysis using c...
Lange-Consiglio A, Lazzari B, Perrini C, Pizzi F, Stella A, Cremonesi F, Capra E.Cell-derived microvesicles (MVs) are a recently discovered mechanism of cell-to-cell communication. Our previous data show that MVs secreted by equine amniotic mesenchymal-derived cells (AMCs) are involved in downregulation of proinflammatory genes in lipopolysaccharide-stressed equine tendon and endometrial cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether AMC-MVs contain selected microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in inflammation. Two pools of cells, derived from 3 amniotic membranes each, and their respective MVs were collected. Small RNAs were extracted and deep sequenced, followed by m...
Fedorka CE, Scoggin KE, Boakari YL, Hoppe NE, Squires EL, Ball BA, Troedsson MHT.The deposition of semen into the uterus of the horse induces a transient innate immune response that lasts 24-36 h in the normal mare. There exists a subset of mares that are unable to resolve this inflammation in a timely manner, and are classified as susceptible to the disease of persistent breeding-induced endometritis (PBIE). Lactoferrin is a protein of interest as a potential therapeutic for this persistent inflammation due to its anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties. The addition of human recombinant lactoferrin (hrLF) to the insemination dose was previously shown to suppress ...
Loux SC, Ball BA.Placental inflammation (placentitis) is one of the leading causes of late-term abortion in mares. Although prognosis is good assuming early diagnosis and treatment, diagnostics are limited. To better characterize the disease and identify potential biomarkers, we analyzed the proteome of fetal fluids (amniotic and allantoic) in both control mares (n = 5) and mares with experimentally-induced placentitis (n = 5) using LTQ-Orbitrap mass-spectrometry. Placentitis was induced via trans-cervical inoculation of Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus. In total, 130 proteins were identified in e...
Mißbach S, Aleksic D, Blaschke L, Hassemer T, Lee KJ, Mansfeld M, Hänske J, Handler J, Kammerer R.The CEA gene family is one of the most rapidly evolving gene families in the human genome. The founder gene of the family is thought to be an ancestor of the inhibitory immune checkpoint molecule CEACAM1. Comprehensive analyses of mammalian genomes showed that the CEA gene family is subject to tremendous gene family expansion and contraction events in different mammalian species. While in some species (e.g. rabbits) less than three CEACAM1 related genes exist, were in others (certain microbat species) up to 100 CEACAM1 paralogs identified. We have recently reported that the horse has also an e...
Khan FA, Chenier TS, Foster RA, Hewson J, Scholtz EL.Emerging research suggests that the nitric oxide system may play a role in persistent breeding-induced endometritis (PBIE) in the mare. Differences in uterine nitric oxide (NO) levels between mares susceptible or resistant to PBIE and a dose-dependent inhibitory effect of NO on uterine contractility have been demonstrated. The objectives of this study were to investigate the difference in total nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity of the endometrium between susceptible and resistant mares and the effect of a specific inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor on the endometrial NOS activ...
Finno CJ, Gianino G, Perumbakkam S, Williams ZJ, Bordbari MH, Gardner KL, Burns E, Peng S, Durward-Akhurst SA, Valberg SJ.The cause of immune-mediated myositis (IMM), characterized by recurrent, rapid-onset muscle atrophy in Quarter Horses (QH), is unknown. The histopathologic hallmark of IMM is lymphocytic infiltration of myofibers. The purpose of this study was to identify putative functional variants associated with equine IMM. A genome-wide association (GWA) study was performed on 36 IMM QHs and 54 breed matched unaffected QHs from the same environment using the Equine SNP50 and SNP70 genotyping arrays. A mixed model analysis identified nine SNPs within a ~ 2.87 Mb region on chr11 that were significantly (...
van Dorland HA, Zanoni R, Gerber V, Jeannerat E, Wiederkehr D, Burger D.Bio-Strath is a plasmolyzed yeast product enriched with herbs, malt, honey and orange juice. In this study, the effect of Equi-Strath , the adapted product for horses, on the equine immune system was evaluated. A routine influenza booster vaccination was used as a model to study the effects of Equi-Strath supplementation on the immune response. Twenty healthy Franches-Montagnes stallions with pre-existing antibody levels were randomly divided into a study group (SG, n = 10) receiving 0.06 mL/kg bodyweight of Equi-Strath , and a control group (CG, n = 10), receiving the same amount of plac...
Oladunni FS, Sarkar S, Reedy S, Balasuriya UBR, Horohov DW, Chambers TM.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection is an important and highly prevalent disease in equine populations worldwide. Previously we have demonstrated that a neuropathogenic strain of EHV-1, T953, suppresses the host cell's antiviral type-I interferon (IFN) response in vitro. Whether or not this is unique to EHV-1 strains possessing the neuropathogenic genotype has been undetermined. Here, we examined whether there is any direct relationship between neuropathogenic genotype and the induced IFN-β response in equine endothelial cells (EECs) infected with 10 different strains of EHV-1. The extent ...
Gilger BC.Ocular inflammatory diseases, such as dry eye and uveitis, are common, painful, difficult to treat, and may result in vision loss or blindness. Ocular side effects from the use of antiinflammatory drugs (such as corticosteroids or nonsteroidal antiinflammatories) to treat ocular inflammation have prompted development of more specific and safer medications to treat inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases of the eye. To assess the efficacy and safety of these new therapeutics, appropriate immune-relevant animal models of ocular inflammation are needed. Both induced and naturally-occurring mode...
Schwartz D, Pusterla N, Jacobsen S, Christopher MM.Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a major acute phase protein in horses. A new point-of-care (POC) test for SAA (Stablelab) is available, but studies evaluating its analytical accuracy are lacking. Objective: To evaluate the analytical performance of the SAA POC test by 1) determining linearity and precision, 2) comparing results in whole blood with those in serum or plasma, and 3) comparing POC results with those obtained using a previously validated turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA). Methods: Assay validation. Methods: Analytical validation of the POC test was done in accordance with American Society o...
Smith AD, Panickar KS, Urban JF, Dawson HD.Vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) play an important role in regulating and shaping an immune response. Deficiencies generally result in inadequate or dysregulated cellular activity and cytokine expression, thereby affecting the immune response. Decreased levels of natural killer, granulocyte, and phagocytic cell activity and T and B cell proliferation and trafficking are associated with inadequate levels of micronutrients, as well as increased susceptibility to various adverse health conditions, including inflammatory disorders, infection, and altered vaccine efficacy. In addition, most s...
Leise B.Equine laminitis is a devastating disease in which failure of the adhesion between the digital dermal and epidermal laminae at the basement membrane results in crippling lameness and structural damage to the foot of the horse. Laminitis occurring secondary to sepsis is known to result from a significant inflammatory response that includes leukocyte emigration into the lamellar tissue. These leukocytes, in particular the neutrophil, have been extensively evaluated in experimental models of sepsis-related laminitis in the horse. This review will discuss the relevant findings elucidated from thes...
Martin G, Yanez-Arenas C, Plowright RK, Chen C, Roberts B, Skerratt LF.Understanding environmental factors driving spatiotemporal patterns of disease can improve risk mitigation strategies. Hendra virus (HeV), discovered in Australia in 1994, spills over from bats (Pteropus sp.) to horses and thence to humans. Below latitude - 22°, almost all spillover events to horses occur during winter, and above this latitude spillover is aseasonal. We generated a statistical model of environmental drivers of HeV spillover per month. The model reproduced the spatiotemporal pattern of spillover risk between 1994 and 2015. The model was generated with an ensemble of methods f...
Anderson SL, Singh B.Horses are susceptible to a multitude of inflammatory conditions that are characterized by a strong neutrophilic response. Here, we review basic equine neutrophil biology and explore the role of neutrophils in inflammatory conditions with emphasis on intestinal ischemia and reperfusion injury and lung inflammation. In addition, unique aspects of equine neutrophil biology have been highlighted. Neutrophils comprise the highest proportion of circulating white blood cells in equine blood. The concentration of circulating equine neutrophils is a primary indicator of systemic inflammation. Addition...
Berlin S, Wallstabe S, Scheuch E, Oswald S, Hasan M, Wegner D, Grube M, Venner M, Ullrich A, Siegmund W.Standard treatment of foals with severe abscessing lung infection caused by Rhodococcus equi using rifampicin and a macrolide antibiotic can be compromised by extensive inhibition and/or induction of drug metabolising enzymes (e.g. CYP3A4) and transport proteins (e.g. P-glycoprotein), as has been shown for rifampicin and clarithromycin. The combination of rifampicin with the new, poorly metabolised gamithromycin, a long-acting analogue of azithromycin and tulathromycin with lower pharmacokinetic interaction potential, might be a suitable alternative. Objective: To evaluate the pharmacokinetic ...
Olave C, Morales N, Uberti B, Henriquez C, Sarmiento J, Ortloff A, Folch H, Moran G.Macrophages and neutrophils are important cellular components in the process of acute inflammation and its subsequent resolution, and evidence increasingly suggests that they play important functions during the resolution of chronic, adaptive inflammatory processes. Exacerbated neutrophil activity can be harmful to surrounding tissues; this is important in a range of diseases, including allergic asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in humans, and equine asthma (also known as recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Tamoxifen (TX) is a non-steroidal estrogen receptor modulator with effec...
Lee W, Park KD, Taye M, Lee C, Kim H, Lee HK, Shin D.This study was intended to identify genes positively selected in Thoroughbred horses (THBs) that potentially contribute to their running performances. Methods: The genomes of THB and Jeju horses (JH, Korean native horse) were compared to identify genes positively selected in THB. We performed cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EHH) and cross-population composite likelihood ratio test (XP-CLR) statistical methods for our analysis using whole genome resequencing data of 14 THB and 6 JH. Results: We identified 98 (XP-EHH) and 200 (XP-CLR) genes that are under positive selection ...
Gershwin LJ.There are many autoimmune diseases that are recognized in domestic animals. The descriptions of diseases provide examples of the magnitude of immune targets and the variable nature of autoimmune diseases. Other autoimmune diseases that are recognized in dogs, cats, and horses include immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, VKH (Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada) ocular disease (dogs), and Evans syndrome (which includes both immune-mediated anemia and immune-mediated thrombocytopenia).
Bullone M, Lavoie JP.Aging is associated with a dysregulation of the immune system, leading to a general pro-inflammatory state of the organism, a process that has been named inflamm-aging. Oxidative stress has an important role in aging and in the regulation of immune responses, probably playing a role in the development of age-related diseases. The respiratory system function physiologically declines with the advancement of age. In elderly asthmatic patients, this may contribute to disease expression. In this review, we will focus on age-related changes affecting the immune system and in respiratory structure an...
Gershwin LJ.Vaccines are important for providing protection from infectious diseases. Vaccination initiates a process that stimulates development of a robust and long-lived immune response to the disease agents in the vaccine. Side effects are sometimes associated with vaccination. These vary from development of acute hypersensitivity responses to vaccine components to local tissue reactions that are annoying but not significantly detrimental to the patient. The pathogenesis of these responses and the consequent clinical outcomes are discussed. Overstimulation of the immune response and the potential rela...
Naskou MC, Norton NA, Copland IB, Galipeau J, Peroni JF.Platelet lysate (PL) has been extensively used for the laboratory expansion of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in order to avoid fetal bovine serum (FBS) which has been associated with immune-mediated host reactions and transmission of bovine-origin microbial contaminants. Before suggesting the routine use of PL for MSC culture, we wanted to further investigate whether PL alone might trigger inflammatory responses when exposed to reactive white blood cells such as monocytes. Our objectives were to evaluate the inflammatory profile of equine monocytes cultured with equine PL (ePL) and to det...
Hosnedlova B, Kepinska M, Skalickova S, Fernandez C, Ruttkay-Nedecky B, Malevu TD, Sochor J, Baron M, Melcova M, Zidkova J, Kizek R.Selenium is an essential trace element important for many physiological processes, especially for the functions of immune and reproductive systems, metabolism of thyroid hormones, as well as antioxidant defense. Selenium deficiency is usually manifested by an increased incidence of retention of placenta, metritis, mastitis, aborts, lowering fertility and increased susceptibility to infections. In calves, lambs and kids, the selenium deficiency demonstrates by WMD (white muscle disease), in foals and donkey foals, it is associated with incidence of WMD and yellow fat disease, and in pigs it cau...
Joonè CJ, Schulman ML, Fosgate GT, Claes ANJ, Gupta SK, Botha AE, Human A, Bertschinger HJ.Circulating anti-Müllerian hormone concentration (AMH) is positively correlated to the number of small growing follicles in the mare and may reflect ovarian function. Dynamics of AMH during immunocontraception have not previously been investigated. This study aimed to compare serum AMH in mares following treatment with native porcine zona pellucida (pZP), recombinant pZP3 and pZP4 (reZP) or gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccines, and saline-treated controls. Stored sera collected during two previous studies examining ovarian activity in mares during zona pellucida (ZP) or GnRH immuno...
Plummer CE.This article describes the natural responses of the immune system and the cornea to injury and infection. The process of reepithelialization and reformation of stromal collagen is discussed, as are the clinical signs and manifestations of the effects of the healing response when it is routine and when it is pathologic. Excessive inflammatory or immune responses by host tissues can cause further damage that may be present from the antecedent injury or the effect of a pathogen. The clinical signs and manifestations of wound healing as well as potential therapeutic interventions are described.
Marth CD, Firestone SM, Hanlon D, Glenton LY, Browning GF, Young ND, Krekeler N.Persistent mating-induced endometritis (PMIE) severely decreases fertility in horses. The aim of the present study was to evaluate differences between horses susceptible to PMIE and a control group in terms of the expression of selected immune response and effector genes, and the effects of oestrous cycle stage on this expression. Endometrial biopsies from 18 uterine samples of mares in the control group (eight in dioestrus, 10 in oestrus) and 16 PMIE-susceptible mares (four in dioestrus, 12 in oestrus) were analysed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Ge...
Freer H, Hillegas JM, Wimer C, Baldwin C, LaBresh J, Wagner B.Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a T cell growth factor and major modulator of T helper (Th) cell differentiation. Here, we have developed and characterized a monoclonal antibody to equine IL-2 (anti-IL-2 mAb, clone 158-1). The IL-2 mAb detected rIL-2 by ELISA, intracellular staining and flow cytometry analysis and Western blotting. The IL-2 mAb was also paired with a polyclonal IL-2 detection antibody in both ELISA and a fluorescent bead-based assay. When these two assays were compared using identical reagents there was an improved analytical sensitivity (46pg/ml) and wider linear quantification range...
There is currently no information regarding Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi infections in donkeys in Mexico. Here, we determined the presence of antibodies against S. neurona and N. hughesi in donkeys in the northern Mexican state of Durango. Serum samples of 239 domestic donkeys (Equus asinus) were assayed for S. neurona and N. hughesi antibodies using home-made enzyme-linked immunoassays; six (2.5%) of the 239 donkeys tested seropositive for S. neurona. The seroprevalence of S. neurona infection was comparable among donkeys regardless of their origin, health status, or sex. Multivar...
Mitlehner W, Mitlehner HC.A horse allergic rider completed 60 riding lessons on Curly Horses within six months. This rider has become clinically tolerant to normal horse breeds within this time. This case may indicate that riding and brushing ABCR Curly Horses after 60 riding hours facilitates tolerance induction. Our data indicate that this could be a valid alternative to the common recommendation to strictly avoid horse riding. Eine pferdeallergische Reiterin erhielt 60 Reitstunden auf „Curly Horses“ innerhalb von 6 Monaten. Die Reiterin tolerierte die Allergenexposition mit Pferden anderer Rassen innerhalb diese...
Lunn DP, McClure JT, Schobert CS, Holmes MA.Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is a fatal autosommal disease of Arabian horses that leads to failure of maturation of T- and B-lymphocyte populations, although natural killer (NK) cells are unaffected. Thymic and lymph node tissues from two foals suffering from SCID were examined in an immunohistological study using a panel of monoclonal antibodies recognising equine leucocyte differentiation antigens. In both foals, the majority of cells in lymphoid tissues had an EqCD3-EqCD4-EqCD8+ phenotype, although rare EqCD3+ cells were also detected. The EqCD3-EqCD4-EqCD8+ cells may represent a...
Werners AH, Bryant CE.Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on host cells detect pathogens to activate innate immunity which, in turn, initiates inflammatory and adaptive immune responses. Successful activation of PRRs is, therefore, critical to controlling infections and driving pathogen-specific adaptive immunity, but overactivity of PRRs causes systemic inflammation, which is detrimental to the host. Here we review the PRR literature as it relates to horses and speculate on the role PRRs may play in sepsis and endotoxaemia.
Pirrone A, Panzani S, Govoni N, Castagnetti C, Veronesi MC.The hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis has specific functions, mostly related to metabolic activities, cell differentiation, and development. To the authors' knowledge, there are no studies about thyroid hormone (TH) concentrations in foals affected by perinatal asphyxia syndrome (PAS). Hence, the aims of the study are (1) to evaluate plasma TH concentrations (T3 and T4) in healthy foals during the first 7 days of life; (2) to evaluate plasma TH concentration (T3 and T4) in critically ill foals affected by PAS during the first 7 days of hospitalization; and (3) to compare TH concentrations be...
Jörg A, Portmann P, Fellay G, Dreyer JL, Meyer J.An improved and short method is described for the isolation of intact eosinophilic leukocytes from horse blood with high yield (1--1.5 g/20 l). Viability and purity of the preparations were verified by light and electron microscopy and by the trypan blue exclusion test. Isolated eosinophils were 98--100% pure, intact and viable, and they could be shown to phagocytise immune-complexes.
Henríquez C, Perez B, Morales N, Sarmiento J, Carrasco C, Morán G, Folch H.Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is an equine immune-mediated disease with a high incidence worldwide. The aim of this work was to contribute to the understanding of RAO pathogenesis by studying T cells bearing regulatory markers in peripheral blood (PB) and in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) recovered from the same group of susceptible horses before and after exposure to moldy hay, which has been shown to induce RAO signology in our horse herd. With this purpose, mononuclear cells were obtained from the BALF and PB from horses before and after antigenic challenge and were stained with f...
van der Meulen K, Caij B, Pensaert M, Nauwynck H.In vitro studies demonstrated that most equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1)-infected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) do not expose viral envelope proteins on their surface. This protects them against antibody-dependent lysis. We examined whether viral envelope proteins are also undetectable on infected PBMC during cell-associated viremia. Further, surface expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-I was examined, since MHC-I assists in making infected cells recognizable for cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL). Four ponies, previously exposed to EHV, and two ponies that had no contact wi...
Woolcock JB.Using the long chain test, and in some cases the bactericidal test, to measure antibody, the development of the immune response in horses to Str. equi has been followed. Long chain indices in excess of 5.0, accompanied by strong bactericidal capacity, were recorded in serums after the full 3-dose immunisation course with a commercial vaccine. The full course elicited the most satisfactory antibody titres declined within the 12 month post-vaccination period, thus providing support for the recommendation that yearly booster doses should be administered. The immune response in horses during 2 str...
Brummer M, Hayes S, Dawson KA, Lawrence LM.Selenium plays a role in the antioxidant mechanism via the selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). Change in Se status because of Se depletion or supplementation is associated with a change in GSH-Px activity and could potentially affect antioxidant status. This study evaluated the impact of change in Se status on measures of antioxidant status and oxidative stress in adult horses. Twenty-eight horses were blocked by age and gender and were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 dietary treatment groups: low Se (LS), adequate Se (AS), high organic Se (SP), and high inorganic Se (SS). For 196 d, LS...
Riggs LM, Franck T, Moore JN, Krunkosky TM, Hurley DJ, Peroni JF, de la Rebière G, Serteyn DA.To compare measurements of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in plasma, laminar tissues, and skin obtained from control horses and horses given black walnut heartwood extract (BWHE). Methods: 22 healthy 5- to 15-year-old horses. Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to 4 groups as follows: a control group given water (n = 5) and 3 experimental groups given BWHE (17) via nasogastric intubation. Experimental groups consisted of 5, 6, and 6 horses that received BWHE and were euthanatized at 1.5, 3, and 12 hours after intubation, respectively. Control horses were euthanatized at 12 hours after intubation. Pl...
Lilliehöök I, Tvedten HW, Bröjer J, Edner A, Nostell K.Neutrophil myeloperoxidase content is determined by the Advia 2120 hematology system by staining characteristics. Changes in myeloperoxidase staining are shown by location of neutrophils on Advia peroxidase dot plots and as myeloperoxidase index (MPXI). Significant changes in MPXI have been reported during severe inflammation in horses, dogs, and people but conclusions were inconsistent. Objective: Infusion of endotoxin was used to initiate an inflammatory stimulus under controlled conditions and over a longer time period than in previous studies to document kinetics of changes in neutrophil n...
Wilkins PA, Glaser AL, McDonnell SM.Horses naturally exposed to West Nile Virus (WNV) or vaccinated against WNV develop humoral immunity thought to be protective against development of clinical disease in exposed or infected animals. No reports evaluate the efficacy of passive transfer of naturally acquired specific WNV humoral immunity from dam to foal. The purpose of this study was to investigate passive transfer of naturally acquired immunity to WNV to foals born in a herd of semi-feral ponies, not vaccinated against WNV, in an endemic area, with many dams having seroconverted because of natural exposure. Microwell serum neut...
Laviada MD, Babín M, Dominguez J, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM.A sandwich enzyme-linked immunsorbent assay (ELISA) for rapid detection of African horsesickness virus (AHSV) in infected spleens or cell culture supernatant was developed. This method uses two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) which recognize two non-overlapping epitopes of the major core protein (VP7) to coat the solid phase, and one labeled with biotin as second antibody. This ELISA was evaluated for its ability to detect AHSV in infected spleens resulting in a sensitivity of 97.4% and a specificity of 100% compared with virus isolation in cell culture, and can be used for the detection of the n...
Snyder DB, Myrup AC, Dutta SK.Pony foals, negative for detectable serum-neutralizing antibody to equine herpesvirus 1 by the standard tube-culture virus neutralization test, were experimentally infected with equine herpesvirus 1. Complement-requiring (CR) and non-complement-requiring (NCR) serum-neutralizing antibodies were evaluated in preinfection and postinfection sera by means of a complement-enhanced plaque reduction assay. Low levels of CR antibodies were found in the preinfection sera of only group II ponies. Upon infection, CR antibodies were detected by day 2 postinfection and reached peak titers between 7 and 14 ...
Hines SA, Kanaly ST, Byrne BA, Palmer GH.Rhodococcal pneumonia is an important, life threatening disease of foals and immunosuppressed humans. Increased knowledge of the mechanisms of protective immunity are required in order to develop an effective immunoprophylaxis strategy for horses and immunotherapeutic regiments for people. Both humoral and cellular components of the immune system may be involved in immune clearance of R. equi. The susceptibility of foals less than 4-6 months of age is postulated to reflect waning maternal antibody, and passive transfer of hyperimmune plasma can provide protection on endemic farms. However, eff...
Yadav SC, Kumar R, Manuja A, Goyal L, Gupta AK.In present communication, we report an outbreak of Trypanosoma evansi in equine herd n = 30 (horse and mules) which, were reared in fly proof stables as well as in open paddock maintained under semi-intensive system of management, and its effective control using trypanocidal drug. The infection was monitored by antibody ELISA up to 180 days post-treatment (PT). A total of 8 out of 14 equines (57.14 %) which were maintained only in open paddocks were found positive with T. evansi infection parasitologically. The infected animals were treated with quinapyramine methyl sulphate and chloride c...
Barr BS.Lower respiratory tract infection is common in weanling- and suckling-aged animals. Increased susceptibility to disease in this age group can result from a delay in the establishment of a competent immune system and environmental factors, such as overcrowding, shipping, and sales. S zooepidemicus and R equi are the two most common bacterial isolates. S equi is primarily a disease of the lymph nodes and upper respiratory tract. Viral agents can compromise the natural defense mechanisms of the respiratory tract, resulting in secondary bacterial infections. The acute respiratory distress syndrome...
Degroote RL, Deeg CA.Horses worldwide suffer from equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), an organ-specific, immune-mediated disease with painful, remitting-relapsing inflammatory attacks alternating with periods of quiescence, which ultimately leads to blindness. In course of disease, both eyes can eventually be affected and since blind horses pose a threat to themselves and their surroundings, these animals have to be killed. Therefore, this disease is highly relevant for veterinary medicine. Additionally, ERU shows strong clinical and pathological resemblance to autoimmune uveitis in man. The exact cause for the onset ...
DeNotta S, McFarlane D.The equine population in the United States and worldwide now includes a higher percentage of geriatric horses than ever previously recorded, and as methods to treat and manage elderly equids are developed and refined, this aging population will likely continue to expand. A better understanding of how horses age and the effect of age on immunity and disease susceptibility is needed to enable targeted preventative healthcare strategies for aged horses. This review article outlines the current state of knowledge regarding the effect of aging on immunity, vaccine responsiveness, and disease risk i...
Olave C, Morales N, Uberti B, Henriquez C, Sarmiento J, Ortloff A, Folch H, Moran G.Macrophages and neutrophils are important cellular components in the process of acute inflammation and its subsequent resolution, and evidence increasingly suggests that they play important functions during the resolution of chronic, adaptive inflammatory processes. Exacerbated neutrophil activity can be harmful to surrounding tissues; this is important in a range of diseases, including allergic asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in humans, and equine asthma (also known as recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Tamoxifen (TX) is a non-steroidal estrogen receptor modulator with effec...
Tallmadge RL, Tseng CT, King RA, Felippe MJ.Humoral immunity is a critical component of the immune system that is established during fetal life and expands upon exposure to pathogens. The extensive humoral immune response repertoire is generated in large part via immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain variable region diversity. The horse is a useful model to study the development of humoral diversity because the placenta does not transfer maternal antibodies; therefore, Igs detected in the fetus and pre-suckle neonate were generated in utero. The goal of this study was to compare the equine fetal Ig VDJ repertoire to that of neonatal, foal, an...
Braus BK, Miller I, Kummer S, Kleinwort KJH, Hirmer S, Hauck SM, McMullen RJ, Kerschbaumer M, Deeg CA.Immune mediated keratitis (IMMK) is primarily a non-ulcerative keratitis in horses causing intermittent ocular pain, eventually resulting in visual impairment. Affected horses typically respond to immunomodulatory treatment. However, the underlying cause of the disease remains enigmatic. The current study was undertaken to investigate the presence of autoantibodies in horses with immune mediated keratitis. Using 28 horses with IMMK and 27 healthy controls screening for serum autoantibodies against the corneal proteome using indirect immunofluorescence, one-dimensional (1DE) and two-dimensional...
Dauvillier J, Felippe MJ, Lunn DP, Lavoie-Lamoureux A, Leclère M, Beauchamp G, Lavoie JP.Corticosteroids currently are the most effective pharmacological treatment available to control heaves in horses. Systemically administered corticosteroids have been shown to alter immune response in horses, humans, and other species. Aerosolized administration theoretically minimizes systemic adverse effects, but the effect of inhaled corticosteroids on immune function has not been evaluated in horses. Objective: To evaluate the effects of prolonged administration of inhaled fluticasone on the immune system of heaves-affected horses. Methods: Heaves-affected horses were treated with inhaled f...
van der Meulen KM, Favoreel HW, Pensaert MB, Nauwynck HJ.Equine herpesvirus (EHV)-1 is a pathogen of horses, well known for its ability to induce abortion and nervous system disorders. Clinical signs may occur despite the presence of a virus-specific immune response in the horse. The current review will summarize the research, on how, EHV-1-infected cells can hide from recognition by the immune system. Research findings on immune evasion of EHV-1 will be compared with those of other herpesviruses of veterinary importance.
Kamm JL, Riley CB, Parlane N, Gee EK, McIlwraith CW.Despite significant immunosuppressive activity, allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) carry an inherent risk of immune rejection when transferred into a recipient. In naïve recipients, this immune response is initially driven by the innate immune system, an immediate reaction to the foreign cells, and later, the adaptive immune system, a delayed response that causes cell death due to recognition of specific alloantigens by host cells and antibodies. This review describes the actions of MSCs to both suppress and activate the different arms of the immune system. We then review the surviva...
Horohov DW, Kydd JH, Hannant D.Horses greater than 20 years of age exhibit alterations in their immune responses similar to those observed in other aged individuals. The purpose of this study was to characterize immunosenescence in a population of aged ponies. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from aged ponies exhibited a decreased proliferative response to various mitogens that was not overcome by the addition of interleukin 2 (IL-2) to the cultures. No difference in overall expression of the IL-2 receptor was seen between young and aged ponies, though CD8(+) cells from aged ponies exhibited increased levels of...
Adams AA, Sturgill TL, Breathnach CC, Chambers TM, Siger L, Minke JM, Horohov DW.Equine influenza virus is a leading cause of respiratory disease in the horse population; however, the susceptibility of old horses to EIV infection remains unknown. While advanced age in horses (>20 years) is associated with age-related changes in immune function, there are no specific recommendations regarding the vaccination of older horses even though a well-characterized effect of aging is a reduced antibody response to standard vaccination. Therefore, we evaluated the immunological and physiological response of aged horses to a live non-replicating canarypox-vectored EIV vaccine and s...
The proteins galectin-1 and Progesterone Induced Blocking Factor (PIBF) are present on human and murine trophoblast and are thought to influence both immunomodulation and trophoblast invasion. In equids, the invasive component of the placenta, the endometrial cups, stimulate maternal cell-mediated and humoral immune responses. It was therefore of interest to know if galectin-1 or PIBF could be immunolocalised to the invasive and/or non-invasive components of the equine placenta. Horse and mule (♀ horse X ♂ donkey) embryos and placental tissues between Days 12 and 124 of gestation were stai...
Gilger BC, Malok E, Stewart T, Horohov D, Ashton P, Smith T, Jaffe GJ, Allen JB.The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an intravitreal device releasing cyclosporine A (CsA) on recurrent inflammatory episodes in experimental uveitis. Nine normal horses were immunized peripherally with H37RA-mTB antigen twice, and then received 25 microg of H37RA-mTB antigen intravitreally in the right eye and an equal volume of balanced salt solution intravitreally in the left eye. Two weeks later, the animals randomly received either a CsA or a polymer implant (without CsA) in both eyes 1 week following implantation of the devices, 25 microg of H37RA-mTB antigen was rei...
Journal of proteomicsSeptember 23, 2020
Volume 230 103989 doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103989
Weigand M, Hauck SM, Deeg CA, Degroote RL.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a spontaneous, remitting-relapsing autoimmune disease driven by the adaptive immune system. Although T cells are described as the main effector cells in pathogenesis, granulocytes have also emerged as possible disease mediators. To explore the role of these innate immune cells, we investigated the whole cell proteome of granulocytes from equine recurrent uveitis cases and healthy controls. Among the 2362 proteins identified by mass spectrometry, we found 96 proteins with significantly changed abundance between groups (p 1.2), representing 4.1% of total granul...
