Infections in horses encompass a range of diseases caused by various pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. These infections can affect different systems within the horse, such as the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and integumentary systems, leading to a variety of clinical signs depending on the pathogen and the severity of the infection. Common infectious diseases in horses include equine influenza, strangles, and equine herpesvirus. Diagnosis often involves clinical examination, laboratory testing, and sometimes imaging, to identify the causative agent and assess the extent of the disease. Treatment strategies may include antimicrobial therapy, supportive care, and preventive measures such as vaccination and biosecurity practices. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases in equine populations.
Vengust M, Arroyo LG, Weese JS, Baird JD.Clostridial myonecrosis is caused by histotoxic or tissue-
destroying clostridia (Allen et al. 1999). Clostridium perfringens
and C. septicum are the most common isolates in horses, followed
by C. chauvoei, C. novyi and C. fallax (McLaughlin et al. 1979;
Westman et al. 1979; Hagemoser et al. 1980; Murphy 1980; Van
Heerden and Botha 1982; Coloe et al. 1983; Valberg and
McKinnon 1984; Rebhun et al. 1985; Perdrizet et al. 1987). The
disease is characterised by a rapid spread of tissue necrosis
combined with a lack of leucocyte infiltration at the site of
infection (Stevens et al. 1987). ...
Gerst S, Borchers K, Gower SM, Smith KC.EHV-1 and EHV-4 abortion diagnosis is based upon detailed examination of the aborted fetus. However, in some cases, only the placenta is available for examination. Furthermore, the contribution of lesions in the placenta to pathogenesis and diagnosis of EHV-1 and EHV-4 abortion has been neglected. Objective: To assess the utility of placental examination in equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) and EHV-4 abortion diagnosis. Methods: Sections of allantochorion from 49 herpesvirus abortions were analysed by PCR, in situ hybridisation and immunostaining. Results: Virus-specific nested PCR confirmed the pr...
Båverud V, Gustafsson A, Franklin A, Aspán A, Gunnarsson A.Clostridium difficile has been associated with acute colitis in mature horses. Objective: To survey C. difficile colonisation of the alimentary tract with age, occurrence of diarrhoea and history of antibiotic therapy; and to study the occurrence and survival of C. difficile in the environment and antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated strains. Methods: A total of 777 horses of different breeds, age and sex were studied. Further, 598 soil samples and 434 indoor surface samples were examined. Antimicrobial susceptibility of 52 strains was investigated by Etest for 10 antibiotics. Results: In ...
Loretti AP, Colodel EM, Gimeno EJ, Driemeier D.This study reports a neurological disease unrecognised until now in ponies in southern Brazil. Objective: Epidemiological data strongly suggests that the ingestion of Sida carpinifolia is involved in the aetiology. We tested the hypothesis that it is an acquired lyosomal storage disease. Methods: Following the death of 3 ponies, all ponies from the premises were closely monitored; epidemiological data and clinical findings carefully recorded. Fragments of several organs, including CNS, were fixed in neutral formalin and embedded in paraffin-wax. Sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosi...
Smith KC, Blunden AS, Whitwell KE, Dunn KA, Wales AD.A detailed review of laboratory records for equine abortion is fundamental in establishing current disease trends and suggesting problems important for further research. Objective: To review the causes of abortion and neonatal death in equine diagnostic submissions to the Animal Health Trust over a 10 year period. Methods: The diagnoses in 1252 equine fetuses and neonatal foals were reviewed and analysed into categories. Results: Problems associated with the umbilical cord, comprising umbilical cord torsion and the long cord/cervical pole ischaemia disorder, were the most common diagnoses (38....
Königová A, Várady M, Corba J.The objective of the study was to compare the in vitro egg hatch test (EHT), larval development test (LDT) and in vivo faecal egg count reduction test (FECR test) for the detection of benzimidazole resistance in equine strongyles. The presence of resistant or susceptible strongyle populations was determined in 25 stud farms using the in vivo FECR test and in vitro EHT. On the basis of the FECR values, resistance to fenbendazole was detected on 15 of the 25 farms (60%). The ED50 value (anthelmintic concentration producing 50% inhibition of hatching) for suspected resistant populations varied fr...
Dai CB, Xiao Y, Lu H, Shen RX, Shao YM.Membrane protein GP90 of China equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) vaccine strain (DLV) and its parental wild type LN strain were expressed with Bac-to-Bac baculovirus expression system and BALB/c mice were inoculated with purified protein, thereby to explore the availability of protein for differential diagnosis and potential for preparing genetically engineered vaccine. Methods: The authors infected donkey PBMC culture with China EIAV vaccine strain (DLV) and its parental wild type LN strain, extracted its proviral DNA as template, amplified the GP90 of DLV and LN, respectively, and expres...
Spyrou V, Papanastassopoulou M, Psychas V, Billinis Ch, Koumbati M, Vlemmas J, Koptopoulos G.There appears to be a lack of information concerning responses of mules to natural infection or experimental inoculation with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). In the present study EIAV was isolated from mules, for the first time, and its pathogenicity in naturally infected and experimentally inoculated animals was investigated. Two naturally infected (A and B) and three EIAV free mules (C, D and E) were used for this purpose. Mule A developed clinical signs, whereas mule B remained asymptomatic until the end of the study. Mules C and D were each inoculated with 10ml of blood from mule A ...
Clausen PH, Chuluun S, Sodnomdarjaa R, Greiner M, Noeckler K, Staak C, Zessin KH, Schein E.From May to July 2000, a cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of Trypanosoma equiperdum in the horse population of the central province (Tuv aimag) of Mongolia. On average, four herds were selected from each of the 29 aimag subdivisions (119 herds). From each herd, 10 horses were sampled in proportion to sex and age categories in the respective herds (1190 horses). Sera from 1122 horses were analysed for T. equiperdum antibodies using two serological assays, the complement fixation test (CFT) and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The crude estimate of the...
Peters M, Brandt K, Wohlsein P.An intracranial epidermoid cyst was diagnosed in a Haflinger gelding aged 12 years suffering from episodes of neurological disturbance, apathy and fever. The extracerebral cyst was located in the region of the tentorium cerebelli and measured 9 x 8 x 5 cm. It displaced the cerebral hemispheres anteriorly and compressed the cerebellum and brainstem underneath. Histologically, the cyst was lined by keratinizing, stratified squamous epithelium and contained keratin scales, debris, focal haemorrhages, and degenerating inflammatory cells. The epithelium was supported by a vascularized fibrous capsu...
Castillo-Olivares J, Wieringa R, Bakonyi T, de Vries AA, Davis-Poynter NJ, Rottier PJ.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is an enveloped plus-strand RNA virus of the family Arteriviridae (order Nidovirales) that causes respiratory and reproductive disease in equids. Protective, virus-neutralizing antibodies (VNAb) elicited by infection are directed predominantly against an immunodominant region in the membrane-proximal domain of the viral envelope glycoprotein G(L), allowing recently the establishment of a sensitive peptide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on this particular domain (J. Nugent et al., J. Virol. Methods 90:167-183, 2000). By using an infectious cDNA we h...
Soboll G, Horohov DW, Aldridge BM, Olsen CW, McGregor MW, Drape RJ, Macklin MD, Swain WF, Lunn DP.We have previously demonstrated that hemagglutinin (HA) gene vaccination and influenza virus infection generate protective antibody responses in equids. However, these antibody responses differ substantially in that particle mediated DNA vaccination does not induce an immunoglobulin A (IgA) response. A study was performed to investigate the regional immunoregulatory mechanisms associated with these different immune responses. Ponies were either vaccinated with equine HA DNA vaccines at skin and mucosal sites, infected with influenza virus or left untreated and influenza-specific antibody respo...
Oge S, Oge H, Yildirim A, Kircali F.Necropsies on 43 horses, 35 donkeys and two mules slaughtered in Ankara, Turkey, revealed that 12 (15%) of the equines harboured adult Setaria equina. When blood samples were checked for microfilariae, using Knott's method and a combination of membrane filtration followed by histochemical staining for acid phosphatase (AP), only three (4%) of the animals were found to be microfilaraemic. When stained for AP, the S. equina microfilariae exhibited diffuse red staining over the entire body, including the sheath, with brighter staining around the anal and excretory pores. Application of Knott's me...
Reis JK, Craigo JK, Cook SJ, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.Dynamic genomic variation resulting in changes in envelope antigenicity has been established as a fundamental mechanism of persistence by equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), as observed with other lentiviruses, including HIV-1. In addition to the reported changes in envelope sequences, however, certain studies indicate the viral LTR as a second variable EIAV gene, with the enhancer region being designated as hypervariable. These observations have lead to the suggestion that LTR variation may alter viral replication properties to optimize to the microenvironment of particular tissue reservoi...
Ochi S, Oda M, Nagahama M, Sakurai J.Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin is able to lyse various erythrocytes. Exposure of horse erythrocytes to alpha-toxin simultaneously induced hot-cold hemolysis and stimulated production of diacylglycerol and phosphorylcholine. When A23187-treated erythrocytes were treated with the toxin, these events were dependent on the concentration of extracellular Ca2+ . Incubation with the toxin of BAPTA-AM-treated horse erythrocytes caused no hemolysis or production of phosphorylcholine, but that of the BAPTA-treated erythrocytes did. When Quin 2-AM-treated erythrocytes were incubated with the toxin i...
Bacciarini LN, Boerlin P, Straub R, Frey J, Gröne A.Clostridia-associated intestinal disease in horses was generally reported to be due to infection with Clostridium perfringens type A, which harbors the cpa-encoded alpha-toxin. A recent study demonstrated a high incidence of beta2-toxigenic C. perfringens in horses suffering or dying from typhlocolitis, suggesting that this novel type of C. perfringens might play an important role in typhlocolitis and possibly other equine intestinal diseases. A retrospective study was conducted to assess the presence of the beta2-toxin in tissues of the equine gastrointestinal tract. Monospecific polyclonal a...
Henninger W, Frame EM, Willmann M, Simhofer H, Malleczek D, Kneissl SM, Mayrhofer E.Sinusitis is a common disorder in horses and may result from trauma, dental diseases, or space-occupying lesions. Radiography can only provide a limited amount of information. Computed tomography (CT) has been documented as an alternative imaging method. Eighteen horses (mostly Warmblood) with signs of chronic sinusitis were examined preoperatively with CT to assist in diagnosis of the underlying cause. There was a group of common CT features in horses with dental disease and sinusitis. The first molar was the most frequently affected maxillary cheek tooth. Hypoattenuation of the cementum, des...
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...
Khosravi AR, Mahmoudi M.Between 1994 and 1998, a total of 790 feather, hair and skin specimens from a variety of animals with suspected dermatophytoses were studied, of which 248 (31.4%) yielded dermatophytes. The most frequent dermatophytes isolated were Microsporum canis (38.3%), Trichophyton verrucosum (31.8%), T. mentagrophytes (13.3%) and M. gypseum (7.7%). There was a significantly higher proportion of positive cultures from cats (54.8%) than dogs (8.2%), and M. canis was the most common species isolated (87.2 and 50% respectively). Trichophyton verrucosum was the most frequent causative agent of dermatophytose...
Soboll G, Nelson KM, Leuthner ES, Clark RJ, Drape R, Macklin MD, Swain WF, Olsen CW, Lunn DP.We have previously demonstrated that equine influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) DNA vaccination protects ponies from challenge infection, and induces protective IgGa and IgGb responses. However, this approach does not induce a nasal IgA response. The objective of this study was to examine the value of cholera toxin (CT) administration as an adjuvant for intranasal HA DNA vaccination, and to measure protection 3 months after DNA vaccination. After an immunogenic dose of CT was determined, ponies were immunized on two occasions by intranasal administration of HA DNA and cholera toxin, or HA DNA a...
Blitvich BJ, Bowen RA, Marlenee NL, Hall RA, Bunning ML, Beaty BJ.We evaluated the ability of epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to detect West Nile virus (WNV) antibodies in domestic mammals. Sera were collected from experimentally infected horses, cats, and pigs at regular intervals and screened in ELISAs and plaque reduction neutralization tests. The diagnostic efficacies of these techniques were similar.
Swain JM, Licka T, Rhind SM, Hudson NP.A seven-year-old standardbred gelding developed marked signs of colic associated with an acute small intestinal obstruction. Surgical exploration revealed three intramural, circumferential constricting lesions in the small intestine, the two most severe of which were in the jejunum and were resected. The horse was euthanased owing to postoperative complications. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of idiopathic multifocal eosinophilic enteritis.
Epe C, Kings M, Stoye M, Böer M.Wild equids maintained in large enclosures may suffer from helminth diseases because common hygiene practices have only limited effects on parasite populations. Weekly monitoring of helminth prevalences and pasture infestation was performed for 1 yr in several extensive maintenance systems of two wildlife parks with similar climates to determine when veterinary intervention to control parasites would be useful. We also sought evidence of natural immunogenic reactions among herds of Chapman zebras (Equus quagga antiquorum), Przewalski's horses (Equus przewalskii) and dwarf donkeys (Equus asinus...
Kuhnert P, Berthoud H, Christensen H, Bisgaard M, Frey J.Equine Actinobacillus species were analysed phylogenetically by 16S rRNA gene (rrs) sequencing focusing on the species Actinobacillus equuli, which has recently been subdivided into the non-haemolytic A. equuli subsp. equuli and the haemolytic A. equuli subsp. haemolyticus. In parallel we determined the profile for RTX toxin genes of the sample of strains by PCR testing for the presence of the A. equuli haemolysin gene aqx, and the toxin genes apxI, apxII, apxIII and apxIV, which are known in porcine pathogens such as Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Actinobacillus suis. The rrs-based phylo...
Grulke S, Deby-Dupont G, Gangl M, Franck T, Deby C, Serteyn D.Shock is accompanied by generalised splanchnic hypoperfusion, and splanchnic organs like the pancreas can be damaged, as shown in animal experimental models and in humans, by the presence of high plasma concentrations of trypsin and other pancreatic enzymes. In order to design a radioimmunoassay technique (RIA) for the measurement of equine trypsin-like immunoreactivity (TLI) in biological fluids, trypsin was purified (with purity > or = 96%) from the equine pancreas by extraction in an acid medium, ammonium sulfate precipitations, gel filtration chromatography and, after activation of tryp...
Stevenson RA, Hartley CA, Huang JA, Studdert MJ, Crabb BS, Warner S.Equine rhinitis A virus (ERAV) is an important respiratory pathogen of horses and is of additional interest because of its close relationship and common classification with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). As is the case with FMDV, the VP1 capsid protein of ERAV has been shown to be a target of neutralizing antibodies. In FMDV VP1, such antibodies commonly recognize linear epitopes present in the betaG-betaH loop region. To map linear B cell epitopes in ERAV VP1, overlapping fragments spanning its length were expressed in Escherichia coli as glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins....
The Journal of parasitologyMay 23, 2003
Volume 89, Issue 2 309-314 doi: 10.1645/0022-3395(2003)089[0309:POSNIN]2.0.CO;2
Chapman MR, French DD, Klei TR.One hundred and seventeen ponies were surveyed for the seasonal prevalence of strongyloid parasites, particularly cyathostomes, and for host- and age-related differences in these infections. For 56 ponies, all stages of the cyathostome life cycle, both mucosal and luminal, were enumerated. Total numbers of cyathostomes and percentage of developing larvae (DL) encysted in the mucosa remained constant in all 4 seasons of the year, whereas a significant increase in the percentage of adults in the cyathostome population occurred in fall. In yearling ponies, encysted early third-stage larvae consti...
Lewis S.A 24-hour-old colt presented with clinical signs consistent with gastric ulceration. Treatment was initiated with a histamine type-2 receptor antagonist and clinical signs resolved. Gastroscopy at 16 d confirmed the presence of a gastric ulcer. Although gastric ulceration is common in foals, it is rarely reported in foals this young.
Fukuyo M, Battsetseg G, Byambaa B.Sarcocystis infection was detected in 93% of horses in Mongolia. Using the compress method, sarcocysts were found in the muscles of the diaphragm, heart and tongue in 40 of the 43 horses that were slaughtered at the Makh Impex Meat Company in Ulaan Baatar in July 1998. The muscle of the tongue showed the highest rate (97.5%) of infection. The distribution of sarcocysts in the muscles was positively correlated with horse age; the rate of detection was significantly lower (p=0.01) in the under 10 year old group than the older group. All horses were apparently healthy and were slaughtered for hum...
Lannergård J, Frykberg L, Guss B.Streptococcus equi subspecies equi is an important horse pathogenic bacterium causing a serious disease called strangles. Using bioinformatics we identified a gene denoted cne (gene encoding collagen-binding protein from S. equi) coding for a novel potential virulence factor of this species called protein CNE. The protein is composed of 657 amino acids and has the typical features found in cell surface-anchored proteins in Gram-positive bacteria. CNE displays amino acid sequence similarities to the previously well-studied collagen-binding protein CNA from Staphylococcus aureus, a proven virule...
Delerue M, Breuil MF, Duquesne F, Bayon-Auboyer MH, Amenna-Bernard N, Petry S.Taylorella equigenitalis can be transmitted during artificial insemination. This report describes clinical T. equigenitalis transmission by cryopreserved stallion semen. T. equigenitalis isolates from a mare's vaginal discharge and semen from the same batch of the cryopreserved semen used for the insemination gave identical API ZYM, antibiotic susceptibility, and multilocus sequence typing results (ST-46); furthermore, the multilocus sequence typing lineage ST-46 is known to circulate in the country of semen collection. These results support the need for strict contagious equine metritis scre...
Bryans JT, Hendricks JB.Contagious equine metritis, introduced by importation of 2 comtaminated stallions from France, affected 54 Thoroughbred brood mares during the 1978 breeding season in Kentucky. The infection was diagnosed bacteriologically and by the use of a complement fixation test. Although lateral spread to stallions, and probably to a few mares, occurred through human agency in the breeding sheds of 2 stud farms, control measures instituted early in the epidemic confined the disease to brood mares bred by stallion on only these farms.
The Journal of parasitologyAugust 4, 2006
Volume 92, Issue 3 637-643 doi: 10.1645/0022-3395(2006)92[637:PAOPRC]2.0.CO;2
Furr M, McKenzie H, Saville WJ, Dubey JP, Reed SM, Davis W.The ability of ponazuril to prevent or limit clinical signs of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) after infection with Sarcocystis neurona was evaluated. Eighteen horses were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: no treatment, 2.5 mg/kg ponazuril, or 5.0 mg/kg ponazuril. Horses were administered ponazuril, once per day, beginning 7 days before infection (study day 0) and continuing for 28 days postinfection. On day 0, horses were stressed by transport and challenged with 1 million S. neurona sporocysts per horse. Sequential neurologic examinations were performed, and serum and cerebrospinal fluid w...
Davis CR, Barr BC, Pascoe JR, Olander HJ, Dubey JP.Hepatic sarcocystosis was diagnosed in a horse in association with refractory bacterial osteomyelitis and plasma cell tumor of the maxilla and hepatic salmonellosis. Gross lesions included pleural, pericardial, and peritoneal effusions, hepatomegaly, gastric ulceration, colonic edema, and proliferative tissues filling 2 maxillary dental alveoli. Histologically, liver was characterized by severe suppurative, necrotizing, periportal hepatitis, and severe periacinar necrosis. Hepatocytes frequently contained protozoal schizonts in various stages of development. In mature schizonts, merozoites wer...
Gimenez F, Hines SA, Evanoff R, Ojo KK, Van Voorhis WC, Maly DJ, Vidadala RSR, Mealey RH.Theileria equi, an etiologic agent of equine piroplasmosis, is a tick-transmitted hemoprotozoan of the phylum Apicomplexa. Recent outbreaks of piroplasmosis in the United States have renewed interest in safe and effective treatment options. Although imidocarb dipropionate (IMD) is the drug of choice for clearance of T. equi, adverse reactions and recently documented resistance support the need for alternative therapeutic strategies. The recently described bumped kinase inhibitors (BKIs) are a new class of compounds that could potentially be used as safe and effective alternatives to IMD. In an...
Tahoun A, Elnafarawy HK, El-Sharkawy H, Rizk AM, Alorabi M, El-Shehawi AM, Youssef MA, Ibrahim HMM, El-Khodery S.This work aimed to characterize S. aureus isolates from the eyes of healthy and clinically affected equines in the Kafrelsheikh Governorate, Egypt. A total of 110 animals were examined for the presence of S. aureus, which was isolated from 33 animals with ophthalmic lesions and 77 healthy animals. We also investigated the antimicrobial resistance profile, oxacillin resistance mechanism, and the major virulence factors implicated in many studies of the ocular pathology of pathogenic S. aureus. The association between S. aureus eye infections and potential risk factors was also investigated. The...
Yörük I, Deger Y, Mert H, Mert N.The serum concentrations of copper, zinc, iron, and cobalt and copper/zinc ratio were investigated in horses infected with equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). Nine horses were naturally infected with the virus and nine healthy horses served as controls. The concentrations of copper, zinc, iron, and cobalt were determined spectrophotometrically in the blood serum of all horses. The results were (expressed in micrograms per deciliters) copper 2.80 +/- 0.34 vs 1.12 +/- 0.44, zinc 3.05 +/- 0.18 vs 0.83 +/- 0.06, iron 2.76 +/- 0.17 vs 3.71 +/- 0.69, cobalt 0.19 +/- 0.37 vs 0.22 +/- 0.45, and copper/zinc ...
Quentin-Froignant C, Kappler-Gratias S, Top S, Bertagnoli S, Gallardo F.Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is a causative agent of respiratory disorders, abortion and myeloencephalopathy in horses and has an important impact on equine health and economy. Several bacterial artificial chromosomes have already been developed and enabled identification and functional characterization of EHV-1 genes. Unfortunately, little is known about its replication. Here, the ANCHOR system was inserted by targeted homologous recombination into the equine herpesvirus genome. This insertion led to the conversion of EHV-1 DNA to auto-fluorescent spots easily detectable by fluorescence micro...
Fürstenau J, Richter MT, Erickson NA, Große R, Müller KE, Nobach D, Herden C, Rubbenstroth D, Mundhenk L.Borna disease is a progressive meningoencephalitis caused by spillover of the Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) to horses and sheep and has gained attention due to its zoonotic potential. New World camelids are also highly susceptible to the disease; however, a comprehensive description of the pathological lesions and viral distribution is lacking for these hosts. Here, the authors describe the distribution and severity of inflammatory lesions in alpacas ( = 6) naturally affected by this disease in comparison to horses ( = 8) as known spillover hosts. In addition, the tissue and cellular distribu...
Vanniasinkam T, Barton MD, Heuzenroeder MW.Rhodococcus equi is a significant pathogen in foals predominantly causing a pyogranulomatous bronchopneumonia. Many vaccine candidates have been tested for the prevention of R. equi disease in foals. However, none of these have been developed for widespread commercial use. Previous studies have shown that a Th1 immune response is imperative for the protection of foals against R. equi disease. In this study a DNA and a protein vaccine based upon the well-characterised R. equi virulence-associated protein VapA were developed. The vaccines were tested in the BALB/c murine model and the results sh...
Bolfa P, Nolf M, Cadoré JL, Catoi C, Archer F, Dolmazon C, Mornex JF, Leroux C.EIA (Equine Infectious Anemia) is a blood-borne disease primarily transmitted by haematophagous insects or needle punctures. Other routes of transmission have been poorly explored. We evaluated the potential of EIAV (Equine Infectious Anemia Virus) to induce pulmonary lesions in naturally infected equids. Lungs from 77 EIAV seropositive horses have been collected in Romania and France. Three types of lesions have been scored on paraffin-embedded lungs: lymphocyte infiltration, bronchiolar inflammation, and thickness of the alveolar septa. Expression of the p26 EIAV capsid (CA) protein has been...
Mendez-Angulo JL, Mudge M, Zaldivar-Lopez S, Vilar-Saavedra P, Couto G.To evaluate citrated recalcified thromboelastography (TEG) in healthy newborn foals, and to determine intra-assay, inter-individual and intra-individual (at 12 h, 24 h and 7 days after birth) variations. Additionally, to compare TEG variables, haematological values and conventional coagulation profiles from healthy, sick non-septic, and septic foals. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: The study group comprised 18 healthy, 15 sick non-septic and 17 septic foals. Two citrated (3.2%; 1 : 9 anticoagulant : blood ratio) blood samples were submitted for haemostatic evaluation using a TEG analyser ...
Stewart AJ, Salazar T, Waldridge BM, Schumacher J, Welles EG, Hanson RR, Sartin EA, Lenz SD, Holland M, Beard DM.A 7-year-old 509-kg (1,120-lb) Tennessee Walking Horse mare was evaluated because of bilateral mucosanguinous nasal discharge, intermittent right-sided epistaxis, and worsening dyspnea of 9 months' duration. Results: Multiple masses in the nasopharynx were detected via endoscopic and radiographic examinations. Cytologic and histologic examinations of biopsy specimens of 1 mass revealed round yeasts with thick nonstaining capsules and occasional narrow-based budding that resembled cryptococcal organisms. Results: Oral administration of fluconazole and organic ethylenediamine dihydriodide and in...
Turco S, Gabbianelli F, Mavian CN, Pietrucci D, De Paolis L, Gialletti R, Mechelli L, De Ciucis CG, Cappelli K, Dell'Anno F, Mecocci S, Donato GG....Papillomaviruses (PVs) are small, non-enveloped viruses, ubiquitous across the animal kingdom. PVs induce diverse forms of infection, such as cutaneous papillomas, genital papillomatosis, and carcinomas. During a survey on the fertility status of a mare, a novel PV (EcPV) has been identified using Next Generation Sequencing, and it was further confirmed with genome-walking PCR and Sanger sequencing. The complete circular genome 7607 bp long shares 67% average percentage of identity with EcPV9, EcPV2, EcPV1, and EcPV6, justifying a new classification as PV 10 (EcPV10). All EcPV genes are cons...
Facemire PR, Facemire LM, Honnold SP.A 2-year-old gelding presented with a history of lethargy and anorexia. Physical examination revealed pleural and abdominal fluid, as well as several masses in the scrotum. The horse became acutely dyspneic despite 7 days of supportive care. Because of the poor prognosis, the owners elected euthanasia. Gross necropsy findings included multiple masses in the scrotum and inguinal canals and along the dorsal peritoneal cavity. The neoplasm infiltrated the kidneys, liver, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, mesentery, and abdominal surface of the diaphragm. Histologically, the neoplasm is composed of ...
Rohdich N, Zschiesche E, Heckeroth A, Wilhelm C, Leendertse I, Thomas E.A multicentre field study was conducted in accordance with VICH Guideline on Good Clinical Practice (VICH 2000) to confirm the efficacy and safety of a new formulation of cefquinome for the treatment of naturally occurring severe bacterial infections and septicaemia in foals. Thirty-nine foals suffering from severe bacterial infections (such as pneumonia, gastro-enteritis, arthritis, omphalitis, or wound infections) or acute septicaemia were treated twice daily with the test product (1 mg cefquinome/kg body weight) intravenously for three days and then intramuscularly for three to 11 days. Inv...
Krcmar S, Hribar LJ, Kopi M.The attraction of female tabanids to Malaise traps and canopy traps baited with aged horse urine, 1-octen-3-ol, or a combination of aged horse urine and acetone was studied in the Kopacki rit Nature Park in Eastern Croatia. Malaise traps captured very few tabanids relative to canopy traps. The number of females of Tabanus tergestinus and Haematopotapluvialis collected from 1-octen-3-ol baited canopy traps differed significantly from traps baited with aged horse urine. However, the number of females of Tabanus bromius, Atylotus loewianus, and Tabanus maculicornis collected from canopy traps bai...
Alinovi CA, Ward MP, Couëtil LL, Wu CC.To assess methods of detecting environmental contamination with Salmonella organisms and evaluate a cleaning and disinfection protocol for horse stalls in a veterinary teaching hospital. Methods: Original study. Methods: 37 horses with diarrhea likely to be caused by Salmonella infection and their stall environments. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from horses daily during hospitalization; samples were obtained from stall sites after cleaning and application of disinfectants. Fecal and environmental samples were cultured for Salmonella spp and tested via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a...
Gross DK, Hinchcliff KW, French PS, Goclan SA, Lahmers KK, Lauderdale M, Ellis JA, Haines DM, Slemons RD, Morley PS.The purpose of this experiment was to determine if exercising horses, infected with influenza virus, exacerbates the severity of clinical disease. Eight horses were trained on a treadmill for 42 days and then challenged with aerosolised influenza A/equine/Kentucky/91 (H3N8). Following challenge, 4 horses (exercise group) continued training for 28 days, while the other 4 horses (nonexercise group) were confined to their stalls. All horses developed clinical signs within 36 h of challenge (fever, coughing, and mucopurulent nasal discharge) and clinical scores were greater in the exercise group. ...
Lakritz J, Wilson WD, Marsh AE, Mihalyi JE.To determine pharmacokinetics and plasma concentrations of erythromycin and related compounds after intragastric administration of erythromycin phosphate and erythromycin estolate to healthy foals. Methods: 11 healthy 2- to 6-month-old foals. Methods: Food was withheld from foals overnight before intragastric administration of erythromycin estolate (25 mg/kg of body weight; n = 8) and erythromycin phosphate (25 mg/kg; 7). Four foals received both drugs with 2 weeks between treatments. Plasma erythromycin concentrations were determined at various times after drug administration by use of high-p...
Peters M, Brandt K, Wohlsein P.An intracranial epidermoid cyst was diagnosed in a Haflinger gelding aged 12 years suffering from episodes of neurological disturbance, apathy and fever. The extracerebral cyst was located in the region of the tentorium cerebelli and measured 9 x 8 x 5 cm. It displaced the cerebral hemispheres anteriorly and compressed the cerebellum and brainstem underneath. Histologically, the cyst was lined by keratinizing, stratified squamous epithelium and contained keratin scales, debris, focal haemorrhages, and degenerating inflammatory cells. The epithelium was supported by a vascularized fibrous capsu...
Gandini M, Cerullo A, Franci P, Giusto G.Reducing postoperative incisional infection is the main reason to administer postoperative antimicrobials (AMD) after emergency laparotomy in horses, while reducing inflammation and providing analgesia are the reasons to administer anti-inflammatory drugs (AID). The basis for postoperative AMD and AID administration is empirical and only recently has been questioned. Empirical approaches can be changed, and these changes, along with the description of their outcomes, can help produce appropriate stewardship. The aim of this study is to report the changes in AMD and AID regimens in horses under...
Proudman CJ, Holmes MA, Sheoran AS, Edwards SE, Trees AJ.The equine intestinal cestode Anoplocephala perfoliata has been the subject of recent epidemiological and immunological studies because of its suspected association with intestinal disease in the horse. We have previously shown that the IgG(T) subtype antibody response to the 12/13 kDa component of the parasite excretory/secretory (E/S) antigen is positively correlated with parasite intensity. In this study, we utilize that correlation to examine the changes in natural infection intensity with age. Infection intensity based on IgG(T) responses showed a triphasic age-dependency pattern with pea...
Haq I, Durrani AZ, Khan MS, Mushtaq MH, Ahmad I.Antimicrobial resistance results in selective colonization in animals. In the present study, 447 diarrheic foals (235 horse foals, 165 donkey foals and 47 mule foal) were selected from Lahore and Sahiwal districts of Punjab, Pakistan. Fresh fecal and blood samples from diarrheic foals were collected for isolation and confirmation of Salmonella Polymerase chain reaction. Results revealed that 50 (11.25%) foals (horse n=29, donkey n=12 and mule n=9) were positive. Fifty Salmonella enterica isolates belonging to 7 serovars S. Paratyphi B (15), S. Saintpaul (7), S. Newport (6), S. Typhimu-rium (11...
Pinsky TC, Puja IK, Aleri J, Hood J, Sasadara MM, Collins T.Many working equids in developing countries experience poor health and welfare due to environmental and management factors. Collecting baseline data on these populations is essential to inform education projects to improve equid health and welfare. Gili Trawangan is an island in Indonesia that has no motor vehicles and a working pony population of approximately 200. This pilot study sought to determine baseline data on their health, welfare, and husbandry to inform future health and welfare strategies. A cross-sectional study was performed in May 2017 consisting of a pony cart driver questionn...
Singha H, Goyal SK, Malik P, Khurana SK, Singh RK.Equine infectious anemia (EIA)-a retroviral disease caused by equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV)-is a chronic, debilitating disease of horses, mules, and donkeys. EIAV infection has been reported worldwide and is recognized as pathogen of significant economic importance to the horse industry. This disease falls under regulatory control program in many countries including India. Control of EIA is based on identification of inapparent carriers by detection of antibodies to EIAV in serologic tests and "Stamping Out" policy. The current internationally accepted test for diagnosis of EIA is the ...
Kuhnert P, Berthoud H, Christensen H, Bisgaard M, Frey J.Equine Actinobacillus species were analysed phylogenetically by 16S rRNA gene (rrs) sequencing focusing on the species Actinobacillus equuli, which has recently been subdivided into the non-haemolytic A. equuli subsp. equuli and the haemolytic A. equuli subsp. haemolyticus. In parallel we determined the profile for RTX toxin genes of the sample of strains by PCR testing for the presence of the A. equuli haemolysin gene aqx, and the toxin genes apxI, apxII, apxIII and apxIV, which are known in porcine pathogens such as Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Actinobacillus suis. The rrs-based phylo...
Andrews ES, Turell MJ.Emerging and re-emerging arboviruses continue to be a threat to global public health, and viral surveillance of mosquito populations is critical for mosquito control operations. Due to the tropical climate of many of the affected areas, it may be difficult to maintain a cold chain as the samples travel from collection sites to laboratories for testing. We determined how suboptimal holding temperatures affected the ability to detect viruses in pools of mosquitoes. Adult female Aedes albopictus and Ae. taeniorhynchus individuals were inoculated with chikungunya virus or Venezuelan equine encepha...
Lyons ET, Drudge JH, Tolliver SC, Swerczek TW, Crowe MW.A total of 396 Thoroughbreds (86 males, 293 females, and 17 geldings) in Kentucky, 1 to 30 years of age, were examined at necropsy for presence of Anoplocephala perfoliata (2 female horses were not examined) in the cecum for lesions of Draschia megastoma in the stomach, during the 1-year period of Mar 1, 1982 through Feb 28, 1983. Prevalence of A perfoliata was 53% and of lesions of D megastoma was 63%. All lesions of D megastoma were partially or entirely in the glandular region of the stomach. Distances of the midpoint of these lesions from the margo plicatus varied from 0 to 290 mm. The cen...
Scherrer NM, Knickelbein KE, Engiles JB, Johnstone LK, Tewari D, Johnson AL.To describe the clinical presentation, treatment, and clinical outcome of horses with ocular disease and evidence of systemic or ocular Lyme disease. Methods: Five horses met the inclusion criteria of ocular disease with evidence of B burgdorferi present in ocular or CNS tissues. Methods: The goal of this study was to describe the clinical presentation and progression of ocular disease when associated with ocular or CNS B burgdorferi infection in horses. A retrospective review of medical records was performed on horses admitted for ocular disease with evidence of B burgdorferi infection bet...
