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.
Derse D, Dorn P, DaSilva L, Martarano L.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) encodes a tat gene which is closely related to the trans-activators encoded by the human and simian immunodeficiency viruses. Nucleotide sequence analysis of EIAV cDNA clones revealed that the tat message is composed of three exons; the first two encode tat and the third may encode rev.. Interestingly, EIAV tat translation is initiated at a non-AUG codon in the first exon of the message, perhaps allowing an additional level of gene regulation. The deduced amino acid sequence of EIAV tat, combined with functional analyses of tat cDNAs in transfected cells, ...
DiPietro JA, Lock TF, Todd KS, Davis JL.Eighteen pony foals inoculated with 1,500 +/- 109 infective Parascaris equorum eggs were given 0.02 ml of ivermectin vehicle (liquid)/kg of body weight, PO, (control); 0.2 mg of ivermectin paste/kg, PO; or 0.2 mg ivermectin liquid/kg, PO, on postinoculation day (PID) 28. Foals were euthanatized on PID 42, and the small intestinal contents were examined for P equorum larvae. The mean number of fourth-stage P equorum larvae in foals treated with ivermectin paste and liquid were 3.5 and 6, respectively. Significantly (P less than 0.01) higher mean numbers of larvae (1,250) were detected in foals ...
Wilson WD, Madigan JE.Diagnosis of bacterial septicemia was confirmed by results of bacteriologic culture of antemortem blood samples and/or necropsy specimens obtained from 47 foals up to 8 days old. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from all 47 foals, and mixed infections with more than one organism were involved in 26 (55%). Escherichia coli, Actinobacillus spp, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the most frequent isolates, infecting 55, 34, and 23% of foals, respectively. Gram-positive bacteria and anaerobic bacteria were isolated only from foals with mixed infections with gram-negative organisms. Clostridium pe...
Uppal PK, Yadav MP, Singh BK, Prasad S.A progenital disease encountered at one equine stud farm at Bangalore in Southern India during 1987 was investigated and confirmed as equine coital exanthema on the basis of characteristic lesions and clinical symptoms, isolation of equine herpes virus-3 (EHV-3) from the scabs collected from animals having active lesions and demonstration of neutralizing antibodies in the sera of recovered mares and stallion. This is the first authenticated report of the occurrence of equine coital exanthema in India due to EHV-3.
Caple IW.Diarrhoea continues to be one of the more common and
important causes of economic loss in young animals (Anon
1978). Virus particles identified as rotaviruses, coronaviruses,
calci-like viruses, astroviruses, parvoviruses, and several others
have been detected by direct electron microscopy of ultracen-
trifuged samples of diarrhoeic faeces from young animals and
human infants over the past 20 years. Despite numerous stud-
ies on the many aetiological agents associated with neonatal
viral diarrhoea in recent years (Tzipori 1985), the challenge
for today’s new veterinary graduate is s...
Stadler P, van Amstel SR.The results of a study conducted to determine the clinical changes in 4 experimentally-induced cases of endotoxaemia in the horse are reported on. Endotoxaemia was induced by injecting commercially available E. coli 055:B5 lipopolysaccharide intravenously at a dose of 1 microgram kg-1. The parameters that were monitored include general behaviour, rectal temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and quality, pulse quality, mucous membrane colour, capillary refill time, appearance of the faeces and the presence of laminitis. Increases in rectal temperature, respiratory and heart rate, capillary ...
Trotter GW.Although many wounds in horses heal successfully by second-intention healing or delayed closure, some wounds can be sutured primarily, with reasonably high expectations of first-intention healing. To expect to achieve these results, one needs to have a rational treatment plan. Such a plan should be based on a working knowledge of the biology of tissue repair and tissue infection. Treatment decisions should be based more on results of experimental and clinical trials rather than on testimonials of other practitioners.
Gift LJ, DeBowes RM.Nonhealing wounds can present a frustrating clinical challenge to the veterinary practitioner. In many cases, healing is delayed by the presence of a foreign body or sequestrum; a review of wounds complicated by the presence of osseous sequestration and penetrating foreign bodies is presented. The typical signs include delayed wound healing and the presence of serous to exudative drainage, which may vary from intermittent to continuous. The use of radiographic or sonographic imaging modalities is often of value in reaching a diagnosis. Removal of the sequestra or foreign body is generally cura...
Rice NR, Lequarre AS, Casey JW, Lahn S, Stephens RM, Edwards J.The amount and distribution of viral DNA were established in a horse acutely infected with the Wyoming strain of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). The highest concentration of viral DNA were found in the liver, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and spleen. The kidney, choroid plexus, and peripheral blood leukocytes also contained viral DNA, but at a lower level. It is estimated that at day 16 postinoculation, almost all of the viral DNA was located in the tissues, with the liver alone containing about 90 times more EIAV DNA than the peripheral blood leukocytes did. Assuming a monocyte-macrophage ...
Gustafson SB, McIlwraith CW, Jones RL.Four groups of 8 horses each had 1 midcarpal joint injected with 33 colony-forming units (CFU) of viable Staphylococcus aureus plus: 1 ml of saline solution (group 1, control), 250 mg of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG, group 2), 100 mg of methylprednisolone acetate (group 3), or 20 mg of sodium hyaulronate (group 4). Horses were euthanatized, and samples were obtained on the basis of clinical signs of septic arthritis that were nonresponsive to phenylbutazone administration. One group-1 horse, all 8 group-2 horses, 3 group-3 horses, and 4 group-4 horses were culture-positive for S aureu...
Bello TR.Antiparasitic efficacy of ivermectin against migrating Gasterophilus intestinalis was evaluated in 36 treated and 24 nontreated (n = 12) or vehicle-treated (n = 12) ponies experimentally and naturally infected with G intestinalis and naturally infected with G nasalis. Each pony was experimentally infected with 500 G intestinalis 1st instars in 2 divided doses on days -14 and -7 before treatment. On day 0, ivermectin was administered at the rate of 200 micrograms/kg of body weight by IV (n = 12) or IM injection (n = 12) or given as an oral paste (n = 12). Ponies were euthanatized and necropsied...
Gustafson SB, McIlwraith CW, Jones RL, Dixon-White HE.Polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG) recently have been reported to potentiate the infectivity of Staphylococcus aureus in horses with experimentally induced septic arthritis. Four groups of 8 horses each had 1 midcarpal joint injected with approximately 33 viable colony-forming units (CFU) of S aureus plus either 1 ml of saline solution (group 1), 250 mg of PSGAG (group 2), 250 mg of PSGAG passed through a 0.6-microns filter (group 3), or 250 mg of PSGAG plus 125 mg of amikacin (group 4). Horses that developed clinical signs consistent with sepsis were euthanatized, and samples were collect...
Spurlock GH.The prognosis for returning horses with open joint injuries to athletic function is most closely related to the duration of the injury prior to treatment. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate therapy should yield a favorable result. Delayed diagnosis or inappropriate therapy that allow the wound to progress to an infected state makes the likelihood of return to athletic function poor. Refractory joint infection can occur despite early diagnosis and prompt appropriate therapy. The development of these infections is undoubtedly increased by tissue loss and gross contamination. Appropriate antibiotic...
O'Rourke KI, Perryman LE, McGuire TC.Antibody responses in horses with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) were examined to determine their cross-neutralizing capacity. Antibodies induced by infection with any of six biologically cloned variants of EIAV cross-neutralized multiple variants from the group. Anti-EIAV antibody was found in both the IgG and IgG(T) subclasses in plasmas with virus-neutralizing activity and the majority of antiviral antibody was of the IgG(T) subclass. Depletion of IgG(T) did not increase the neutralization indexes of either neutralizing or non-neutralizing plasma samples.
Shappell KK, Caron JP, Stick JA, Parks AJ.Dorsal displacement of the soft palate associated with dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia was diagnosed in 2 young foals. The displacement appeared to be congenital. Clinical signs associated with the condition were resolved after staphylectomy. Dorsal displacement of the soft palate is usually recognized in adult animals as an upper respiratory tract disease, but may be a contributing factor to dysphagia and lower respiratory tract disease in young animals.
van Haeringen H.Investigations for the presence of antibodies to red blood cell antigens were carried out in equine colostrum and serum. Material from 181 mares without clinical disease was tested. The object was to obtain information on the number of mares producing antibodies capable of inducing haemolytic disease in newborn foals. Of the mares 2.8% was positive for haemolysins. These mares are expected to be a risk for haemolytic disease. In addition agglutinating antibodies were identified in 39.2 per cent of the mares examined. It is not known whether or not these antibodies constitute a hazard for the f...
Collatos C, Reef VB, Richardson DW.An abscess of the external umbilical remnant and umbilical vein remnant was diagnosed in a 16-month-old colt, using ultrasonography. Because of the colt's size, primary closure of the surgical incision after umbilical cord resection was not complete. Vertical mattress stainless steel sutures and stents were used, and healing was by second intention. Intervening gas-filled viscera made it impossible to visualize ultrasonographically the bladder of umbilical artery remnants in a colt of this age.
Goetz TE, Holland CJ, Dawson JE, Ristic M, Skibbe K, Keegan KG, Johnson PJ, Schaeffer DJ, Baker GJ.The seroprevalence and seasonal trend of antibody titers against equine monocytic ehrlichiosis (Potomac horse fever) were determined in apparently healthy horses in selected areas of Illinois in 1986. Sera from 1,367 horses (6 months to 29 years old) were evaluated for the presence of antibodies against Ehrlichia risticii with indirect immunofluorescence. The majority (88%) of the horses were Thoroughbred or Standardbred racehorses. The number of horses with antibodies against E risticii was 229/1,367 (16.75%). The titers in these horses ranged from 1:10 to 1:640. As the year progressed, the n...
Estrada R, Gutiérrez JM, Alvarado J, Robles A, Avila C, González N.The development of antibody response against phospholipase A2 activity of Bothrops asper venom was studied in a group of adult and healthy horses used in the production of the polyvalent antivenom at the Instituto Clodomiro Picado. Simultaneously, the general condition of the animals during the immunization schedule was also studied. There was a great individual variability in the immune response, although most of the horses studied reached the highest neutralizing titer after injection of doses of venom of 30 mg and 50 mg. On the other hand, in horses that had been previously immunized and we...
Eysker M, Boersema JH, Kooyman FN.The effect of three albendazole treatments at 5-week intervals, beginning at turnout in April, on cyathostome infections in Shetland ponies was compared with the effect of sequential treatments with albendazole, oxfendazole and oxibendazole. The results showed a substantial reduction in faecal egg output after the first albendazole treatment. Since faecal egg counts remained very low, no estimation of the effect of the second treatment was possible. The third treatment with albendazole and oxibendazole was followed by an increase in faecal egg counts to values of greater than 100 eggs g-1 with...
Sweeney CR, Sweeney RW, Benson CE.Results of bacteriologic culture of specimens obtained from 14 horses with pneumonia and from 15 horses that were clinically healthy (nonpneumonia group) were compared. Specimens were obtained by use of an endoscopic guarded tracheal swabbing method and percutaneous tracheal aspiration. The percentage of agreement between the 2 tracheal specimens for the horses of the pneumonia group was 79% for aerobic isolates and 100% for anaerobic isolates. The percentage of agreement between results of the 2 tracheal specimens for horses of the nonpneumonia group was 80% for aerobic organisms and 93% for ...
Krecek RC, Reinecke RK, Horak IG.Between 1980 and 1982, the gastrointestinal tracts of 17 horses which had been grazing on mixed grassveld at Potchefstroom and bushveld at Onderstepoort in the province of Transvaal, Republic of South Africa, were examined at necropsy and processed for parasite recovery. The large strongyles and their prevalences were as follows: Strongylus vulgaris and associated lesions (88-94%), Strongylus edentatus (24%), Strongylus equinus (30%), Triodontophorus nipponicus (35%) and Craterostomum acuticaudatum (18%). The seven most prevalent and abundant cyathostomes collected were Cylicostephanus longibu...
Høie S, Fossum K.An agar diffusion method using microtiter plates was used to detect antibodies to the DNases produced by Staphylococcus aureus, S. intermedius, and S. hyicus. Antibodies to DNase from S. aureus were demonstrated in most of the sera from the species investigated, except dogs, only 11% of whose sera were positive. Positive titers to S. intermedius DNase were found in 84% of deg sera, 61% of Icelandic pony sera, 41% of pig sera, 21% of human sera, and 20% of cow sera but in only 2 and 4% of goat and sheep sera, respectively. Although antibodies to DNase from S. hyicus were not found in sera from ...
Brinker EJ, Ceriotti S, Naskou MC, Spangler EA, Groover ES, Neto RLALT.A 25-y-old Percheron mare was admitted to the teaching hospital because of lethargy and intractable dyspnea. Thoracoabdominal ultrasound examination identified severe peritoneal effusion, mild bilateral pleural effusion, and a diffuse pulmonary nodular pattern. Cytology of peritoneal fluid revealed a hypercellular sample with clusters of neoplastic polygonal cells and admixed macrophages. Euthanasia was followed by postmortem examination; marked bi-cavitary effusion was present, and innumerable up to 4-cm diameter, round-to-floriform nodules were diffusely evident throughout serosal surfaces a...
Salas-Romero J, Gómez-Cabrera KA, Aguilera-Valle LA, Bertot JA, Salas JE, Arenal A, Nielsen MK.Increasing levels of anthelmintic resistance observed in equine cyathostomin parasites have led to recommendations of selective anthelmintic treatment strategies to lower the selection pressure favoring resistant populations. This principle is based on determining strongyle fecal egg counts from all herd members, and treating those exceeding a predetermined treatment cutoff. However, epidemiological information is lacking from horses kept under tropical conditions, where parasite burdens may be of a different composition and magnitude compared to those of horses kept under temperate climate co...
Henry MM, Moore JN, Fischer JK.Because certain inflammatory processes are dependent on the fatty acid composition of the cellular membrane, dietary manipulations that replace omega-6 fatty acids with omega-3 fatty acids may modify inflammatory responses. We investigated the effect of supplemental dietary linseed oil, containing the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid, on in vivo responses of horses to endotoxin. One group of horses (n = 6) was fed a control pelleted ration (0% linseed oil), and another group of horses (n = 6) was fed an 8% linseed oil pelleted ration. After 8 weeks of consuming these rations, all horse...
Valdes A, Johnson JR.A 3-month-old female Arabian horse was evaluated because of fever, respiratory distress, lethargy, and decreased appetite of 5 days' duration. Pleural effusion was diagnosed on the basis of ultrasonographic and radiographic examinations. Cytologic examination of pleural fluid collected via thoracocentesis revealed septic inflammation; bacteriologic culture of a sample of that fluid yielded Rhodococcus equi. A large intra-abdominal mass adjacent to the body wall was identified ultrasonographically. A specimen of the mass was collected via aspiration; the specimen was identified cytologically as...
Gutzmer C, Nijdam P.Dentigerous cysts are characterised by the formation of cysts containing dental material with a variable level of development. They are the result of a distinct embryological phenomenon. Usually, they are of significant clinical relevance in horses, especially in tandem with ectopic tooth. Contrarily, supernumerary teeth or typical polyodontias usually have limited impact. In this case report, we describe the occurrence of a supernumerary first premolar (Triadan 105). Dissimilar to known scientific literature however was the formation of a cystic structure around the supernumerary tooth. Surgi...
van der Kolk JH, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Gruys E.A six-year-old pregnant Haflinger mare of 510 kilograms died from bilateral pleurisy following a hospitalisation period of ten days, during which she was treated with various antibiotics. At necropsy a bilateral fibrinopurulent pleurisy accompanied by an ulceration of the cardia of the stomach measuring once cm2 was found. In the wall of the oesophagus, close to the cardia, there was a fistula harbouring a 3rd stage Gasterophilus larva. The epithelial layer at this site was unimpaired and no gross connection between the fistula and the ulceration of the cardia was observed. The fistula was in ...
Corrêa WM, Nilsson MR.Five livers of equine fetuses, aborted due to the action of equine abortion virus, five livers from men, two of whom died of epidemic hepatitis and three obtained by needle biopsies, 5 livers of dogs with infectious canine hepatitis and 7 livers of ducklings that had hepatitis, were studied histopathologically. The foals' livers were studied by several staining methods and the others by H. E. only. The results indicate that the lesions are quite similar in the four species with the appearance of nuclear inclusion bodies only in foals and dogs. The strong staining properties of the nuclear incl...
Migliorisi A, Barger A, Austin S, Foreman JH, Wilkins P.Hyponatremia is common in horses with bacterial pleuropneumonia, but no further characterization of this abnormality has been reported. Objective: Describe admission plasma sodium concentration ([Na]) in horses with septic pneumopathy and evaluate any association of plasma [Na] with markers of systemic inflammation. Methods: Medical records of horses >1 month of age that between 2008 and 2021 had a transtracheal aspirate (TTA) performed, abnormal TTA cytology, positive TTA culture, pulmonary disease on ultrasonography, radiography or both, and plasma [Na] assessed by direct ion-selective-e...
Braverman Y.The feasibility of using infra-red thermography for early and out of season detection of summer seasonal recurrent dermatitis (sweet itch) was tested on 13 sensitive and six insensitive horses in Israel. In summer (June, July and September) six affected mares and two unaffected sensitive mares (one of them a pony) were clearly 'warmer' in the affected zones than three insensitive mares. In winter (February and March) unaffected sensitive horses could be differentiated from insensitive mares by the warm areas detected in the affected zones. Small numbers of Culicoides imicola bites may have bee...
Hamada M, Takechi M, Itakura C.Langerhans' cells (LC) were investigated immunohistochemically and electron microscopically in normal equine epidermis and 133 equine cutaneous papillomas experimentally induced in five 2-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Class II major histocompatibility complex antigen-positive dendritic LC were found in the normal epidermis and ultrastructurally had the characteristic Birbeck's granules. In the developing phase of the papillomas, LC were significantly decreased in number and size, indicative of a hypofunctional state. In the regressing phase of the papillomas, LC were markedly increased in numb...
Sahu SP, Pierson RE, Dardiri AH.Actively growing culture of contagious equine metritis (CEM) bacteria or infective exudate (or both) were inoculated intrauterine in pony mares. A direct relationship was observed between (i) appearance and duration of cervicitis and vaginitis and (ii) vaginal exudate. Clinical signs appeared 1 to 3 days after mares were inoculated and lasted 7 to 23 days. In the acute phase of infection, all uterine and cervical samples yielded CEM bacteria. In the asymptomatic stage of infection, CEM bacteria were not isolated from uterine and cervical samples; however, in 33%, 28%, and 20% of the pony mares...
Acevedo HD, Hassebroek AM, Leventhal HR, Duhamel GE, Carvallo FR.A 17-y-old Rocky Mountain gelding was presented to the Virginia-Maryland Veterinary Teaching Hospital because of a 4-wk history of anorexia, weight loss, lethargy, and fever of unknown origin. Abdominal ultrasound revealed lymphadenomegaly of the abdominal and colonic lymph nodes, thickening of the wall of the large colon, and a mass associated with the large colon. The horse was euthanized given a poor prognosis. On autopsy, an ~20-cm diameter mass was found within the mesocolon between the right ventral and right dorsal colon. The mass had invaded through the colonic walls and formed a fistu...
Elshalofy A, Wagener K, Weber K, Blanco M, Bauersachs S, Bollwein H.This study aimed to investigate the susceptibility to persistent breeding-induced endometritis (PBIE). Cytobrush samples were collected from 81 broodmares 1-3 days before artificial insemination (AI). Susceptibility to PBIE was evaluated by the presence of ≥ 2 cm of intrauterine fluid 24 h after AI, besides the fertility was determined by a sonographic pregnancy diagnosis 2 weeks after ovulation. RNA expressions were compared between susceptible non-pregnant (SNP) mares (n=9) and resistant pregnant (RP) mares (n=9) as well as between susceptible pregnant (SP) mares (n=9) and susceptible non-...
Chong YC, Duffus WP, Hannant D.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from an adult horse and from foals demonstrated natural killer (NK)-type cytotoxicity against a range of xenogeneic and allogeneic cell targets. The human tumour cell line, Chang liver was consistently the most susceptible. Chang liver, rabbit kidney (RK-13), equine sarcoid (ES) and embryonic equine kidney (EEK) cells were more susceptible when presented to horse PBMC than monolayer cultures. Embryonic equine lung (EEL) and murine YAC-1 cells conversely, were more susceptible in a trypsinized state. Horse PBMC demonstrated higher levels of NK-type acti...
Guerrero J, Newcomb K, Seibert BP, Michael BF.Two controlled tests were conducted in equine foals and yearlings to determine the optimal oral dosage and the duration of activity of closantel for the prevention of Gasterophilus spp larval infections. Additional data were collected on the activity of closantel against Strongylus vulgaris larval infections. In experiment 1, 12 foals and 12 yearlings were equally allocated to 4 experimental groups, and were given oral treatments with closantel at dosages of 0 (nontreated controls), 2, 5, or 8 mg/kg of body weight every 2 months during bot season. The foals and yearlings were allowed to graze ...
O'Sullivan BM, Goodwin JA.On 6 properties in south-western Queensland an outbreak of nervous disease occurred horses due to ingestion of Swainsonia (Darling pea). Loss of condition, depression, hyperaesthesia and hyperexcitability were seen in affected horses. At autopsy of 2 horses generalised c ytoplasmic vacuolation was seen in the neurones of the central nervous system and in the liver, adrenal and thyroid. The clinical and pathological features were similar to those described in horses suffering from Swainsona poisoning in Australia and Astragalus and Oxytropis in North America.
Thomas PG, Ball BA, Ignotz GG, Dobrinski I, Parks JE, Currie WB.Before fertilization, equine spermatozoa adhere to oviduct epithelial cells (OEC) of the mare. The biochemical basis for this adhesion has not been determined. Our objective was to produce an antiserum to block this interaction. Ejaculated spermatozoa were subjected to nitrogen cavitation and spermatozoal plasma membranes enriched by sucrose density gradient centrifugation; membrane enrichment was confirmed by comparative alkaline phosphatase analysis, electron microscopy, and one- and two-dimensional PAGE. Periacrosomal plasma membrane was used as an immunogen for the production of an antiser...
Goetz TE, Coffman JR.Ulcerative colitis, protein losing enteropathy and intestinal histoplasmosis-salmonellosis were diagnosed in a six-year-old Quarterhorse stallion. For six months before examination, the horse experienced a slow continual loss of weight. During the 17 day period of hospitalisation the horse developed progressive generalised oedema. On the 12th day of hospitalisation a severe profuse watery diarrhoea began; the horse was killed five days later.
Ishino S, Kumagai K, Kuniyoshi S, Nakazawa M, Matsuda I, Oka M.An immunohistochemical analysis of Rhodococcus equi-induced pneumonia in 10 foals was performed by biotin-streptavidin system. The detection of R. equi was more sensitive in immuno-stain using anti-R. equi serum than in Gram's stain. This bacteria also reacted to anti-BCG serum. Lysozyme and alpha 1-antitrypsin were detectable in macrophages. A particularly intense staining was observed in association with intracellular bacteria. Though a degree of reaction for alpha 1-antichymotrypsin was very low in comparison with lysozyme and alpha 1-antitrypsin, it was also demonstrated in macrophages ing...
Ren WX, Zhang XX, Long CY, Zhao Q, Cheng T, Ma JG, Xu P, Hou G, Ni HB.Horse meat and milk are an important source of nutrition for many Chinese. Previous studies have shown a fairly high prevalence of infection in horses. However, there is no data concerning the molecular characterization of in horses in China. The present study tested 231 cervical lymph node samples of horses from northern China (97 from Jilin, 54 from Liaoning, and 80 from Xinjiang) for the presence of the B1 gene by seminested PCR. The B1-positive samples were genotyped at nine nuclear loci, that is, SAG1, alternative SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, c22-8, GRA6, c29-2, PK1, and an apicoplast locus, usin...
Farstvedt EG, Hendrickson DA, Dickenson CE, Spier SJ.Two horses were examined for large head wounds suspected to be the result of trauma and characterized by extensive necrosis of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, with abundant purulent exudate. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis was isolated from the facial wounds in both horses. Histopathologic examination revealed severe suppurative cellulitis and panniculitis with fistulous tracts and granulation tissue in 1 horse. Both horses were treated with local wound care, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and administration of antimicrobials. The concept of moist wound care was used in the second ...
House JK, Smith BP, Wildman TR, Carrigan MJ, Kamiya DY.To determine the prevalence of Salmonella infections in horses at necropsy. Methods: Cross-sectional prevalence survey. Methods: 102 horses. Methods: Mesenteric lymph nodes were collected from horses that were necropsied. Horses had died or were euthanatized because of severe disease or at the request of the owner. Twenty-eight of the horses were racehorses euthantized following acute catastrophic injuries on the racetrack. Mesenteric lymph nodes were submitted for Salmonella culture via direct plating of tissue specimens on MacConkey agar and by use of 4 enrichment culture techniques that use...
Weerasinghe CU, Learmonth GS, Gilkerson JR, Foote CE, Wellington JE, Whalley JM.The envelope glycoprotein D of EHV-1 (EHV-1 gD) is essential for virus infectivity and entry of virus into cells and is a potent inducer of virus-neutralizing antibody. In this study, truncated EHV-1 gD (gDt) was expressed with a C-terminal hexahistidine tag in E. coli using a pET vector. Western blot analysis using an anti-gD monoclonal antibody demonstrated the presence of gDt bands at 37.5, 36, 29.5 and 28 kDa. The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of partially purified gDt was compared with gD expressed in insect cells by a recombinant baculovirus (Bac gD) using a BALB/c mouse model o...
Pusterla N, Tobin T.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis is an infectious disease of the central nervous system caused by Sarcocystis neurona or Neospora hughesi. Affected horses routinely present with progressive and asymmetrical neurologic deficits. The diagnosis relies on the presence of neurologic signs, ruling out other neurologic disorders, and the detection of intrathecally derived antibodies to either S neurona and/or N hughesi. Recommended treatment is use of an FDA-approved anticoccidial drug formulation. Medical and supportive treatment is provided based on the severity of neurologic deficits and complic...
Jönsson L, Beck-Friis J, Renström LH, Nikkilä T, Thebo P, Sundquist B.Ten aborted foals, diagnosed as infected with Equine Herpes Virus 1 (EHV-1) on histopathological criteria, were examined for the presence of EHV-1 using immunohistology as the investigative instrument. The primary reagent was an antiserum specific for viral envelope glycoproteins. Immunohistology localised EHV-1 to areas of liver necrosis and to the cytoplasm of infected Kupffer cells and hepatocytes. Cytoplasmic immunolabelling was also prominent in reticular cells of the red pulp of the spleen and in intact and degenerated bronchiolar epithelium. Cytoplasmic immunolabelling was seen in morph...
Barsoum IS, Botros BA, Morcos MB.In a serologic survey on equine leptospirosis in Egypt, the following incidences of leptospiral serosensitivity were found: 1. Hospitalised horses 65/113 (57.5 %). 2. Hospitalised donkeys 90/125 (72.0 %). 3. Apparently healthy horses 21/72 (29.1 %). Sera of these animals were mostly reacting to serotypes butembo, pomona, icterohemorragiae, and grippotyphosa. Equine in Egypt are close animals to humans and may constitute a potential source of leptospiral infection. From the clinical point of view, it is very possible that ocular, hoof lesions and icterus in equines would be expected with leptos...
Fidani M, Pompa G, Mungiguerra F, Casati A, Fracchiolla ML, Arioli F.After the detection of low concentrations of prednisolone in racehorse urine samples collected at Italian racetracks, a study was initiated to investigate the accuracy of the analytical protocol used and the possible endogenous origin of detected prednisolone. Methods: Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) MS(2) acquisition with a triple quadrupole (n = 780) and full scan MS(2) and MS(3) (n = 180) acquisition with a linear ion trap were checked. As a further confirmation, ten urine samples were analysed by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Results: The study showed the difficulty of ident...
Pusterla N, Jackson R, Mapes SM, Noland J, Stenbom RM, Gebhart C.The humoral immune response and fecal shedding of Lawsonia intracellularis was investigated in 20 weanling foals following intra-rectal administration of frozen-thawed or lyophilized avirulent live L. intracellularis vaccine. Foals received either 30 mL frozen-thawed or lyophilized vaccine intra-rectally, given twice, 4 weeks apart. Serum samples from each foal were collected every 4 weeks for 16 weeks following the first vaccination and tested for anti-L. intracellularis specific IgG by immunoperoxidase monolayer assay. Rectal swabs were collected every other day following the first vaccinati...
Gunn HM, Fraher JP.The incidence of sarcocysts was examined in postural, propulsive and respiratory muscles from 74 horses ranging in age from mid-gestation to 14 years post-natal. Cryostat sections were stained for myosin adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) at pH 9.5 and the type of muscle fibre containing sarcocysts was identified. Sarcocysts were found in muscles from three animals, all aged 1 year or more. Counts showed that they displayed no preference for any particular muscle. However, fibres with a high activity for myosin ATPase were preferentially colonized. Transverse sectional profiles of sarcocysts sh...
Bertram TA, Coignoul FL, Jensen AE.Equine neutrophils were combined with contagious equine metritis organism (CEMO) or Escherichia coli in vitro in the presence of seminal plasma, uterine flushings, or Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS). Phagocytosis and intracellular killing were estimated by bacterial culture and light and electron microscopy. With lysed neutrophils, the numbers of colony-forming units of CEMO and E coli increased in seminal plasma and uterine flushings. Numbers of CEMO decreased in HBSS. The numbers of CEMO increased more in the presence of seminal plasma than the other media. When neutrophils were in the ...
