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.
Tainturier DJ, Delmas CF, Dabernat HJ.Seventeen strains of haemophilus equigenitalis isolated from the cervix, clitoris, and urethra of mares were biochemically characterized with the API 10E and APIZYM test kit systems, conventional biochemical tests, and the porphyrin test. Antisera were prepared in rabbits. All of the strains were positive to the porphyrin test, and the requirement for factor X (hemin) or V (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) was not shown. Catalase, oxidase, phosphatase, and phosphoamidase tests were positive with all of the strains. Aminopeptidase (arylamidase) activity has been detected on beta-naphthylamide...
Rebhun WC, Mirro EJ, Georgi ME, Kern TJ.Habronemic blepharoconjunctivitis was characterized clinically by raised yellow gritty plaques in the palpebral and bulbar conjunctivae. Lid granulomas and blepharitis were observed in some cases. On histologic examination, mast cells, eosinophils, and collagenolysis was found in most sections, but if only one section was examined an erroneous diagnosis of mastocytosis could have been made. Treatment consisted of larvicidal mixtures for lid lesions and organophosphate ophthalmic drops along with corticosteroids for the conjunctivitis. If the cornea was damaged by the gritty conjunctival plaque...
Malan FS, Reinecke RK, Scialdo RC.The entire gastro-intestinal tract and viscera of the abdomen and thorax, including the heart, aorta and its branches to the viscera, are removed from the carcass. All the branches of the aorta, with the exception of the A. gastrica sinistra, are dissected from the intestinal tract, and subsequently each branch is isolated from the mesentery, fat, pancreas, kidneys, etc. Usually, the A. ileocolica is grossly enlarged due to chronic arteritis with thrombus formation caused by 4th stage larvae, 4th moult and 5th stage Strongylus vulgaris. Descriptions of methods to examine the subperitoneal tiss...
Malan FS, Reinecke RK, Scialdo RC.The tongue, pharynx, oesophagus and gums are examined for larvae of gasterophilus spp., and the nose and sinuses for oestrid larvae. The gastro-intestinal tract is divided into separate specimens-stomach, small intestine, caecum, ventral colon, dorsal colon, descending colon and rectum- and each is examined separately. Aliquots of ingesta of 1/4 by mass of the stomach and 1/10 by mass of the small intestine, caecum, ventral colon and dorsal colon are collected for microscopic examination. Each part of the wall of the caecum, ventral and dorsal colon is washed and specimens are collected for su...
Thein P.During the last 2 years different equine herpesviruses serotype 1 strains have been isolated from cases of paretic or paralytic disease among horses in the Federal Republic of Germany. In this paper the available information is collated and briefly reviewed. A short description of the symptoms and the possible mechanism of the pathogenesis are given.
Williams DL, Issel CJ, Steelman CD, Adams WV, Benton CV.Biological and mechanical transmission trials with Psorophora columbiae (Dyar and Knab) and Aedes sollicitans (Walker) and ponies acutely infected with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) were negative. The EIAV antigen was detected by radioimmunoassay in Ae sollicitans immediately after the mosquitoes had fed on an acutely ill pony, but not 14 days after feeding. Psorophora columbiae mosquitoes had detectable EIAV antigen as determined by radioimmunoassay 24 hours after they fed on an acutely ill pony; this antigen was not detected again until 6 days after feeding and was still detected 14 ...
Andersen S, Fogh J.During a 5 months' period from January to May 1981 faecal samples of 176 donkeys from 59 herds all over the country were examined at the Institute of internal medicine, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen. In addition, the investigation also included 106 horses from 30 of the donkey herds and 34 horses hospitalized with symptoms of dyspnoea and chronic coughing. In all, 87.5% of the donkeys were shown to excrete D. arnfieldi larvae, often in very high numbers, and the larval excretion was the only symptom of lungworm infection. There was no significant correlation betw...
Hryhorczuk DO, Withrow WA, Hesse CS, Beasley VR.The authors investigated an outbreaks of unusual illnesses in humans and horses residing within 1.3 km of a wire reclamation incinerator. The study included site visits; medical and veterinary examinations; analyses of furnace ash, fly ash, soil, and biologic samples for air residues. Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (TCDDs) and tetrachlorodibenzofurans (TCDFs) were discovered in furnace ash, fly ash, soil, horse fat, and horse liver samples.
Dibb WL, Digranes A, Tønjum S.Perforation is the most serious complication of fibreoptic endoscopy.1
The commonest site of perforation during upper gastrointestinal
endoscopy is the oesophagus,' but predisposing factors have not been
fully documented. We report a retrospective survey of major endoscopy
units in the United Kingdom and attempt to identify the factors associated with oesophageal perforation.
Pascoe JR, Meagher DM, Wheat JD.Uterine torsion was diagnosed in 26 mares of various breeds. The mean duration of gestation was 9.6 months. The most common clinical history was intermittent unresponsive colic of varying duration. Diagnosis of uterine torsion was confirmed by rectal palpation, and surgical correction was achieved in most cases by standing flank laparotomy and manual repositioning of the gravid uterus. Recumbent laparotomy was used only if the mare was intractable, the uterus was ruptured, or hysterotomy was indicated. Of 20 foals determined to be alive during surgery, 14 (70%) were subsequently born alive.
The Journal of hygieneAugust 1, 1981
Volume 87, Issue 1 93-100 doi: 10.1017/s0022172400069278
Lemcke RM, Ernø H, Gupta U.Two unidentified mycoplasmas, N3 and N11, isolated from the respiratory tract of horses, were found to cross-react with strains of M. mycoides subsp. mycoides in indirect immunofluorescence tests, growth-inhibition tests carried out by the running drop/agar-well method, and in complement-fixation and double immunodiffusion tests. Serologically, the equine mycoplasmas were not completely identical with any of the reference strains of M. mycoides with which they were compared. Their cultural characteristics, ability to digest coagulated serum and casein, and survival at 45 degrees C, however, su...
Miller RI.Treatment of equine phycomycosis with a vaccine derived from ultrasonicated hyphae of Hyphomyces destruens was attempted in 30 cases of clinical hyphomycosis, 10 cases of hyphomycosis following unsuccessful surgery and 5 cases of basidiobolomycosis. Approximately 53% of animals with clinical hyphomycosis were cured after vaccination, while a further 33% clinically improved. All horses with hyphomycosis treated within 2 weeks of unsuccessful surgery were cured. There was no response to vaccination with a Hyphomyces preparation in horses with basidiobolomyucosis, while surgery alone resulted in ...
van der Gaag I, van Bruinessen-Kapsenberg EG, Dik KJ, Kroneman J.A two-month-old female foal with duodenal stenosis is described. The foal was in poor condition and showed an abnormal stable behaviour. She stood preferably with her head stretched out and reposing on the mare's back or on the stable ridge. Salivation was an important symptom. Clinical and radiological examination of the oral cavity, the pharynx, and the oesophagus showed no abnormalities, except for the antiperistaltic wave along the oesophagus. Because of her bad condition the filly was euthanized. At post mortem examination, apart from leukoplakia, an erosive ulcerative inflammation was fo...
Blue MG, Wittkopp RW.Enteroliths were obtained by laparotomy or necropsy of 11 horses, and a collection of smaller concretions was found on pasture. Following analysis by energy-dispersion x-ray analysis and x-ray diffraction, they were found to consist primarily of ammonium magnesium phosphate. Several minor elements were detected, including titanium in some concretions. From a farm with a history of enterolith obstructions, the well water contained a high proportion of magnesium in relation to the other cations.
Divers TJ, Byars TD, Murch O, Sigel CW.Proteus mirabilis cystitis was induced in 9 ponies by chemically eroding the bladder mucosa before the organism was inoculated. Comparisons were made in the treatment of P mirabilis cystitis between ponies treated daily for 13 days with a trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (TMP-SDZ) paste and both positive and negative controls. Urine cultures from ponies treated with TMP-SDZ became negative for P mirabilis between days 3 and 9 after the start of the treatment, whereas positive controls remained infected until day 13. Urine cultures from all ponies were negative for P mirabilis on day 28. Urine concent...
McCollum WH.Twenty horses that were seronegative for equine arteritis virus antibodies were inoculated IM with live equine arteritis virus vaccine. The inoculation did not cause clinical signs of disease. A mild, transient febrile reaction developed in 6 horses, 3 of which were in poor condition before inoculation. Six horses, 2 of which were in poor condition before inoculation, experienced mild lymphopenia. Necropsy revealed mild lesions in the lymph nodes of 6 horses (3 of which were in poor condition before inoculation). Maximum concentrations of virus were detected in the lymph nodes and were consist...
Lyons ET, Drudge JH, Tolliver SC.Activity of ivermectin, administered IM at the dosage rate of 200 micrograms/kg of body weight, was evaluated in controlled tests against migrating larvae of Strongylus vulgaris and adult Trichostrongylus axei in experimental infections in 6 ponies raised worm-free. Ponies were given 2,190 or 2,400 infective 3rd-stage larvae of S vulgaris at 7 days before treatment and 22,000 or 22,750 infective 3rd-stage larvae of T axei at 42 or 45 days before treatment. Three ponies were given ivermectin plus vehicle, and 3 ponies were given the vehicle only; the ponies were euthanatized 7 or 9 days after t...
Oki Y, Miura K.In the recent years, various red cell auto-antibodies have been determined in someanimal diseases, including autoimmune hemolytic anemia and systemic lupus erythe-matosus in dogs, ") Aleutian disease in minks, 8) and equine infectious anemia."?">In this report, the red cell auto-antibodies were examined for symptomatiCchanges, serological characteristics, and immunopathological roles in 20 horses infectedwith equine infectious anemia virus (Table l).Pathologic cold hemagglutiuain and warm hemagglutinin were identified in theplasma of artificially infected horses. The direct antiglobulin tests ...
Racklyeft DJ.Transtracheal aspirate (TTA) aerobic microbiology culture results from 30 ponies were compared to protected catheter brush (PCB) culture results obtained from the same ponies. The PCB procedure resulted in significantly fewer (13<0.05) isolates than those obtained by the TTA procedure and the PCB procedure resulted in significantly more samples with no bacteria growth than the TTA procedure. To address the possibility that the volume of tracheobronchial secretion obtained by PCB was insufficient as a microbiological sample, a sterile, double-sheathed, protected aspiration catheter (PAC) was de...
de Souza AF, Paretsis NF, De Zoppa ALDV.The aim of this study was to determine the clinical outcomes reported in retrospective studies of proximal interphalangeal arthrodesis (PIA) in horses through a meta-analysis of retrospective studies. CAB Abstracts, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched. The primary outcomes included survival and surgical site infection (SSI) rates, return to activities, and time of hospital stay and casting. Subgroups were formed for fractures and other conditions. Meta-analyses were performed with fixed and random effects models to estimate proportions, mean values, and effect size ...
McBeath DG, Best JM, Preston NK, Duncan JL.Examination of faecal egg counts in horses and ponies has shown that after treatment with fenbendazole at dose levels of 7.5, 45 and 60 mg/kg, faeces remained free from strongyle eggs for periods of 6 to 18 weeks. The significance of these results is discussed in relation to routine anthelmintic treatment of horses. In particular, the activity of fenbendazole against mucosal stages of strongyle parasites allows for treatment to be recommended at less frequent intervals than when using other anthelmintics.
Maddison JE.Seventy-seven reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were received by the Adverse Drug Reaction Subcommittee (ADRSc) of the Australian Veterinary Association from April 1993 to December 1994 inclusive. The number of reports received/number of animals involved per species were: dogs (32/44), cats (18/31), horses (17/48), and cattle (10/21). Of these, 49 (64%) were classified as definite ADRs and 9 (12%) as probable ADRs. In 11 (14%) reports an ADR could not be substantiated or there was insufficient information available to make a decision. Eight reports were not classified because ...
Jeffcott LB, Rossdale PD.The current knowledge of the clinical signs, epidemiology and pathogenesis of abortion due to the equid herpesvirus (EHV 1) is reviewed. The relationship between the respiratory and abortigenic forms of the disease is discussed as well as the low incidence of virus abortion in the UK compared to some other parts of the world. Some practical aspects of the disease as they affect stud management are considered including methods of diagnosis, prophylaxis and the necessary action to be taken to prevent spread of infection.