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Topic:Infection
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.
Comparative Semen Microbiota Composition of a Stallion in a Taylorella equigenitalis Carrier and Non-Carrier State. Contagious equine metritis is receiving renewed attention due to the continuous detection of carriers in apparent agent-free farms. Interactions of Taylorella with the seminal microflora may be the plausible cause behind these spontaneous changes of the carrier state. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to compare the differences in the seminal microbiome composition of one stallion in the contagious equine metritis carrier state and non-carrier state. Samples were cryopreserved after their extraction. Cell disruption was performed by high-speed homogenization in grinding media. Bacterial f...
Rare Generalized Form of Fungal Dermatitis in a Horse: Case Report. A rare case of spp. dermatitis in a horse is presented. After unrelated, previous surgery and antibiotic treatment, a saddle horse showed well-circumscribed areas of non-pruritic alopecia. Suspecting allergic skin disease, the horse was treated with corticosteroids. The skin lesion spread, and a second veterinarian was consulted. At clinical examination, the horse was lethargic, pyretic and hair was shedding/easily epilated over the head, neck, shoulders, and legs and the hind legs were swollen. Blood analysis revealed mild leucocytosis and hyperglobulinemia. Hair, skin scraping, and skin bio...
In vitro susceptibility of Aspergillus and Fusarium associated with equine keratitis to new antifungal drugs. To determine minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of four fungal species isolated from horses presented with equine fungal keratitis (EFK) in the southeastern United States to previously untested azole, echinocandin, and carboxamide antifungal drugs. Methods: In vitro assays were performed to determine the susceptibility of Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, Fusarium falciforme, and F. keratoplasticum to five antifungal drugs representing three modes of action. Results: Luliconazole exhibited increased growth inhibition against both Aspergillus and Fusarium compared to commonly used, stan...
Welfare of horses from Mexico and the United States of America transported for slaughter in Mexico: Fitness profiles for transport and pre-slaughter logistics. Every year thousands of horses from Mexico and the United States of America (USA) are transported to slaughter in Mexico, but little is known about their welfare or pre-slaughter logistics. In this study, we recorded the origin, sex, age and condition of horses (121 journeys, 2648 animals) upon arrival to an abattoir in northern Mexico, including transport details. Horse welfare was measured indirectly via individual scores for body condition, coat quality, lameness, ocular and nasal discharge, as well as reactivity to a chute restraint test, all performed shortly after unloading. The average ...
Complete genomic sequences of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus subtype IIID isolates from mosquitoes. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an important pathogen of medical and veterinary importance in the Americas. In this report, we present the complete genome sequences of five VEEV isolates obtained from pools of Culex (Melanoconion) gnomatos (4) or Culex (Melanoconion) pedroi (1) from Iquitos, Peru. Genetic and phylogenetic analyses showed that all five isolates grouped within the VEEV complex sister to VEEV IIIC and are members of subtype IIID. This is the first report of full-length genomic sequences of VEEV IIID.
Mesh closure of epiploic foramen by ventral laparotomy in 17 horses with entrapment. Epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) of small intestine is a severe cause of strangulating small intestinal obstruction (SSI) with long-term survival seeming lower than for other causes of SSI in horses. Different techniques via laparoscopy or laparotomy for epiploic foramen (EF) closure have been developed. This study describes a technique of peroperative mesh closure of the EF in clinical cases and their long-term follow up. In the study period of 5.5 years, 36 horses were admitted to the clinic with EFE. Of these, 17 horses had peroperative mesh closure, with resection anastomosis in 4 cases a...
Streptococcus equi subsp. equi meningitis, septicemia and subdural empyema in a child. Streptococcus equi subsp. equi is a group C β-hemolytic streptococcus, and is an invasive pathogen with a very restricted host, causing the equine infection known as 'strangles'. It is a poor colonizer in horses, preferentially causing invasion and infection, compared with its ancestor Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus, which is considered an opportunistic commensal of the equine upper respiratory tract. In humans, S. equi subsp. equi causes invasive infections in immunocompromised hosts, often following close contact with horses. Such infections are associated with a high mortality, as...
Equine penile squamous cell carcinoma: expression of biomarker proteins and EcPV2. Equine penile squamous cell carcinoma (EpSCC) is a relatively common cutaneous neoplasm with a poor prognosis. In this study, we aimed to determine the protein expression and colocalisation of FRA1, c-Myc, Cyclin D1, and MMP7 in normal (NT), tumour (T), hyperplastic epidermis and/or squamous papilloma (Hyp/Pap), poorly-differentiated (PDSCC), or well-differentiated (WDSCC) EpSCC using a tissue array approach. Further objectives were to correlate protein expression to (i) levels of inflammation, using a convolutional neural network (ii) equine papillomavirus 2 (EcPV2) infection, detected using ...
Molecular typing of equine papillomavirus and autovaccination to treat horses with cutaneous papillomatosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate formalin-inactivated autovaccination to treat cutaneous papillomatosis and to perform molecular typing of the papillomavirus in four horses (two foals, one 3-year-old filly and a 5-year-old stallion). Methods: Histopathological slides of lesions were prepared and stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) to establish a diagnosis that was based on observation koilocytosis, which is a pathognomonic cytopathic change that is associated with papillomatosis, using light microscopy. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing were performed using the ...
Utility of systemic voriconazole in equine keratomycosis based on pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analysis of tear fluid following oral administration. To clarify the detailed pharmacokinetics (PK) of orally administered voriconazole in tear fluid (TF) of horses for evaluating the efficacy of voriconazole secreted into TF against equine keratomycosis. Methods: Five healthy Thoroughbred horses. Methods: Voriconazole was administrated through a nasogastric tube to each horse at a single dose of 4.0 mg/kg. TF and blood samples were collected before and periodically throughout the 24 hours after administration. Voriconazole concentrations in plasma and TF samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem-mass spectrometry. T...
Assessment of Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Virulent Strains of Rhodococcus equi Isolated From Foals and Soil of Horse Breeding Farms With and Without Endemic Infections. Rhodococcus equi is an opportunistic, intracellular saprophyte that causes severe pyogranulomatous pneumonia in foals. The bacterium displays in vitro susceptibility to many antibiotics. The highest efficacy against R. equi in vitro and in vivo is achieved by using a combination of rifampicin and macrolide antibiotics. Recent years have seen an upward trend in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of rifampicin and erythromycin, suggesting increasing resistance of R. equi to these antibiotics. The aim of the study was to determine the antimicrobial activity of 24 selected antibiotics...
Evolution of In Vitro Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Equine Clinical Isolates in France between 2016 and 2019. The present study described the evolution of antimicrobial resistance in equine pathogens isolated from 2016 to 2019. A collection of 7806 bacterial isolates were analysed for their in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility using the disk diffusion method. The most frequently isolated pathogens were group C Streptococci (27.0%), Escherichia coli (18.0%), Staphylococcus aureus (6.2%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.4%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (2.3%) and Enterobacter spp. (2.1%). The majority of these pathogens were isolated from the genital tract (45.1%, n = 3522). With the implementation of two French n...
The novel and transferable erm(51) gene confers macrolides, lincosamides and streptogramins B (MLSB ) resistance to clonal Rhodococcus equi in the environment. The use of mass antimicrobial treatment has been linked to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in human and animal pathogens. Using whole-genome single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing, we characterized genomic variability of multidrug-resistant Rhodococcus equi isolated from soil samples from 100 farms endemic for R. equi infections in Kentucky. We discovered the novel erm(51)-encoding resistance to MLS in R. equi isolates from soil of horse-breeding farms. Erm(51) is inserted in a transposon (TnErm51) that is associated with a putative conjugative plasmid (pRErm51), a mobilizable p...
Immunochromatographic test and ELISA for the detection of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and A/B toxins as an alternative for the diagnosis of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile-associated diarrhea in foals and neonatal piglets. Considering the lack of studies evaluating the performance of commercially available methods for diagnosis of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) in animals, the present study aimed to assess an immunochromatographic test for detection of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and A/B toxins of C. difficile, also evaluated by an ELISA kit, in foals and neonatal piglets. Intestinal contents of 47 piglets and feces of 35 foals were tested to GDH antigen and A/B toxins in a lateral flow method (Ecodiagnostica, Brazil). Also, these samples were submitted to A/B toxin detection by an ELIS...
Prevention of respiratory infections with alpha- and gamma-herpesviruses in weanling foals by using a modified live intra-nasal equine influenza vaccine. This study aimed to determine if the administration of a modified live equine influenza virus vaccine (FluAvert) to foals would positively impact their health and reduce colonization of their upper airways with equine herpesviruses (EHV) during the weaning period. A single dose of FluAvert was given to 20 healthy foals 7 days prior to being weaned; 20 healthy foals served as unvaccinated controls. Nasal secretions and blood were collected before vaccination, the day of weaning, and weekly thereafter for 3 weeks. Nasal secretions were tested by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for ...
Equine Hoof Canker: Bovine Papillomavirus Infection Is Not Associated With Impaired Keratinocyte Differentiation. Impaired keratinocyte differentiation has recently been suggested as a key event in equine hoof canker development. Koilocytotic appearance of keratinocytes, one of the most characteristic morphological alterations in hoof canker tissue, is also a common marker for papillomavirus (PV) infection, and bovine PV-1 and/or -2 (BPV-1/2) has previously been detected in equine canker patients. Therefore, the present study aimed to correlate the frequency and severity of koilocytotic keratinocytes with BPV detection in hoof canker samples. Hoof tissue of 5/18 canker-affected horses and 2/6 control hors...
Detection of Neorickettsia risticii, the agent of Potomac horse fever, in horses from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This study aims to report the presence of Neorickettsia risticii DNA in blood samples from naturally infected horses in Rio de Janeiro, provide clinicopathological findings related to the infection, and report the phylogenetic diversity of the 16S rDNA of N. risticii in order to evaluate its heterogeneity. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to investigate the presence of N. risticii in samples collected from horses (n = 187). Five positive samples were found in the molecular screening. Hypoalbuminemia and high levels of creatine kinase and lactate dehydro...
Antimicrobial Usage in Horses: The Use of Electronic Data, Data Curation, and First Results. The usage of antimicrobial drugs (AMs) leads to an increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Although different antimicrobial usage (AMU) monitoring programs exist for livestock animals in Germany, there is no such system for horses. However, with the increasing usage of electronic practice management software (EPMS), it is possible to analyze electronic field data generated for routine purposes. The aim of this study was to generate AMU data for German horses with data from the Clinic for Horses (CfH), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo), and in addition to show that different...
Intrasinus bolstering of traumatic maxillary sinus fractures by using Foley catheter balloons in two foals. To describe the repair of unstable facial fractures by using Foley catheter balloons as intrasinus bolsters. Methods: Case report ANIMALS: Two weanling foals with unilateral fractures of the sinus and orbit secondary to kick injuries. Preoperative imaging that included positive contrast dacrocystorhinography and computed tomography confirmed severe comminution of facial fractures and nasolacrimal duct disruption in both foals. Methods: Small bone fragments were surgically removed, and large fragments were retained even when denuded of periosteum. Repair procedures included nasolacrimal canalic...
Equine pythiosis in Egypt: clinicopathological findings, detection, identification and genotyping of Pythium insidiosum. Equine pythiosis is an emerging, devastating disease that is hard to treat. The tumour-like nodular skin masses grow rapidly and the outcome is generally fatal, and thus early diagnosis and intervention are important. Objective: (i) To highlight the clinical, histological and haematological findings in pythiosis, and (ii) to evaluate the efficacy of direct sample multiplex-PCR targeting the single nucleotide polymorphisms within the ribosomal DNA region for detection and genotyping of Pythium insidiosum. Methods: Two hundred and twenty horses including 204 Arabian and 16 draft horses were surv...
Serum cortisol and thyroid hormone concentrations and survival in foals born from mares with experimentally induced ascending placentitis. There are few publications on occurrence of nonthyroidal illness syndrome in foals and on the prognostic value of cortisol and thyroid hormone (TH) concentrations in newborn foals. Objective: To determine serum cortisol and TH concentrations (total and free thyroxine: T and T ; total and free triiodothyronine: T and T ) in foals born from mares with placentitis, to determine their association with survival, and their use as prognostic markers. Methods: A cohort of 29 newborn foals comprising 5 Control, 14 Low-risk, and 10 Sick foals were evaluated over the first week of life. Methods: In thi...
[Theileria equi-infection in 2 German horses returning from a trail ride in southern France]. Equine piroplasmosis, caused by the protozoan pathogens or , is endemic in many (sub-)tropical regions worldwide, including Southern Europe. In Germany, it mainly plays a role as an imported parasitosis. Nevetherless, tick species with known vector potential for equine piroplasms occur in Germany. Thus, a long-term establishment of autochthonous cycles after introduction via infected equids or ticks cannot be excluded. In the present case, 2 horses developed clinical infection after returning from a trail riding trip to southern France. During treatment, a feeding tick was discovered on one ...
Intracerebral Astrocytoma in a Horse. An 8-year-old Anglo-European gelding with progressive neurological signs was humanely destroyed and submitted for necropsy examination. The right parietal cortex was disrupted by a well-demarcated, intraparenchymal, 1.5 cm diameter, tan, homogeneous, dense mass. Microscopical examination was consistent with an astrocytoma, which was confirmed on the basis of strong immunohistochemical labelling for glial fibrillary acidic protein. The neoplastic population lacked immunolabelling for oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2. Labelling for ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 highlighted la...
Atypical Multibacterial Granulomatous Myositis in a Horse: First Report in Italy. Infectious causes of myositis are reported relatively uncommonly in horses. Among them, bacterial causes include subsp. , , spp. spp, and . Infection can be spread to muscles via haematogenous or extension from skin lesions. Parasitic myositis has also been documented. In this report, a 12 year-old Italian Quarter Horse mare presented with diffuse subcutaneous nodules and masses ranging from 2 × 3 to 5 × 20 cm in size, and adherent to subcutis and muscles that were first macroscopically and cytologically diagnosed as pyogranulomas. Subsequently, histological, molecular, bacteriological, a...
Multicenter Placebo-Controlled Randomized Study of Ethyl Pyruvate in Horses Following Surgical Treatment for ≥ 360° Large Colon Volvulus. Identifying therapies that mitigate ischemic colonic injury and improve mucosal healing and intestinal viability are crucial to improving survival in horses with ≥360° large colon volvulus (LCV). Ethyl pyruvate is the ethyl ester of pyruvate with diverse pharmacologic effects that limit ischemic injury and hasten intestinal mucosal repair in preclinical rodents, sheep and swine models. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of ethyl pyruvate on systemic indices of colon viability, expression of inflammatory genes in whole blood, morbidity and survival after surgical correc...
Preparation of Monoclonal Antibody Against EMA-1 and Development of Rapid Serological Detection Method for Theileria equi Infection, Xinjiang, China. The erythrocytic-stage surface protein equi merozoite antigen 1 (EMA-1) of Theileria equi is a major candidate for the development of a diagnostic antigen for equine piroplasmosis. In this study, BALB/c mice were immunized with purified recombinant EMA-1 to prepare monoclonal antibody (mAb) against T. equi EMA-1, and 1 mAb 5H2 was obtained that showed good reaction with infected red blood cells (RBC) in the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). To develop a rapid serological detection method for T. equi infection in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, recombinant EMA-1 originating from...
Plasma iron concentrations and systemic inflammatory response syndrome in neonatal foals. Sparse information regarding plasma iron concentration in neonatal foals and its utility as an inflammatory marker in this population has been published. Objective: To determine the physiologic plasma iron concentration in neonatal foals. To assess its utility as an inflammatory marker to predict systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and as a prognostic marker. Methods: Forty-seven ill neonatal foals admitted to a referral equine hospital were divided in 2 groups based on the SIRS criteria (24 SIRS and 23 non-SIRS). Two control groups of 43 hospital and 135 stud farm healthy neonatal ...
Sustained-release voriconazole-thermogel for subconjunctival injection in horses: ocular toxicity and in-vivo studies. Keratomycosis is a relatively common, sight threatening condition in horses, where treatment is often prolonged and costly. Subconjunctival (SCo) injections offer less resistance to drug diffusion than the topical route, resulting in better penetration to the ocular anterior segment. Voriconazole, a second generation triazole antifungal, is effective against common fungal organisms causing keratomycosis. If combined with a thermogel biomaterial, voriconazole can be easily injected in the SCo space to provide sustained drug release. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the drug concentrati...
Plasma metabolomic profiling of healthy pregnant mares and mares with experimentally induced placentitis. Metabolomics may represent an avenue for diagnosis of equine ascending placentitis. Objective: To characterise the plasma metabolomic profile in healthy mares and mares with induced ascending placentitis, with the goal of identifying metabolites with potential clinical value for early diagnosis of placentitis. Methods: Controlled in vivo experiment. Methods: Placentitis was induced in 10 late-term pregnant pony mares via Streptococcal equi subsp. zooepidemicus inoculation in five mares between days 285 and 290 of gestation, while five mares served as healthy controls. Repeated ultrasound exami...
Identification of risk factors associated with antimicrobial resistance in equine fecal Escherichia coli isolates. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global problem that will need a multinational collaborative effort to overcome this serious challenge. The aim of the study is to investigate the potential risk factors associated with the prevalence and distribution of antimicrobial-resistance genes (ARGs) of Escherichia coli isolates obtained from equine fecal samples. One hundred and eighteen horses from different geographical locations and management systems were enrolled in the study and a questionnaire containing information about each individual horse was designed and filled. The enrolled horses bel...
