Inflammation is a biological response of the horse's body to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a complex process that involves the activation of immune cells, the release of inflammatory mediators, and changes in blood flow. In horses, inflammation can manifest in various forms, affecting different tissues and organs, including the joints, respiratory system, and skin. The inflammatory response is an essential component of the horse's immune system, aiming to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury, clear out damaged cells and tissues, and establish tissue repair. This topic page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanisms, effects, and management of inflammation in equine health.
Galiazzo G, Tagliavia C, Giancola F, Rinnovati R, Sadeghinezhad J, Bombardi C, Grandis A, Pietra M, Chiocchetti R.Colic is a common digestive disorder in horses and one of the most urgent problems in equine medicine. A growing body of literature has indicated that the activation of cannabinoid receptors could exert beneficial effects on gastrointestinal inflammation and visceral hypersensitivity. The localisation of cannabinoid and cannabinoid-related receptors in the intestine of the horse has not yet been investigated. The purpose of this study was to immunohistochemically localise the cellular distribution of canonical and putative cannabinoid receptors in the ileum of healthy horses. Distal ileum spec...
Zayed M, Adair S, Dhar M.Synovial fluid contains cytokines, growth factors and resident mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The present study aimed to (1) determine the effects of autologous and allogeneic synovial fluid on viability, proliferation and chondrogenesis of equine bone marrow MSCs (BMMSCs) and (2) compare the immunomodulatory properties of equine synovial fluid MSCs (SFMSCs) and BMMSCs after stimulation with interferon gamma (INF-γ). To meet the first aim of the study, the proliferation and viability of MSCs were evaluated by MTS and calcein AM staining assays. To induce chondrogenesis, MSCs were cultured in ...
Haralambus R, Florczyk A, Sigl E, Gültekin S, Vogl C, Brandt S, Schnierer M, Gamerith C, Jenner F.Synovial sepsis is a commonly occurring, potentially career-ending or even life-threatening orthopaedic emergency. Diagnosis of synovial sepsis is currently primarily based on synovial fluid analysis, which often leaves diagnostic ambiguity due to overlap of clinicopathological parameters between septic and aseptic inflammatory synovitis. Objective: To evaluate the reliability of lysozyme (LYS), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and elastase (ELT) as biomarkers for synovial sepsis in horses using a photometric assay to measure increased enzyme activity. Methods: Prospective, single-blinded, analytical, cl...
Oreff GL, Fenu M, Vogl C, Ribitsch I, Jenner F.For research on tendon injury, many different animal models are utilized; however, the extent to which these species simulate the clinical condition and disease pathophysiology has not yet been critically evaluated. Considering the importance of inflammation in tendon disease, this study compared the cellular and molecular features of inflammation in tenocytes of humans and four common model species (mouse, rat, sheep, and horse). While mouse and rat tenocytes most closely equalled human tenocytes' low proliferation capacity and the negligible effect of inflammation on proliferation, the wound...
Di Stefano DA, Vinci R, Capparè P, Gherlone EF.Enzyme-deantigenic equine bone (EDEB) is a substitute of autogenous bone. Mixing it with plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) seems a viable option to achieve enhanced bone formation in alveolar bone augmentation surgeries. This retrospective study aims to first report the histomorphometric and clinical outcomes achieved when using the EDEB/PRGF mixture for performing sinus augmentation procedures followed by delayed implant placement. Records of 11 patients who underwent 14 sinus augmentation surgeries using EDEB/PRGF followed by delayed implant placement were retrospectively collected and an...
Estell K.Acute central nervous system (CNS) trauma in the field is best approached by a systematic and thorough physical and neurologic examination that allows the practitioner to localize the brain or spinal cord injury. The skull and vertebral canal are complex 3-dimensional structures, and orthogonal radiographic views are necessary for an accurate diagnosis. Therapeutics aimed at decreasing pain, inflammation, and edema or increased intracranial pressure in the case of traumatic brain injury should be administered. Survival and return to athleticism can be achieved even in moderate-to-severe trauma...
Mocchi M, Grolli S, Dotti S, Di Silvestre D, Villa R, Berni P, Conti V, Passignani G, Brambilla F, Bue MD, Catenacci L, Sorrenti M, Segale L, Bari E....In the last decades, it has been demonstrated that the regenerative therapeutic efficacy of mesenchymal stromal cells is primarily due to the secretion of soluble factors and extracellular vesicles, collectively known as secretome. In this context, our work described the preparation and characterization of a freeze-dried secretome (Lyosecretome) from adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells for the therapy of equine musculoskeletal disorder. An intraarticular injectable pharmaceutical powder has been formulated, and the technological process has been validated in an authorized facility...
Schnabel CL, Babasyan S, Freer H, Larson EM, Wagner B.Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic cytokine, that is involved in acute inflammation and is employed as a biomarker of inflammatory diseases in several species for which reliable quantification is available. We aimed to develop suitable tools to quantify TNF-α in equine samples. We generated two new mAbs against equine TNF-α (clones 48 and 292), evaluated their specificity for this cytokine, and confirmed detection of native TNF-α in stimulated equine PBMC. The TNF-α mAbs were paired in a fluorescent bead-based assay for quantification of equine TNF-α. The TNF-α assay had ...
Jiang Z, Chen JW, Haughan J, Stefanovski D, Soma LR, Robinson MA.Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a treatment applied to musculoskeletal injuries in equine athletes to alleviate pain and accelerate healing. ESWT also causes acute tissue damage. Therefore, its ability to act as an analgesic and cause tissue damage potentially increases the risk of a catastrophic event if used shortly before a strenuous competition such as horseracing. While ESWT is prohibited by many racing jurisdictions within 10 days prior to competition, a test to detect whether a horse has received ESWT is needed. ESWT changes the protein levels of inflammatory mediators in bl...
Ibrahim S, Hedia M, Taqi MO, Derbala MK, Mahmoud KGM, Ahmed Y, Ismail S, El-Belely M.So far the intimate link between serum microRNA (miRNA) and uterine inflammation in mares is unknown. We aimed (I) to investigate expression profile of eca-miR-155, eca-miR-223, eca-miR-17, eca-miR-200a, and eca-miR-205 (II) and to measure concentrations of interleukin 6 (IL-6), and prostaglandins (PGF and PGE) in serum of mares with healthy and abnormal uterine status (endometritis). This study was conducted on 80 Arabian mares: young (4-7 years), and old (8-14 years). Mares were divided into 48 sub-fertile (endometritis) and 32 fertile (control) at stud farms. Serum was collected for measuri...
Mainguy-Seers S, Lavoie JP.Despite substantial research efforts to improve the treatment and outcome of horses with asthma, glucocorticoids (GC) remain the cornerstone of drug treatment of this prevalent disease. The high efficacy of GC to relieve airway obstruction explains their extensive use despite potential deleterious effects. However, much is yet to be uncovered concerning GC use in horses with asthma, including the comparative efficacy of the different drugs, the determination of minimal effective doses and the mechanisms underlying their variable modulation of airway inflammation. The objectives of this structu...
McElroy A, Klinge PM, Sledge D, Donahue JE, Glabman RA, Rashmir A.The objectives of this study were to describe the anatomy, histology, and ultrastructure of the equine filum terminale (FT) and to describe the FT in hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA), a model of human Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS). Those humans suffer from tethered cord syndrome (TCS) caused by an abnormally structured FT wherein its attachment at the base of the vertebral column leads to long-term stretch-induced injury to the spinal cord. The pathophysiology of TCS in EDS is poorly understood, and there is a need for an animal model of the condition. Histopathologic and ult...
Wong DM, Young L, Dembek KA.Sepsis is common in foals and several treatments are used to facilitate recovery. Evidence in people suggests an association between low blood concentrations of thiamine, ascorbic acid, and cortisol and sepsis, with further evidence suggesting that administration of hydrocortisone, thiamine, and ascorbic acid may improve outcome. No information is available with regard to these treatments in foals. Objective: To compare blood concentrations of thiamine, ascorbic acid, and cortisol in healthy and ill foals. Methods: Fifteen healthy and 27 ill (septic and sick-nonseptic [SNS]) foals were evaluat...
Straticò P, Guerri G, Palozzo A, Di Francesco P, Vignoli M, Varasano V, Petrizzi L.Capsulitis leads to the release of inflammatory mediators in the joint, causing capsular fibrosis and osteoarthritis (OA). Strain elastosonography (SE) measures the elasticity of tissue by evaluating its strain in operator-dependent deformation. The aims of the study were to assess the feasibility, repeatability, and reproducibility of SE for imaging the distal attachment of the joint capsule (DJC) of metacarpophalangeal joints in sound horses (Group S) and in horses with metacarpophalangeal OA (Group P) and to evaluate differences in the elastosonographic patterns of these horses. After a who...
Millares-Ramirez EM, Lavoie JP.Severe asthma in horses is characterized by structural changes that thicken the lower airway wall, a change that is only partially reversible by current treatments. Increased vascularization contributes to the thickening of the bronchial wall in humans with asthma and is considered a potential new therapeutic target. Objective: To determine the presence of angiogenesis in the bronchi of severely asthmatic horses, and if present, to evaluate its reversibility by treatment with corticosteroids. Methods: Study 1: Bronchial samples from asthmatic horses in exacerbation (7), in remission (7), and a...
Raza F, Babasyan S, Larson EM, Freer HS, Schnabel CL, Wagner B.Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is a key cytokine secreted by type 2 T helper (Th2) cells that orchestrates immune responses during allergic reactions. Human and mouse studies additionally suggest that basophils have a unique role in the regulation of allergic diseases by providing initial IL-4 to drive T cell development towards the Th2 phenotype. Equine Culicoides hypersensitivity (CH) is a seasonal immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic dermatitis in horses in response to salivary allergens from Culicoides (Cul) midges. Here, we analyzed IL-4 production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) o...
Pezzanite L, Chow L, Hendrickson D, Gustafson DL, Russell Moore A, Stoneback J, Griffenhagen GM, Piquini G, Phillips J, Lunghofer P, Dow S....Septic arthritis causes significant morbidity and mortality in veterinary and human clinical practice and is increasingly complicated by multidrug-resistant infections. Intra-articular (IA) antibiotic administration achieves high local drug concentrations but is considered off-label usage, and appropriate doses have not been defined. Using an equine joint model, we investigated the effects of amikacin injected at three different doses (500, 125, and 31.25 mg) on the immune and cartilage responses in tibiotarsal joints. Synovial fluid (SF) was sampled at multiple time points over 24 h, the cell...
Amaral A, Fernandes C, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A, Rebordão MR, Skarzynski DJ, Ferreira-Dias G.Endometrosis is a reproductive pathology that is responsible for mare infertility. Our recent studies have focused on the involvement of neutrophil extracellular traps enzymes, such as elastase (ELA), in the development of equine endometrosis. Noscapine (NOSC) is an alkaloid derived from poppy opium with anticough, antistroke, anticancer, and antifibrotic properties. The present work investigates the putative inhibitory in vitro effect of NOSC on collagen type I alpha 2 chain () mRNA and COL1 protein relative abundance induced by ELA in endometrial explants of mares in the follicular or mid-lu...
Verhaar N, Breves G, Hewicker-Trautwein M, Pfarrer C, Rohn K, Burmester M, Schnepel N, Neudeck S, Twele L, Kästner S.Ischaemic postconditioning (IPoC) has been shown to ameliorate ischaemia reperfusion injury in different species and tissues. Objective: To assess the feasibility of IPoC in equine small intestinal ischaemia and to assess its effect on histomorphology, electrophysiology and paracellular permeability. Methods: Randomised in vivo experiment. Methods: Experimental jejunal ischaemia was induced for 90 min in horses under general anaesthesia. In the control group (C; n = 7), the jejunum was reperfused without further intervention. In the postconditioning group (IPoC; n = 7), reocclusion was im...
Turlo AJ, McDermott BT, Barr ED, Riggs CM, Boyde A, Pinchbeck GL, Clegg PD.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease of the entire joint but the relationship between pathological events in various joint tissues is poorly understood. We examined concurrent changes in bone, cartilage, and synovium in a naturally occurring equine model of joint degeneration. Joints (n = 64) were grossly assessed for palmar/plantar osteochondral disease (POD) in racehorses that required euthanasia for unrelated reasons and assigned a grade of 0 (n = 34), 1 (n = 17), 2 or 3 (n = 13) using a recognized grading scheme. Synovium, cartilage, and subchondral bone were collected for hist...
Hedia M, Ibrahim S, Mahmoud K, Ahmed Y, Ismail S, El-Belely M.Apparently healthy mares with conception failure or embryonic loss may have subclinical endometritis (SE). Our objective was to document evidence of systemic immune responses against SE in mares. In apparently healthy (control) mares as well as those with chronic endometritis (ChE) or subacute suppurative endometritis (SSE), both considered classes of SE, serum concentrations of cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF), chemokines (IL-8), acute phase protein (SAA), and plasma concentrations of prostaglandins (PGF and PGE) were measured using validated enzyme linked immunoassays (EIA). Mixed-bre...
Cameron AD, Even KM, Linardi RL, Berglund AK, Schnabel LV, Engiles JB, Ortved KF.Joint injury can cause posttraumatic inflammation, which if severe enough can lead to posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), a progressive and debilitating condition. Posttraumatic inflammation is characterized by an influx of T lymphocytes and upregulation of inflammatory cytokines and degradative enzymes by activated chondrocytes and synoviocytes. Intra-articular bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC) injection for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) has been of interest due to the immunomodulatory properties of these cells. Interleukin (IL)-10, a potent immunomodulatory cytokine,...
Morini M, Peli A, Rinnovati R, Magazzù G, Romagnoli N, Spadari A, Pietra M.Severe equine asthma (EA) syndrome is a chronic obstructive disease characterized by exaggerated contraction, inflammation, and structural alteration of the airways in adult horses, when exposed to airborne molds and particulate material. However, little is known about the relationship between the degree and type of inflammation on one hand, and the severity of the disease and the response to treatment on the other. Furthermore, to date, very few studies evaluate the diagnostic value of histology and immunohistochemical features of endoscopic biopsies on subjects with severe equine asthma. To ...
Watkins A, Fasanello D, Stefanovski D, Schurer S, Caracappa K, D'Agostino A, Costello E, Freer H, Rollins A, Read C, Su J, Colville M, Paszek M....Lameness is a debilitating condition in equine athletes that leads to more performance limitation and loss of use than any other medical condition. There are a limited number of non-terminal experimental models that can be used to study early inflammatory and synovial fluid biophysical changes that occur in the equine joint. Here, we compare the well-established carpal IL-1β-induced synovitis model to a tarsal intra-articular lavage model, focusing on serial changes in synovial fluid inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and the synovial fluid lubricating molecules lubricin/proteoglycan 4 and hya...
Boakari YL, Esteller-Vico A, Loux S, El-Sheikh Ali H, Fernandes CB, Dini P, Scoggin KE, Cray C, Ball BA.Serum amyloid A (SAA) and Haptoglobin (Hp) are acute phase proteins, produced during inflammation, such as placentitis. In horses, SAA and SAA1 are protein coding genes. Objectives were to analyze SAA and Hp concentrations and relative abundance of SAA, SAA1 and Hp mRNA transcript in maternal and fetal tissues after experimental induction of placentitis or mares of a control group. Serum Amyloid A family proteins were in marked abundance in the stroma of the endometrium and chorioallantois associated with inflammatory cells. Maternal plasma SAA concentrations were greater (P = 0.01) in mares w...
Stewart HL, Engiles JB, Richardson DW, Levine DG.To describe the bactericidal and fungicidal properties of a 0.0005% chlorhexidine (CHD) solution potentiated with EDTA-Tris buffers (CHD-EDTA-Tris) and evaluate the safety of 0.0005% CHD-EDTA-Tris in the upper respiratory tract (URT) of normal horses. Methods: Clinical, prospective study. Methods: Eight healthy, skeletally mature horses. Methods: In vitro-serial dilutions of CHD-EDTA-Tris and EDTA-Tris alone were evaluated for bactericidal and fungicidal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus equi subspecies ssp. equi, Streptococcus equi ...
McGilvray TA, Cardwell JM.Exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is an important condition of horses performing high intensity exercise, with reported prevalence among racehorses of up to 95%, based on the detection of blood on tracheobronchoscopy. Previously identified risk factors include age, sex, season, race type, years spent in racing and lower airway inflammation. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of EIPH in British National Hunt racehorses as indicated by two outcome measures: presence of tracheal blood on tracheobronchoscopy, and presence of moderate-large (significant) proportions of haemosideropha...
Pourali Dogaheh S, Boivin R, Lavoie JP.Severe equine asthma is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness, neutrophilic inflammation and structural alterations of the lower airways. In asthmatic horses with neutrophilic inflammation, there is insensitivity to corticosteroids characterized by the persistence of neutrophils within the airways with therapy. We hypothesized that hypoxia or oxidative stress in the microenvironment of the lung contributes to this insensitivity of neutrophils to corticosteroids in asthmatic horses. Blood neutrophils isolated from horses with severe asthma (N = 8) and from healthy controls (N = 8)...
Taylor SD, Ivester KM, Stewart C, Page AE, Horohov DW, Couetil LL.Immunological mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of mild to moderate equine asthma (MEA) are not completely understood. There are limited data on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood inflammatory cytokine profiles in racehorses with MEA, and the effect of racing on inflammatory cytokines is unknown. Objective: We hypothesized that inflammatory cytokine gene expression in BALF and resting blood would be higher in racehorses with lower airway inflammation compared to healthy controls, and that gene expression in blood collected immediately post-race would be increased compared to r...
Enck KM, Lee KW, McKinney BH, Blankenship KD, Montesano C.It has been demonstrated that immunoglobulin (Ig)E specific for cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCD) is present in the serum of sensitized humans, dogs and cats, and that these CCD-specific antibodies might confound serological testing. Objective: The objective was to determine whether or not CCD-reactive antibodies occur in horses and to investigate the prevalence of CCD-reactive IgE antibodies in equine sera using a monoclonal cocktail-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay designed to detect allergen-specific IgE in horses, and to evaluate a means for successful inhibition of the...
Rockwell H, Mack M, Famula T, Sandmeyer L, Bauer B, Dwyer A, Lassaline M, Beeson S, Archer S, McCue M, Bellone RR.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is characterized by intraocular inflammation that often leads to blindness in horses. Appaloosas are more likely than any other breed to develop insidious ERU, distinguished by low-grade chronic intraocular inflammation, suggesting a genetic predisposition. Appaloosas are known for their white coat spotting patterns caused by the leopard complex spotting allele (LP) and the modifier PATN1. A marker linked to LP on ECA1 and markers near MHC on ECA20 were previously associated with increased ERU risk. This study aims to further investigate these loci and identify a...
King JN, Gerring EL.Post operative ileus (POI) is a common and serious complication of colic surgery in the horse. There is a high correlation between the incidence of POI and the presence of ischaemic bowel, suggesting a role for endotoxin. 0.1 micrograms/kg endotoxin was administered intravenously to six ponies with chronically implanted gastrointestinal electromechanical recording devices. It produced profound disruption of normal fasting bowel motility patterns, with an inhibition of gastric contraction amplitude and rate, left dorsal colon contraction product and small colon spike rate. In the small intestin...
Adams GP, Kastelic JP, Bergfelt DR, Ginther OJ.The incidence of intrauterine fluid collections during dioestrus (12/43, 28%) and uterine cysts throughout the oestrous cycle (11/73, 15%) found in this study indicates that these ultrasonically detectable abnormalities are prevalent in mares. The hypothesis that uterine cysts do not affect pregnancy was not supported. Intrauterine fluid collections at dioestrus represented the presence of an inflammatory process as indicated by a high biopsy score, reduced progesterone concentrations, and a shorter interovulatory interval. Mares with fluid collections at dioestrus had a lower pregnancy rate a...
Tremaine WH, Clarke CJ, Dixon PM.Biopsies collected from 79 referred cases of equine sinonasal disease, including 27 horses with primary sinusitis, 10 with secondary dental sinusitis, 19 with sinus cysts, 11 with progressive ethmoid haematomata (PEH), 4 with false nostril epidermal inclusion cysts, 4 with sinonasal polyps, 3 with sinonasal mycosis and from 2 control animals were examined histologically. Observations were made on epithelial type and integrity, cellular inflammatory response, fibroplasia and presence of potential pathogens. Chronic inflammatory changes including mucosal thickening, ulceration and significant fi...
DePuy T, Howard R, Keegan K, Wilson D, Kramer J, Cook JL, Childers MK.To test the hypothesis that botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) can attenuate lameness associated with acute synovitis in an equine model. Methods: Four horses 2-6 yrs of age with clinically normal carpi were studied for 15 days. Kinematic gait analysis and clinical measures of lameness were conducted before and after experimental interventions. Horses were randomly assigned to either placebo (saline) or treatment (BoNT-A) groups. On day 0 of the intervention, 50 units of BoNT-A or an equivalent volume of saline (0.09%) was given into the middle carpal joints. On day 14, acute synovitis was induce...
Laustsen L, Edwards JE, Hermes GDA, Lúthersson N, van Doorn DA, Okrathok S, Kujawa TJ, Smidt H.Free faecal water (FFW) in equines results in pollution of the hindquarters and tail and can also involve clinical signs. Though the cause of FFW is unknown, it was hypothesized that it may involve the gut microbiota. This hypothesis was addressed as follows. First, the faecal prokaryotic community composition of horses suffering from FFW relative to healthy controls ( = 10) was compared. Second, FFW horses were treated with a standardised faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) protocol ( = 10), followed by assessment of FFW symptom severity and faecal prokaryotic community composition over a...
Eades SC.All cases of laminitis are characterized by failure of the attachment of the epidermal cells of the epidermal laminae to the underlying basement membrane of the dermal laminae despite the diversity of diseases that underlie the syndrome. The preponderance of evidence supports roles for inflammation, metabolic derangement, endothelial and venous dysfunction, and matrix degradation as causes of laminitis. Inflammation, oxidant stress, and matrix degradation may be factors common to each of these mechanisms that lead to the laminar damage of laminitis. The understanding of the pathophysiology and...
Leblanc MM.Most equine infertility cases can be solved with a methodical, thorough physical and reproductive examination and appropriate diagnostic laboratory aids. Repeated examinations may be needed in some cases to identify subtle anatomical abnormalities or irregularities between hormonal and physiological relationships of the reproductive tract. For pregnancy to occur, hormonal signaling must be exquisitely synchronized with physical changes of the reproductive tract and deposition of fertile semen in the uterus. Asynchrony of these events, infection, inflammation, previous trauma to the reproductiv...
de Souza MV, Silva MB, Pinto Jde O, Lima MB, Crepaldi J, Lopes GF, dos Santos HB, Ribeiro RI, Thomé RG.This study evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of type I (COL I) and III (COL III) collagens during the healing process of skin treated with leukocyte-poor platelet-rich plasma (LP-PRP). Seven healthy gelding crossbred horses aged 16 to 17 years were used. Two rectangle-shaped wounds were created surgically in the right and left gluteal regions. Twelve hours after wound induction, 0.5 mL of the LP-PRP was administered in each edge of the wounds of one of the gluteal regions. The contralateral region was used as control (CG). Three samples were obtained: after wound induction (T0), 1...
Arroyo LG, Stämpfli HR, Weese JS.Duodenitis-proximal jejunitis (DPJ) is an idiopathic condition in the horse characterized by inflammation and oedema of the duodenum and proximal jejunum. Clinical signs include colic, ileus, depression, fluid accumulation in the small intestine and stomach, and endotoxaemia. The objective of this study was to investigate prospectively the role of Clostridium difficile in this idiopathic disease. Nasogastric reflux from 10 consecutive cases with DPJ and 16 consecutive horses with other causes of nasogastric reflux was cultured for C. difficile, other Clostridium spp., and Salmonella. Toxigenic...
Hellberg W, Mellor PS, Torsteinsdóttir S, Marti E.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is an IgE-mediated allergic dermatitis of horses caused by bites of insects such as Culicoides or Simulium spp. The aim of the present study was to compare the IgE-binding pattern of sera of IBH-affected horses to Culicoides nubeculosus and Simulium vittatum salivary gland extracts (SGE). Individual IgE responses to proteins of S. vittatum and C. nubeculosus SGEs were evaluated in 15 IBH-affected and three healthy horses on immunoblots. Fourteen out of the 15 IBH-affected but none of the healthy horses showed individual IgE binding patterns to seven and six m...
Longworth KE.Pulmonary intravascular macrophages are an important part of the mononuclear phagocyte system in some species of mammals, mainly sheep and other ruminants, pigs, and horses. These cells phagocytize foreign particles, cell debris and pathogens that pass through the pulmonary circulation. Species with intravascular macrophages localize intravenously injected tracer particles and bacteria predominantly in the lung rather than the liver, and exhibit pulmonary hypertension when these cells are activated. Both in vivo and in vitro studies show that pulmonary intravascular macrophages have distinct s...
Stack JD, Cousty M, Steele E, Handel I, Lechartier A, Vinardell T, David F.Synovial fluid analysis is utilized to diagnose septic synovitis. However, not all cases are clearly and rapidly discernible with the diagnostic tools available in the laboratory. Serum amyloid A (SAA), an acute phase protein, has been shown to be elevated in synovial fluid from inflamed synovial structures. The goal of this study is to describe the correlation between two diagnostic tests measuring equine SAA levels in septic and non-septic synovial structures and to understand the correlation between an elevated SAA result and synovial sepsis. Prospective estimation of sensitivity (Se) and s...
Tyler CM, Davis RE, Begg AP, Hutchins DR, Hodgson DR.Case records of 450 horses with signs of neurological disease are reviewed. One hundred and nineteen horses with neurological disease due to trauma were examined, of which 60 were due to spinal cord trauma, 47 to brain or cranial nerve trauma and 12 to peripheral nerve trauma. Cervical vertebral fractures/trauma were the most common injury. Basisphenoid/basioccipital bone fractures were the most common form of cranial trauma and facial nerve paralysis the most common cranial nerve injury. Eighty-nine horses with neurological disease due to malformation were examined. Cervical vertebral malform...
Tomlinson JE, Wilder BO, Young KM, Blikslager AT.To examine the effects of flunixin meglumine and etodolac treatment on recovery of ischemic-injured equine jejunal mucosa after 18 hours of reperfusion. Methods: 24 horses. Methods: Jejunum was exposed to 2 hours of ischemia during anesthesia. Horses received saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (12 mL, i.v., q 12 h), flunixin meglumine (1.1 mg/kg, i.v., q 12 h), or etodolac (23 mg/kg, i.v., q 12 h). Tissue specimens were obtained from ischemic-injured and nonischemic jejunum immediately after ischemia and 18 hours after recovery from ischemia. Transepithelial electric resistance (TER) and transepithel...
Bond SL, Hundt J, Léguillette R.Mild equine asthma is a common inflammatory airway disease of the horse. The primary treatment of mild equine asthma is corticosteroids. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of injected dexamethasone on relative IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p35, IL-17, IL-23, IFN-γ, Eotaxin-2 and TNF-α mRNA expression in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in healthy Thoroughbred horses (n = 6), and those with mild equine asthma (n = 7). Results: Horses with mild equine asthma had a significantly greater bronchoalveolar lavage mast cell percentage than healthy horses...
Tóth F, Frank N, Chameroy KA, Bostont RC.Insulin resistance (IR) is a risk factor for pasture-associated laminitis in equids and alimentary carbohydrate overload may trigger laminitis. Whether glucose metabolism responses to carbohydrate overload are more pronounced in insulin-resistant horses requires further study. Objective: Horses pretreated with endotoxin to alter insulin sensitivity differ significantly in their glucose and insulin responses to carbohydrate overload. Methods: Horses (n=24) were divided into 3 groups. A lipopolysaccharide (LPS; n=8) group that received endotoxin as an 8 h 7.5 ng/kg bwt/h i.v. continuous rate inf...
Machado TS, Correia da Silva LC, Baccarin RY, Michelacci YM.Alternative methods to evaluate the joint condition in asymptomatic osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) and other joint diseases may be useful. Objective: To investigate possible changes in synovial fluid composition that may lead to joint conditions in asymptomatic OCD, in mature horses. Methods: Animals aged >2 years, of different breeds, with OCD in the intermediate ridge of distal tibia, symptomatic or not, were studied. Synovial fluid samples (10 healthy; 11 asymptomatic OCD; 25 symptomatic OCD) were collected by arthroscopy from 29 horses. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were analysed by a comb...
Muller S, Grzybowski M, Sager H, Bornand V, Brehm W.This report describes a case of nodular posthitis caused by Halicephalobus gingivalis in a 24-year-old warmblood horse. Macroscopic examination revealed a multinodular, partially ulcerated mass on the external lamina of the prepuce. Nematode migration from unfixed biopsy material in phosphate-buffered saline revealed adult nematodes with the typical morphological features of H. gingivalis: distinctive rhabditiform oesophagus with corpus, isthmus and bulb and the dorsoflexed ovary. The main histopathological features consisted of submucosal confluent granulomatous foci containing cross- and tan...
Ranjithkumar M, Saravanan BC, Yadav SC, Kumar R, Singh R, Dey S.Trypanosoma evansi infection typically produces wasting disease, but it can also develop into a neurological or meningoencephalitis form in equids. Trypanosomiasis in horses was treated with quinapyramine sulfate, and all the 14 infected animals were recovered clinically. After clinical recovery, four animals developed a neurological form of the disease at various intervals. Two of these animals treated with diminazene aceturate recovered temporarily. Repeated attempts failed to find the parasite in the blood or the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but all of the animals were positive in enzyme-link...
Fietz S, Bondzio A, Moschos A, Hertsch B, Einspanier R.The aim of this study was to develop a specific myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity assay in the synovial fluid of horses and investigate whether MPO activity is increased in different forms of joint diseases. Synovial fluid samples were taken from affected joints from horses with osteoarthritis, chronic non-septic arthritis and septic arthritis, and from healthy control horses. MPO activity was measured using a specific modified o-dianisidine-assay containing 4-aminobenzoic acid hydrazide as a potent and specific inhibitor of the MPO. This assay is characterized by high reproducibility. The result...
Jasiński T, Zdrojkowski Ł, Kautz E, Juszczuk-Kubiak E, Ferreira-Dias G, Domino M.Endometrosis is an important mares' disease which considerably decreases their fertility. As classic endometrial classification methods might be insufficient for tissue pathological evaluation, further categorization into active/inactive and destructive/non-destructive types was developed by Hoffmann and others. This study aimed to compare NF-κB pathway genes transcription among histopathological types of endometrosis, following Hoffmann and co-authors' classification. Endometrial samples, collected postmortem from cyclic mares ( = 100) in estrus or diestrus, were classified histologically an...
Lasarzik de Ascurra J, Ehrle A, Einspanier R, Lischer C.Autologous conditioned serum (ACS) is commonly used for the treatment of human and equine osteoarthritis (OA). The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of incubation time and incubation tube on concentrations of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in ACS of horses with and without OA. Blood samples of 7 control horses and 6 horses with naturally occurring OA were obtained. The concentration of serum IL-1ra, IL-1β, and IGF-1 was determined after 12, 24, and 36 hours of incubation using commercial ...
Crawford C, Sepulveda MF, Elliott J, Harris PA, Bailey SR.Pasture-induced laminitis in the horse is associated with the overconsumption of fermentable carbohydrate, in the form of simple sugars, fructans, or starch. The fermentation of carbohydrate in the cecum and large intestine results in the production of lactic acid and other toxins or "laminitis trigger factors." Vasoactive amines have been suggested as possible initiating factors. The aim of this study was to feed a commercially available form of fructan carbohydrate (inulin, 3 g/kg of BW per day) to normal ponies and to ponies predisposed to laminitis, to mimic a change from a basal hay diet ...
Frisbie DD, McIlwraith CW.Joint disease in horses and in humans is a significant social and economic problem and continued research and improvements in therapeutics are needed. Because horses have naturally occurring osteoarthritis that is similar to that of humans, the horse was chosen as a species to investigate gene transfer as a potential therapeutic modality for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Using an established model of equine osteoarthritis, the therapeutic effects resulting from overexpression the equine interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene sequence through adenoviral mediated gene transfer was investigate...
Gregg AJ, Fortier LA, Mohammed HO, Mayr KG, Miller BJ, Haupt JL.To evaluate the effects of interleukin (IL)-1beta on proteoglycan metabolism in equine cartilage explants when cultured in the presence of synoviocytes. Methods: Samples of cartilage and synovium collected from the femoropatellar joints of three 2- to 3-year-old horses. Methods: 3 experimental groups were established: cartilage explants only, synoviocytes only, and cartilage explants-synoviocytes in coculture. In each group, samples were cultured with or without IL-1beta (10 ng/mL) for 96 hours. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content of cartilage and medium samples was measured by use of a spectropho...
Mönki J, Saastamoinen M, Karikoski N, Rajamäki M, Raekallio M, Junnila J, Särkijärvi S, Norring M, Valros A, Oranen Ben Fatma S, Mykkänen A.Bedding materials affect stable air hygiene, and thus the development and exacerbation of equine asthma. There is limited knowledge concerning the effects of different types of bedding material on equine lower airway inflammation. The objective of our study was to investigate the effects of bedding materials on respiratory signs, tracheal mucus score, and lower airway cytology in healthy adult horses. The study design was a prospective controlled study, and the subjects were healthy adult riding school horses (n = 32) from a single stable. Wood shavings were compared to peat, which was used as...
Relave F, David F, Leclère M, Alexander K, Hélie P, Meulyzer M, Lavoie JP, Marcoux M.To validate the use of the LigaSure™ Vessel Sealing System (LVSS) to perform thoracoscopic lung tissue biopsies in heaves-affected horses. Methods: Prospective clinical study. Methods: Heaves-affected horses (n=12). Methods: Lung biopsies (n=34) were collected with the LVSS (2-4 biopsies/horse) in horses with and without clinical signs of heaves. Thoracoscope (13th intercostal space [ICS]) and 2 instruments (between the 12-15th ICS) portals were used. Selected clinical and arterial blood gas variables were monitored. Postoperative pneumothorax was evaluated. Depth of thermal injury to the su...
Hulliger MF, Pacholewska A, Vargas A, Lavoie JP, Leeb T, Gerber V, Jagannathan V.Severe equine asthma is an incurable obstructive respiratory condition affecting 10-15% of horses in temperate climates. Upon exposure to airborne antigens from hay feeding, affected horses show neutrophilic airway inflammation and bronchoconstriction, leading to increased respiratory effort. The resulting implications range from welfare concerns to economic impacts on equestrian sports and horse breeding. Immunological and pathophysiological characteristics of severe equine asthma show important parallels with allergic and severe neutrophilic human asthma. Our study aimed at investigating reg...
von Rechenberg B, Guenther H, McIlwraith CW, Leutenegger C, Frisbie DD, Akens MK, Auer JA.To define the release of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and the neutral metalloproteinases (NMPs) in horses with subchondral cystic lesions (SCL) and to study bone resorption triggered by conditioned media of fibrous tissue of SCL in vitro. Methods: Equine explant cultures of fibrous tissue of SCL, and synovial membrane and articular cartilage of normal horses and horses affected with moderate and severe osteoarthritis were performed. NO, PGE2, and NMP concentrations of media samples were measured, and osteoclast formation and activation was studied in vitro. Methods: Experiment 1...
