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.
Boone LH, Epstein K, Cremer J, Rogers A, Foutz T, Quandt J, Howerth E, Mueller PO.To compare tensile strength, failure location, and histologic features after acute repeat celiotomy through a ventral median (RVM) or a right ventral paramedian (RVP) celiotomy in horses. Methods: Ex vivo experimental study. Methods: Adult horses (N = 18). Methods: Twelve adult horses had original ventral median (OVM) celiotomy. Repeat celiotomy was performed 72 hours postoperatively through the original ventral median (RVM, N = 6) or a RVP (N = 6) celiotomy. Celiotomies were scored daily for edema, drainage, and dehiscence. Fourteen days after repeat celiotomy, horses were eutha...
Alonso Jde M, Alves AL, Watanabe MJ, Rodrigues CA, Hussni CA.Intra-abdominal adhesions constitute a significant clinical and surgical problem that can lead to complications such as pain and bowel occlusion or subocclusion. These adhesions are frustrating and potentially fatal, representing a major postoperative complication in abdominal surgery. It is estimated that 32% of horses undergoing laparotomy will present clinical symptoms due to adhesions, but the true prevalence is not known because a large proportion of animals with postoperative recurrent colics are medically treated or submitted to euthanasia without necropsy. Adhesions are highly cellular...
Kaur N, Townsend H, Lohmann K, Marques F, Singh B.Rhodococcus equi establishes long-term pulmonary infection, survives in phagolysosomes of alveolar macrophages and causes pneumonia in foals. The failure of the foal to clear R. equi bacteria is believed to be due to its inability to produce IFN-γ and defects in Toll-like receptor(TLR) signaling. Lipid rafts sequester immune receptors such as TLRs and facilitate efficient cell signaling and therefore, a deficiency in accumulation of receptors in lipid rafts may result in failure to activate. We tested whether a Virulence Associated Protein A (VapA)/CpG vaccine against R. equi would impact the...
Todhunter KH, Cawdell-Smith AJ, Bryden WL, Perkins NR, Begg AP.Pregnant mares were experimentally exposed to whole caterpillar or exoskeleton of the Processionary caterpillar (Ochrogaster lunifer) via gavage. Tissues were collected from resulting abortions and near or full-term pregnancies consisting of 13 aborted fetuses, 3 fetuses from treated euthanized mares, membranes of 5 foals, and organs from 3 foals. Three control membranes and 1 control fetus and membranes were examined. Caterpillar setal fragments were present in the allantochorion of the 3 fetuses from the euthanized mares and 11 of 12 aborted fetuses (92%) embedded in the chorion (villi or st...
Co C, Vickaryous MK, Koch TG.Ongoing research is aimed at increasing cartilage tissue yield and quality from multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) for the purpose of treating cartilage damage in horses. Low oxygen culture has been shown to enhance chondrogenesis, and novel membrane culture has been proposed to increase tissue yield and homogeneity. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the effect of reduced oxygen and membrane culture during in vitro chondrogenesis of equine cord blood (CB) MSC. Methods: CB-MSC (n = 5 foals) were expanded at 21% oxygen prior to 3-week differentiation in membrane or...
Baccarin RY, Rasera L, Machado TS, Michelacci YM.Osteoarthritis (OA) of the metacarpophalangeal joint is the most common articular disease in polo ponies leading to early retirement. A biomarker that would discriminate between pathological and physiological changes secondary to exercise could be helpful in OA prevention. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of polo training on synovial fluid biomarkers of inflammation and cartilage turnover in polo ponies of different skill levels. Synovial fluid samples were collected from metacarpophalangeal joints of polo ponies before and during the polo season (320 d). Nucleated cells, s...
Henríquez C, Perez B, Morales N, Sarmiento J, Carrasco C, Morán G, Folch H.Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is an equine immune-mediated disease with a high incidence worldwide. The aim of this work was to contribute to the understanding of RAO pathogenesis by studying T cells bearing regulatory markers in peripheral blood (PB) and in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) recovered from the same group of susceptible horses before and after exposure to moldy hay, which has been shown to induce RAO signology in our horse herd. With this purpose, mononuclear cells were obtained from the BALF and PB from horses before and after antigenic challenge and were stained with f...
Pirie RS.Recurrent airway obstruction is a widely recognised airway disorder, characterised by hypersensitivity-mediated neutrophilic airway inflammation and lower airway obstruction in a subpopulation of horses when exposed to suboptimal environments high in airborne organic dust. Over the past decade, numerous studies have further advanced our understanding of different aspects of the disease. These include clarification of the important inhaled airborne agents responsible for disease induction, improving our understanding of the underlying genetic basis of disease susceptibility and unveiling the fu...
Dakin SG, Smith RK, Heinegård D, Önnerfjord P, Khabut A, Dudhia J.During inflammatory processes the extracellular matrix (ECM) is extensively remodeled, and many of the constituent components are released as proteolytically cleaved fragments. These degradative processes are better documented for inflammatory joint diseases than tendinopathy even though the pathogenesis has many similarities. The aims of this study were to investigate the proteomic composition of injured tendons during early and late disease stages to identify disease-specific cleavage patterns of the ECM protein cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP). In addition to characterizing fragme...
Smith KM, Pucket JD, Gilmour MA.To describe a reproducible technique for intrastromal injection in the standing horse for treatment of corneal stromal abscessation. Methods: A retrospective clinical study addressing the history, treatment, and outcome of six equids (six eyes) that received intrastromal voriconazole injection. Methods: Equids having a deep stromal abscess suspected to be of fungal origin were administered intrastromal injection of 5% voriconazole solution under standing sedation in an effort to bring about enhanced resolution of clinical disease. Results: Intracorneal administration of 5% voriconazole solutio...
Williams A, Smith JR, Allaway D, Harris P, Liddell S, Mobasheri A.Arthritic diseases are characterized by the degradation of collagenous and noncollagenous extracellular matrix (ECM) components in articular cartilage. The increased expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is partly responsible for cartilage degradation. This study used proteomics to identify inflammatory proteins and catabolic enzymes released in a serum-free explant model of articular cartilage stimulated with the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 1β (IL-1β). Western blotting was used to quantify the release of selected proteins in the presence or absence of the cyc...
Capomaccio S, Vitulo N, Verini-Supplizi A, Barcaccia G, Albiero A, D'Angelo M, Campagna D, Valle G, Felicetti M, Silvestrelli M, Cappelli K.The horse is an optimal model organism for studying the genomic response to exercise-induced stress, due to its natural aptitude for athletic performance and the relative homogeneity of its genetic and environmental backgrounds. Here, we applied RNA-sequencing analysis through the use of SOLiD technology in an experimental framework centered on exercise-induced stress during endurance races in equine athletes. We monitored the transcriptional landscape by comparing gene expression levels between animals at rest and after competition. Overall, we observed a shift from coding to non-coding regio...
Todhunter KH, Cawdell-Smith AJ, Bryden WL, Perkins NR, Begg AP.Six pregnant Standardbred mares aged between 6 and 14 years were gavaged with 50 g or 100 g of suspended emulsified whole Processionary caterpillars (Ochrogaster lunifer) for 5 days during 2 experiments undertaken to study the etiology of equine amnionitis and fetal loss (EAFL). The 6 treated mares and 1 untreated mare were between 128 and 252 days gestation. Mare 1 (untreated) was euthanized on day 5 of the treatment period, while the treated mares were euthanized on days 2, 4, 8, 10, 12, and 24 days from their first treatment. Caterpillar setae were not found in the untreated mare. Setal fra...
Lavoie-Lamoureux A, Martin JG, Lavoie JP.Neutrophils are the predominant cells recruited in the airways of horses suffering from heaves. These cells have been shown to express arginase in some species. The metabolism of l-arginine is thought to be involved in chronic inflammation, and airway obstruction and remodeling. The aim of this study was to assess the expression, regulation, activity, and functional role of arginase isoforms in equine neutrophils. Arginase I, arginase II, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) expression were assessed in resting and stimulated (IL-4, LPS/fMLP, PMA; 5 and 18 h) blood...
Olive J, Lambert N, Bubeck KA, Beauchamp G, Laverty S.To ultrasonographically quantify experimentally induced effusion of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint of horses and compare results with those obtained with palpation. Methods: 8 forelimbs from equine cadavers and forelimbs of 5 mares. Methods: Preliminary ex vivo experiments were performed to validate the methods. Then, the DIP joints of the forelimbs of standing horses were serially distended with saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (1, 4, and 10 mL) by injection through an intra-articular catheter. Two ultrasonographers measured distension of the dorsal recess of the DIP joint, and 2 surgeons,...
Tóth F, Schumacher J, Schramme MC, Hecht S.To evaluate the effects of sequential anesthesia of the individual compartments of the equine stifle joint on lameness induced by intra-articular deposition of interleukin (IL)-1β. Methods: 6 horses. Methods: For each horse, baseline hind limb lameness was first evaluated. A randomly selected compartment of 1 stifle joint was then injected with IL-1β to induce synovitis and lameness; subsequently, the same compartment was anesthetized with 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride, and lameness was reevaluated. Two weeks later, baseline lameness was evaluated, and lameness was similarly induced; thereaft...
Shaba JJ, Behan Braman A, Robinson NE.In many inflammatory diseases plasma cortisol concentration (CORT) increases at the onset of acute inflammation, but the situation in recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) of horses is unknown. Methods: Split-plot repeated measures design with one grouping factor (disease) and two repeated factors (day and 3-hour intervals). Objective: To test the hypothesis that CORT increases as acute exacerbations of RAO develop. Methods: Four RAO-susceptible and 4 control horses were placed in a low dust environment (LDEnv) for 2 days followed by 2 days in a high dust environment (HDEnv). Exacerbations of RAO...
Cauchard S, Bertrand F, Barrier-Battut I, Jacquet S, Laurentie M, Barbey C, Laugier C, Deville S, Cauchard J.Rhodococcus equi is the most common infectious cause of mortality in foals between 1 and 6 months of age. Because of an increase in the number of antibiotic-resistant strains, the optimization of a prophylactic strategy is a key factor in the comprehensive management of R. equi pneumonia. The objectives of this study were to assess the safety and immunogenicity of R. equi-secreted proteins (ReSP) co-administered with either the nanoparticular adjuvant Montanide™ IMS 3012 VG, or a new polymeric adjuvant Montanide™ PET GEL A, and to further investigate the most immunogenic proteins for subse...
Carvalho AM, Yamada AL, Golim MA, Álvarez LE, Hussni CA, Alves AL.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been used to treat equine tendonitis with promising results; however, little is known about the potential migration of these cells. Objective: To assess the possible migration of MSCs from an implantation site in the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) to a lesion in the SDFT of the contralateral limb. Methods: In vivo experimental study. Methods: Adipose-derived MSCs were isolated from 4 healthy horses. Lesions were induced in the SDFTs of both forelimbs, followed by intralesional implantation of autologous adipose-derived MSCs labelled with nanocrystal...
Gama A, Elias J, Ribeiro AJ, Alegria N, Schallig HD, Silva F, Santarém N, Cardoso L, Cotovio M.The first case of cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse from the north of Portugal, with a 1.5 cm in diameter ulcerated nodular lesion on the left face, is reported. The skin nodule was surgically excised and assessed by histopathology, including an immunohistochemistry method applied for the first time to equine tissues which clearly demonstrated leishmanial amastigote forms. Two serological determinations with the direct agglutination test performed 13 months apart showed seroconversion specific for Leishmania from a <25 to a 200 antibody titre. Polymerase chain reaction followed by kinetopl...
Higler MH, Brommer H, L'Ami JJ, de Grauw JC, Nielen M, van Weeren PR, Laverty S, Barneveld A, Back W.Multiple in vitro studies assessing articular tissues have indicated that glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate may possess anti-inflammatory effects, but little is known of their clinical effects in vivo. Many old horses have stiff joints, which is likely to be attributable to inflammation and therapy with these nutraceutical compounds could improve joint function. Objective: To assess the clinical effects of a mixed supplement on the improvement of stiff gait in aged horses. Methods: Randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled study. Methods: A group of 24 geriatric equids (age 29 ± 4 years; mea...
Dyson S.Nuclear scintigraphic examination of equine athletes has a potentially important role in the diagnosis of lameness or poor performance, but increased radiopharmaceutical uptake (IRU) is not necessarily synonymous with pain causing lameness. Nuclear scintigraphy is highly sensitive to changes in bone turnover that may be induced by loading and knowledge of normal patterns of RU is crucial for accurate diagnosis. Blood pool images can be useful for identification of some soft tissue injuries, although acute bone injuries may also have intense IRU in blood pool images. Some muscle injuries may be...
Kullmann A, Holcombe SJ, Hurcombe SD, Roessner HA, Hauptman JG, Geor RJ, Belknap J.Recent research suggested that prophylactic digital cryotherapy (ICE) improved lameness scores, diminished histological changes and early laminar inflammatory signalling in horses following oligofructose administration. In clinical practice, horses at risk for sepsis-associated laminitis receive ICE. Evidence to support this practice is lacking. Objective: To determine factors associated with development of laminitis in horses diagnosed with colitis, including ICE. Methods: Multicentre retrospective case series. Methods: Medical records for horses admitted to 2 university hospitals diagnosed w...
van den Top JG, Harkema L, Ensink JM, Barneveld A, Martens A, van de Lest CH, van Weeren PR, Gröne A.Penile and preputial papilloma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are commonly diagnosed in horses. Papillomas have the potential to progress to potentially lethal SCC. Knowledge of pathogenetic mechanisms may help in prevention and definition of treatment targets. Methods: Retrospective study using archived material. Objective: To determine the expression of cyclo-oxygenase 1 (COX-1), cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) in penile and preputial normal tissue, papilloma and SCC in horses, and whether expression of these enzymes is influenced by degree of...
Bruynsteen L, Erkens T, Peelman LJ, Ducatelle R, Janssens GP, Harris PA, Hesta M.In humans, adipose tissue (AT) originating from different depots shows varying gene expression profiles. In horses, the risk of certain metabolic disorders may also be influenced by the impact of specific AT depots. Macrophage infiltration in human and rat AT is considered to be a source of inflammatory changes. In horses, this relationship has not been extensively studied yet. Reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), a useful method to evaluate differences in mRNA expression across different tissues, can be used to evaluate differences between equine A...
Crowley J, Po E, Celi P, Muscatello G.Oxidative stress (OS) is most simply defined as an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants. Oxidative stress has been suggested to play roles in various equine respiratory diseases and the significance of OS in the pathogenesis of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia is unknown. Objective: To measure and relate biomarkers of OS to lesions consistent with R. equi pneumonia. Methods: Case-control study. Methods: Various OS biomarkers were measured from blood and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples collected from 26 foals between 1 and 2 months of age (n = 12 cases and n = 14 controls) on 2 Thoro...
Bolfa P, Nolf M, Cadoré JL, Catoi C, Archer F, Dolmazon C, Mornex JF, Leroux C.EIA (Equine Infectious Anemia) is a blood-borne disease primarily transmitted by haematophagous insects or needle punctures. Other routes of transmission have been poorly explored. We evaluated the potential of EIAV (Equine Infectious Anemia Virus) to induce pulmonary lesions in naturally infected equids. Lungs from 77 EIAV seropositive horses have been collected in Romania and France. Three types of lesions have been scored on paraffin-embedded lungs: lymphocyte infiltration, bronchiolar inflammation, and thickness of the alveolar septa. Expression of the p26 EIAV capsid (CA) protein has been...
Yu AA.Equine Pastern Dermatitis (EPD) is not a single disease, but a cutaneous reaction pattern of the horse. EPD should be considered a syndrome, rather than a diagnosis. Uncovering the underlying etiology prior to treatment is key to minimizing treatment failures and frustration. To achieve a positive therapeutic outcome, treating the predisposing and perpetuating factors is just as important as addressing the primary cause of EPD. This article reviews clinical signs, differential diagnoses, diagnosis, and treatment of EPD.
Rosenkrantz W.Pemphigus foliaceus is the most common autoimmune skin disease in horses and is associated with the production of autoantibodies directed against surface proteins of the keratinocyte. Pemphigus vulgaris is a rare autoimmune skin disease in horses. Systemic lupus erythematosus and cutaneous lupus erythematosus are recognized in horses and both are rare. Bullous pemphigoid is a rare autoimmune disease in horses caused by immunologic attack of the basement membrane zone by autoantibodies. Erythema muliforme is an immunologic reaction in the skin in which keratinocyte cell death is the prominent c...
MacKay RJ, Clark CK, Logdberg L, Lake P.To determine the efficacy of polymyxin B-dextran 70 (PBD) for treatment of endotoxemic horses. Methods: 15 horses during study 1 and 6 horses during study 2. Methods: 3 groups were used in study 1. Horses in groups 1 and 2 were given 30 ng of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/kg of body weight, IV, over 60 minutes. Horses in group 3 were given saline (0.9% NaCl) solution. Beginning 15 minutes before LPS infusion and continuing for 75 minutes, horses in groups 1 and 3 were given PBD, IV. Horses in group 2 were given dextran 70. Blood samples were obtained for hemograms and determination of cytokine, lac...
Kaneps AJ.Regenerative medicine therapies have become significant tools for treatment of joint, soft tissue, and a variety of other conditions in animals and humans. Regenerative medicine aims to restore form and function of injured tissues using the body's own resources such as cells, fluids (ie, plasma and serum), and their resulting anti-inflammatory and prohealing cytokines. Platelet-rich plasma and other hemoderivatives have application for joint disorders such as osteoarthritis, cartilage injury, synovitis, and soft tissue injuries. These therapies achieve anti-inflammatory and healing effects wit...
Lavoie JP, Harnagel SH.A small tear in the urinary bladder of a severely debilitated 4-day-old foal was managed with an indwelling urinary catheter connected to a urine collecting system. Fluid therapy, parenteral nutrition, and antimicrobial agents were used during the initial management of the ruptured bladder. Aseptic technique for catheter care and systemic administration of antimicrobial agents prevented the development of bacterial cystitis. Catheter management required constant monitoring, but the bladder defect was sealed within 5 days. Fungal arthritis caused by Candida tropicalis, immune-mediated anemia, d...
Wilson ME, Berney C, Behan AL, Robinson NE.Lidocaine decreases neutrophilic inflammation in models of acute lung injury and decreases inflammation in asthmatic patients. Neutrophilic bronchiolitis develops in recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), but it remains unknown if lidocaine infusion decreases neutrophil migration into the airways. Objective: Lidocaine decreases neutrophilic inflammation as measured in BALF in RAO-affected horses. Methods: Six RAO-susceptible horses in remission. Methods: In a randomized cross-over design, horses received lactated Ringer's solution (LRS) IV or lidocaine hydrochloride IV with a minimum of 4 weeks a...
Schneeweiss W, Puggioni A, David F.Diagnosis and treatment of pathologies involving synovial structures in the shoulder region are technically difficult. Ultrasound-guided (UG) injection techniques have been shown to be highly accurate, safe and reliable for various structures in human and equine patients. Objective: To develop easy-to-use and reliable UG injection techniques for the infraspinatus bursa (IB), bicipital bursa (BB) and scapulohumeral joint (SHJ) and to compare them with conventional 'blind' methods. Methods: Eight pairs of equine shoulders were positioned on a computed-tomography (CT) table with left and right sh...
Edwards RB, Fubini SL.Five Holstein calves and two foals with omphalophlebitis were treated by surgical marsupialization of the umbilical vein remnant because complete resection of the infected tract was not possible. The infected umbilical stalk was resected, and the umbilical vein remnant was marsupialized in a one-stage procedure by suturing it into the abdominal wall lateral to the abdominal incision. Antimicrobial drugs were administered, and the marsupialized tract was irrigated until closure by second intention healing. Cellulitis associated with the marsupialization site occurred in two calves but resolved ...
Newman JC, Prange T, Jennings S, Barlow BM, Davis JL.The objectives of this study were to examine the pharmacokinetics of tobramycin in the horse following intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), and intra-articular (IA) administration. Six mares received 4 mg/kg tobramycin IV, IM, and IV with concurrent IA administration (IV+IA) in a randomized 3-way crossover design. A washout period of at least 7 days was allotted between experiments. After IV administration, the volume of distribution, clearance, and half-life were 0.18 ± 0.04 L/kg, 1.18 ± 0.32 mL·kg/min, and 4.61 ± 1.10 h, respectively. Concurrent IA administration could not be...
Collinet A, Grimm P, Jacotot E, Julliand V.Large intestine barrier disturbances can have serious consequences for the health of horses. The loss of mucosal integrity that leads to increased intestinal permeability may result from a local inflammatory immune response following alterations of the microbiota, known as dysbiosis. Therefore, our research aimed to identify noninvasive biomarkers for studying the intestinal permeability and the local inflammatory immune response in horses. Regarding the biomarkers used in other mammalian species, we measured the concentrations of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), reflected by 3-OH C14, C16, and C18 ...
Menozzi A, Pozzoli C, Zullian C, Poli E, Serventi P, Bertini S.The effects of preferential µ (morphine), selective µ (fentanyl), selective κ (compound U69593) opioid receptor agonists, and nonselective (naloxone) and selective µ (naloxonazine) antagonists on equine small intestinal motility were evaluated in vitro. Samples of circular muscle from equine jejunum were placed in isolated organ baths and drug-induced modifications of both spontaneous and electrically evoked contractile activity were measured. None of the opioid agonists induced a significant change in spontaneous contractions. Fentanyl and U69593 reduced electrically induced contractions,...
Wagner AL, Urschel KL, Betancourt A, Adams AA, Horohov DW.To determine the effects of advanced age on whole-body protein synthesis and activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in skeletal muscle of horses. Methods: Six 22- to 26-year-old (aged) and six 7- to 14-year-old (mature) horses. Methods: Whole-body protein synthesis was measured with a 2-hour primed constant infusion of (13)C sodium bicarbonate, followed by a 4-hour primed constant infusion of 1-(13)C phenylalanine. After the infusions, a biopsy specimen was obtained from a gluteus medius muscle and activation of protein kinase B (Akt), p70 riboprotein S6 kin...
Malinowski K, Kearns CF, Guirnalda PD, Roegner V, McKeever KH.Effects of longitudinal exercise training and acute intensive exercise (simulated race test) on immune function have not been reported in horses. Clenbuterol, a beta2-adrenergic agonist, is used to manage inflammatory airway disease in horses. This study investigated the interaction of 8 wk of exercise training with or without 12 wk of clenbuterol administration in horses. Twenty-three untrained standardbred mares (10 +/- 3 yr, Mean +/- SE) were used and divided into four experimental groups. Horses given clenbuterol plus exercise (CLENEX; n = 6) and clenbuterol alone (CLEN; n = 6) received 2....
Visser MB, Pollitt CC.The timing of lamellar basement membrane (BM) changes occurring during laminitis development is incompletely understood. Objective: To determine the temporal progression of lamellar BM changes and whether laminin-332 (Ln-332) γ2 cleavage products are generated during laminitis development. Methods: Eight clinically normal Standardbred horses were allocated into treatment (n = 5) or sham (n = 3) groups. The treatment group received, via nasogastric intubation, an oligofructose (OF) bolus (10 g/kg bwt) while the sham group was given water. Laminitis induction proceeded for 48 h followed by euth...
Costa LR, Eades SC, Venugopal CS, Moore RM.Summer pasture-associated recurrent airway obstruction (SPA-RAO), a seasonal airway obstructive disease of horses, is characterized by clinical exacerbation after exposure to pasture during warm months of the year. Endothelin (ET)-1, potent bronchoconstrictor, mitogen, secretagogue, and proinflammatory mediator, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma and equine heaves. Objective: Immunoreactive ET-1 concentrations increase during clinical exacerbation and return to basal values during periods of disease remission. Methods: Twelve horses, 6 affected with SPA-RAO and 6 nonaffected. Me...
Davis JL.In summary, peritonitis in the horse is a potentially life-threatening disease that must be treated promptly and aggressively. Therapy should be aimed at reducing systemic shock and hypovolemia, correction of the primary cause, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory therapy, and abdominal drainage and lavage. The prognosis depends on the ability to diagnose and treat the underlying cause and prevent the development of complications. Mortality rates can be as high as 59.7%, with horses developing postoperative peritonitis having a 56% mortality rate. Long-term complications like adhesion formation or...
Chand N, Eyre P.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs inhibit the biosynthesis of kinins and prostaglandins and stabilize leukocyte lysosomal membranes. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs also weakly block the biosynthesis of histamine and serotonin, and pharmacologically antagonize kinins, prostaglandins and slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs effectively control both cardiovascular and respiratory manifestations of hypersensitivity in cattle and horses. This, coupled with the contrasting lack of effectiveness of "antiamine" drugs, suggests that bio-amines such as hi...
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...
Schöniger S, Böttcher D, Theuß T, Schoon HA.Endometrial epithelial cells form a luminal barrier and are exposed to pathogens and non-infectious antigens. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) mediate pathogen defenses and tissue homeostasis, but are also involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and fibrosing alterations. Endometrial diseases are important causes of subfertility in mares. The pathogenesis of some types of persistent inflammation and periglandular fibrosis (endometrosis) is unknown. The aim of this study was to compare by in situ and in vitro immunohistochemistry the expression of TLRs 2, 4 and 6 in equine endometrial epithelial...
Gilger BC, Yang P, Salmon JH, Jaffe GJ, Allen JB.To determine whether a chemokine (RANTES)-like protein expressed by ciliary epithelium plays a role in uveitis. Methods: 3 clinically normal horses intradermal, 5 eyes from 5 horses with recurrent uveitis, and 10 normal eyes from 5 age- and sex-matched horses. Methods: Cross-reactivity and sensitivity of recombinant human (rh)-regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) protein were evaluated in horses by use of intradermal hypersensitivity reactions and a chemotaxis assay. Aqueous humor and ciliary body of eyes from clinically normal horses and horses with uveitis...
Limone LE.Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH) is a progressive, painful disease, affecting incisors, canines, and cheek teeth. Examination findings include gingival inflammation, gingival recession and/or hyperplasia, subgingival swelling, bulbous enlargement of teeth, associated periodontal disease, pathologic tooth fracture, and/or tooth mobility and loss. Current hypotheses include biomechanical stresses and secondary bacterial involvement. Early recognition allows case management, but it is a progressive disease. Owner education is crucial; horses with complete or multi...
Joyce J, Hendrickson DA.To compare pain responses in stallions undergoing standing laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy following intratesticular or mesorchial infiltration of lidocaine. Methods: Clinical trial. Methods: 20 stallions with 1 or 2 undescended testes. Methods: Standing horses were administered a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and a caudal epidural injection of detomidine hydrochloride and underwent laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy. The undescended testis (1/horse) was grasped to determine the preoperative pain response (present vs absent) and assess severity of pain (by use of a visual analog scale [VAS])....
Bourebaba L, Zyzak M, Sikora M, Serwotka-Suszczak A, Mularczyk M, Al Naem M, Marycz K.Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) deteriorated expression has been recently strongly correlated to increased level of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and insulin resistance, which are typical manifestations of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). Despite previous reports demonstrated the potential therapeutic application of SHBG for liver-related dysfunctions, whether SHBG might modulate equine adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (EqASCs) metabolic machinery remains unknown. Therefore, we evaluated for the first time the impact of SHBG protein on metabolic changes in ASCs isolated from hea...
Martineau H, Thompson H, Taylor D.High numbers of racehorses in training are reported to have gastric ulceration. Gross lesion scoring systems exist, but there is no fixed protocol with which to record gastric microscopic findings. In man, the histological classification of stomach lesions helps in the identification of recognised and emerging aetiologies of gastric disease and aids accurate comparison of findings between studies. In horses, the development of such a system would therefore be of benefit. Objective: To develop a pathological scoring system that can be applied to examine samples of the equine stomach at biopsy a...
Lescun TB, Adams SB, Wu CC, Bill RP, Van Sickle DC.To determine the effects of a continuous intra-articular infusion of gentamicin on the synovial membrane and articular cartilage in the tarsocrural joint of horses. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: A balloon infusion system attached to a catheter placed in the plantarolateral pouch of both tarsocrural joints in each horse was used for continuous gentamicin solution (GM) or balanced electrolyte solution (BES) delivery for 5 days. Cartilage and synovial membrane specimens were collected on day 5 from 3 horses and on day 14 from the remaining 3 horses. Both infused joints from each horse...
Morris DD, Moore JN, Crowe N, Moldawer LL.A study was conducted to determine whether serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) activity increased in horses during experimentally induced endotoxemia and whether serum IL-6 activity correlated to changes in clinical or laboratory data. Six clinically normal horses were given endotoxin IV (30 ng/kg of body weight) in 0.9% NaCl solution over 1 hour. Five of these and 1 additional horse served as controls and were given only 0.9% NaCl solution. Venous blood, for determination of serum IL-6 activity and WBC count, was collected before and at various times through 8 hours after the start of endotoxin or NaC...
Beaumont RE, Smith EJ, Zhou L, Marr N, Thorpe CT, Guest DJ.We investigated how Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) impacts equine tenocyte function and global gene expression in vitro and determined if these effects could be rescued by pharmacologically inhibiting nuclear factor-κB (NF-B) or interleukin 1 signalling. Equine superficial digital flexor tenocytes were cultured in three-dimensional (3D) collagen gels and stimulated with IL-1β for two-weeks, with gel contraction and interleukin 6 (IL6) measured throughout and transcriptomic analysis performed at day 14. The impact of three NF-B inhibitors on gel contraction and IL6 secretion were measured in 3D ...
Lane JG, Longstaffe JA, Gibbs C.The clinical and radiographic features of 15 cases of paranasal sinus cysts are described. Breed, sex and side frequency were unremarkable but two distinct categories of age incidence emerged. Onset of signs had occurred before one year of age in three cases, while all but two of the remaining 12 animals were older than nine years. The most common clinical signs were nasal airway obstruction, facial swelling and nasal discharge, often occurring in combination. Radiographic changes were recorded in all horses. Sinus opacification was a consistent finding and in several cases the bone surroundin...
Sullins KE, White NA, Lundin CS, Dabareiner R, Gaulin G.Treatments addressing variously theorised pathophysiological mechanisms of small intestinal adhesions have been reported. This study applied those classes of treatments to the most clinically relevant aetiology of post operative adhesions. Objective: Treatments addressing the pathophysiology of ischaemia-reperfusion induced adhesions would accordingly reduce the incidence of adhesions from this model. Methods: Four classes of treatments were administered for 72 h to 16 foals subjected to complete ischaemia followed by reperfusion to create peritoneal adhesions. These groups were: 1) FPG group-...
Davis EG, Rush BR, Blecha F.Immunomodulation with Propionibacterium acnes is used for prophylaxis of respiratory disease or in horses suffering from chronic pulmonary inflammation; however, the mechanism for this response is poorly understood. Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assays were used to evaluate gene expression of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-10, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and NK-lysin in healthy horses treated with P. acnes. Findings in the study indicated that horses treated with a P. acnes-based immunomodulator exhibited increased IFN-gamma and NK-lysin gene expression in peripheral blo...
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...
Roberto da Costa RP, Costa AS, Korzekwa AJ, Platek R, Siemieniuch M, Galvão A, Redmer DA, Silva JR, Skarzynski DJ, Ferreira-Dias G.Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in prostaglandin secretion and angiogenesis in the reproductive system. In the present study, the roles of the NO donor spermine NONOate and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF; as a positive control) in prostaglandin production and angiogenic activity of equine endometria during the oestrous cycle were evaluated. In addition, the correlation between NO production and the expression of key prostaglandin synthase proteins was determined. The protein expression of prostaglandin F synthase (PGFS) increased in early and mid-luteal stages, whereas that of pro...
