Laboratory methods in equine research encompass a variety of techniques and procedures used to analyze biological samples from horses to study health, disease, genetics, and physiology. These methods include hematological analyses, biochemical assays, molecular biology techniques, and microbiological cultures. Commonly utilized laboratory techniques involve blood tests for complete blood count (CBC) and serum chemistry, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for genetic and infectious disease studies, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for detecting specific proteins or antibodies. These methods provide valuable data that contribute to understanding equine health and disease mechanisms. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the application, development, and outcomes of laboratory methods in the context of equine research.
Stapley ED, Bertin FR.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction is diagnosed using immunoreactive ACTH concentrations. Glass reportedly binds ACTH, but the clinical relevance of using glass blood tubes for measuring equine ACTH concentrations is controversial. This study investigates whether the collection of whole blood into glass EDTA tubes and storage for up to 6 hours changes ACTH concentrations compared to plastic EDTA tubes. Unassigned: This was a cohort study. Whole blood was collected into both glass and plastic EDTA tubes from 9 horses > 12 years of age, including 4 with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction a...
Abah KO, Ligocka-Kowalczyk Z, Itodo JI, Ameh G, Partyka A, Nizanski W.Accurately predicting male fertility is crucial for the animal breeding industry due to its significant economic implications. Existing literature suggests that mammalian fertility is partially dependent on sperm DNA integrity. However, routine semen analysis often fails to detect DNA damage and does not consistently correlate with field fertility outcomes. While assessing sperm DNA integrity provides valuable biological insights, its role in diagnosing animal infertility remains uncertain. Results: This meta-analysis evaluated the association between sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) and fertilit...
Marchi S, Amodeo D, Peccetti B, De Palma I, Messina G, Montomoli E, Trombetta CM.Influenza D virus (IDV) is a novel influenza virus, first isolated from swine with influenza-like symptoms in the USA in 2011. To date, IDV circulation has been reported in various animal species such as cattle, pigs, horses with the ability to expand its range of hosts. UV radiation has been widely used for the disinfection of various sources such as water, air, and surfaces, especially in places at greater risk of contamination by viruses and bacteria, such as hospitals and health facilities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential virucidal effect of a violet-blue light against ...
Kawanishi N, Kinoshita Y, Reedy SE, Garvey M, Kambayashi Y, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Yamanaka T, Cullinane A, Chambers TM, Nemoto M.Equine influenza virus (EIV) is one of the most important pathogens causing respiratory signs in equids. Rapid antigen detection (RAD) kits are useful for point-of-care testing because they are user-friendly and provide fast results. Although sensitive and broad-reactive RAD kits are needed for controlling horse movement, no RAD kits specified for EIV are available. Objective: This study evaluated the usefulness of seven RAD kits originally developed for human influenza and available in Japan during 2023-2024 for EIV antigen detection. Methods: Experimental assay comparison. Methods: The detec...
There are four genotypes of ovine papillomaviruses (OaPVs): OaPV1, OaPV2, and OaPV4, which are ovine delta papillomaviruses responsible for epithelial and mesenchymal cell infections, and OaPV3, an epitheliotropic Dyokappapapillomavirus associated with cutaneous tumors in sheep, including squamous cell carcinoma. Vaginal swabs of healthy mares were evaluated for the presence of PVs to investigate whether the vaginal virobiota of asymptomatic mares harbored OaPVs. High-performance digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) was used to quantitatively detect OaPV types 1-4 DNA in 94 vagina...
Brito LFC.Semen analysis is an important laboratory diagnostic test for stallions. Evaluation of sperm motility is integral to basic semen analysis and results are important for breeding management and clinical practice. Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) allows objective sperm motility evaluation and increases analytical precision. The objective of the present study was to validate a portable CASA system (AndroScope). Fresh/cooled semen samples (33 ejaculates, 18 stallions) and frozen semen (40 ejaculates and one epididymal flush, 27 stallions) were evaluated using the AndroScope and the IVOS II C...
Wagner JCP, Edwards M, Trivedi S, Minter LJ, Ange-van Heugten K.Microquantity laboratory procedures (<5 mL) are often used to analyze milk from non-bovid or less common species due to limited available samples and small sample sizes, unlike the large quantities of milk needed for macroquantity (~20 mL) assays standard in the commercial dairy industry. To better understand microquantity milk laboratory analyses, quarter horse () milk from North Carolina State University (females = 4, n = 43) and California Polytechnic State University (females = 4, n = 42) equine centers was compared to investigate differences in macronutrient composition from 4 to 130 d...
Pipereau K, Trably E, Santa-Catalina G, García-Bernet D, Carrere H.This study focuses on thermal and non-thermal effects of microwave pretreatment on horse dung as indigenous inoculum before xylose and wheat straw fermentation, emphasizing metabolite production and microbial community changes. Two horse dung microwave pretreatments (MW40°C and MW95°C) were compared with a conventional thermal pretreatment (Th95°C) and an unpretreated condition (Ctrl). Microwave heating pretreatment (MW95°C) leads to similar production as a conventional thermal pretreatment (Th95°C) for xylose and wheat straw fermentation while MW40°C treatment was similar to the control...
Akköse M.Foals, that receive poor-quality colostrum, are exposed to a risk of failure of transfer of passive immunity. The Brix refractometer can be used for the estimation of the immunoglobulin (IgG) concentration of mare colostrum, yet there is a scarce literature available on Brix refractometer thresholds for use in the detection of mare colostra with high and low IgG concentrations. Objective: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the Brix refractometer in determining mare colostra with IgG concentrations of <50g/L, <60g/L, >80g/L, >100g/L and >125g/L. Methods: Two hundred and seven...
Wilkins PA, Wong D, Slovis NM, Collins N, Barr BS, MacKenzie C, De Solis CN, Castagnetti C, Mariella J, Burns T, Perkins G, Delvescovo B, Sanchez LC....Sepsis has been defined in humans as the concurrent proven or suspected presence of microbial infection and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Sepsis is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal foals. The clinical utility of using SIRS or its individual components to predict infection and mortality in critically ill foals is currently unknown. Objective: Assess the ability of history and signalment, clinical findings, laboratory results, and SIRS-related indices to predict infection and mortality in critically ill foals. Methods: Retrospective, multi-center, cr...
Bindi F, Nocera I, Meucci V, Vallesi G, Sala G, Spadari A, Rinnovati R, Bonelli F, Sgorbini M.This study investigated the plasma concentrations of symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in healthy horses and in horses affected by colic in relation to the type of colic and systemic inflammation response syndrome (SIRS) status. Upon admission (T0), horses underwent a physical examination, and the SIRS status was assessed. The horses with colic were divided retrospectively based on the type of colic, SIRS status, treatment, and outcome. SDMA and ADMA levels were measured at T0 and then every 24 h at four time points (T1, T2, T3, T4). Differences between ...
Kintz P, Baudry M, Gheddar L.Trazodone, a medicine registered for human, is a serotonin agonist-antagonist. At low dose, the drug is sedative due to its antagonist properties. At high dose, it is an agonist with anxiolytic and antidepressant actions. Trazodone can be administered to the horse to reduce anxiety. However, according to the anti-doping rules for horses, the presence of trazodone in blood or urine is considered as a violation which will produce a suspension of both the athlete and the horse as the drug is listed banned on the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities prohibited substances list. As a ...
Cullinane A, Nelly M, Dayot L, Lukaseviciute G, Garvey M, Healy J, Gallagher R.This study describes a comparison of the detection of rotavirus in clinical samples from foals using two commercially available rapid antigen detection (RAD) kits, with the detection of rotavirus nucleic acid via a laboratory-based, in-house, real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. One hundred and forty freeze-thawed samples (70 that were RT-PCR-positive and 70 that were RT-PCR-negative on original tests) submitted to the diagnostic laboratory over a seven-year period were tested in addition to 123 fresh samples (15 RT-PCR-positive and 108 RT-PCR-negative) sub...
Roccaro M, Rinnovati R, Stucchi L, La Rocca F, Cascio G, Peli A.Doping in racehorses is a threat to horse welfare and the integrity of the sport. Despite its relevance, the literature on the prevalence of anti-doping violations worldwide is limited. Objective: To analyse anti-doping violations in racehorses in Italy. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Methods: Data on horse races, anti-doping testing, and confirmed violations between 2014 and 2022 were collected and analysed. Positivity rates, most common drug classes and parent drugs, and differences between trotting and galloping horses were investigated. Results: During the considered 9-year ti...
Toy S, Black SR, Pastor AR, Whiteside DP.Acute phase proteins (APPs) are commonly used in domestic equine practice, where they rise rapidly in response to inflammation and decrease soon after resolution. This response provides useful information to identify, monitor, and prognosticate a variety of inflammatory conditions. Asian wild horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) are an endangered relative of the domestic horse, and APP reference intervals (RI) and clinical utility in this species are not well documented. This study used serum samples from clinically healthy Asian wild horses under managed care to establish RI for serum amyloid A (...
Fujimoto R, Kuchida M, Ban-Tokuda T, Matsui H.The equine large intestine harbors a diverse array of symbiotic microorganisms. Disruptions in the gut microbiota can lead to various diseases in horses. Probiotics offer promising avenues for enhancing equine health and performance. However, commercial formulations lack robust scientific validation. This study aimed to isolate and identify Lactobacillaceae and Bifidobacterium spp. from horse feces to explore their potential as probiotics. Fecal samples from Thoroughbred horses were subjected to isolation procedures. Lactic acid-producing bacteria were isolated using specific media and identif...
Felix MR, Dobbie T, Woodward E, Linardi R, Okada C, Santos R, Hinrichs K.We recently reported successful equine IVF using fresh semen pre-incubated for a prolonged period (22 h) before co-culture with oocytes. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of equine IVF with frozen-thawed sperm and evaluated capacitation-related changes in these sperm over the pre-incubation period. Sperm selected via a commercial sperm separation device (SSD) yielded significantly higher fertilization than did sperm selected by swim-up or by colloid centrifugation. Using the SSD method, fertilization rates with sperm pre-incubated for 15 min, 3 h, 6 h, and 9 h were 7.1, 22.2, 38...
Matinpour M, Zettner N, Neumann K, Bäumer L, Burkovski A.Horses have close interactions with humans and are important as working animals and livestock. In contrast to smaller companion animals like cats and dogs, there is only little information available about their skin microbiome. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize the culturable cutaneous microbiome of healthy horses. Samples were taken from 14 horses from Southern Germany which were randomly enrolled in this study. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was used as a method to detect the culturable microorganisms of ...
Nolen-Walston RD, Kulp JC, Stefanovski D, van Eps AW.Hyperinsulinemia is an important and treatable risk factor for laminitis in horses. Objective: Evaluate the Tosoh AIA-360 automated fluorescence enzyme immunoassay for the measurement of serum insulin concentrations in horses, and compare it to five other immunoassays for insulin quantification. Methods: One hundred serum samples from 83 horses were submitted for insulin measurement. Methods: The Tosoh AIA-360 was assessed against a reference assay (radioactive immunoassay; RIA). Using the same samples, TOS-FEIA, ELISA, and three chemiluminescent immunoassays (CLIA) were assessed for correlati...
Mota-Rojas D, Whittaker AL, Coria-Avila GA, Martínez-Burnes J, Mora-Medina P, Domínguez-Oliva A, Hernández-Avalos I, Olmos-Hernández A....The growing interest in managing and recognizing pain in animals has led to the search for more sensitive methods to evaluate it, especially because some species conceal any visible changes associated with pain or are not easily assessed. Research has shown that an animal's facial expression changes when exposed to painful stimuli. Thus, developing several pain scales (grimace scales) in species such as horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, donkeys, rabbits, rats, mice, and cats has helped to improve the study of pain in veterinary medicine. The possibility of using facial expression as an indicator of...
Bouverat VMA, Naef J, Dolf G, Lamon I, Sage SE, Gerber V.Organic dust from hay is a primary trigger of equine asthma. Objective: (1) To introduce a novel hay-shaker (HS) device for standardised hay dust generation, enabling simultaneous measurements of various particulate matter (PM) size fractions. (2) To compare these measurements with those in the horse's breathing zone (BZ) to assess the influence of environmental and individual factors. Methods: Comparative experimental study. Methods: A HS generating dust was developed. Total dust (PMT) and size fractions (PM1, PM2.5, PM4 and PM10, representing particle size in μm) were measured from 50 hay s...
Tsujimura K, Bannai H, Kambayashi Y, Nemoto M, Ohta M.Equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EqAHV1; Orthoherpesviridae, Varicellovirus equidalpha1) spreads by viremia to susceptible organs. Because EqAHV1 circulates in the bloodstream in a cell-associated manner, serum samples are not considered valuable for detecting EqAHV1 and have therefore not been tested by highly sensitive detection methods such as real-time PCR (rtPCR). We investigated whether EqAHV1 could be detected by this method in equine serum samples. We performed rtPCR on archived sera and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from 3 horses experimentally inoculated with EqAHV1. ...
Long S, Maleas G, Belacic ZA, Quam VG, Durgam S.To analyze the cellular, growth factor, and cytokine composition of equine sternal bone marrow aspirate (BMA) and laboratory-centrifuged BMA concentrate (BMAC). Unassigned: This was an in vitro experimental study. Cellular composition, growth factors (IGF-I, VEGF, PDGF, TGF-β1), and cytokines (IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-1 receptor antagonist protein [IL-1Ra]) were quantified using a standard automated hematology analyzer and ELISA methods, respectively, in donor-matched BMA, BMAC (in-house centrifugation protocol), whole blood, and platelet-rich plasma (E-PET; Pall...
Frontiers in geneticsFebruary 27, 2025
Volume 16 1534461 doi: 10.3389/fgene.2025.1534461
Barber AM, Kingsley NB, Peng S, Giulotto E, Bellone RR, Finno CJ, Kalbfleisch T, Petersen JL.The Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes (FAANG) consortium aims to annotate animal genomes across species, and work in the horse has substantially contributed to that goal. As part of this initiative, chromatin immunoprecipitation with sequencing (ChIP-seq) was performed to identify histone modifications corresponding to enhancers (H3K4me1), promoters (H3K4me3), activators (H3K27ac), and repressors (H3K27me3) in eight tissues from two Thoroughbred stallions: adipose, parietal cortex, heart, lamina, liver, lung, skeletal muscle, and testis. The average genome coverage of peaks identified by...
Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Bieniek A, Ropka-Molik K, Bellone RR.Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) has been connected to the leopard complex spotting phenotype (LP) in various horse breeds. CSNB associated with LP is thought to be caused by a 1378 bp insertion in TRPM1, with homozygotes being nightblind and having few to no spots of pigment in their white patterned area. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of CSNB alleles in tarant-colored horses in Poland through a three-primer system for an allele-specific Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The TRPM1 gene insertion was genotyped in 221 horses belonging to Małopolska, Felin and Shetland Pon...
Lösle M, Lin CW, Beil-Wagner J, Aebi M, Buch T.Equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) is a widely used hormone that synchronizes the female cycle and induces estrus in livestock. eCG is a heterodimeric glycoprotein composed of non-covalently linked α- and β-chains whose glycosylation profiles determine the in vivo activity of the hormone. The commercially available eCG products are crudely purified from the serum of pregnant mares, hence called pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG). Appropriate glycosylation of the protein is crucial for the correct binding to the receptor, receptor activation, and its half-life. The exact protein composi...
MacMillan KM, Burns JJ, John E, Clancey N, Stull JW.Decreased total T4 (tT4) concentrations are frequently observed in racing Standardbred horses lacking clinical evidence of hypothyroidism. This poses a diagnostic challenge as primary hypothyroidism is reported to be rare in adult horses. Despite this, owners frequently wish to administer thyroid supplementation to horses having low tT4 concentrations. Forty racing Standardbred horses were sampled. Baseline tT4 concentrations were determined using human-based (equine) and canine-based chemiluminescent assays. Dynamic evaluation of tT4 was performed using a thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) s...
Adler DMT, Nielsen AT, Olsen C, Verwilghen D, Damborg P, Olsen RH.To investigate the in vitro efficacy of antibiotics (amikacin, ceftiofur, and gentamicin) in combination with local anesthetics (LAs; bupivacaine hydrochloride, lidocaine hydrochloride, and mepivacaine hydrochloride), a combination commonly performed for IA injectate and regional limb perfusion (RLP) in horses. Unassigned: 17 equine clinical isolates were tested by the checkerboard method for their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against a combination of concentrations of LAs and antibiotics from August 2020 through December 2023. Unassigned: For the majority of combinations, the antibi...
Skurková L, Matulníková L, Peťková B, Florian M, Slivková M, Lešková L, Mesarčová L, Kottferová J.This study aimed to assess the seasonal changes of the cortisol concentrations in horsehair (HCC), as an indicator of long-term or chronic stress. Hair samples were taken four times throughout one year from 12 horses (aged from 1.5 to 30 years), and analysed by the ELISA method. The sampling interval (interval between two collections of the samples representing two different seasons) ranged between 102-115 days. Seasonal dynamics have been confirmed with a pattern: August ˃ November ˃ January ˃ April (F (3.93) = 50.28, P < 0.001). The lowest cortisol concentrations were detected in A...
Faulk C.Sequencing a genome by students has now become practical as we demonstrated with our recent publication of the Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) genome. In this review, I describe my experience teaching genome assembly in the classroom. In my course, students sequenced, assembled, and published a high-quality genome for Przewalski's horse using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing with only $4000 of materials. Along with the genome, we assembled the mitochondrial genome, sequence variants, predicted gene annotations, and DNA methylation levels. Our genome statistics far exceeded the...
Blitvich BJ, Bowen RA, Marlenee NL, Hall RA, Bunning ML, Beaty BJ.We evaluated the ability of epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to detect West Nile virus (WNV) antibodies in domestic mammals. Sera were collected from experimentally infected horses, cats, and pigs at regular intervals and screened in ELISAs and plaque reduction neutralization tests. The diagnostic efficacies of these techniques were similar.
Constable PD.The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation and Stewart's strong ion model are currently used to describe mammalian acid-base equilibria. Anomalies exist when the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation is applied to plasma, whereas the strong ion model does not provide a practical method for determining the total plasma concentration of nonvolatile weak acids ([Atot]) and the effective dissociation constant for plasma weak acids (Ka). A simplified strong ion model, which was developed from the assumption that plasma ions act as strong ions, volatile buffer ions (HCO-3), or nonvolatile buffer ions, indicates th...
Textor JA, Tablin F.To investigate and compare clinically relevant Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) activation methods. Methods: Experimental. Methods: PRP was prepared from 6 equine subjects. Activation of the PRP was performed by 4 methods (autologous thrombin, bovine thrombin, calcium chloride (CaCl(2) ), or freeze-thaw). The resultant PDGF-BB (where PDGF is platelet-derived growth factor) and TGFβ1 (where TGFβ is transforming growth factor beta) levels in PRP releasates were quantified by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared. Growth factor contents were also compared between platelet-rich clots ...
Gray WL, Baumann RP, Robertson AT, Caughman GB, O'Callaghan DJ, Staczek J.The regulation of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) transcription was examined in infected rabbit kidney cells using metabolic inhibitors. In order to map EHV-1 immediate early, early, and late transcripts, viral RNA was 32P-labeled in vivo and hybridized to EHV-1 DNA restriction fragments immobilized on nitrocellulose filters. Immediate early viral RNA was mapped to one region of the viral genome within the inverted repeat DNA sequences (map units 0.78-0.83 and 0.95-1.0). Northern blot hybridization analysis using a 32P-labeled cloned DNA probe from this region identified a single immediate e...
Whalley JM, Robertson GR, Davison AJ.The genome of an Australian isolate of equine herpesvirus type 1 (equine abortion virus) has been analysed using the restriction endonucleases EcoRI, BglII and BamHI, and a physical map constructed. Terminal fragments were identified by exonuclease treatments, and linkage of fragments was deduced by a combination of single- and double-digest experiments and cross-blot hybridizations. The genome has a mol. wt. of 100 x 10(6) and is comprised of a short unique region bounded by repetitive sequences, which is present in both orientations in approximately equal amounts in the DNA population, and a...
Hierholzer JC, Stone YO, Broderson JR.Reference equine antisera to all 47 serotypes of human adenoviruses presently described have been prepared and evaluated by reciprocal neutralization and hemagglutination-inhibition tests. All tests were carried to endpoint dilutions a minimum of five times in each direction to give accurate values for homologous and heterologous antibody titers. Significant cross-reactions in the horse antisera were compared to similar data obtained from rabbit antisera. Using this analysis, major antigenic relationships exist among types 12-18-31 of subgenus A, types 7-11-14 and 34-35 of subgenus B, types 8-...
Janvilisri T, Scaria J, Thompson AD, Nicholson A, Limbago BM, Arroyo LG, Songer JG, Gröhn YT, Chang YF.Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive, spore-forming enteric anaerobe which can infect humans and a wide variety of animal species. Recently, the incidence and severity of human C. difficile infection has markedly increased. In this study, we evaluated the genomic content of 73 C. difficile strains isolated from humans, horses, cattle, and pigs by comparative genomic hybridization with microarrays containing coding sequences from C. difficile strains 630 and QCD-32g58. The sequenced genome of C. difficile strain 630 was used as a reference to define a candidate core genome of C. difficile a...
Tkachuk-Saad O, Prescott J.Fifty-four strains of Rhodococcus equi from different clinical sources (mainly horses and pigs) were examined for their plasmid content by two screening methods. Plasmids were detected in 49 of 54 strains. A plasmid of approximately 80 kb was isolated from 21 of 22 isolates from horses and 20 of 28 isolates from pigs, and a 105-kb plasmid was isolated from 7 of 28 isolates from pigs. The 80-kb plasmid was significantly associated with strains of equine rather than porcine origin, and the 105-kb plasmid was significantly associated with strains of porcine origin. The type strain, ATCC 6939, con...
Melnick JL, Rennick V, Hampil B, Schmidt NJ, Ho HH.This paper describes the preparation of 8 dried pools (designated A to H) of sera. Each pool is composed of 10 or 11 of 42 individual enterovirus equine sera and contains 500 antibody units of each serum component per 0.1 ml. Procedures for using the antiserum pools are given, and guidance is provided for interpreting the results of serum neutralization tests in identifying field isolates.
Adler CP, Friedburg H, Herget GW, Neuburger M, Schwalb H.DNA content, ploidy level, cell size and nuclear number were investigated in 54 mammalian hearts from nine species. DNA content was determined biochemically and ploidy level of cells was studied by the means of Feulgen cytophotometry. Nuclear number was calculated by a new method, while cell size was determined by using ocular micrometry. In most mammals diploid cell nuclei predominate. Higher ploidy levels were found in the human and the pig hearts. The total amount of DNA correlated with the myocardial weight. Eight million heart muscle cell nuclei were found in mice (myocardial weight 160 m...
Ross PF, Rice LG, Plattner RD, Osweiler GD, Wilson TM, Owens DL, Nelson HA, Richard JL.Ninety-eight samples of feeds associated with 44 cases of equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM) and 83 samples of feed associated with 42 cases of a porcine pulmonary edema syndrome (PPE) were analyzed for fumonisin B1 (FB1). For comparison purposes, 51 feed samples not associated with PPE or ELEM were also analyzed. Feed associated with ELEM contained FB1 ranging from less than 1 microgram/g to 126 micrograms/g with 75% of the cases having at least 1 sample above 10 micrograms/g. Feeds associated with PPE ranged from less than 1 microgram/g to 330 micrograms/g with 71% of the cases having at le...
Smith RH, Caughman GB, O'Callaghan DJ.Use of the translation-inhibiting drug cycloheximide has indicated that the equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) immediate-early (IE) gene, the sole EHV-1 IE gene, encodes a major viral regulatory protein since IE mRNA translation is a prerequisite for all further viral gene expression (W.L. Gray, R. P. Baumann, A. T. Robertson, G. B. Caughman, D. J. O'Callaghan, and J. Staczek, Virology 158:79-87, 1987). An EHV-1 IE gene expression vector (pSVIE) in combination with chimeric EHV-1 promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter constructs was used in transient transfection assays to charact...
Raudsepp T, Frönicke L, Scherthan H, Gustavsson I, Chowdhary BP.Human chromosome specific libraries (CSLs) were individually applied to equine metaphase chromosomes using the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique. All CSLs, except Y, showed painting signals on one or several horse chromosomes. In total 43 conserved chromosomal segments were painted. Homoeology could not, however, be detected for some segments of the equine genome. This is most likely related to the very weak signals displayed by some libraries, rather than to the absence of similarity with the human genome. In spite of divergence from the human genome, dated 70-80 million yea...
Miller TL, Lin C.Formal nomenclature is proposed for five methanogens, isolated from horse, pig, cow, goose and sheep faeces, that represent four novel species of the genus Methanobrevibacter. The four species, Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii sp. nov., Methanobrevibacter thaueri sp. nov., Methanobrevibacter woesei sp. nov. and Methanobrevibacter wolinii sp. nov., are distinguished from each other by a lack of genomic DNA reassociation and from previously described members of the genus on the basis of differences in the sequences of the 16S rRNA genes.
Fernandes F, Chen K, Ehrlich LS, Jin J, Chen MH, Medina GN, Symons M, Montelaro R, Donaldson J, Tjandra N, Carter CA.Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate [PI(4,5)P(2) ], the predominant phosphoinositide (PI) on the plasma membrane, binds the matrix (MA) protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) with similar affinities in vitro. Interaction with PI(4,5)P(2) is critical for HIV-1 assembly on the plasma membrane. EIAV has been shown to localize in internal compartments; hence, the significance of its interaction with PI(4,5)P(2) is unclear. We therefore investigated the binding in vitro of other PIs to EIAV MA and whether intracellular association with comp...
Strauss EJ, Goodrich LR, Chen CT, Hidaka C, Nixon AJ.Chondral defects may lead to degradative changes in the surrounding cartilage, predisposing patients to developing osteoarthritis. Objective: To quantify changes in the biomechanical and biochemical properties of the articular cartilage adjacent to chondral defects after experimental defect repair. Methods: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Specimens were harvested from tissue within (lesion), immediately adjacent to, and at a distance from (remote area) a full-thickness cartilage defect 8 months after cartilage repair with genetically modified chondrocytes expressing insulin-like growth f...
Harder A, Schmitt-Wrede HP, Krücken J, Marinovski P, Wunderlich F, Willson J, Amliwala K, Holden-Dye L, Walker R.There are three major classes of anthelmintics for veterinary use: the benzimidazoles/prebenzimidazoles, the tetrahydropyrimidines/imidazothiazoles, and the macrocyclic lactones. In nematodes, there are five targets for the existing anthelmintics: the nicotinergic acetylcholine receptor which is the target of tetrahydropyrimidines/imidazothiazoles and indirectly that of the acetylcholineesterase inhibitors; the GABA receptor which is the target of piperazine, the glutamate-gated chloride channel as the target of the macrocyclic lactones, and beta-tubulin as the target of prebenzimidazoles/benz...
Threadgill DS, Steagall WK, Flaherty MT, Fuller FJ, Perry ST, Rushlow KE, Le Grice SF, Payne SL.The putative dUTPase domain was deleted from the polymerase (pol) gene of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) to produce a recombinant delta DUpol Escherichia coli expression cassette and a delta DU proviral clone. Expression of the recombinant delta DUpol polyprotein yielded a properly processed and enzymatically active reverse transcriptase, as determined by immunoblot analysis and DNA polymerase activity gels. Transfection of delta DU provirus into feline (FEA) cells resulted in production of virus that replicated to wild-type levels in both FEA cells and fetal equine kidney cells. In con...
Endimiani A, Hujer KM, Hujer AM, Bertschy I, Rossano A, Koch C, Gerber V, Francey T, Bonomo RA, Perreten V.We investigated whether Acinetobacter baumannii isolates of veterinary origin shared common molecular characteristics with those described in humans. Methods: Nineteen A. baumannii isolates collected in pets and horses were analysed. Clonality was studied using repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). PCR and DNA sequencing for various β-lactamase, aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme, gyrA and parC, ISAba1 and IS1133, adeR and adeS of the AdeABC efflux pump, carO porin and class 1/2/3 integron genes were performed. Results: Two main clones [A (n =...
Stephens RM, Derse D, Rice NR.We isolated and characterized six cDNA clones from an equine infectious anemia virus-infected cell line that displays a Rev-defective phenotype. With the exception of one splice site in one of the clones, all six cDNAs exhibited the same splicing pattern and consisted of four exons. Exon 1 contained the 5' end of the genome; exon 2 contained the tat gene from mid-genome; exon 3 consisted of a small section of env, near the 5' end of the env gene; and exon 4 contained the putative rev open reading frame from the 3' end of the genome. The structures of the cDNAs predict a bicistronic message in ...
Yang F, Fu B, O'Brien PC, Nie W, Ryder OA, Ferguson-Smith MA.We have made a complete set of painting probes for the domestic horse by degenerate oligonucleotide-primed PCR amplification of flow-sorted horse chromosomes. The horse probes, together with a full set of those available for human, were hybridized onto metaphase chromosomes of human, horse and mule. Based on the hybridization results, we have generated genome-wide comparative chromosome maps involving the domestic horse, donkey and human. These maps define the overall distribution and boundaries of evolutionarily conserved chromosomal segments in the three genomes. Our results shed further lig...
O'Rourke K, Perryman LE, McGuire TC.Equine infectious anaemia virus is related by genome sequence homology to human immunodeficiency virus, caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus and visna virus. Failure of the host to mount a strong neutralizing response detectable in vitro or to eliminate persistent infection in vivo characterizes lentivirus infections in the natural host. In this study the specificities and neutralizing activity of antibodies induced during experimental infection with equine infectious anaemia virus were investigated using antiviral ELISA, radioimmunoprecipitation and neutralization assays. ELISA antibody titre...
Julliand V, de Vaux A, Millet L, Fonty G.Detection and quantification of cellulolytic bacteria with oligonucleotide probes showed that Ruminococcus flavefaciens was the predominant species in the pony and donkey cecum. Fibrobacter succinogenes and Ruminococcus albus were present at low levels. Four isolates, morphologically resembling R. flavefaciens, differed from ruminal strains by their carbohydrate utilization and their end products of cellobiose fermentation.
Kirsch MI, Hülseweh B, Nacke C, Rülker T, Schirrmann T, Marschall HJ, Hust M, Dübel S.Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) belongs to the Alphavirus group. Several species of this family are also pathogenic to humans and are recognized as potential agents of biological warfare and terrorism. The objective of this work was the generation of recombinant antibodies for the detection of VEEV after a potential bioterrorism assault or an natural outbreak of VEEV. Results: In this work, human anti-VEEV single chain Fragments variable (scFv) were isolated for the first time from a human naïve antibody gene library using optimized selection processes. In total eleven different s...
Bogaert L, Van Poucke M, De Baere C, Peelman L, Gasthuys F, Martens A.Real-time quantitative PCR can be a very powerful and accurate technique to examine gene transcription patterns in different biological conditions. One of the critical steps in comparing transcription profiles is accurate normalisation. In most of the studies published on real-time PCR in horses, normalisation occurred against only one reference gene, usually GAPDH or ACTB, without validation of its expression stability. This might result in unreliable conclusions, because it has been demonstrated that the expression levels of so called "housekeeping genes" may vary considerably in different t...
Arun SS, Breuer W, Hermanns W.Five species of domestic animals were examined immunohistochemically and the light-chain ratios of the immunoglobulins produced by plasma cells analysed. Forty dogs, 11 cats, 10 horses, 11 cattle and 14 pigs were tested using the sequential indirect immunoperoxidase and immunophosphatase methods. Tissues from the tonsils, spleen and cervical lymph nodes were analysed. It could be seen that the lambda/kappa ratio in dogs, cats, horses and cattle is largely dominated by the lambda chains (lambda/kappa ratio in dogs: 91/9%, in cats; 92/8%; in horses: 96/4%; in cattle: 91/9%). A more or less balan...
Randall C, Bridges D, Guerri R, Nogues X, Puig L, Torres E, Mellibovsky L, Hoffseth K, Stalbaum T, Srikanth A, Weaver JC, Rosen S, Barnard H....A novel, hand-held Reference Point Indentation (RPI) instrument, measures how well the bone of living patients and large animals resists indentation. The results presented here are reported in terms of Bone Material Strength, which is a normalized measure of how well the bone resists indentation, and is inversely related to the indentation distance into the bone. We present examples of the instrument's use in: (1) laboratory experiments on bone, including experiments through a layer of soft tissue, (2) three human clinical trials, two ongoing in Barcelona and at the Mayo Clinic, and one comple...
