Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell found in horses that are integral to the immune system. They are involved in the body's defense mechanisms against infections and other diseases. Lymphocytes are primarily categorized into T cells, B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells, each playing distinct roles in immune responses. T cells are involved in cell-mediated immunity, B cells are responsible for antibody production, and NK cells contribute to the destruction of infected or cancerous cells. The study of lymphocytes in horses includes their development, function, and response to various pathogens. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the biology, regulation, and clinical relevance of lymphocytes in equine health.
Tremblay GM, Ferland C, Lapointe JM, Vrins A, Lavoie JP, Cormier Y.Bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) were performed before and after 3 weeks of housing in 5 horses suffering from COPD and 5 normal horses. In the two groups, the total number of cells recovered remained unchanged after stabling. The most common cell populations in BAL fluid of control animals were alveolar macrophages (46.4%) and lymphocytes (44.9%). The percentage of neutrophils increased after stabling from 8.7% to 27.6%. In COPD horses, lymphocytes predominated (40.7%) in animals at pasture with neutrophils increasing from 29.4% to 71.6% after stabling. After fractionation by Percoll density gra...
Sellon DC, Cullen JM, Whetter LE, Gebhard DH, Coggins L, Fuller FJ.An IgG1 mouse monoclonal antibody, designated 1.646, is described which recognizes a cytoplasmic antigen of equine mononuclear phagocytes. Indirect fluorescent antibody staining of peripheral blood leukocytes reveals a granular cytoplasmic staining, predominantly in adherent blood mononuclear cells. Indirect fluorescent antibody staining is positive for alveolar and peritoneal macrophages. In some horses, a few neutrophils are also stained. In equine tissue samples stained by immunohistochemistry, the distribution of positive cells is consistent with the distribution of tissue macrophages. The...
McGorum BC, Dixon PM, Halliwell RE.Phenotypic analysis of lymphocytes in peripheral blood (PB) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of control and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affected horses, both before and after 'natural (hay and straw) challenge', were performed using immunofluorescent labelling with monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry. BALF lymphocytes were shown to be predominantly EqCD5+ cells, approximately half of which were also EqCD8+, with a smaller proportion of B cells. In comparison with PB, BALF contained higher proportions of EqCD5+ cells and EqCD8+ cells and a lower proportion of B cell...
Watson ED, Dixon CE.The distribution of T lymphocytes and of cells bearing MHC Class II antigens in the endometrium of the mare was studied using an avidin-biotin-peroxidase staining method. The cells within the endometrium which expressed MHC Class II were macrophages, lymphocytes, monocytes, dendritic cells, epithelial cells and endothelial cells. MHC Class II expression increased significantly (P < 0.05) in the luminal epithelium and tended (P = 0.0573) to increase in the subepithelial layers during oestrus. Numbers of T lymphocytes did not differ between oestrus and dioestrus. MHC Class II expression and T...
Kramer J, Tornquist S, Erfle J, Sloeojan G.Large granular lymphocytes (LGL) occur as a leukemic or aleukemic neoplasia in humans,(1) rats,(2) cats,(3,4) dogs,(5) and horses.(6) The single case of equine LGL previously reported was aleukemic.(5) In contrast to this previous report of aleukemic equine LGL neoplasia, the leukemia in the case presented here established the antemortem diagnosis of LGL.
Kalsow CM, Dwyer AE, Smith AW, Nifong TP.There is no direct verification of pineal gland involvement in human uveitis. Specimens of pineal tissue are not available during active uveitis in human patients. Naturally occurring uveitis in horses gives us an opportunity to examine tissues during active ocular inflammation. We examined the pineal gland of a horse that was killed because it had become blind during an episode of uveitis. The clinical history and histopathology of the eyes were consistent with post-leptospiral equine recurrent uveitis. The pineal gland of this horse had significant inflammatory infiltration consisting mainly...
Aida Y, Okada K, Kageyama R, Amanuma H.Tumor-associated antigens that are expressed in lymphosarcoma B cells of cattle with enzootic bovine leukosis had been analyzed in terms of their reactivity with 13 monoclonal antibodies (MAB). By use of flow cytometry and radioimmunoprecipitation, 1 of the MAB (c143) that recognized a tumor-associated antigen cross-reacted with blood lymphocytes (BL) from various mammalian species. By use of flow cytometry, the c143 MAB reacted with 10 to 49% of BL derived from human beings, mice, dogs, horses, pigs, llamas, sheep, goats, and cattle. Titer of the c143 MAB with BL from horses, pigs, human bein...
Naylor JM, Clark EG, Clayton HM.We examined 18 horses with clinical signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using physical examination, cytological and bacteriological evaluation of bronchoalveolar fluid, and percutaneous lung biopsy. In 16 cases, histological examination of lung tissue confirmed the diagnosis of COPD. Two horses were excluded: one had uncomplicated bacterial pneumonia and in the other a satisfactory lung biopsy could not be obtained. In horses with COPD, the most common historical complaint was coughing, which was reported in 88%. The most frequently detected abnormal finding on physical exami...
Wong CW, Smith SE, Thong YH, Opdebeeck JP, Thornton JR.Chemotactic locomotion and luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of neutrophils, mitogen-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis, serum cortisol concentration, immunoglobulin quantification, and leukocyte counts were determined to evaluate the effect of a single strenuous exercise in horses. Increased serum cortisol concentration (P less than 0.01) and an increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (P less than 0.05) indicated that horses had been stressed. The chemotactic index and peak chemiluminescence production decreased significantly (P less than 0.05 and P less than 0.01, respectively) 1 day after ...
Boy MG, Zhang C, Antczak DF, Hamir AN, Whitlock RH.A 10-month-old Arabian foal was evaluated for a suspected immunoglobulin (Ig) M deficiency. Decreased to nondetectable concentrations of IgM, IgA, and IgG (T), and a normal concentration of IgG, were present. Results of in vitro testing of the blood lymphocyte blastogenesis showed a weak response to the B-cell mitogen, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but normal responses to T-cell mitogens. Results of postmortem examination showed synovitis of the left tibiotarsal and both scapulohumeral joints. Atrophy and edema of the lymph nodes and lymphocyte depletion in the thymus and spleen were seen. A subac...
Dascanio JJ, Zhang CH, Antczak DF, Blue JT, Simmons TR.Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was diagnosed in two horses: an 18-year-old Quarter Horse gelding that was examined because of edema of the prepuce and ventral abdomen; and a 20-year-old mixed breed gelding that was referred because of lymphocytosis, ventral edema, and weight loss. The first horse had enlarged peripheral lymph nodes and cool nonpainful pitting edema of the ventral abdomen and prepuce. The second horse had enlarged peripheral lymph nodes, cool nonpainful pitting edema of the ventral thorax and cranial ventral abdomen, and a 3/5 holosystolic heart murmur. The diagnosis of CLL...
Sanada Y, Noda H, Nagahata H.The blastogenic response of lymphocytes and serum concentration of cortisol from eighteen foals were evaluated during various stages of the neonatal period. The results of blastogenic responses were expressed by a stimulation index (SI). Blastogenic response to three mitogens was lowest at birth (PHA: 1.17 +/- 0.02, Con A: 1.11 +/- 0.05 and PWM: 1.02 +/- 0.01), then increased gradually with slight variations postpartum. The serum concentration of cortisol was highest at birth (44.0 ng/ml) and decreased rapidly to 19.3 ng/ml within 1 week postpartum, and then was maintained at this level. The h...
Welch HM, Bridges CG, Lyon AM, Griffiths L, Edington N.The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and co-cultivation were used to identify the lymphoreticular system as the site of latency of equid herpesvirus I (EHV-1). Primers for PCR were designed from aligned nucleotide sequences of the glycoprotein gB genes to amplify the same region of both the EHV-1 and EHV-4 genomes. Subsequent restriction digests using specific enzymes distinguished the amplified fragments of the EHV-1 genome from those of the EHV-4 genome. Ten weeks following an experimental infection of five ponies with EHV-1, latent virus was detected by PCR and recovered by co-cultivation, p...
Roth TL, White KL, Thompson DL, Horohov DW.It has been proposed that PGE2 is an important immunosuppressant acting at the fetal-maternal interface during pregnancy. We have previously shown that horse conceptus-conditioned medium suppresses lymphocyte proliferation. This experiment was designed to determine if horse conceptus-derived immunosuppressive activity could be attributed to PGE2 production by the trophoblast tissue. Trophoblast tissue from 21-day-old conceptuses was cut into equal sections and cultured in the presence or absence of the prostaglandin inhibitor, indomethacin. Following culture, immunosuppressive activity and the...
Grünig G, Winder C, Hulliger C, Witschi U, Hermann M, Jungi TW, von Fellenberg R.Increases in procoagulant activities (PCA) in equine lung macrophages were induced by non-adherent blood lymphocytes which were prestimulated with phytohaemagglutinin for 48 to 72 hours or by supernatants harvested from prestimulated blood lymphocyte cultures. However, prestimulated lymphocyte suspensions themselves expressed PCA which was most probably derived from contaminating monocytes. Because non-adherent cells from lymphocyte suspensions may have attached to adherent macrophages, cells within lymphocyte suspensions might have contributed to the PCAs expressed by lymphocyte-stimulated lu...
Lunn DP, Holmes MA, Duffus WP.The aim of this study was to produce monoclonal antibodies (mAb) recognizing equine lymphocyte surface antigens. Fusions were conducted using BALB/c mice hyperimmunized with equine thymocytes. Hybridoma supernatants were screened by flow cytometry and positive hybridomas were cloned twice by limiting dilution. These mAb were then characterized for tissue distribution by immunohistology and flow cytometry, and by precipitation and analysis of the lymphocyte antigens which they recognized. Three mAb (CVS5, CVS4 and CVS8) are described which recognize only T lymphocytes in peripheral blood. Two-c...
Grünig G, Witschi U, Winder C, Hermann M, von Fellenberg R.Supernatants of equine respiratory secretions enhanced the migration of equine neutrophils into the lower compartments of Boyden chambers. Checkerboard analysis revealed that the neutrophil migration promoting activity (NMPA) of secretion specimens was in great part caused by chemokinesis, irrespective of the neutrophil score of the specimen. The NMPA of respiratory secretions was correlated neither with the neutrophil score of the secretion specimen nor with the severity of the chronic pulmonary disease. Respiratory secretions collected while horses were kept under low dust or under dusty hou...
Watson ED, Zanecosky HG.Immunosuppressive substances which interfere with lymphocyte blastogenesis are released in vitro by embryos and endometrium from mares in early pregnancy. Immunosuppression was not evident when tissues were cultured in the presence of indomethacin (a prostaglandin-synthesis inhibitor). Various prostaglandins (PGs) were added to equine lymphocytes and lymphocyte proliferation was measured after the addition of concanavalin A (Con A) or phytohaemagglutinin A (PHA). PGE2 and PGF2 alpha inhibited Con A-induced blastogenesis down to final concentrations of 1.8 x 10(-9) M and 1.3 x 10(-6) M, respect...
Rossier Y, Sweeney CR, Ziemer EL.Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in 22 horses with pneumonia or pleuropneumonia. All horses had clinical evidence of pneumonia or pleuropneumonia on the basis of physical, radiographic, ultrasonographic, tracheobronchial aspirate or post-mortem findings. Results of lavage fluid analysis were normal in 9 horses, equivocal in 3 horses, and abnormal in 10 horses. Abnormal lavage fluid had increased total cell count, increased relative and absolute neutrophil counts, degenerative neutrophils, and decreased relative and absolute macrophage and lymphocyte counts.
May SA, Hooke RE, Lees P.The concentration of Percoll required for isolating equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells has been reinvestigated. A poor cell yield was obtained at the 60 per cent concentration already reported. It is recommended that workers specifically interested in high yields of mononuclear cells, for investigation of lymphocyte and monocyte functions, use a concentration of 65 per cent Percoll. However, workers wishing to isolate pure populations of equine neutrophils might consider a concentration of 70 per cent in the upper layer of Percoll used to retain the mononuclear cells.
Lea RG, Bolton AE.Commercial preparations of equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) and extracts of horse placenta taken at 80 days gestation were incorporated into mixed lymphocyte culture and mitogen stimulation assays of horse peripheral blood mononuclear cells. A dose-related inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation, indicative of immunosuppressive activity, was observed in both systems, both with commercial eCG preparations and tissue extracts. Negligible inhibitory activity was observed with an extract of term placenta. The inhibitory activity of the placental samples was not related to their eCG content as m...
Chavatte P, Brown G, Ousey JC, Silver M, Cottrill C, Fowden AL, McGladdery AJ, Rossdale PD.Clinical and pathological records of 124 foals were studied. The foals were assigned to six groups; normal, premature, dysmature, bacterially infected, neonatal maladjustment syndrome and Equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infected. Also, 6 pony fetuses were sampled via catheters in the umbilical vein and artery between 280 and 310 days gestation. Bone marrow aspiration was performed on a further 14 foals. Premature foals had significantly lower neutrophil counts than normal foals up to 5 h. Foals with bacterial infections had significantly lower neutrophil counts up to age 12 h. EHV-1 infected ...
Ahmed JS, Schmid G, Hörchner F.Pony peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were stimulated with a soluble fraction of Trypanosoma (T.) evansi (SF). As determined by 3H-thymidine incorporation, the cells underwent a proliferative response and were able to: a) produce a factor having the biological activities of interleukin 2 (IL-2) since their supernatants could support the in vitro growth of pony PBL stimulated with concanavalin A (Con A-blasts); b) undergo a further proliferative response when incubated in short term cultures with SF, human recombinant IL-2 (hrIL-2), or both c) bind specifically radiolabelled hrIL-2 (125I-hrIL...
Guerriero V, Raynes DA.Cultured bovine, equine, ovine and chicken lymphocytes responded to heat stress by the increased synthesis of a specific set of proteins known as heat stress proteins (HSP). Proteins with molecular weights of 70 and 90 kDa were synthesized in all species. Additional proteins were found in bovine, ovine and chicken lymphocytes. A time course of induction showed an increased synthesis of some of these proteins with only 30 min of heat stress and of several proteins with 60 min of heat stress. A specific monoclonal antibody was used to identify HSP70 as one of the stress proteins in bovine lympho...
Roth TL, White KL, Thompson DL, Barry BE, Capehart JS, Colborn DR, Rabb MH.In this experiment we have identified and partially characterized the immunosuppressive activity of preimplantation horse conceptus-conditioned medium (HCCM). Horse conceptuses were nonsurgically flushed from mares at Days 9-10 (n = 6), 15-16 (n = 3), and 25-26 (n = 3). After incubating the conceptuses for 24 h in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 15% fetal calf serum (FCS) and 1% penicillin/streptomycin, HCCM was obtained from cultures and tested for immunosuppressive activity in lymphocyte proliferation assays. Peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from randomly selected mares were stimulated with...
Watson ED, Zanecosky HG.Fluid was aspirated from the preovulatory follicles of mares before and 12, 24 and 36 h after intravenous administration of hCG. Follicular fluid significantly (P less than 0.001) reduced lymphocyte blastogenesis in vitro and, at a dilution of 1:100, fluid collected at 36 h after administration of hCG was significantly more suppressive (P less than 0.01) than fluid collected before 36 h. Suppression of blastogenesis was reduced by extracting the follicular fluid with ether or by charcoal treatment (P less than 0.01) or by heating at 56 degrees C for 30 min (P less than 0.05). Preincubation of ...
Grünig G, Hulliger C, Hermann M, Winder C, von Fellenberg R.Bronchopulmonary lavage was performed in 10 healthy horses and in 39 horses with chronic pulmonary disease. The predominant cell types were macrophages in healthy horses and neutrophils in severely diseased horses. Procoagulant activity (PCA) was detected in all 32 cell-free supernatants examined and in all 49 unpurified cell suspensions. Cells were separated by centrifugation on discontinuous gradients prepared either with Percoll or with Metrizamide. Macrophages were enriched in subpopulations of low density. Neutrophils could not be purified by density gradient centrifugation using either g...
MacAllister CG, Mosier D, Qualls CW, Cowell RL.The primary hematologic abnormalities in 2 adult horses with chronic weight loss were hypoalbuminemia and hyperglobulinemia. One horse was anemic, had subclinical disseminated intravascular coagulation, and prolonged plasma sulfobromophthalein half-life. Small-intestinal dysfunction with malabsorption was indicated by abnormal D-xylose absorption test results. Clinicopathologic and pathologic findings were consistent with a diagnosis of malabsorption and protein-losing enteropathy, attributable to lymphocytic and plasmacytic infiltration of the intestine.
Sanada Y, Noda H, Nagahata H.A fluorometric assay was applied to evaluate blastogenesis of equine lymphocytes. Optimal culture conditions were as follows; concentrations of phytohaemagglutinin-P (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) were 1 microgram/ml, 40 micrograms/ml and 10 micrograms/ml, respectively, when 5 X 10(5) lymphocytes were incubated with culture medium containing 20% pooled horse serum (PHS) for 120 hours. The relative mean stimulation index of healthy non-pregnant mares were 5.107 +/- 0.323 (M +/- SE) with PHA, 4.019 +/- 0.183 with Con A and 3.610 +/- 0.131 with PWM. Sequentially the blas...
Tajima M, Fujinaga T, Mizuno S, Otomo K.The distributions of phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA) and concanavalin A (ConA) binding sites were investigated for equine, bovine and canine peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Non-B lymphocytes were collected from each PBL using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS), and the numbers of PHA and ConA binding sites on their surfaces were counted. Most PHA binding sites on PBL of the three species were shown on the surfaces of non-B lymphocytes. On the other hand, the ConA binding sites on equine and canine PBL existed mainly on the surfaces of non-B lymphocytes, but B lymphocytes of these two s...
Bach BC, Leal DB, Ruchel JB, Souza Vdo C, Maboni G, Dal Pozzo M, Schlemmer KB, Alves SH, Santurio JM.NTPDase (EC 3.6.1.5) occurs in lymphocytes and plays an important role in immune function, in that hydrolyzes extracellular nucleoside tri- and/or diphosphates to form AMP. Pythium insidiosum causes the disease pythiosis, a pyogranulomatous disease of horses, dogs, cattle, cats and humans. Most antifungal drugs are ineffective against this pathogen, and immunotherapy, a treatment approach that relies on the injection of P. insidiosum antigen, has been successfully used in humans and horses to manage this disease. In this study, we investigated NTPDase activity in lymphocytes from rabbits inocu...
McGuire TC, Banks KL, Evans DR, Poppie MJ.Agammaglobulinemia was diagnosed in a 1-year-old Thoroughbred horse on the basis of the following observations: (1) absence of serum immunoglobulins M, A, and G(T); (2) small amounts of serum immunoglobulin G (16 mg/100 ml); (3) absence of specific antibody in the serum of the horse following immunization and challenge exposure to 2 antigens; (4) absence of plasma cells, primary follicles, and germinal centers in a lymph node removed after antigenic stimulation; (5) absence of "natural" serum antibodies to rabbit-erythrocytes which were easily detectable in age-matched control horse serums; an...
Vanhaesebroeck B, Grooten J, Fiers W.Using a model of local lymph node (LN) immunization, we investigated the effect of in vivo Ir on the generation of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells or their precursors. Ag used for immunization were SRBC, horse RBC, OVA, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, or CFA. Ag-draining LN, in the acute phase of the Ir, did not contain detectable LAK effector activity, nor an enhanced NK activity. After culture for 3 to 5 days in the absence of exogenously added IL-2, immunized LN cells developed a spontaneous LAK-like cytotoxicity. This activity represented a substantial fraction of the IL-2-generated LAK...
Kumar P, Timoney JF.The palatine tonsils of five young horses formed 10-12 cm elongated follicular structures extending from the root of the tongue on either side to the base of the epiglottis and lateral to the glossoepiglottic fold. The stratified squamous non-keratinized epithelium of the outer surface was modified into crypts as reticular epithelium by heavy infiltration of lymphoid cells from underlying lymphoid follicles. In places, lymphoid tissue reaching almost to the surface and with only one to two cell layers intact was identified as the lymphoepithelium. Langerhans cells with Birbeck granules were in...
Mérant C, Bonnefont C, Desbos A, Greenland T, Cadoré JL, Monier JC.The recognition of equine lymphocyte antigens by monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against human CD11a, CD18, CD21, CD23, CD29 and DR, as well as mouse CD23 was studied by flow cytometry. Unlike anti-CD11a, -CD21, -CD23 and DR mAbs, anti-CD18 and CD29 mAbs labelled the same percentage of horse peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) as human PBL. Double-staining with anti-horse immunoglobulin antibodies showed that anti-CD21 and -CD23 mAbs are mainly bound to peripheral blood B lymphocytes. The seven mAbs were also tested on the lymph node and thymus cells. The molecular targets of anti-CD11a, ...
Peters GJ, Oosterhof A, Veerkamp JH.1. Activities of ADA, PNP and AK were measured in splenocytes and thymocytes of newborn children, young horses, pigs, sheep, rats and mice and compared with the activities previously found in peripheral lymphocytes. 2. With all species, except horse, the activity of ADA (per 10(6) cells) was higher in thymocytes than in lymphocytes. Activity of ADA was highest in splenocytes of pig and sheep. Activity of ADA was lowest in all lymphoid cells of the horse and only about 10% of the activity in human splenocytes and lymphocytes. 3. With all species, except horse, the activity of PNP was lower in t...
Henríquez C, Morán G, Carrasco C, Sarmiento J, Barría M, Folch H, Uberti B.It is accepted that T regulatory cells (Treg) control different types of immune responses. In connection with this role, we have recently described an important increase in CD4+, CD25, Foxp3+ lymphocytes in the airway system of horses coursing with an exacerbation of severe equine asthma (EA). To explore the potential role of this population in the resolution of EA inflammation, we used a murine experimental model in which airway neutrophilic inflammation, which is similar to that observed in EA, is induced in mice by continual exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus contaminated hay. This model has...
Wernersson S, Riihimäki M, Pejler G, Waern I.Mast cells are known for their detrimental effects in various inflammatory conditions. Regimens that induce selective mast cell apoptosis may therefore be of therapeutic significance. Earlier studies have demonstrated that murine- and human-cultured mast cells are highly sensitive to apoptosis induced by the lysosomotropic agent LeuLeuOMe (LLME). However, the efficacy of lysosomotropic agents for inducing apoptosis of in vivo-derived airway mast cells and the impact on mast cells in other species have not been assessed. Here we addressed whether lysosomotropic agents can induce cell death of ...
Peters GJ, De Abreu RA, Oosterhof A, Veerkamp JH.Concentrations of purine and pyrimidine ribonucleotides were measured with HPLC in lymphocytes of man, horse, pig and sheep and in rat thymocytes. The ATP concentration was highest in lymphocytes of all species and about 850 pmol/10(6) cells in human and equine lymphocytes, higher in porcine and lower in ovine lymphocytes and rat thymocytes. The GTP concentration was comparable in human, equine and porcine lymphocytes, but lower in ovine lymphocytes. ATP concentration was also measured in lymphocytes of man, horse and pig with a luciferin-luciferase assay. During culturing with or without phyt...
Tax WJ, Veerkamp JH.1. Activities of ADA and PNP were measured in erythrocytes and lymphocytes of man, horse and cattle. 2. In bovine hemolysates both enzyme activities are low when compared with activities in human hemolysates. In horse hemolysates both enzyme activities are virtually absent. 3. Enzyme activities are consistently lower (about 50%) in intact lymphocytes than in sonicated lymphocytes. This finding suggests that the uptake of nucleosides is rate-limiting for both enzymes in intact lymphocytes. 4. The activity of ADA in horse lymphocytes is comparable to that in lymphocytes of patients with severe c...
Filho HCM, Trindade KLG, Silva CJFL, Cruz RKS, Vilela CF, Coelho CS, Filho JDR, Manso HECCC.Equestrian sports require precise animal welfare and health evaluations. To test the hypothesis that horses maintain their welfare when subjected to two three-barrel (3TB) races with 2 min intervals, an experiment was designed to evaluate their surface temperature using infrared thermography (IRT) in regions of interest (barrel, flank, neck, jaw, corner of the mouth, and ocular caruncle) and also measure blood biomarkers (hemogram, total plasma protein, fibrinogen, urea, creatinine, GGT, CK, cortisol, IL-6, and IL-1β). Ten Quarter Horses were monitored through thermography (pre-race, +1, +4, ...
Terpeluk ER, Schäfer J, Finkler-Schade C, Schuberth HJ.Feed supplements supporting animal welfare and performance are becoming increasingly important. Immunomodulatory effects of such products have been observed in many species. The aim of this study was to analyze whether food supplementation with a fermentation product (SCFP) affects the occurrence of foal diarrhea in early life, and whether the SCFP feeding has an impact on the immediate response to a parenteral vaccination at the age of 6-9 months. Eleven foals received the SCFP (OLI) and eleven foals were fed a placebo (PLA) for 29 days. Growth, diarrhea, and diarrhea severity were observed ...
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of two styles of classical music, based on different tempos (BPM), on the physiological and blood parameters of horses during social isolation and restriction of movements. First experiment was carried out using nine horses of no defined breed, distributed in Control, Slow-tempo music and Moderate-tempo music .For social isolation and restriction of movement, the animals were housed daily in individual stalls for two hours and exposed to the stimuli for 60 min, and eye temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate were assessed. The second exp...
Flaminio MJ, Rush BR, Cox JH, Moore WE.Decreased proportion of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in peripheral blood likely contributed to susceptibility to Pneumocystis carinii in a foal. Cytological evaluation of bronchoalveolar lavage was required for identification of the pathogen and serial flow-cytometric analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes documented transient low expression of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. Although immunodeficiency is uncommon, it must be included in the differential diagnosis for patients suffering from chronic or opportunistic infections and may provide an indication for immunostimulant therapy.
Thielebein J, Bartling B, Hönicke C, Schmicke M.Semi-feral, free-roaming Konik polski horses are used in some European countries for preserving semi-open pasture landscapes. The estimation of their health status is still limited by insufficient data on various blood parameters. Therefore, our study aimed at the sex- and age-dependent analysis of haemogram and selected biochemistry parameters in healthy, semi-feral Koniks. In order to reach this aim, we took blood samples from 53 female and 18 male (8 uncastrated, 10 castrated) Koniks living in two Middle German nature reserves. They were of different age (9-266 months) and without signs of ...
Judson DG, Dixon JB.Tritiated thymidine uptake in response to Concanavalin A was recorded as stimulated counts per minute (SCPM) in equine whole blood cultured with an optimum concentration of 3 X 10(4) mononuclear cells/culture. A significant negative correlation was found between log10 SCPM and granulocyte level in culture, in a group of 27 adult horses (r = -0.745, P less than 0.001). Addition of isolated autologous granulocytes to such cultures resulted in a reduction of log10 SCPM of a magnitude similar to that predicted by the gradient of the log10 SCPM/granulocyte level regression line in the group of adul...
Sanada Y, Noda H, Nagahata H.The blastogenic response of lymphocytes and serum concentration of cortisol from eighteen foals were evaluated during various stages of the neonatal period. The results of blastogenic responses were expressed by a stimulation index (SI). Blastogenic response to three mitogens was lowest at birth (PHA: 1.17 +/- 0.02, Con A: 1.11 +/- 0.05 and PWM: 1.02 +/- 0.01), then increased gradually with slight variations postpartum. The serum concentration of cortisol was highest at birth (44.0 ng/ml) and decreased rapidly to 19.3 ng/ml within 1 week postpartum, and then was maintained at this level. The h...
McClure JJ, Muscoplat CC, Johnson DW, Senogles DR.A miniaturized method for the mixed lymphocyte culture test in the horse is described. The test is performed in either round- or flat-bottom microtitration tissue culture plates. Concentrations of responsing and stimulating cells are varied, depening on the experiment. Significant discrimination between isogeneic and allogenic mixtures is possible after 120 hours' culture when cells are labeled ([3H]thymidine) for the last 16 to 18 hours of the test.
Bailey E.Lymphocyte typing can be used to detect incorrectly identified parentage of horses. Efficacies of lymphocyte typing to solve paternity questions were calculated using gene frequency estimates of equine lymphocyte antigen (ELA) markers for Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. Probabilities that ELA typing will detect an incorrectly assigned sire were 68.7% in Thoroughbreds, 67.9% in pacing Standardbreds, and 62.0% in trotting Standardbreds. These calculations demonstrate that ELA typing is among the most efficacious genetic systems for solving paternity questions in horses. Likewise, it could also ...
Bailey E, Antczak DF, Bernoco D, Bull RW, Fister R, Guerin G, Lázary S, Matthews S, McClure J, Meyer J.The Second International Workshop on Lymphocyte Alloantigens of the Horse was held 3-8 October 1982. At this workshop, the 6 specificities identified at the first workshop were confirmed and an additional 5 new specificities were identified and given workshop nomenclature. Four of the new specificities, products of the ELA locus, were named ELA-W7, W8, W9, and W10. An additional specificity, designated ELY-2.1, is the product of a locus independent of the ELA locus. Cell isolation methods were compared at this workshop. Technical variation in methods clearly affected reactivity of many reagent...
MacAllister CG, Mosier D, Qualls CW, Cowell RL.The primary hematologic abnormalities in 2 adult horses with chronic weight loss were hypoalbuminemia and hyperglobulinemia. One horse was anemic, had subclinical disseminated intravascular coagulation, and prolonged plasma sulfobromophthalein half-life. Small-intestinal dysfunction with malabsorption was indicated by abnormal D-xylose absorption test results. Clinicopathologic and pathologic findings were consistent with a diagnosis of malabsorption and protein-losing enteropathy, attributable to lymphocytic and plasmacytic infiltration of the intestine.
Diethelm AG, Chambers LM, Balch CM, Phillips SJ.Anti-human thymocyte cell membrane antibody prepared by hyperimmunization of the horse produced an antiserum capable of prolonging skin allografts in the rhesus monkey for an average of 26 days. Lymphocyte depletion was present in paracortical areas of mesenteric lymph nodes of these animals after 28 days of treatment; the intravenous administration was tolerated without ill effects. Immunofluorescent studies identified both broad specificity antibodies reacting with numerous human cell types as well as thymus-dependent (T) cell antibodies reactive with human thymocytes and peripheral T-cells....
Angsubhakorn S, Poomvises P, Romruen K, Newberne PM.Two episodes of acute aflatoxin poisoning in horses suggest that horses are susceptible to the toxic effects of this mycotoxin. Lesions associated with exposure to aflatoxin included encephalomalacia of cerebral hemispheres, fatty degeneration, necrosis, bile duct hyperplasia, fibrosis of the liver, fatty infiltration of the kidney, hemorrhagic enteritis, and myocardial degeneration. Hypoglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and depletion of lymphocytes accompanied these lesions. The diagnosis was based on gross and histopathologic observations, consistent with observations of other species poisoned with ...
Clark ES, Morris DD, Allen D, Tyler DE.A yearling Hanoverian filly had intermittent colic for 6 weeks, chylous peritoneal effusion, and a firm mass palpable per rectum. Exploratory laparotomy revealed mesenteric lymphadenopathy, adhesion of the mesenteric root to the duodenum and jejunum, distention of the mesenteric veins and lymphatic vessels, and increased jejunal venous pressure. Lesions in the duodenum, jejunum, and colon included infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells in the lamina propria.
Lazary S, Gerber H, de Weck AL, Arnold P.A new, non-MHC linked alloantigenic membrane antigen on the equine lymphocytes is described. This antigen was characterized with alloantisera in the two-stage microcytotoxicity test and designated as ELy-1 antigen. The frequency of ELy-1 antigen positive animals in various populations is close to 50%. ELy-1 shows an autosomal, dominant inheritance. Since an allelic antigen (s) could not be demonstrated in family studies, it is assumed that only two alleles ELy-1+ and ELy-1- exist. The ELy-1 antigen in positive animals is expressed on both T and B lymphocytes but it is not present on erythrocyt...
Grünig G, Winder C, Hulliger C, Witschi U, Hermann M, Jungi TW, von Fellenberg R.Increases in procoagulant activities (PCA) in equine lung macrophages were induced by non-adherent blood lymphocytes which were prestimulated with phytohaemagglutinin for 48 to 72 hours or by supernatants harvested from prestimulated blood lymphocyte cultures. However, prestimulated lymphocyte suspensions themselves expressed PCA which was most probably derived from contaminating monocytes. Because non-adherent cells from lymphocyte suspensions may have attached to adherent macrophages, cells within lymphocyte suspensions might have contributed to the PCAs expressed by lymphocyte-stimulated lu...
McKelvie J, Little S, Foster AP, Cunningham FM, Hamblin A.It has been reported that equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNs) do not proliferate in response to tetanus toxoid (TT) (Frayne and Stokes 1995, Research in Veterinary Science 59, 79-81). Here we demonstrate that lymphocyte proliferation responses to TT, which are characteristic of a recall antigen, may be achieved under certain culture conditions. Given that TT vaccination is routinely applied to many horses, TT is a suitable antigen for the investigation of cellular immune responses by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the horse.