The nasal cavity in horses is a complex anatomical structure that plays a significant role in respiration and olfaction. It consists of a series of passages lined with mucous membranes and cilia that filter, humidify, and warm the air before it reaches the lungs. The nasal cavity is also involved in vocalization and serves as a conduit for pheromonal communication. Various conditions can affect the equine nasal cavity, including infections, allergies, and structural abnormalities, which can impact a horse's respiratory efficiency and overall health. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the anatomy, physiology, and pathologies associated with the nasal cavity in horses, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Kremer H, Bartling B.The nasal vestibule of numerous horses is pigmented. In the ventral part of the nasal vestibule, this pigmentation is often disturbed resulting in a clearly depigmented area. As nasal discharge passes this area, our study aimed at the practical quantification of the depigmented area in the nasal vestibule of horses and the analysis of its relation to nasal discharge and other parameters.This study included 74 horses (59 warmblood horses, 15 ponies) with pigmented nasal vestibule. When a depigmentation was found to be present in the ventral part, this area was photographed and quantified by use...
Stöckle SD, Kannapin DA, Merle R, Lübke-Becker A, Gehlen H. The emergence and spread of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria pose a growing threat in veterinary medicine, particularly in equine hospitals. This study investigated the colonization and infection dynamics of horses undergoing emergency laparotomy with two distinct antibiotic protocols (single-shot versus 5-day protocol) during hospitalization. Nasal swabs and fecal samples were collected from 67 horses undergoing emergency laparotomy at clinic admission as well as on postoperative days 3 and 10. These were screened for multi-drug-resistant indicator pathogens. As multi-drug-resistant indi...
Sidwell A, Shanklin A, Miller H, Cahoon M, Hole SL, Bianco C, Pereira R.A 3-year-old Connemara X filly was referred to a UK equine hospital for further investigation of unilateral nasal discharge and facial swelling. Diagnostic imaging documented the presence of a heterogenous, soft tissue opacity with areas of focal mineralisation within the right paranasal sinuses, completely obliterating the nasal cavity, in addition to endodontic disease and significant periapical pathology associated with the right permanent fourth premolar (Triadan 108). Subsequent histopathologic examination confirmed the mass as a fibro-inflammatory polyp.
Dobbs EC, Acutt EV, Scharf AM, Manzi TJ, Stefanovski D, Bills KW.To investigate the effects of varied feed consistency and administration of xylazine or N-butylscopolammonium bromide on 3 phases of swallowing and characterize esophageal motility following barium administration via nasoesophageal tube. Unassigned: 8 healthy horses were enrolled for 2.5 consecutive weeks. Horses underwent experimental videofluoroscopic swallow studies before and after sedated and anticholinergic interventions. Esophageal motility was assessed with barium administered via nasoesophageal tube and with barium-admixed feedstuffs of 3 consistencies with increasing viscosity. Phase...
Bourassi S, Jack H, Florczyk A.A 4-year-old Arabian cross paint mare was referred for evaluation of chronic mucopurulent discharge and epiphora of the left eye. Ophthalmic and radiographic evaluations confirmed distal nasolacrimal duct atresia with absence of the nasolacrimal orifice. Initial minimally invasive treatments, including guidewire-assisted catheterization and diode laser photoablation, were unsuccessful. Definitive treatment was achieved using a Fogarty arterial embolectomy catheter under standing sedation. Controlled balloon inflation and deflation enabled progressive dilation of the obstructed duct, and a surg...
Brink P, Schumacher J, Ducharme NG, Caniglia CJ, Caruso MA, Ortved K.To describe the technique of and complications associated with excising the nasal septum of horses with the horse standing and to report the outcome of horses undergoing this procedure. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: A total of Twelve horses affected with disease of the nasal septum. Methods: The septum of each horse was excised with the horse sedated. All horses underwent rhinotomy, and six also underwent laryngotomy, to position three loops of obstetrical wire used to make three of four septal incisions. The sites of laryngotomy and rhinotomy were desensitized by infiltrating local a...
Jeong S, Bond S, Bayly W, Sole-Guitart A.To quantify the impact of experimentally induced dorsal nasopharyngeal collapse (NPC) on respiratory performance parameters and assess the efficacy of laser fenestration of the dorsal pharyngeal recess as a treatment option for experimentally induced NPC. Methods: Experimental interventional study. Methods: Six adult Standardbreds (one with naturally occurring disease). Methods: After an 8 week conditioning program, baseline parameters (V̇Omax, pharyngeal pressure, peak airflows, upper airway resistance) and dynamic endoscopy videos were collected in a high-speed treadmill test (T1). Dorsal N...
Doherty O, Conway R, McGreevy P.Pressures applied to horses via nosebands are of growing concern. The current study applied noseband pressure to the head of a dead horse. Pressure sensors were placed on the left nasal bone to record pressures as the noseband was progressively tightened. Tightness increased as predicated by holes in the strap of the noseband (as supplied) through eight steps from two fingers' space, assessed using the standard International Society for Equitation Science Taper Gauge through to zero space. Sensors were also placed at the midline frontal plane and intra-orally at the level of the second premola...
Mohamed E, Van Cleemput J, Şahin B, Van den Broeck W, Boyen F, Nauwynck H.The equine respiratory and reproductive tract microbiomes are complex and subject to constant fluctuations. Among the microbial inhabitants, subsp. (SEZ) is recognized as the dominant bacterium. It is an opportunistic pathogen that may occasionally lead to various types of infections. A key virulence factor of SEZ is the streptolysin S (SLS) toxin, which is responsible for the characteristic β-hemolysis on blood agar and tissue damage. Viruses and bacteria may interact and aggravate lesions and disease. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an SLS-containing supernatant from SEZ on the...
Strand E, Vermedal H, Olsen HMB, Fjordbakk CT, Fretheim-Kelly ZL.Clinical evaluation of alar fold (AF) collapse is presently based upon subjective evaluation of improvement in breathing and respiratory noise after suturing the AFs dorsally. Objective: To evaluate use of nasopharyngeal airway pressure (NAP) as an objective method of assessing for the presence of AF collapse during exercise. NAPs should also potentially provide a precise means to grade the degree of airway obstruction present and response to surgical treatment. Methods: Prospective clinical study of actively racing Standardbred horses. Methods: Standardbreds undergoing this test were outfitte...
Mendes RP, Lima AE, da Cunha R, Bittar MJ, Vasconcelos CC, Piñeros DDV, Corrêa RR.Radiographic examination of the skull is a well-established and indispensable procedure for the diagnostic evaluation of dental and paranasal sinus disorders in horses. Complementary projections make significant contributions to radiographic diagnosis in nasal conchae disorders. This article describes a complementary radiographic projection designed for the evaluation of the conchal sinuses and bullae in horses. Six equine cadaveric heads were used. Specimens were dissected, and openings were created in the ventral and dorsal nasal conchae for the introduction of radiopaque material. The new r...
Schollmeyer M, Liebler-Tenorio EM, Felton C, Kohl S, Ulrich R.A 34-year-old Haflinger gelding presented with a unilateral, expansile, intranasal mass that regrew after partial excision. After euthanasia, a large pedunculated mass that originated from the left caudal maxillary sinus and obliterated the left nasal cavity was seen by radiological and macroscopic examination. Histopathology revealed a poorly cellular, expansile, well-vascularized neoplasm composed of a loosely arranged meshwork of spindle cells and collagen fibres. Spindle cells were immunopositive for alpha-smooth muscle actin and occasionally for vimentin, whereas endothelial cells immunol...
Cito F, Di Francesco CE, Averaimo D, Chiaverini A, Alessiani A, Di Domenico M, Cresci M, Rulli M, Cantelmi MC, Di Bernardo MD, Giammarino A.... subsp. (SEZ) is a major problem in equine veterinary medicine. Typically, a commensal in horses, SEZ can cause severe disease including respiratory infections, septicaemia and reproductive tract infections under certain conditions. Recent evidence suggests that humans can also develop severe disease infection through direct contact with infected animals or the consumption of contaminated unpasteurised milk and milk products. This study investigates SEZ strains isolated from nasal swabs of equidae in central Italy in 2023 to describe the epidemiology and genomic characteristics of circulating...
Clarysse M, Korsos S, Vlaminck L.This case report presents the removal of the left maxillary fourth premolar tooth (208) which had a chronic complicated crown root fracture in a 9-year-old Warmblood mare. Following a 14-month history of malodorous nasal discharge, clinical and radiographic examination allowed the diagnosis of a comminuted crown root fracture of 208 and oronasal fistula. Some root fragments inaccessible for oral extraction were subsequently removed using a transnasal approach through the existing oronasal fistulous tract using bronchoesophageal forceps under endoscopic guidance. The oronasal fistula was surgic...
Kamutzki CJ, Emmerich IU.In 2024, there was no release of a novel pharmaceutical agent for horses and food-producing animals or an extension of existing active ingredients to other animal species on the German veterinary medicinal products market. Formic acid is now available for a new form of treatment, the short-term treatment of honeybees, and clenbuterol is available in a new dosage form, as an oral solution for horses. In the field of immunological veterinary medicinal products, three new vaccines were launched on the German veterinary medicinal products market. For the first time, a vaccine against in cattle, a...
Allano M, Arsenault J, Archambault M, Fairbrother JH, Sauvé F.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of nosocomial infections, including in veterinary settings. Objective: To investigate the prevalence, risk factors for Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and MRSA colonization, and the duration of MRSA colonization. Methods: Elective cases admitted to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital were recruited (228 horses). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over 3 years. Nasal swabs were collected at admission and cultured for SA. Methicillin-resistant isolates were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-...
Pusterla N, Lawton K, Barnum S, Magdesian KG.In recent years, the use of non-invasive host and environmental samples for the detection and monitoring of equine respiratory pathogens has shown promise and a high overall agreement with the gold standard of nasal secretions. The present study looked at comparing nose wipes, stall sponges, and air samples with nasal swabs collected from 27 horses involved in an equine influenza (EI) outbreak. The outbreak involved 5 clinical, 6 subclinical, and 16 uninfected horses. Samples sets were collected at the onset of the index case and retested every 2-3 days thereafter until all horses tested qPCR-...
Spadari A, Saragoni G, Meistro F, Ralletti MV, Marzari F, Rinnovati R.This case report documents an unusual cheek tooth (CT) displacement in a 3-year-old Arabian filly. The horse was referred to the clinic for loss of appetite and right-sided facial deformity. At admission, an oral inspection was performed, followed by a dental radiographic examination. The radiographs showed a very oblique vertical angulation (135°) of the CT 106 compared to the other premolars (107 and 108 CTs) (40°). In consideration of the clinical and radiographic findings, surgical extraction of the 106 CT was indicated. Due to the unique positioning of the displaced tooth, traditional e...
Pusterla N, Barnum S, Lawton K, Craig B, James K.Equid alphaherpesvirus 4 (EqAHV4; Orthoherpesviridae, Varicellovirus equidalpha4; equine rhinopneumonitis virus) has seldom been associated with complications such as abortion and myeloencephalopathy, given the low tendency of this virus to induce viremia. We investigated the frequency of EqAHV4 viremia in horses with fever and respiratory signs. Case selection included all equids with EqAHV4 quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR)-positive nasal secretions (defined as EqAHV4 qPCR-positive cases) submitted to a diagnostic laboratory. Controls consisted of each case submitted before and after each Eq...
Holley L, Creasey HN, Bedenice D, Reed S, Romualdo da Silva DR, Trautwein V, Mazan M, Widmer G.Glucocorticosteroids remain the most common pharmaceutical approach for the treatment of equine asthma but can be associated with significant side effects, including respiratory microbiome alterations. The goal of the study was to assess the impact of 2% lidocaine nebulization, a projected alternative treatment of equine asthma, on the healthy equine respiratory microbiota. A prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded, 2-way crossover study was performed, to assess the effect of 1 mg/kg 2% lidocaine (7 treatments over 4 days) on the equine respiratory microbiota compared to control horses (s...
Clayton HM, Murray R, Williams JM, Walker V, Fisher M, Fisher D, Nixon J, Mackechnie-Guire R.Noseband adjustment should avoid discomfort and allow some jaw movement. Objective: To determine pressure beneath a cavesson noseband at five tightness levels during standing and chewing. It was hypothesised that increased noseband tightness is associated with increases in nasal and mandibular pressures while standing and chewing, accompanied by increases in eye temperature and blink rate. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Eight highly-trained dressage horses wore a snaffle bridle with their own bit. Pressure mats over the nasal bones and beneath the mandibular rami recorded sub-noseband pressur...
Cohen ND, Hughes EV, Bayne C, Morris ERA, Bray JM, Landrock KK, Gonzales DM, Baker RM, Klein RL, Liu W, Legere RM, Wehmeyer SG, Bordin AI....Evaluate the immunogenicity of a vaccine targeting the S protein (Ssee) of Streptococcus equi subsp equi and determine antibody activity against Ssee in horses with strangles. Methods: The study was designed as a prospective experiment using 20 university-owned Quarter Horses and a cross-sectional serosurvey of 78 privately owned horses with strangles. Horses were immunized IM with 0 (n = 4), 200 (n = 8), or 400 (n = 8) μg of recombinant Ssee at weeks 0, 4, and 12. Serum and nasal secretions were collected at weeks 0, 4, 6, 12, 16, and 28 and tested by ELISA for immunoglobulin (Ig)-G against ...
Cohen ND, Hughes EV, Bayne C, Morris ERA, Bray JM, Landrock KK, Gonzales DM, Baker RM, Klein RL, Liu W, Legere RM, Wehmeyer SG, Bordin AI....Evaluate the immunogenicity of a vaccine targeting the S protein (Ssee) of Streptococcus equi subsp equi and determine antibody activity against Ssee in horses with strangles. Methods: The study was designed as a prospective experiment using 20 university-owned Quarter Horses and a cross-sectional serosurvey of 78 privately owned horses with strangles. Horses were immunized IM with 0 (n = 4), 200 (n = 8), or 400 (n = 8) μg of recombinant Ssee at weeks 0, 4, and 12. Serum and nasal secretions were collected at weeks 0, 4, 6, 12, 16, and 28 and tested by ELISA for immunoglobulin (Ig)-G against ...
de Moura Alonso J, Watanabe MJ, de Moraes Gimenes Bosco S, Apolonio EVP, de Vasconcelos AB, do Prado AC, Alves ALG, Rodrigues CA, Hussni CA.Fungal rhinitis in horses is rare, although severe, due to the progressive nasal obstruction. Aspergillus is one of the fungi most often involved in these cases. A 7-year-old Quarter Horse mare weighing 325 kg was admitted with a history of recurrent nasal discharge and bleeding, foul smell, reluctance to exercise, and abortion. Laboratory and imaging examinations revealed eosinophilia, scarring and erosion areas in the nasal mucosa, purulent and bloody secretions, and remarkable yellowish plaques. Histopathological examination revealed fungal rhinitis and bacterial culture revealed the prese...
MacKechnie-Guire R, Murray R, Williams JM, Nixon J, Fisher M, Fisher D, Walker V, Clayton HM.Poor noseband adjustment could create high pressures that may risk pain or tissue damage. Objective: To quantify sub-noseband pressures dorsally over the nasal bone and ventrally over the mandibular rami for a Cavesson, Swedish (crank), Drop and Flash noseband at five tightness levels (2.0 to 0.0 finger equivalents). Methods: In vivo experiments. Methods: Eight high-level dressage horses were ridden at the trot in a straight line by their usual riders. Two small pressure mats, attached to the noseband over the nasal bone and the mandibular rami, collected force (N) and pressure (kPa) data from...
Veiga RF, Clarindo LN, Fensterseifer AL, Pompelli LH, Sfaciotte RAP, Schwarz DGG, Eloy LR, Ferraz SM.The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Streptococcus equi (S. equi subsp equi and S. equi subsp zooepidemicus) in the state of Santa Catarina and evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates. For this, 420 nasal swab samples were collected from randomly selected horses. Isolation and phenotypic characterization of the bacteria were performed by sowing on 5% sheep blood agar, followed by analysis of morphotinctorial characteristics and biochemical analysis. To differentiate the main beta-hemolytic Streptococcus in horses, the fermentation profiles of the sug...
Bishop RC, Migliorisi A, Holmes JR, Kemper AM, Band M, Austin S, Aldridge B, Wilkins PA.Understanding normal microbial populations within areas of the respiratory tract is essential, as variable regional conditions create different niches for microbial flora, and proliferation of commensal microbes likely contributes to clinical respiratory disease. The objective was to describe microbial population variability between respiratory tract locations in healthy horses. Samples were collected from four healthy adult horses by nasopharyngeal lavage (NPL), transtracheal aspirate (TTA), and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of six distinct regions within the lung. Full-length 16S ribosomal DN...
Lale D, Dirks EE, Preining I, Lyrakis M, Gömer A, Steinmann E, Cavalleri JV, Ramsauer AS.Equine parvovirus hepatitis (EqPV-H) can cause Theiler's disease and subclinical hepatitis in horses. Objective: Assess the frequency of subclinical EqPV-H infection in hospitalized horses and to study viral transmission by investigating potential shedding routes. Methods: One hundred sixteen equids, that presented to the University Equine Hospital of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna between February 2021 and March 2022, for causes other than hepatopathy. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, samples (serum, feces, nasal, and buccal swabs) of hospitalized horses were collected. S...
Felici M, Cogger N, Nanni Costa L, Riley CB, Padalino B.Studies on equine air transport practices and consequences are scarce. This prospective study aimed to describe horse and air journey details and practices, document how horse behavior and health changed during the air transport phases, quantify the occurrence of welfare issues, and identify possible associations between horse and journey details, air transport practices, and welfare issues. Results: Data were collected from before departure to five days after arrival on 118/597 horses traveling on 32 commercial air journeys on different routes, varying in duration and conditions. Most horses ...
Zu H, Sun R, Li J, Guo X, Wang M, Guo W, Wang X. subspecies () is the causative pathogen of strangles in horses, donkeys, and other equine animals. Strangles has spread globally and causes significant losses to the horse industry. In response to the urgent need for effective disease control, this study introduces a novel nucleic acid diagnostic method known as a real-time recombinase-assisted amplification (RAA) assay, developed based on the gene, for the rapid detection of nucleic acid. The real-time RAA method employs specifically designed probes and primers targeting the gene, enhancing the overall specificity and sensitivity of the ...
Orlando L, Ginolhac A, Zhang G, Froese D, Albrechtsen A, Stiller M, Schubert M, Cappellini E, Petersen B, Moltke I, Johnson PL, Fumagalli M....The rich fossil record of equids has made them a model for evolutionary processes. Here we present a 1.12-times coverage draft genome from a horse bone recovered from permafrost dated to approximately 560-780 thousand years before present (kyr BP). Our data represent the oldest full genome sequence determined so far by almost an order of magnitude. For comparison, we sequenced the genome of a Late Pleistocene horse (43 kyr BP), and modern genomes of five domestic horse breeds (Equus ferus caballus), a Przewalski's horse (E. f. przewalskii) and a donkey (E. asinus). Our analyses suggest that ...
Gosztonyi G, Ludwig H.Natural BD is a nonpurulent acute/subacute encephalitis of horses and sheep with a propensity to involve the olfactory and limbic systems, and the brain stem. The inflammation is concentrated primarily in the gray matter, but subcortical white matter may also be affected. Experimental BD can be produced in a series of animals from birds to primates. The neuropathology after experimental infection is similar to that in natural disease but the inflammatory changes are more diffuse. In the rat and mouse, a persistent/tolerant infection can also be induced, in which inflammatory changes are conspi...
Lab on a chipApril 26, 2020
Volume 20, Issue 9 1621-1627 doi: 10.1039/d0lc00304b
Sun F, Ganguli A, Nguyen J, Brisbin R, Shanmugam K, Hirschberg DL, Wheeler MB, Bashir R, Nash DM, Cunningham BT.Rapid, sensitive and specific detection and reporting of infectious pathogens is important for patient management and epidemic surveillance. We demonstrated a point-of-care system integrated with a smartphone for detecting live virus from nasal swab media, using a panel of equine respiratory infectious diseases as a model system for corresponding human diseases such as COVID-19. Specific nucleic acid sequences of five pathogens were amplified by loop-mediated isothermal amplification on a microfluidic chip and detected at the end of reactions by the smartphone. Pathogen-spiked horse nasal swab...
Islam MZ, Espinosa-Gongora C, Damborg P, Sieber RN, Munk R, Husted L, Moodley A, Skov R, Larsen J, Guardabassi L.Denmark is a country with high prevalence of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clonal complex (CC) 398 in pigs. Even though pig farming is regarded as the main source of human infection or colonization with MRSA CC398, 10-15% of the human cases appear not to be linked to pigs. Following the recent reports of MRSA CC398 in horses in other European countries and the lack of knowledge on S. aureus carriage in this animal species, we carried out a study to investigate whether horses constitute a reservoir of MRSA CC398 in Denmark, and to gain knowledge on the ...
Vengust M, Anderson ME, Rousseau J, Weese JS.To evaluate the prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcal (MRS) colonization in clinically normal dogs and horses in the community. Results: Three hundred clinically normal horses and 200 clinically normal dogs were enrolled. One nasal swab was collected from each horse. Two swabs were taken from each dog: (i) from an anterior nare, and (ii) a combination of the perineal area and 0.5 cm into the anus. Enrichment cultures were performed. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was not identified. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus intermedius (MRSI) was isolated from the n...
Sheoran AS, Timoney JF, Holmes MA, Karzenski SS, Crisman MV.To determine concentrations of IgA and IgG subclasses in serum, colostrum, milk, and nasal wash samples of adult horses and foals. Methods: Seven 2-year-old Welsh ponies, 27 adult mixed-breed horses, and 5 Quarter Horse mares and their foals. Methods: Serum was obtained from ponies and adult horses. Colostrum and milk were obtained from mares and serum and nasal wash samples from their foals immediately after parturition and on days 1, 7, 14, 28, 42, and 63. Nasal wash samples were also obtained from 23 adult horses. Concentrations of immunoglobulins were determined by use of inhibition ELISA....
Newton JR, Verheyen K, Talbot NC, Timoney JF, Wood JL, Lakhani KH, Chanter N.Previous use of repeated nasopharyngeal swabbing and culture of Streptococcus equi showed that healthy carriers developed in more than 50% of 'strangles' outbreaks. The guttural pouches were the only detectable site of S. equi colonisation on endoscopic examination of horses during one of these outbreaks and S. equi was sometimes not detected by culture of nasopharyngeal swabs from carriers for up to 2 or 3 months before nasal shedding resumed sporadically. A more sensitive way of detecting S. equi on swabs from established guttural pouch carriers was therefore required. Conveniently selected ...
Hussey SB, Clark R, Lunn KF, Breathnach C, Soboll G, Whalley JM, Lunn DP.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection is common in young horses throughout the world, resulting in respiratory disease, epidemic abortion, sporadic myelitis, or latent infections. To improve on conventional diagnostic tests for EHV-1, a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was developed, using primers and probes specific for the EHV-1 gB gene. Amplification efficiencies of 100% +/- 5% were obtained for DNA isolated from a plasmid, infected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and nasal secretions from infected ponies. The dynamic range of the assay was 8 log10 dilutions,...
Arun S, Neubauer H, Gürel A, Ayyildiz G, Kusçu B, Yesildere T, Meyer H, Hermanns W.In the course of an epidemiological study of glanders on a number of Turkish islands in the Sea of Marmara, 1128 horses were examined by using the intracutaneous mallein test. Thirty-five (3-1 per cent) developed an increase in rectal temperature and a swelling at the point of injection. Ten of these horses were killed and glanders was confirmed in five cases by the presence of lesions and by the immunohistological demonstration of the causative agent, Burkholderia mallei. Clinical and pathological findings indicated that in all cases the infection was restricted to the mucous membrane of the ...
Reznik GK.The anatomical characteristics of the upper respiratory tract of various experimental animals and man are described. There are a number of differences and similarities macroscopically and microscopically between the species. Perhaps one of the most obvious examples of anatomical differences is in the structure of the turbinates. Some of the differences could affect deposition and clearance of particles in the nasal cavities. Effects of compounds in the nasal cavity, larynx, and trachea can differ depending on the cellular composition of the mucosa.
De Martino L, Lucido M, Mallardo K, Facello B, Mallardo M, Iovane G, Pagnini U, Tufano MA, Catalanotti P.Methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) were isolated from nasal swabs of 56 of 159 (35.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 27.9-43.2%) healthy horses. Two nasal swabs were collected from each horse; 43 of 159 (27%; 95% CI: 20.5-34.8%) of the cohort were colonized by MRS strains in 1 nostril, while in the remaining 13 of 159 (8.2%; 95% CI: 4.6-13.9%), different or identical MRS strains were isolated in both nostrils. Of the 29 humans in close contact with the horses tested, 4 (13.8%; 95% CI: 4.5-32.6%) were found to be carriers of MRS. All isolates were coagulase negative with the exception of...
Foote CE, Love DN, Gilkerson JR, Whalley JM.A silent cycle of equine herpesvirus 1 infection has been described following epidemiological studies in unvaccinated mares and foals. In 1997, an inactivated whole virus EHV-1 and EHV-4 vaccine was released commercially in Australia and used on many stud farms. However, it was not known what effect vaccination might have on the cycle of infection of EHV-1. Objective: To investigate whether EHV-1 and EHV-4 could be detected in young foals from vaccinated mares. Methods: Nasal and blood samples were tested by PCR and ELISA after collection from 237 unvaccinated, unweaned foals and vaccinated an...
Nelson KM, Schram BR, McGregor MW, Sheoran AS, Olsen CW, Lunn DP.Inactivated alum-adjuvanted conventional equine influenza virus vaccines are of poor efficacy and offer limited short-term protection against infection. In sharp contrast, natural infection with equine influenza virus confers long-term protective immunity. In order to identify the protective immune responses to equine influenza virus, the influenza virus-specific IgA, IgGa, IgGb, IgGc and IgG(T) antibody responses in nasal secretions and serum induced by natural infection and a commercial vaccine were studied by ELISA. Two groups of four influenza-naive ponies were established. In the natural ...
Morrow KL, Park RD, Spurgeon TL, Stashak TS, Arceneaux B.The head from three horses euthanized due to diseases unrelated to the head and neck was imaged using computed tomography (CT). Gross cross-sectional slices of equine head #1 and skeleton of equine head #2 were compared with the CT images of the three equine heads to identify normal structures of the cranium, brain, paranasal sinuses, nasal cavity, and teeth. Labeled transverse CT images of the equine head are presented sequentially as a reference for normal anatomy.
Lindahl S, Båverud V, Egenvall A, Aspán A, Pringle J.Strangles is a contagious equine-specific disease caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. equi. Unfortunately, detection of S. equi can fail in up to 40% of horses with strangles. Whereas recent molecular biologic methods and sampling techniques have improved recovery of S. equi optimal sampling methods and laboratory analyses remain ill-defined. Objective: To determine the yield of S. equi from horses with acute strangles in confirmed outbreaks by field-sampling methods subjected to culture and biochemical identification, and real-time PCR directly and after culture. Methods: Fifty-seven horses o...
Krueger K, Flauger B.Living in complex social systems requires perceptual and cognitive capacities for the recognition of group membership and individual competitors. Olfaction is one means by which this can be achieved. Many animals can identify individual proteins in urine, skin secretions, or saliva by scent. Additionally, marking behaviour in several mammals and especially in horses indicates the importance of sniffing conspecifics' faeces for olfactory recognition. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two separate experiments: Experiment 1 addressed the question of whether horses can recognise the group memb...
Edington N, Bridges CG, Huckle A.Eight ponies were experimentally infected with equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV 1) (subtype 1). All animals showed clinical and serological evidence of infection and virus was isolated from nasal swabs and leucocytes. These ponies were kept in isolation for a further three months during which time complement fixing antibody decreased at least four-fold. Following immunosuppression with dexamethasone and prednisolone subtype 1 virus was recovered from six of the eight animals within 14 days. Five of these six ponies were viraemic and three of them shed virus in nasal secretions; only four displayed sig...
Burgess BA, Tokateloff N, Manning S, Lohmann K, Lunn DP, Hussey SB, Morley PS.There is little information on the duration of nasal shedding of EHV-1 from horses with naturally occurring equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM). Objective: To evaluate the duration of nasal shedding of EHV-1 in horses affected by EHM. Methods: One hundred and four horses naturally exposed to EHV-1, 20 of which had clinical signs of EHM. Methods: All horses on affected premises were monitored. Those horses developing EHM were sampled in a longitudinal outbreak investigation. Nasal swabs were collected daily from 16 of 20 horses affected by EHM. A qPCR was performed on 98 of 246 nasal s...
Angulo-Valadez CE, Scholl PJ, Cepeda-Palacios R, Jacquiet P, Dorchies P.Larvae causing obligatory myiasis are numerous and they may affect cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues, wounds, nasopharyngeal cavities (nasal bots), internal organs and the digestive tract (bots) of domestic and wild animals and humans as well. Nasal bots belong to the Family Oestridae, Subfamily Oestrinae, which includes several important genera: Oestrus, Kirkioestrus, and Gedoelstia infecting Artiodactyla (except Cervidae) in Africa and Eurasia, Cephenemyia and Pharyngomyia infecting Cervidae, Rhinoestrus infecting horses, Cephalopina infecting camels, Pharyngobolus infecting African elephan...
Pusterla N, Hussey SB, Mapes S, Johnson C, Collier JR, Hill J, Lunn DP, Wilson WD.Recrudescence of latent equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) with subsequent viral shedding via nasal secretions is a potential source of infection for susceptible horses and has been implicated in outbreaks occurring in closed populations. Objective: To describe the viral kinetics of reactivated EHV-1 in blood and nasal secretions from latently infected horses after administration of corticosteroids, and to study the infectious nature of reactivated EHV-1 to sentinel horses. Methods: Eight healthy horses. Methods: Four horses infected 4 months previously with EHV-1 received dexamethasone on 5 consecu...
Back H, Ullman K, Treiberg Berndtsson L, Riihimäki M, Penell J, Ståhl K, Valarcher JF, Pringle J.The equine gamma herpesviruses 2 and 5 (EHV-2 and -5) have frequently been observed in the equine population and until recently presumed low to nonpathogenic. However, recent reports linking presence of equine gamma herpesviruses with clinical signs of mild to severe lung disease, suggest that the role of these viruses in respiratory disease and poor performance syndrome is still unclear. Moreover, baseline data regarding the temporal pattern of shedding of EHV-2 and EHV-5 within stables and within individual actively racing horses have been lacking. In a prospective longitudinal study, we fol...
Cissell DD, Wisner ER, Textor J, Mohr FC, Scrivani PV, Théon AP.The computed tomography (CT) features of tumors involving the nasal cavity and/or paranasal sinuses of 15 horses were reviewed. The 15 tumors included five neuroendocrine tumors/neuroblastomas, two undifferentiated carcinomas, two myxosarcomas, and one each of nasal adenocarcinoma, hemangiosarcoma, chondroblastic osteosarcoma, anaplastic sarcoma, myxoma, and ossifying fibroma. All tumors except the ossifying fibroma were iso- or hypoattenuating relative to masseter muscle. Thirteen of the fifteen tumors exhibited moderate or marked osteolysis of adjacent cortical bone and 14/15 were characteri...
Bailey CJ, Reid SW, Hodgson DR, Rose RJ.A prospective study of injuries and disease in a cohort of Australian thoroughbreds in training was conducted with the participation of 24 trainers. From the horses catalogued at a major yearling sale in 1995, 169 were enrolled in the study and followed through their two- and three-year-old racing seasons. The principal aim was to quantify the time lost in training as a result of the various categories of injuries and disease, recorded as either days of modified training, or weeks rested at pasture. Shin soreness was the most common condition in two-year-olds (affecting 42 per cent of the hors...
Head KW, Dixon PM.The normal gross and histological anatomy of the equine nasal and paranasal sinuses are reviewed and the relationships between the local anatomy, the occurrence of different tumour types, and of tumour spread are examined. The histological classification of the more common equine sinonasal tumours and tumour-like lesions are discussed. Clinical and pathological descriptions of 50 more recently recorded such tumours are separately tabulated. The literature shows that equine sinonasal tumours, both endemic and sporadic, are relatively uncommon in horses, with non-neoplastic growths such as maxil...
Dobesova O, Schwarz B, Velde K, Jahn P, Zert Z, Bezdekova B.The medical records of 28 horses with guttural pouch mycosis were reviewed. The most commonly observed clinical signs were nasal discharge, epistaxis, dysphagia and/or cough. All 28 horses had the disease unilaterally, however, in five of them, it had spread into the contralateral pouch via the mesial septum. Three horses were treated medically, 11 horses underwent surgery and seven horses were treated both medically and surgically. Fifty percent of horses (14/28) were euthanased or died, fifty percent of horses (14/28) survived. There was no significant correlation between treatment method (m...
Sellon DC, Besser TE, Vivrette SL, McConnico RS.Recently, a technique was described for amplification of Rhodococcus equi-specific chromosomal and vapA DNA from blood and tracheal wash fluids. It was hypothesized that this technique would be more sensitive than standard culture techniques or serology for diagnosis of R. equi pneumonia in foals. Tracheal wash fluid, nasal swabs, whole blood samples, and serum samples from 56 foals with pneumonia were analyzed. Final clinical diagnosis was determined by the attending clinician on the basis of final interpretation of all available information about each foal, including clinical presentation, d...
Lane JG, Mair TS.The clinical records of 100 cases of headshaking in horses were reviewed. Possible causes of the abnormal behaviour were identified in 11 animals; these included ear mite infestation, otitis interna, cranial nerve dysfunction, cervical injury, ocular disease, guttural pouch mycosis, dental periapical osteitis and suspected vasomotor rhinitis. However, in only two of these could it be shown that correction of the abnormality led to elimination of the headshaking. The additional clinical signs exhibited by the other idiopathic cases of headshaking included evidence of nasal irritation, sneezing ...
Karakulska J, Fijałkowski K, Nawrotek P, Pobucewicz A, Poszumski F, Czernomysy-Furowicz D.The aim of this study was an analysis of the staphylococcal flora of the nasal cavity of 42 healthy horses from 4 farms, along with species identification of CoNS isolates and determination of resistance to 18 antimicrobial agents, particularly phenotypic and genotypic methicillin resistance. From the 81 swabs, 87 staphylococci were isolated. All isolates possessed the gap gene but the coa gene was not detected in any of these isolates. Using PCR-RFLP of the gap gene, 82.8% of CoNS were identified: S. equorum (14.9%), S. warneri (14.9%), S. sciuri (12.6%), S. vitulinus (12.6%), S. xylosus (11....
Pusterla N, Sandler-Burtness E, Barnum S, Hill LA, Mendonsa E, Khan R, Portener D, Ridland H, Schumacher S.The objective of this study was to determine detection frequency of respiratory viruses (equine influenza virus [EIV], equine herpesvirus-1 [EHV-1], EHV-2, EHV-4, EHV-5, equine rhinitis A virus [ERAV], ERBV) and bacteria (Streptococcus equi ss. equi[S. equi], S. equi ss. zooepidemicus[S. zooepidemicus]) in 162 nasal secretions and 149 stall swabs from healthy sport horses attending a spring show in California. Nasal and stall swabs were collected at a single time point and analyzed using qPCR. The detection frequency of respiratory pathogens in nasal secretions was 38.9% for EHV-2, 36.4% for E...
