Pathology in horses involves the study of diseases and abnormalities affecting equine health, encompassing a range of conditions that can impact various systems within the horse's body. This field examines the causes, mechanisms, and effects of diseases, as well as the structural and functional changes they induce in equine tissues and organs. Common pathological conditions in horses include laminitis, colic, equine infectious anemia, and respiratory disorders. Understanding these diseases involves evaluating clinical signs, diagnostic methods, and treatment options. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the etiology, pathogenesis, and clinical implications of pathological conditions in horses.
Arenas-Gamboa AM, Mansell J.Haemangiosarcomas (HSAs) are malignant tumours of endothelial cell origin. Epithelioid HSA is a variant of the histologically conventional HSA that has little or no morphological evidence of a vascular origin and has been reported rarely in domestic animals. The following report documents six cases of equine epithelioid HSA occurring in the ocular tissues of horses with a mean age of 19.8 years at the time of diagnosis. Microscopically, all of the lesions consisted of solid sheets or cords of epithelioid cells with rare narrow clefts or small spaces containing erythrocytes that were often the ...
Kim DY, Johnson PJ, Senter D.A 9-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse gelding was presented for diagnosis of the cause of extensive alopecia. Complete hair loss was noted over the head, neck, shoulder, thigh, and proximal limbs, but the trunk, distal limbs, pelvic area, mane, and tail were unaffected. The alopecic areas were visually noninflammatory with no exudate or crust except on the shoulder and along the back, where multifocal patchy areas of alopecia with scales and crust were evident. The horse was slightly pruritic. Microscopically, the hair bulbs, inner and outer root sheaths of inferior segments, and perifollicular...
Visser MB, Pollitt CC.The basement membrane (BM) is a thin layer of extracellular matrix that regulates cell functions as well as providing support to tissues of the body. Primary components of the BM of epithelial tissues are laminin-332 (Ln-332) and collagen type IV. Equine laminitis is a disease characterized by destruction and dislocation of the hoof lamellar BM. Immunohistochemistry was used to characterize the distribution of Ln-332 and collagen type IV in the organs of normal horses and these proteins were found to be widespread. Analysis of a panel of tissue samples from horses with experimentally-induced l...
Tranquille CA, Dyson SJ, Blunden AS, Collins SN, Parkin TD, Goodship AE, Murray RC.To determine whether histopathologic characteristics of the osteochondral units of equine distal tarsal joints were associated with exercise history in horses without lameness. Methods: 30 cadaver tarsi from horses without lameness and with known exercise history were separated into 3 groups: nonridden, pasture exercise (group P); low-intensity, ridden exercise (group L); and high-intensity, elite competition exercise (group E). Methods: Standardized sites from the centrodistal and tarsometatarsal joints under went histologic preparation. A grading system was adapted to describe location, dept...
Parente EJ, Birks EK, Habecker P.To perform a modification to the standard laryngoplasty procedure in vivo that would result in ankylosis of the cricoarytenoid (CA) joint, and determine the stability provided to the abducted arytenoid in vitro. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Horses (n=8). Methods: Horses were assigned to either control laryngoplasty (n=3) or modified laryngoplasty (5) procedure. Endoscopic upper airway evaluations were used to measure right:left quotients 1 day and 3 months postoperatively to assess maintenance of abduction. Horses were euthanatized 3 months after surgery and larynges collected for mea...
Crawford A, O'Donnell M, Crowe O, Eliashar E, Smith RK.To report the clinical features of horses with fluid-filled masses associated with the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) and outcome after surgery. Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses (n=10) Methods: Medical records of horses with fluid-filled masses associated with the DFTS were reviewed and the clinical features, diagnostic methods, treatment, histopathology, and outcome reported. Results: Masses were unilateral (7 hind limb, 3 front limb) and in 8 horses were associated with lameness. In 6 horses, lameness improved by >50% with intrathecal DTFS anesthesia, whereas 2 were less positiv...
Dicken M, Munday JS, Archer RM, Mayhew IG, Pandey SK.Equine cutaneous fungal granulomas have been previously referred to in New Zealand (Fairley 1998), and are described in the veterinary literature from around the world, including North America and Australia (Pascoe and Summers 1981; Genovese et al. 2001; Valentine et al. 2006), but no peer-reviewed reports appear published in the literature in New Zealand. Described here is a case of multiple cutaneous fungal granulomas caused by Alternaria spp. in a horse in New Zealand.
Tan JY, Valberg SJ, Sebastian MM, Davis GD, Kelly JR, Goehring LS, Harland MM, Kuebelbeck KL, Waldridge BM, Newton JC, Reimer JM.Five horses were presented with signs of myopathy along with systemic malaise, hyperfibrinogenemia, hyperphosphatemia, and an elevated calcium phosphorus product (Ca*P). Postmortem findings were consistent with systemic calcinosis, a syndrome of calcium deposition in the tissue of organs including lungs, kidneys, muscle, and heart that has not been previously described in horses. Cinq chevaux ont été présentés avec des signes de myopathie et un malaise systémique, d’hyperfibrinogénémie, d’hyperphosphatémie et d’un produit de phosphore de calcium élevé (Ca*P). Les constatations...
Haenni M, Targant H, Forest K, Sévin C, Tapprest J, Laugier C, Madec JY.Coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS) are potential causative agents of equine infections, but they are rarely responsible for the death of the animal. In the current study, staphylococci implicated in the death or euthanasia of horses were retrospectively studied in 3,457 necropsies performed over a decade (1995-2006). Morbidity associated with CoPS was 1.7%, representing 60 isolates of CoPS, which were identified as Staphylococcus aureus (59) and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (1). Coagulase-positive staphylococci (alone or in association with another bacterial species) were associated wi...
James FM, Engiles JB, Beech J.A 12-year-old Thoroughbred was examined because of signs of depression, neck stiffness, and poor performance. Results: Physical examination revealed that the horse was dull, appeared depressed, was reluctant to raise its neck and head above a horizontal plane, and had a temperature of 38.5°C (101.3°F). No radiographic or scintigraphic abnormalities of the neck were found; however, high plasma fibrinogen concentration and relative lymphopenia were identified and the horse was seropositive for antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi. Analysis of CSF revealed neutrophilic inflammation, and resu...
Brink P, Schumacher J.To report clinical signs and management of hypospadias in a horse. Methods: Clinical report. Methods: A 6-year-old, Friesian gelding. Methods: Partial phallectomy was performed to resolve contact dermatitis of the pelvic limbs and abnormal behavior during urination. Subsequent urethral meatal stenosis was treated by revision. Results: Hypospadias and chordee caused altered direction of urine flow, contact dermatitis of the pelvic limbs, and abnormal behavior. Partial phallectomy and subsequent revision after meatal stenosis resolved urine direction, flow and abnormal behavior. Conclusions: Abn...
Biggi M, Dyson S.There are no data concerning the accuracy of conventional and computed or digital radiography for evaluation of the equine foot. Objective: To compare conventional film-screen and computed radiography with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detection of distal border fragments of the navicular bone; and to establish which type of fragment was more likely to be detected radiologically. Methods: Horses were included if forelimb lameness was localised to the foot and both radiography and high-field MR images had been acquired. Horses were divided into 2 groups based on acquisition of convention...
Schoster A, Anderson ME.A 9-year-old Quarter horse was presented for chronic refractory pneumonia. On necropsy, an hepatic abscess, caudal vena cava thrombosis, pulmonary thromboembolism, and embolic pneumonia were identified. Similar lesions have been reported in cattle as caudal vena cava thrombosis syndrome, however this syndrome has not previously been reported in horses. Un cheval Quarter horse âgé de 9 ans est présenté pour une pneumonie réfractaire chronique. À la nécropsie, un abcès hépatique, une thrombose de la veine cave caudale, un thromboembolisme pulmonaire et une pneumonie embolique ont été...
Neundorf RH, Lowerison MB, Cruz AM, Thomason JJ, McEwen BJ, Hurtig MB.To determine the prevalence and severity of osteoarthritis in the metacarpophalangeal joints of Thoroughbred racehorses via development and validation of a quantitative macroscopic evaluation system. Methods: Metacarpophalangeal joints from 50 Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Joints were collected from horses that died or were euthanized within 60 days of racing. Metacarpophalangeal joints were assessed for osteoarthritic degeneration by use of macroscopic and histologic scoring systems, polarized light microscopy, and cartilage biochemical analysis. The global macroscopic score for the entir...
Matthews A, Gilger B.Immune mediated keratopathies (IMMKs) are a relatively commonly occurring group of heterogeneous corneal disorders. This paper describes the currently recognised clinical presentations of the IMMKs in the USA and in the UK. Although a clinical diagnosis is relatively straightforward in most cases, the specific aetiopathogeneses of the IMMKs remains elusive and largely speculative, but are thought to be based upon upregulated immunoreactivity in the normally immunologically passive cornea. Treatment protocols, both medical and surgical, are based primarily on collective clinical experience and ...
Ramzan PH, Palmer L.Although considered relatively common in horses, there is little information on the prevalence, distribution and aetiology of peripheral caries of the equine cheek teeth (CT). The objective of this study was to investigate a possible association between this lesion and diastemata or 'gaps' between the CT which facilitate the entrapment of food material. Video recordings of oroscopic examinations of all dental cases at an equine hospital over a 3-year period were reviewed, and the location of all diastemata, peripheral caries, trapped food, and of gingival recession were recorded. A total of 10...
Rubio-Martínez LM, Cruz AM, Inglis D, Hurtig MB.To determine the anisotropic characteristics of the microarchitecture of the subchondral bone (SCB) plate and trabecular bone (TBB) of the distopalmar aspect of the metacarpal condyles in horses with different stages of SCB disease. Methods: 12 third metacarpal bone pairs from racing Thoroughbreds euthanized for diverse reasons. Methods: Both metacarpi were collected from horses with SCB changes that were mild (sclerosis and focal radiolucencies; n=6) or severe (multifocal radiolucencies and articular surface defects; 6). Sample blocks of SCB plate and TBB were collected from the distopalmar a...
García-López JM, Jenei T, Chope K, Bubeck KA.4 horses with a history of neck pain, abnormal head carriage, and related inability to perform were examined. Cranial nuchal bursitis was diagnosed in 2 horses, and caudal nuchal bursitis was diagnosed in the other 2. Results: All 4 horses had prominent swelling in the region between the frontal bone and temporal fossa (ie, the poll) and abnormal head carriage. Ultrasonographic examination revealed fluid distention and synovial thickening of the cranial or caudal nuchal bursa in all 4 horses. Ultrasonography-guided aspiration of the affected region was performed successfully in 3 horses. Radio...
Da Silva AS, Garcia Perez HA, Costa MM, França RT, De Gasperi D, Zanette RA, Amado JA, Lopes ST, Teixeira MM, Monteiro SG.In this study, we reported the first outbreak of the infection by Trypanosoma vivax in horses in southern Brazil, a non-endemic region where bovines have only recently been found infected by this trypanosome species. We evaluated 12 horses from a farm in southern Brazil, where four horses displayed pale mucous membranes, fever, weight loss, and swelling of abdomen, prepuce, or vulva. The diagnosis of T. vivax was confirmed in four horses by morphological parameters of trypomastigotes in blood smears and species-specific PCR. All T. vivax-infected animals showed anemia, and most showed increase...
Vilar JM, Santana A, Espinosa J, Spinella G.The assessment of a normal range for cross-sectional area (CSA) of tendons in the tarsal region is important in order to use them as reference values in the identification of pathological changes of dimensions. Objective: To provide normal reference values for the CSA of the tendons of the tarsus of Standardbred trotter horses (STH) by means of ultrasonography. Methods: Transverse echographic images of the tendons were obtained at different levels proximodistally; these images were digitised and CSA values (mean ± s.d.) were obtained for each structure. Results: The largest structure correspo...
Dyson S, Brown V, Collins S, Murray R.Associations between degree of ossification of the cartilages of the foot and injuries to other structures of the foot have been suggested, but have not been investigated by large scale studies. Objective: To describe the frequency of grade >3 ossification of the cartilages of the foot (possibly significant ossification, PSO), mediolateral symmetry of ossification and left-right symmetry between feet; and to investigate associations between PSO and injury of either the collateral ligaments (CLs) of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint or the distal phalanx. Objective: Possibly significant os...
Schöniger S, Valentine BA, Fernandez CJ, Summers BA.Schwannomas are uncommonly recognized in horses. This study describes cutaneous schwannomas in 22 horses aged 8 to 25 years: 12 male, 7 female, and 3 of unknown sex. The horses had solitary cutaneous masses: 9 on the head, 3 on the neck, and the others on the shoulder, hip, thorax, abdomen, rump, extremities, or tail. The location of 1 tumor was unknown. The dermal tumors were well demarcated and expansile. Twelve had a multinodular pattern, whereas 10 formed a single nodule. Antoni A areas were observed in all tumors, and 10 tumors contained Antoni B areas. In Antoni A areas, the densely pack...
van Eps A, Collins SN, Pollitt CC.Supporting limb laminitis poses a threat to all horses suffering from severe unilateral lameness. Despite its devastating effects, relatively little is known about the precise pathologic processes that lead to its development. This article reviews the potential mechanisms of supporting limb laminitis, and the authors present some preliminary data based on advanced imaging and computer-based modeling techniques aimed at further elucidating the etiology of this unique form of laminitis. Gaining a better understanding of the pathologic processes that lead to supporting limb laminitis is essential...
van Eps A, Collins SN, Pollitt CC.Supporting limb laminitis poses a threat to all horses suffering from severe unilateral lameness. Despite its devastating effects, relatively little is known about the precise pathologic processes that lead to its development. This article reviews the potential mechanisms of supporting limb laminitis, and the authors present some preliminary data based on advanced imaging and computer-based modeling techniques aimed at further elucidating the etiology of this unique form of laminitis. Gaining a better understanding of the pathologic processes that lead to supporting limb laminitis is essential...
Shahriar F, Moore J.Thymic malignancy is rare in horses. Thymic epithelial tumor was diagnosed in an 18-year-old mare with invasion and metastasis to the pericardium and heart. At necropsy, the cranial thoracic cavity was obliterated by a large mass located in the thymic region and the right atrium was also expanded and effaced by a similar mass. Histologically, the neoplasm was composed of sheets of spindle cells with intraparenchymal Hassall's corpuscles and formation of pseudorosettes around blood vessels compatible with type A thymic epithelial tumor according to World Health Organization classification. The ...
Ebert LC, Schön CA, Ruder TD, Thali MJ, Hatch GM.Horse kicks are rare incidents-especially, if they end in fatality. In this case, a 13-year-old girl collapsed 3 minutes after sustaining a kick to the chest from a pony. Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. Postmortem computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were performed before autopsy.Imaging revealed a 3-cm long laceration of the left ventricle and a large pericardial effusion. Using segmentation techniques, the amount of blood inside the pericardium was determined. These findings correlated well with the autopsy findings. Pericardial tamponade was determined at autopsy to ...
Sanchez B, Nieto A, de Ruiz Leon MA, Rodríguez J, Flores J.A lymphangiosarcoma with metastases was found in a horse that presented with respiratory distress and edema in the ventral thorax and abdomen. The necropsy revealed diffuse edema in the subcutaneous connective tissue. Mediastinal, mesenteric, iliac, and renal lymph nodes were enlarged and white with soft, yellowish necrotic areas. Histologic examination revealed numerous channels and disorganized vessels lined by large polyhedral, polymorphic cells. Tumor metastases were observed in the spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the tumor cells demonstrated positive staining...
Pinkerton ME, Bailey KL, Thomas KK, Goetz TE, Valli VE.A 17-year-old Quarterhorse gelding with a clinical diagnosis of protein-losing enteropathy was submitted for necropsy following a 4-5-month duration of weight loss, decreased appetite, and hypoproteinemia. Gross findings included multiple 1-2-cm diameter ulcers on the luminal surfaces of the duodenum and ileum. Histologic examination revealed individual large, round cells infiltrating much of the mucosal epithelium of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and colon in addition to multifocal areas of ulceration. Similar round cells infiltrated Brunner's glands and expanded the submucosa beneath the foc...
Dacre IT, Shaw DJ, Dixon PM.Histological measurements of dimensions of primary, regular secondary and irregular secondary dentine, pulp diameter and assessment of the levels of predentine, resting lines and enlarged areas of intertubular dentine were performed in apically infected mandibular and maxillary cheek teeth (CT). These examinations showed significantly reduced regular and irregular secondary dentine thickness in diseased as compared to control CT, with 21/26 infected maxillary CT and 15/18 infected mandibular CT having reduced regular secondary dentine (varying between 27.4% and 89.1% reduced secondary dentine ...
Spriet M, Murphy B, Vallance SA, Vidal MA, Whitcomb MB, Wisner ER.Magic angle magnetic resonance (MR) imaging consists of imaging tendons at 55° to the magnetic field. In people, magic angle MR imaging is valuable for detection of chronic tendon lesions and allows calculation of tendon T1 values. Increased T1 values occur in people with chronic tendinopathy. The T1 values of normal equine tendons have been reported but there are no available data for abnormal equine tendons. Twelve limbs were studied. Two limbs had diode laser tendon lesions induced postmortem, four limbs had diode laser tendon lesions induced in vivo and six limbs had naturally occurring t...
Guidi EE, Thomas A, Cadoré JL, Smith AB.Endocarditis is a rare pathology in horses and the clinical signs can be misleading. We describe the clinical, echocardiographic, and pathological features of Citrobacter freundii induced bacterial endocarditis in a horse. This bacterium has never been reported before as an agent of vegetative endocarditis in the horse. L’endocardite est une pathologie rare chez les chevaux et les signes cliniques peuvent être trompeurs. Nous décrivons les caractéristiques cliniques, échographiques et pathologiques d’une endocardite bactérienne induite par chez un cheval. Cette bactérie n’a jamai...
Van Hoogmoed L, Rodger LD, Spier SJ, Gardner IA, Yarbrough TB, Snyder JR.To determine whether peritoneal fluid pH, glucose concentration, and lactate dehydrogenase activity can be used to differentiate horses with septic peritonitis from those with nonseptic peritonitis. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 46 horses, including 10 healthy horses, 15 horses with septic peritonitis, and 21 horses with nonseptic peritonitis. Methods: Peritoneal fluid and blood samples were analyzed for pH, glucose concentration, and lactate dehydrogenase activity. Complete blood cell counts were performed, and peritoneal fluid samples were submitted for bacterial culture. Results: Hor...
Daft BM, Barr BC, Gardner IA, Read D, Bell W, Peyser KG, Ardans A, Kinde H, Morrow JK.To determine sensitivity and specificity of western blot testing (WBT) of CSF and serum for diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) in horses with and without neurologic abnormalities. Methods: Prospective investigation. Methods: 65 horses with and 169 horses without neurologic abnormalities. Methods: CSF and serum from horses submitted for necropsy were tested for Sarcocystis neurona-specific antibody with a WBT. Results of postmortem examination were used as the gold standard against which results of the WBT were compared. Results: Sensitivity of WBT of CSF was 87% for horses w...
Ellis DR.The common spontaneous fractures of the third metacarpus and
metatarsus of young racehorses are split cannons or condylar
fractures. Meagher (1976) described a series of 45 cases involving
the lateral condyle and Richardson (1984) detailed 15 cases involving
the medial metatarsal condyle. Rick et al. (1983) published a clinical
and pathological study of 75 cases of third metacarpal and metatarsal
condylar fracture. In the United Kingdom, Barr et al. (1989) recorded
8 cases with long fractures, 3 lateral and 5 medial condylar. This
paper reports 124 cases of medial or lateral condylar f...
Breeze RG, Legreid WW, Bayly WM, Wilson BJ.Perilla ketone was assessed for its usefulness as a model of equine restrictive pulmonary disease. Three ponies were given 18 mg/kg bodyweight synthetic perilla ketone in dimethyl-sulphoxide. Within 24 h of administration, respiratory rate, peak inspiratory and expiratory flow rates and minute volume were increased. By 48 h there was a significant decrease in tidal volume, and blood pH and base excess were also decreased but not outside normal limits. At necropsy there was congestion and oedema of the lungs. Histologically there was diffuse alveolar injury but no evidence of significant obstru...
The Journal of heredityNovember 1, 1975
Volume 66, Issue 6 318-326 doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a108640
Gardner EJ, Shupe JL, Leone NC, Olson AE.Comparative studies are being conducted on hereditary multiple exostosis in man and the horse. In both, there is an unquestionable inheritance pattern of a typical single, dominant, autosomal gene. Those who carry the gene have a one-half chance of transmitting it to each offspring, whereas, those who do not carry the gene do not transmit this abnormality to their progeny. The lesions are clinically and histologically similar; no persistent chromosomal irregularities have been associated with the abnormality in either man or the horse and no single evidence of malignancy in either man or anima...
Valentine BA, de Lahunta A, Divers TJ, Ducharme NG, Orcutt RS.Two Belgian geldings, 4 and 14 years old, respectively, with muscle atrophy, weakness, and abnormal gait characteristic of severe advanced shivers were examined clinically and on necropsy. Neurologic examination revealed no evidence of ataxia, and the clinical diagnosis was neuromuscular weakness and shivers. Necropsies of both horses, including examination of pituitary, brain, spinal cord, spinal roots and ganglia, and peripheral nerves, revealed no gross or histologic abnormalities. Examination of multiple skeletal muscle specimens revealed chronic myopathic changes and periodic acid-Schiff ...
Dyson S, Murray R, Pinilla MJ.It has been suggested that ultrasonography is unreliable for the detection of hindlimb proximal suspensory desmopathy (PSD) based on comparisons between ultrasonographic and magnetic resonance images. Objective: To compare ultrasonography with gross and histopathological post mortem examination in horses with PSD diagnosed based on ultrasonography and control horses. Methods: Retrospective descriptive study. Methods: Part 1: 19 horses with hindlimb PSD and 10 control horses were humanely destroyed. Twenty control limbs and 37 lame limbs were examined grossly and 40 suspensory ligaments (SLs) w...
Fulton RE, Doane FW, Macpherson LW.Combined light and electron microscopy were used to follow the sequence of virus development in equine papillomas. The deepest layer in which virus was observed was the stratum spinosum of the epidermis. In this layer virus was scattered throughout the nuclei and was occasionally found in association with the nucleolus. In the stratum granulosum virus particles were more numerous, often forming isolated nuclear aggregates. Virus inclusions observed in the stratum granulosum by electron microscopy were correlated with nuclear inclusions seen by light microscopy. In the stratum corneum closely p...
Anderson JA, Alves DA, Cerqueira-Cézar CK, da Silva AF, Murata FHA, Norris JK, Howe DK, Dubey JP.Neosporosis is a common cause of abortion in cattle worldwide but is rare in horses. Here, the first case of histologically, ultrastructurally, immunohistochemically, and molecularly confirmed equine abortion caused by neosporosis is reported. Samples of lung, heart, liver, skeletal muscle, tongue, brain, and the placenta from a female fetus aborted at 280 days of gestation were fixed in formalin and submitted for diagnosis. Histologically, there was disseminated neosporosis with severe lesions in lungs, liver and the heart. Protozoal tachyzoites in all tissues reacted with polyclonal anti-Neo...
Gray PR, Derksen FJ, Broadstone RV, Robinson NE, Peters-Golden M.Heaves is a respiratory disorder of horses and ponies characterized by bouts of acute airway obstruction and airway hyperresponsiveness. We measured prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE) production in vitro in tracheal epithelium obtained from six affected horses at the time of acute airway obstruction as compared with six matched control horses. Strips of epithelium and subepithelial tissue were prepared and stimulated with A23187, histamine, and bradykinin. The PGE2 and 15-HETE in media from strips was quantitated by radioimmunoassay. 15-HETE above the limits ...
Giusto G, Cerullo A, Labate F, Gandini M.Incomplete ileocecal bypass can be performed in cases in which an ileal disfunction is suspected but resection of the diseased ileum is not necessary. Objective: To describe the clinical findings, the surgical technique, and the outcome of 21 cases of colic with ileal pathologies that underwent an incomplete ileocecal bypass. Methods: Historical, clinical, and surgical features of cases diagnosed with pathologies involving the ileum or the ileocecal valve that underwent ileocecal anastomosis without ileal resection were retrieved. Clinical (heart rate, duration of symptoms, presence of reflux,...
O'Callaghan MW, Hornof WJ, Fisher PE, Pascoe JR.Detailed post mortem examination of the lungs of horses with exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) has demonstrated significant small airway disease and intense bronchial arterial proliferation in the dorsocaudal lungfields. The purpose of this study was to investigate ventilation and perfusion distribution in the lungs of a similar group of horses to compare changes in the live animal with the previously reported post mortem findings. Thoracic radiography and ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scintigraphy were performed on five racing Thoroughbreds with recent histories of EIPH. Parametric ...
Ohnuma K, Uchida T, Leung GN, Ueda T, Obara T, Ishii H.In the context of doping control, conventional direct chemical testing detects only a limited scope of target substances in equine biological samples. To expand the ability to detect doping agents and their detection windows, metabolomics has recently become a common approach for monitoring alteration of biomarkers caused by doping agents in relevant metabolic pathways. In horse racing, remarkable changes in metabolic profiles between the rest state and racing are likely to affect the identification of doping biomarkers. Previously, we reported a limited number of significantly upregulated met...
Cheevers WP, Roberson SM, Brassfield AL, Davis WC, Crawford TB.A virus with the morphologic and biochemical properties of the family Retroviridae has been isolated from cultured cells explanted from a malignant tumor induced by intradermal inoculation of equine sarcoid cells into a combined immunodeficient Arabian foal. By electron microscopy, intracytoplasmic, extracellular, and budding particles measuring 89 to 120 nm with electron-lucent cores were seen. Virus purified from the medium of cultured cells had a buoyant density of 1.15 g/cm3 in isopycnic sucrose-gradient centrifugation, incorporated radiolabeled uridine but not thymidine, and had constitut...
Markel MD, Wheat JD, Jones K.The medical records of 10 horses with invasive neoplasms of the penis, prepuce, and/or superficial inguinal lymph nodes in which treatment involved en bloc resection and penile retroversion were reviewed. All were geldings and ranged in age from 12 to 25 years (mean, 19 years). Evaluation of biopsy specimens obtained before surgery confirmed lymphosarcoma in 1 horse and squamous cell carcinoma in 9 horses. Typical history included swelling, ulceration, and abscessation of the penis and prepuce and large superficial inguinal lymph nodes. Complications after surgery included dehiscence of the ur...
Adams SB, Fessler JF, Rebar AH.Cytologic examination of serial peritoneal fluid samples of nine experimental ponies was performed during a 72 hour period following laparotomy. Six of the ponies had jejunal infarction induced by occlusion of the corresponding vasculature. Cytologic examination was also performed on the peritoneal fluid of a series of horses with naturally occurring abdominal crises presented to the Large Animal Clinic. A rapid staining technique allowed evaluation of smears within 5 minutes of obtaining the fluid. Alterations in peritoneal fluid of the experimental and clinical cases reflected an acute infla...
Sabnis SG, Gunson DE, Antonovych TT.Seven horses ranging from three to 15 years of age had nephrotic syndrome; at necropsy, renal tissue of all seven horses had the morphologic lesions of mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis (membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis). Homogeneous eosinophilic material which filled the glomerular capillary lumina was found in five horses. Ultrastructurally, this material primarily consisted of electron-dense deposits with a fibrillar pattern in five horses and in one horse, rhomboid crystalline deposits which resembled deposits seen in human cryoglobulinemia. The association of mesangioprolif...
Barrowman PR.To establish the ability of Trypanosoma equiperdum to cross the blood-brain-barrier in the horse, a susceptible stallion was infected via the cerebrospinal fluid of the subarachnoid space by lumbosacral puncture. Cerebrospinal fluid with low detectable levels of trypanosomes removed from a dourine-infected mare by lumbosacral puncture was used for infecting the animal. The parasite was detected in blood smears of the recipient 13 days after infection and the subsequent parasitaemia and clinical course of the disease followed that of naturally infected horses.
Fedorka CE, Scoggin KE, Ruby RE, Erol E, Ball BA.Placentitis is the leading cause of infectious abortion in the horse and contributes to roughly 19% of all abortions in the United States. A type of placental infection, nocardioform placentitis (NP) is associated with gram-positive branching actinomycetes localized within the ventral body of the feto-maternal interface to create a lymphoplasmacytic mucoid lesion. While the etiology of this disease is poorly described, this placental infection continues to cause episodic abortions in addition to weak and/or growth retarded neonates. The goal of the present study was to perform a comprehensive ...
Firth EC, Hartman W.The change in the degree of fitting of the opposing articular cartilage surfaces of the radiocarpal joint of foals was studied in vitro using a pneumatic loading device. The thickness of the articular cartilage of the distal radius was examined using radiographic and histological techniques. The thickest cartilage corresponded with the approximate centre of the contact area of the opposing articular surface. The variations in articular cartilage contact area and thickness are discussed.
Young KAS, Hepworth-Warren KL, Dembek KA.Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is routinely collected from three sites in the horse, the atlanto-occipital (AO), atlantoaxial (AA), and lumbosacral (LS) space. A comparison between fluid analysis parameters [total protein, total nucleated cell count (TNCC), red blood cell (RBC) count, and morphologic analysis] from samples obtained at each of the three sites has not previously been performed. A retrospective analysis was performed to evaluate the differences in fluid analysis of CSF between the AO, AA, and LS sites in equids presented to a referral service for evaluation of suspected neurological d...