Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a molecular biology technique used to amplify specific DNA sequences, allowing for detailed genetic analysis in horses. This method enables the detection and quantification of genetic material, facilitating research in areas such as genetic disorders, infectious diseases, and population genetics in equine species. PCR applications in horses include identifying pathogens, verifying parentage, and studying genetic variations. The technique's sensitivity and specificity make it a valuable tool in equine veterinary diagnostics and research. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the applications, methodologies, and advancements of PCR in equine science.
Santodomingo A, Sierra-Orozco K, Cotes-Perdomo A, Castro LR.Horses are among the domestic animals that closely interact with humans and are highly parasitized by ticks, which are the primary vectors of zoonoses. As horses in Tayrona National Natural Park (PNNT) are used as a means of transporting goods, luggage and people, they are in constant contact with wild animals, workers and tourists from different countries. These factors increase the transmission risk of hemoparasites. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of Rickettsia sp., Anaplasma sp., and Theileria sp., in horse ticks in this protected area using conventional PCR. We col...
Ren WX, Zhang XX, Long CY, Zhao Q, Cheng T, Ma JG, Xu P, Hou G, Ni HB.Horse meat and milk are an important source of nutrition for many Chinese. Previous studies have shown a fairly high prevalence of infection in horses. However, there is no data concerning the molecular characterization of in horses in China. The present study tested 231 cervical lymph node samples of horses from northern China (97 from Jilin, 54 from Liaoning, and 80 from Xinjiang) for the presence of the B1 gene by seminested PCR. The B1-positive samples were genotyped at nine nuclear loci, that is, SAG1, alternative SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, c22-8, GRA6, c29-2, PK1, and an apicoplast locus, usin...
Watts MR, Hegedus OC, Eades SC, Belknap JK, Burns TA.Hyperinsulinemia is associated with equine laminitis, and digital lamellar inflammation in equine metabolic syndrome-associated laminitis (EMSAL) is modest when compared with sepsis-associated laminitis. Objective: To characterize digital lamellar inflammation in horses in a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp (EHC) model of laminitis. Methods: Sixteen healthy adult Standardbred horses. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Horses underwent EHC or saline infusion (CON) for 48 hours or until the onset of Obel grade 1 laminitis. Horses were euthanized, and digital lamellar tissue was collecte...
Raftery AG, Jallow S, Rodgers J, Sutton DGM.Globally, working equines have a continued and growing socioeconomic role in supporting the livelihoods of between 300-600 million people in low income countries which is rarely recognised at a national or international level. Infectious diseases have significant impact on welfare and productivity in this population and equine trypanosomiasis is a priority disease due to its severity and prevalence. Strategies are required to improve the prevention, diagnosis, management and treatment of trypanosomiasis in equines and more data are required on the efficacy and safety of current trypanocidal dr...
Tozaki T, Ohnuma A, Takasu M, Kikuchi M, Kakoi H, Hirota KI, Kusano K, Nagata SI.Indiscriminate genetic manipulation to improve athletic ability is a major threat to human sports and the horseracing industry, in which methods involving gene-doping, such as transgenesis, should be prohibited to ensure fairness. Therefore, development of methods to detect indiscriminate genetic manipulation are urgently needed. Here, we developed a highly sensitive method to detect horse erythropoietin () transgenes using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). We designed two TaqMan probe/primer sets, and the transgene was cloned into a plasmid for use as a model. We extracted the spiked transgene f...
Zhang W, Cui S, Cheng XL, Wei F, Ma S.In this study, probe/primers of high specificity and sensitivity were selected to analyze donkey-hide gelatin for donkey DNA and to look for horse, ox, and pig DNA as possible adulterants. The mitochondrial CO I genes in donkey, horse, and ox were selected as target sequences for design and synthesis of three pairs of specific probes and primers. In addition, eight pairs of probe/primers were obtained via literature search. Out of these eleven groups of probe/primers, those with the highest specificity and sensitivity were selected, which was fulfilled by the screening firstly with animal hide...
Urubschurov V, Stroebel C, Günther E, Romanowski K, Büsing K, Zeyner A.Effects of probiotics on the intestinal microbiota of foals are yet insufficiently studied. The aim of this study was to investigate whether supplementation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (DSM 7133) and Enterococcus faecium (DSM 7134) influences the bacterial composition of the faecal microbiota of foals. A total of 34 newborn foals were randomly assigned to the placebo group (PG, n = 16) and the treatment group (TG, n = 18). From day 1 to day 14 of life, foals orally received 3 ml of either a probiotic preparation (1.05 × 10 CFU E. faecium and 4.50 × 10 CFU L. rhamnosus) or placebo (...
Campos JBV, André MR, Gonçalves LR, Freschi CR, Santos FM, de Oliveira CE, Piranda EM, de Andrade GB, Macedo GC, Machado RZ, Herrera HM.Brazilian Pantanal is the world´s largest wetland ecosystem, where cattle's ranching is the most important economic activity. The objective of this study was to compile some epidemiological features on equine piroplasmids from the Nhecolândia sub-region of Pantanal wetland through the evaluation of the patterns of T. equi and B. caballi infections in different groups of horses; identification of the tick species that infest horses; and to study phylogenetic relationships among Theileria equi 18S rRNA gene sequences. During October 2015, blood and serum samples were collected from 170 horses ...
Bohlin AM, Olsen SN, Laursen SH, Öhman A, van Galen G.Lawsonia intracellularis, an obligate intracellular bacterium, causes equine proliferative enteropathy, mainly in horses around weaning. This disease is rarely reported in the Scandinavian countries. Results: Five cases of equine proliferative enteropathy were diagnosed between 2008-2016 at the University of Copenhagen Large Animal Teaching Hospital. Cases were Danish Warmbloods and a Friesian horse, aged 6-7 months, presenting with typical clinical signs of lethargy, poor body condition, pyrexia and diarrhea. Clinical pathology was consistent with previous reports of severe hypoalbuminemia a...
Kornicka K, Al Naem M, Röcken M, Zmiertka M, Marycz K.Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in equids, especially in sport horses, has become a growing issue as it contributes to the occurrence of lameness. Thus the aim of this study was to investigate the cytophysiological properties of OCD chondrocytes including expression of chondrogenic genes, apoptosis, mitochondria dynamics and autophagy. Horse chondrocytes were isolated from healthy (HE) and OCD cartilages. Properties of cells were evaluated using multiple assays e.g., polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunofluorescence, Western blot. OCD chondrocytes were characterized by increased apoptosis an...
Léveillé AN, Bland SK, Carlton K, Larouche CB, Kenney DG, Brouwer ER, Lillie BN, Barta JR.Species in the genus Klossiella Smith and Johnson, 1902 are unique among the suborder Adeleorina because they are monoxenous in mammals exclusively, whereas all other reported members of the Adeleorina use invertebrates as definitive hosts. Unlike other coccidia, all members of the Adeleorina undergo syzygy, the association of microgamonts and macrogamonts before maturation to gametes and syngamy. After fertilization, many members of the Adeleorina produce thin-walled polysporocystic oocysts. Despite being biologically similar to other members of the Adeleorina, the phylogenetic placement of t...
Brister H, Barnum SM, Reedy S, Chambers TM, Pusterla N.We validated 2 multiplex real-time PCR (rtPCR) assays based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the hemagglutinin-1 ( HA1) gene of H3N8 equine influenza A virus (EIV) to determine clade affiliation of prototype and field isolates. Initial validation of the 2 multiplex rtPCR assays (SNP1 and SNP2) was performed using nucleic acid from 14 EIV Florida sublineage clade 1 and 2 prototype strains. We included in our study previously banked EIV rtPCR-positive nasal secretions from 341 horses collected across the United States in 2012-2017 to determine their clade affiliation. All 14 EIV prot...
Sanz MG, Kwon S, Pusterla N, Gold JR, Bain F, Evermann J.Currently, diagnosis of equine coronavirus (ECoV) relies on the exclusion of other infectious causes of enteric disease along with molecular detection of ECoV in feces or tissue. Although this approach is complete, it is costly and may not always be achievable. Objective: We hypothesized that the overall fecal shedding of ECoV in hospitalized horses is low. Our objective was to determine whether systemically healthy horses and horses with gastrointestinal disorders shed ECoV in their feces at the time of admission to a referral hospital and after 48 hours of stress associated with hospitaliz...
Costa SCL, Freitas JS, Silva AND, Lacerda LC, Cruz RDS, Carvalho FS, Pereira MJS, Munhoz AD.The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and factors associated to Babesia caballi, Theileria equi and Trypanosoma evansi in naturally infected equids from the northeast Brazil. Blood samples from 569 equids (528 horses, 8 mules, and 33 donkeys) were collected and tested for the presence of DNA of each of these protozoan parasites by PCR. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate risk factors associated with the infection. The frequency of T. equi infection was 83.5% (475/569) - 84.3% in horses, and 73.2% in donkeys and mules. The results of the final model indicated that age...
Pringle J, Venner M, Tscheschlok L, Bächi L, Riihimäki M.After strangles outbreaks, Streptococcus equi ssp. equi (S. equi) can persist in clinically normal silent carriers for months to years. Two naturally occurring outbreaks of strangles with 53 and 100% morbidity, respectively, were followed longitudinally to assess occurrence of carrier state and optimal detection methods Outbreak A involved 98 yearling warmbloods, and outbreak B 38 mature Icelandic horses. Fully recovered horses were sampled at least 6 months after index cases using nasal swabs (one sampling occasion only) nasopharyngeal lavage and guttural pouch visualisation and lavages for c...
van Schalkwyk A, Ferreira ML, Romito M.The outer capsid viral protein 2 (VP2) of African horse sickness virus, encoded by the most variable genome segment 2 (Seg-2), is the primary target for AHSV-specific neutralising antibodies and thus determines the virus serotype. Full length segment 2 sequences from more than 100 AHSVs isolated over the last 80 years were compared and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified between the reference strains and recent field viruses. Regions unique to each individual serotype were identified and primers designed to differentially amplify each of the nine serotypes. The sequences of resul...
Pratscher B, Hainisch EK, Sykora S, Brandt S, Jindra C.There is a large body of evidence supporting bovine papillomavirus types 1 and 2 (BPV1; BPV2) as aetiological agents of equine sarcoids. However, there is conflicting data regarding BPV1/2 infection in sarcoid-free equids. Objective: Data obtained between 2007 and 2017 by BPV1/2 screening of sarcoids and nonsarcoid tumours vs. samples from healthy equids are presented to help clarify this issue. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Tumour material obtained from horses, donkeys and mules with confirmed sarcoids (n = 130), suspected sarcoids (n = 120), or nonsarcoid lesions (n = 70), s...
Milnes E, Delnatte P, Dutton CJ, Brouwer E, Cai HY, Smith DA, Peregrine AS.A 23-yr-old captive-born Przewalski's horse mare ( Equus przewalskii) was euthanized at a Canadian zoo because of severe colic resulting from rupture of a jejunal pseudodiverticulum. An incidental finding of an encysted larval cestode within a hepatic granuloma was diagnosed on histopathology. Gel-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on liver tissue was positive for Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato, and deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing of the PCR product was 100% homologous with Echinococcus equinus. This appears to be the first molecular confirmation of E. equinus in North America, and the...
Timms M, Ganio K, Forbes G, Bailey S, Steel R.CJC-1295 is a 30 amino acid peptide-based drug that stimulates the release of growth hormone (GH) from the pituitary gland. It is unique among performance-enhancing peptides due to the presence of a reactive maleimidopropionic acid group that covalently links the peptide to free thiols on the surface of plasma proteins. Once conjugated, CJC-1295 remains active in the bloodstream for significantly longer than non-conjugated peptide-based drugs that are rapidly excreted. Conjugation of CJC-1295 to plasma proteins prevents its detection by top-down mass-spectrometry-based peptide screening protoc...
Shang S, Zhang M, Zhao Y, Dang W, Hua P, Zhang S, Wang Z.Due to the thriving development of the modern horse industry and the occurrence of horse related crimes, the demand for methods of individual horse identification, parentage tests and other genetic analyses is increasing. Previous methods had disadvantages that decreased the accuracy of the results, lacked the inclusion of all commonly used short tandem repeats (STR) or increased the experimental cost and time. Objective: We aimed to develop a novel 13-plex STR typing system to resolve the above issues. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Twelve autosomal and most commonly used di-nucleotide...
More SN, Hernandez O, Castleman WL.Rhinitis and sinusitis caused by fungal pathogens were studied in biopsy samples submitted from 52 horses distributed throughout subtropical and tropical regions of Florida. Methods included routine histopathology as well as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with panfungal/panoomycete primers and DNA sequencing on extracted DNA (DNA barcoding). Granulomatous, pyogranulomatous, and fibrinopurulent lesions in nasal and sinus mucosa were associated with signs of upper airway obstruction and noise as well as nasal discharge. Morphologic and histochemical assessment of cases identified 31 cases of zy...
Peters-Kennedy J, Lange CE, Rine SL, Hackett RP.Equus caballus papillomavirus 8, a recently discovered virus, has been reported to cause generalised papillomavirus in horses. Objective: To describe a case in which multiple viral plaques, viral papillomas, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in situ and invasive squamous cell carcinoma (ISCC) were associated with EcPV8 in a horse. Methods: Case report. Methods: A 16-year-old mixed breed horse presented with dozens of raised crusted papular to nodular lesions over a course of 4 years. Masses had been surgically excised four times and cisplatin beads and emulsion were implanted on three different ...
Tomlinson JE, Kapoor A, Kumar A, Tennant BC, Laverack MA, Beard L, Delph K, Davis E, Schott Ii H, Lascola K, Holbrook TC, Johnson P, Taylor SD....Three flaviviruses (equine pegivirus [EPgV]; Theiler's disease-associated virus [TDAV]; non-primate hepacivirus [NPHV]) and equine parvovirus (EqPV-H) are present in equine blood products; the TDAV, NPHV, and EqPV-H have been suggested as potential causes of serum hepatitis. Objective: To determine the prevalence of these viruses in horses with equine serum hepatitis. Methods: Eighteen horses diagnosed with serum hepatitis, enrolled from US referral hospitals. Methods: In the prospective case study, liver, serum, or both samples were tested for EPgV, TDAV, NPHV, and EqPV-H by PCR. Results: Bot...
Ebrahimi M, Hamidinejat H, Tanabandeh MR, Razi Jalali MH, Rasouli A.Diversity among the pathogenic strains of Theileria equi (T. equi), a major agent of equine piroplasmosis, can affect the appropriate detection of parasite and host immunization. Production of recombinant surface proteins from an infected horse in natural endemic area provides a reliable tool for immunodiagnosis of parasite. Regarding this, the present study was targeted toward the cloning, expression, and purification of the immunogenic regions of equine merozoite antigen 1 (EMA-1 gene), as one of the most important immunodominant surface proteins in T. equi, from naturally infected horses in...
Schöniger S, Gräfe H, Wipplinger M, Schoon HA.In mares, placental diseases are a common cause of pregnancy failure and they can have an economic impact on the horse breeding industry. To our knowledge no published data on TLR expression in the equine placenta exist. This study examined the expression of TLR 2, 4 and 6 as transcript and protein in the placenta (chorioallantois) of 14 foals born alive. By PCR, all examined placental samples contained TLR 2, 4 and 6 transcripts. Using immunohistochemistry, trophoblasts and allantoic epithelium were immunopositive for TLR 2, 4 and 6 in all placental samples. The majority of placental samples ...
Montes Cortés MG, Fernández-García JL, Habela Martínez-Estéllez MÁ.Two haemoparasites, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, cause equine piroplasmosis (EP), one of the most prevalent tick-borne diseases in horses. The main aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate a multinested PCR (mn-PCR) for simultaneous detection of the equine piroplasmids T. equi and B. caballi, by amplification of five genetic markers (18S rRNA, β-tubulin, cytB, EMA-1 and RAP-1). This novel assay detected a high prevalence of equine piroplasmids in 235 horse blood samples collected in Castilla-León and Extremadura, Spain. The overall prevalence of infection with equine pirop...
Cook RF, Barrandeguy M, Lee PA, Tsai CF, Shen YH, Tsai YL, Chang HG, Wang HT, Balasuriya UBR.Control of equine infectious anaemia (EIA) currently depends on serological diagnosis of infected equids. However, recently infected equids may not produce detectable anti-EIAV antibodies up to 157 days post infection and so present a high transmission risk. Therefore, direct nucleic acid detection methods are urgently needed to improve EIAV surveillance and management programs in counties where the disease is endemic. Objective: To evaluate a field-deployable, reverse transcription-insulated isothermal PCR (RT-iiPCR) assay targeting the conserved 5' untranslated region (5' UTR)/exon 1 of the ...
Cappelli A, Capone A, Valzano M, Bozic J, Preziuso S, Mensah P, Varotto Boccazzi I, Rinaldi L, Favia G, Ricci I.Tick-borne diseases are an increasing problem for the community. Ticks harbor a complex microbial population acquired while feeding on a variety of animals. Profiling the bacterial population by 16S rDNA amplification and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis enables detection of the broad spectrum of bacteria that settles in the ticks. This study identified known and unknown tick-infecting bacteria in samples from Italy. Seven adult ticks from different hosts and origins were analyzed: two ticks from dogs (Lombardia), two ticks from bovines (Lazio), and three ticks from humans (Marche). ...
Coultous RM, Phipps P, Dalley C, Lewis J, Hammond TA, Shiels BR, Weir W, Sutton DGM.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) has historically been of minor concern to UK equine practitioners, primarily due to a lack of competent tick vectors. However, increased detection of EP tick vector species in the UK has been reported recently. EP screening is not currently required for equine importation, and when combined with recent relaxations in movement regulations, there is an increased risk regarding disease incursion and establishment into the UK. This study evaluated the prevalence of EP by both serology and PCR among 1242 UK equine samples submitted for EP screening between February and Dec...
Peter V, Marr C, Foote A, Auer H, Head M.This case report describes a 13-year-old cob-cross gelding presented for evaluation of recent onset hindlimb ataxia. The gelding had undergone general anaesthesia and tenoscopy of the right hindlimb digital flexor tendon sheath at a nearby clinic three months earlier and had appeared normal at routine post-operative assessments until the sudden onset of neurological deficits. Spinal trauma was suspected initially but radiography and scintigraphy were unremarkable. Due to the severity and progressive nature of the clinical signs the -gelding was subjected to euthanasia. Post mortem examinations...
Henning K, Sachse K, Sting R.The isolation and identification of a chlamydial agent from an equine fetus is reported. The fetus was aborted by a mare with respiratory disease and fever in the 9th month of pregnancy. The serum of the mare was investigated by the compliment fixation test. Specific antibodies were detected for chlamydial antigen in a titer of > 1:40 and for equine herpes virus 1 antigen in a titer of 1:32. Pathological lesions were not found in the organs of the fetus. Chlamydiae were detected in the placenta by ELISA and subsequently isolated by cell culture. Using PCR technique the agent was identified ...
Galosi CM, de la Paz VC, Fernández LC, Martinez JP, Craig MI, Barrandeguy M, Etcheverrrigaray ME.This study describes the isolation of equine herpesvirus-2 (EHV-2) from the lung of an aborted equine fetus in Argentina. The isolated virus was confirmed as EHV-2 by indirect immunofluorescence using a rabbit anti-EHV-2 polyclonal antiserum and by virus-neutralization test using an equine polyclonal antibody against EHV-2. Restriction endonuclease DNA fingerprinting with BamHI also confirmed the identity of the virus as EHV-2. Furthermore, viral nucleic acid was detected by polymerase chain reaction from the original lung sample and from the DNA obtained from cells infected with the virus iso...
Nagarajan MM, Simard C.A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifying a region of the gag gene of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) was developed for the rapid and direct detection of proviral DNA from the peripheral blood of naturally infected horses and was compared with the Coggins test. DNA prepared from white blood cells of 122 field horses from 15 stables with reported cases of EIAV and one seronegative stable were analysed. Amplifications of expected size fragments were obtained by nested PCR for 88 horses using two different sets of primers targeting the gag region. The specificity of the amplified ...
Takai S, Chaffin MK, Cohen ND, Hara M, Nakamura M, Kakuda T, Sasaki Y, Tsubaki S, Martens RJ.Rhodococcus equi isolates (462) obtained from 64 soil samples collected on 5 R. equi-endemic horse-breeding farms and isolates from 100 infected foals in Texas were examined to determine the prevalence and genotypic diversity of virulence-associated plasmids. Isolates were tested for the presence of 15-17-kDa virulence-associated protein antigens (VapA) by immunoblotting and virulence-associated plasmids by PCR. Plasmid DNAs were isolated and analyzed by digestion with restriction endonucleases for estimation of size and comparison of polymorphisims. Rhodococcus equi were isolated from soil of...
Ainsworth DM, Matychak M, Reyner CL, Erb HN, Young JC.To examine effects of in vitro exposure to solutions of hay dust, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or beta-glucan on chemokine and cell-surface receptor (CSR) gene expression in primary bronchial epithelial cell cultures (BECCs) established from healthy horses and horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Methods: BECCs established from bronchial biopsy specimens of 6 RAO-affected horses and 6 healthy horses. Methods: 5-day-old BECCs were treated with PBS solution, hay dust solutions, LPS, or beta-glucan for 6 or 24 hours. Gene expression of interleukin (IL)-8, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 2 ...
Greenwood S, Chow-Lockerbie B, Epp T, Knight C, Wachoski-Dark G, MacDonald-Dickinson V, Wobeser B.Equus caballus papillomavirus type-2 (EcPV-2) has been proposed as a causal factor in equine genital squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This study had 2 objectives: first, calculate the frequency of papillomavirus (PV) and EcPV-2 infection in papillomas, carcinomas in situ (CIS), and SCCs in Western Canadian horses; and second, determine if EcPV-2 status of equine SCCs is associated with overall survival (OS). EcPV-2 status of 115 archived tissue samples, spanning 6 years, was determined using broad spectrum (MY09/11) and EcPV-2-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, EcPV-2-E6/E7 chromog...
Cardoso LD, Freitas RN, Mafra CL, Neves CV, Figueira FC, Labruna MB, Gennari SM, Walker DH, Galvão MA.The present study was intended to characterize Rickettsia spp. circulating in arthropod vectors in Caratinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil, by PCR and to investigate the presence of antibodies against the spotted fever Rickettsiae group (SFRG) in dogs and horses. 2,610 arthropods were collected and taxonomically identified. DNA samples obtained from these vectors were submitted to PCR and cycle-sequenced. Ctenocephalides and Amblyomma cajennense showed sequences presenting 100.0% homology with R. felis. A sequence obtained from Rhipicephalus sanguineus showed 99.0% homology with R. felis, and a sequen...
Hammond RA, Hannon R, Frean SP, Armstrong SJ, Flower RJ, Bryant CE.To determine the amount of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) enzymes induced in vitro in equine alveolar macrophages in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Sample Population-Alveolar macrophages obtained from 12 horses. Methods: Alveolar macrophages were collected by bronchoalveolar lavage from 12 horses and incubated for 6 hours with LPS (0.001 to 10 microg/ml) or vehicle. Total RNA was extracted and purified. After first-strand cDNA synthesis, mRNA induction was measured, using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for COX-2, iNOS, and glyceraldehyde...
Vahlenkamp TW, Enbergs HK, Müller H.Cells of the peripheral blood of experimentally and naturally borna disease virus (BDV)-infected animals and of human psychiatric patients and healthy individuals were analyzed for the presence of viral RNA using a BDV-p40-specific nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The assay proved to be highly sensitive as 10 RNA molecules were reproducibly amplified. BDV RNA was detected in blood cells of experimentally infected immunocompetent mice and rats. Mice were persistently infected without showing clinical signs of borna disease (BD), whereas the rats suffered from acu...
Quinlivan M, Cook RF, Cullinane A.In 2006, an outbreak of equine infectious anaemia (EIA) occurred in Ireland. The initial source of the outbreak is believed to have been contaminated plasma imported from Italy. This paper presents the nucleotide sequence of the gag gene of the virus identified in Ireland (EIAV(Ire)), the first for a European strain of EIAV. Comparison of the gag gene with North American and Asian strains of the virus showed that the gag gene is less well conserved than previously believed, and that EIAV strains can have similar phenotypes despite considerable variations in genotype. On the basis of the deduce...
Azmi K, Al-Jawabreh A, Abdeen Z.Theileria and Babesia are intracellular protozoan parasites infecting a wide range of animals. In Palestine, there is limited information on the prevalence of Theileria and Babesia spp. in livestock. We used PCR of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene followed by DNA sequencing to detect and identify parasite DNA in blood samples from sheep (n = 49), goats (n = 48), horses (n = 40), camels (n = 34), donkeys (n = 28) and mules (n = 2) from four districts of Palestine. DNA of T. ovis and T. equi was detected in 19 and 2 ovine blood samples, respectively. None of the camels, donkeys...
Kleiboeker SB, Chapman RK.During a recent breeding season, ulcerative, pustular skin lesions were observed on the external genitalia of 2 mares and 1 stallion within a small herd. Based on the location and description of the skin lesions plus the clinical history, equine coital exanthema, caused by equine herpesvirus 3 (EHV3), was the primary differential diagnosis. Scrapings of skin lesions from the perineum of 2 mares were submitted for diagnostic evaluation. Virus isolation was attempted by inoculation of several cell lines of equine origin, but no cytopathic agent was detected. The skin scrapings were processed for...
Hodgkinson JE, Lichtenfels JR, Mair TS, Cripps P, Freeman KL, Ramsey YH, Love S, Matthews JB.We report the use of six oligoprobes designed from intergenic spacer region sequences to identify fourth-stage larvae (L4) of the tribe Cyathostominae. Oligoprobes were designed for identification of the following species: Cylicocyclus ashworthi, Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cylicocyclus insigne, Cyathostomum catinatum, Cylicostephanus goldi, and Cylicostephanus longibursatus. A seventh probe was designed as a positive control to identify all these members of the Cyathostominae. The intergenic spacer region was amplified by PCR using conserved primers. Initially, three oligoprobes were used in South...
Swerczek TW.Reports of 148 cases of Tyzzer's disease in foals in central Kentucky were analyzed to identify features of the disease and factors associated with it. The records indicate that Tyzzer's disease is a rapidly progressive, highly fatal hepatitis caused by Clostridium piliforme. Common clinical findings are lethargy, fever, anorexia, and icterus. Seizures, coma, and death may rapidly ensue. Laboratory findings are leukopenia, metabolic acidosis, hypoglycemia, and increased activity of hepatic enzymes. Diagnosis is primarily based on clinical signs and postmortem findings but a polymerase chain re...
Brandt S, Schoster A, Tober R, Kainzbauer C, Burgstaller JP, Haralambus R, Steinborn R, Hinterhofer C, Stanek C.Equine hoof canker is a chronic proliferative pododermatitis of as yet unknown aetiology. Like equine sarcoid disease, canker is a therapy-resistant disorder characterised by hyperkeratosis, acanthosis and a marked tendency to recur. Objective: There is an association of sarcoid-inducing bovine papillomaviruses of types 1 and 2 (BPV-1, BPV-2) with hoof canker disease. Methods: Using PCR-based techniques, we assessed canker tissue, intact skin and/or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 25 canker-affected horses for the presence of sarcoid-associated BPV-1 and -2. Results: Conventional...
Anzai T, Eguchi M, Sekizaki T, Kamada M, Yamamoto K, Okuda T.In order to establish a rapid diagnostic method for contagious equine metritis (CEM), we developed and evaluated a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Species-specific PCR primer sets were derived from the DNA sequence of a cloned DNA fragment of Taylorella equigenitalis that did not hybridize with the genome of a taxomonically related species, Oligella urethralis. Single step PCR with primer set P1-N2 and two-step semi-nested PCR with primer sets P1-N2 and P2-N2 detected as low as 100 and 10 CFU of the bacteria, respectively. Single-step PCR detected T. equigenitalis from genital swabs of e...
Bělková T, Bártová E, Řičařová D, Jahn P, Jandová V, Modrý D, Hrazdilová K, Sedlák K.Theileria equi and Babesia caballi are protozoan agents causing equine piroplasmosis, endemic in countries all over the world. The aim of this study was to detect antibodies to T. equi and B. caballi in horses in the Czech Republic and to investigate the origin of the infection. Blood sera from 711 horses were examined with competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; positive samples were verified with indirect fluorescence immunoassay. Antibodies to T. equi and B. caballi were detected in eight (1.1%) and three (0.4%) horses, respectively. Infection with T. equi was confirmed by PCR and se...
Duquesne F, Pronost S, Laugier C, Petry S.A direct-PCR assay was developed for the rapid detection of Taylorella equigenitalis, a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for contagious equine metritis (CEM) in Equidae. The bacteria may be detected in equine genital swabs without need for a preliminary step of DNA extraction or bacterial isolation. Specificity was determined with 125 isolates of T. equigenitalis, 24 isolates of Taylorella asinigenitalis, five commensal bacteria of the genital tract and a facultative intracellular pathogen of foals found in large concentration in soil. Our PCR is specific and amplified a 413-bp 16S ribosoma...
Fortier G, Pronost S, Miszczak F, Fortier C, Léon A, Richard E, Van Erck E, Thiry E, Lekeux P.During a case control study undertaken in 2006-2007, a screening and consensus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to evaluate the potential role of equid herpesviruses (EHV) in several occurrences of respiratory disorders in 661 horses. Of 785 bronchoalveolar or tracheal lavage fluid samples submitted for analysis, 20 were positive for EHV-5 DNA by sequential analysis of the consensus PCR product. Nineteen of those samples were confirmed using a specific EHV-5 PCR. No particular changes in cytological profile could be associated with the detection of EHV-5 in contrast to suggestions...
Browning GF, Begg AP.Variant types of VP4 and VP7 gene segments of faecal rotaviruses from diarrhoeic foals were identified by restriction endonuclease digestion of reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR) products. The variants observed were correlated with serotypes by determination of the sequence of representative RT/PCR products (entire coding sequence for VP7 and the VP8 region of VP4) and comparison to published sequences of equine G and P serotype genes. Both G and P serotypes could be predicted for 95/116 (82%) strains, P serotype only for a further 8 (7%) strains and G serotype only for 1...
Usuga A, Rojano BA, Restrepo G.Contribution of seminal plasma proteins to semen freezability has been reported in several species, suggesting these proteins as genetic markers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between cysteine-rich secretory protein-3 (CRISP-3) and some of its single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with post-thawing semen quality in stallions. DNA was obtained from 100 stallions, regions of interest were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. Evaluated SNPs within the equine CRISP-3 gene were CRISP3c.+199A>G (SNP1), CRISP3c.+566C>A (SNP2), CRISP3c.+622G>A (SNP3)...
Wobeser BK, Davies JL, Hill JE, Jackson ML, Kidney BA, Mayer MN, Townsend HG, Allen AL.Sarcoids are the most common tumor of the equine skin but only 1 study describing the epidemiology of sarcoids in Canadian horses has been published. The records of 5 veterinary diagnostic laboratories in western Canada were searched to identify submissions of sarcoids from horses. The submission records and diagnostic reports of 802 separate submissions of equine sarcoids were reviewed for age, breed, and gender of the horse and the number, location, and clinical type of sarcoid. From these records, the 307 submissions to laboratories in Saskatchewan were compared to a reference group to test...
de Laat MA, Kyaw-Tanner MT, Nourian AR, McGowan CM, Sillence MN, Pollitt CC.Metalloproteinases have been implicated in the pathogenesis of equine laminitis and other inflammatory conditions, through their role in the degradation and remodelling of the extracellular matrix environment. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors are present in normal equine lamellae, with increased secretion and activation of some metalloproteinases reported in horses with laminitis associated with systemic inflammation. It is unknown whether these enzymes are involved in insulin-induced laminitis, which occurs without overt systemic inflammation. In this study, gene expressi...
Zhao S, Wang H, Zhang S, Xie S, Li H, Zhang X, Jia L.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne hemoprotozoan disease of equids, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. Equine piroplasmosis represents a serious challenge to the equine industry due to important economic losses worldwide. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections in equids from Jilin Province, China. Methods: A total of 220 blood samples (192 horses and 28 donkeys/mules) were collected from March 2018 to October 2019 in five districts of Jilin Province and analyzed by PCR. Potential risk factors, including the region, ...
Kumar S, Kumar R, Gupta AK, Dwivedi SK.Equine babesiosis, a tick transmitted haemoprotozoan disease caused by Theileria equi is globally distributed and responsible for heavy economic losses to the equine husbandry. Equids reared in endemic areas usually pick up infection at an early age and become immune tolerant throughout their life span. We studied the level of passively transferred antibodies in neonate foals born from pre-immuned mares. Latently T. equi infected pre-immuned pony and donkey mares (three each) were selected and T. equi antibody titres in neonates was monitored till 90 days post foaling (DPF) by applying Dot-ELI...
Fungwithaya P, Boonchuay K, Narinthorn R, Sontigun N, Sansamur C, Petcharat Y, Thomrongsuwannakij T, Wongtawan T.Staphylococci are commensal bacteria and opportunistic pathogens found on the skin and mucosa. Sports animals are more prone to injury and illness, and we believe that antimicrobial agents might be extensively used for the treatment and cause the existence of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria. This study aimed to investigate the diversity and AMR profile of staphylococci in sports animals (riding horses, fighting bulls, and fighting cocks) in South Thailand. Unassigned: Nasal (57 fighting bulls and 33 riding horses) and skin swabs (32 fighting cocks) were taken from 122 animals. Staphyloc...
Estell KE, Dawson DR, Magdesian KG, Swain E, Laing ST, Siso S, Mapes S, Pusterla N.Data associating quantitative viral load with severity, clinical signs and survival in equine herpesvirus-1 myeloencephalopathy (EHM) have not been reported. Objective: To report the clinical signs, treatment, and temporal progression of viral loads in 7 horses with naturally occurring EHM and to examine the association of these factors with survival. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: The population included 7 horses with EHM presented to the University of California, Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital from May to September 2011. Horses were graded using...
van den Top JG, Harkema L, Lange C, Ensink JM, van de Lest CH, Barneveld A, van Weeren PR, Gröne A, Martens A.Equine penile and preputial squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a potentially lethal disease of which little is known regarding the relationship between tumour characteristics and prognosis. Objective: To assess the relationship between tumour differentiation grade (tumour subtype), presence of papillomaviruses, expression of viral genes (E2, E6, L1), nuclear proteins p53 and Ki67 and metastasis in equine penile and preputial SCC and to assess the relationship of tumour subtype, presence of papillomavirus type 2, p53 and Ki67 with survival. Methods: Retrospective case-control study using archived...
Noll LW, Stoy CPA, Wang Y, Porter EG, Lu N, Liu X, Burklund A, Peddireddi L, Hanzlicek G, Henningson J, Chengappa MM, Bai J.Streptococcus equi subsp. equi is a Gram positive bacterial pathogen commonly associated with strangles in horses, a respiratory disease characterized by abscessation of submandibular and retropharyngeal lymph nodes which can lead to obstruction of the airway. Several real-time PCR (qPCR) assays have been developed for detection of S. equi from horses with many targeting conserved regions of the S. equi cell wall-associated M-protein (SeM), a major virulence factor and immunogen of S. equi. Our objective was to develop a nested PCR (nPCR) targeting SeM and an 18S rRNA internal control gene for...
Balasuriya UB, Lee PA, Tsai YL, Tsai CF, Shen YH, Chang HG, Skillman A, Wang HT, Pronost S, Zhang Y.Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), a major problem for the equine industry in the United States, is caused by equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). In addition, EHV-1 is associated with upper respiratory disease, abortion, and chorioretinal lesions in horses. Here we describe the development and evaluation of an inexpensive, user-friendly insulated isothermal PCR (iiPCR) method targeting open reading 30 (ORF30) to detect both neuropathogenic and non-neuropathogenic strains on the field-deployable POCKIT™ device for point-of-need detection of EHV-1. The analytical sensitivity of the EHV-1 ...
