Prophylaxis in horses refers to the preventive measures and strategies implemented to protect equine health by reducing the risk of disease occurrence. These measures can include vaccinations, parasite control, nutrition management, and biosecurity practices. Vaccinations help to stimulate the horse's immune system to protect against specific infectious diseases. Parasite control programs aim to minimize the impact of internal and external parasites through strategic deworming and environmental management. Nutrition management ensures that horses receive balanced diets that support their overall health and immune function. Biosecurity practices involve procedures to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious agents within equine populations. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various prophylactic approaches, their implementation, and their effectiveness in maintaining equine health.
Beelitz P, Göbel E, Gothe R.In this epidemiological study of endoparasites 37 donkeys and 23 horses were included, which were examined coproscopically in regular intervals over a 15 month period. The animals derived from ten farms, in which regular prophylactic treatments with anthelmintics had been practiced at least for two years before this investigation. This study revealed the presence of at least twelve parasite species in donkeys, Eimeria leuckarti, Gasterophilus intestinalis, Fasciola hepatica, Anoplocephala perfoliata, Strongyloides westeri, Parascaris equorum, Dictyocaulus arnfieldi, Trichostrongylus axei and s...
Sweeney CR, Irby NL.To determine which antimicrobial agents were most effective against Pseudomonas sp-infected ulcerative keratitis, and identify any trends in the various clinical conditions associated with these bacteria that might assist in effective treatment of the disease. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 66 horses with 70 Pseudomonas sp-infected corneal ulcers. Methods: We reviewed medical records of horses admitted to the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals, University of Pennsylvania between July 1977 and December 1994. Records of horses that had Pseudomonas sp isolated from a corne...
Southwood LL, Baxter GM.Recent advances in instrument sterilization include the introduction of gas plasma sterilization and the increased use of glutaraldehyde. Gas plasma sterilization has the advantages of no toxic residue effects, reduced turnover time, and applicability for sterilization of heat- and moisture-sensitive instruments. Chlorhexidine gluconate (4%) appears to be a superior preoperative surgical scrub for both the surgeon and the patient because of its increased antimicrobial efficacy, residual activity, and minimal tissue reactions. There are many new wound dressings and topical medications for treat...
Wilde H, Thipkong P, Sitprija V, Chaiyabutr N.Active immunization against infectious disease is important. However, much of our world faces poverty, social injustice, and warfare, all of which cause universal immunization to remain a distant dream. Agents that provide passive immunity thus remain essential biologicals. The most important of these are human or equine antisera against rabies, tetanus, diphtheria, and snake antivenins. Homologous products are either unavailable or unaffordable in places where they are needed the most. Less expensive heterologous (equine) antisera can be purified and are safe to use, but these antisera are al...
Martínez-Torrecuadrada JL, Díaz-Laviada M, Roy P, Sánchez C, Vela C, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM, Casal JI.African horsesickness virus serotype 4 (AHSV-4) outer capsid protein VP2, or VP2 and VP5 plus inner capsid protein VP7, derived from single or dual recombinant baculovirus expression vectors were used in different combinations to immunize horses. When the proteins were purified by affinity chromatography, the combination of all three proteins induced low levels of neutralizing antibodies and conferred protection against virulent virus challenge. However, purified VP2 or VP2 and VP5 in the absence of VP7 failed to induce neutralizing antibodies and protection. Immunization with non-purified pro...
Dickinson CE, Traub-Dargatz JL, Dargatz DA, Bennett DG, Knight AP.To determine the clinical manifestations, morbidity, mortality, and treatment methods for rattlesnake venom poisoning in horses. Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical records. Methods: 27 horses with acute venom poisoning attributable to prairie rattlesnakes, and 5 with chronic problems subsequent to a rattlesnake bite. Results: Most horses were bitten on or near the muzzle while on pasture, resulting in head swelling, dyspnea, and epistaxis. Additional manifestations of acute poisoning included fever, tachycardia, tachypnea, cardiac arrhythmia, hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, hemorrh...
Moore BR.Interferons are efficacious therapeutic agents for treatment of several clinically important diseases in cattle and horses. In some instances, the therapeutic goal of IFN administration is prevention or clinical cure of acute viral infections. On the other hand, IFN may serve as adjunctive treatment to diminish clinical manifestations of disease and improve the quality of life. Oral administration of IFN alpha appears to be a safe and convenient route of administration, and the therapeutic benefit likely develops via unique mechanisms involving oropharyngeal-associated lymphoid tissue for diss...
BonenClark GD, MacKay RJ, Ward RE, Sheerin B.To evaluate the humoral response of horses to vaccination, using a murine monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibody (A4) that shares an epitope with lipid A. Methods: Serum concentrations of antilipid A antibody and 1C9 (epitope on murine monoclonal antilipid A antibody) were measured serially during the period of vaccination with A4. Methods: 6 clinically normal adult ponies. Methods: Ponies were inoculated IM 3 times at monthly intervals with A4. Two weeks after each inoculation, serum was obtained and was assayed by ELISA for antilipid A and 1C9 concentrations. Additional vaccinations were given t...
Atwill ER, Mohammed HO.To determine whether horses in New York should be vaccinated against equine monocytic ehrlichiosis (EME). Methods: Decision-tree analyses of data from a cross-sectional study and a case-control study. Methods: Horses in New York. Methods: Annual expected monetary loss per horse attributable to EME was calculated for vaccinated and nonvaccinated horses in New York. Because risk of being seropositive was dependent on county in which the horse was located, farm elevation, and use of each horse, decision-tree analyses were stratified by these factors. Results: Annual expected monetary loss per hor...
Beelitz P, Göbel E, Gothe R.In this epidemiological study 37 foals and mares were included, which have been coproscopically examined in regular intervals over a period lasting up to 13 months. The animals derived from nine breeding farms. In three of these farms no anthelmintics were used before this investigation, whereas in six farms at least three years before regular prophylactic treatments with anthelmintics have been carried out. This investigation revealed no differences in the species spectrum of endoparasites as well as in the incidence of infections as regards to the breeding farms with and without anthelmintic...
Hurley JR, Begg AP.A trial was conducted on a Thoroughbred stud to determine whether or not the administration of anti-Rhodococcus equi hyperimmune plasma would reduce the prevalence of R equi pneumonia (rattles) in foals born in the 1992 horse breeding season. Hyperimmune plasma was administered to 34 foals; another 57 foals were untreated. There was no significant difference in the number of transfused foals developing R equi pneumonia compared with the untreated foals. The time required for recovery from pneumonia between the 2 groups was not significantly different.
Monreal L, Villatoro AJ, Monreal M, Espada Y, Anglés AM, Ruiz-Gopegui R.Thirty healthy male horses were allotted to 3 groups and treated blindly during 4 days. Group-1 horses received unfractioned calcium heparin (100 IU/kg of body weight, SC, q 12 h). Group-2 horses received a single dose of a low-molecular-weight heparin (50 anti-Xa IU/kg, SC) every morning, and a similar volume of saline solution every evening. Group-3 horses received the vehicle (saline solution), SC, every 12 hours. Citrated and EDTA-anticoagulated blood samples were collected before starting the medication (T-0) and once daily 3 hours after each morning injection (T-3, T-27, T-51, and T-75)....
Beech J, Lindborg S.Horses with hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis were challenged with an oral dose of potassium chloride, and the prophylactic efficacy of phenytoin, acetazolamide and hydrochlorothiazide was evaluated, with at least three weeks separating the trials of each drug. After the administration of potassium chloride without prophylactic medication the horses' clinical signs ranged from generalised fine muscle fasciculations to gross tremors, and weakness with occassional prolapse of the nictitating membrane; plasma potassium concentration increased significantly (P < 0.01) from 4.0 +/- 0.2 to 6.0 +/-...
Tantawichien T, Benjavongkulchai M, Wilde H, Jaijaroensup W, Siakasem A, Chareonwai S, Yountong C, Sitprija V.The high cost of postexposure prophylaxis for rabies is one reason that treatment is inadequate in developing countries. This problem has kindled interest in the use of equine rabies immune globulin, which is a less expensive, yet effective, substitute for human rabies immune globulin. Fatal anaphylaxis is a feared complication of the administration of heterologous serum; therefore, authoritative sources recommend prior skin testing. However, recommendations for methods of administering such a skin test and for its interpretation vary greatly. We embarked on a long-term study to develop guidel...
Rieder N, Beelitz P, Gothe R.In this epidemiological survey 30 foals and their mares from seven breeding farms were investigated. Six farms used wide spectrum anthelmintics strategically at least for three years, on one farm no anthelmintic prophylaxis was practiced. Excretion of P.-equorum-eggs occurred in all breeding farms and in 80% of the foals, but in only one mare. In foals infection with roundworms was detected at the earliest 85 days post partum. Before first shedding of P.-equorum-eggs wide spectrum anthelmintics had been administered to two and to one foal(s) one and two times, respectively, to four animals thr...
Brumbaugh GW.In emergency conditions, antimicrobial treatment is subordinate to truly life-supporting measures. Antimicrobial treatment should be formulated rationally for each patient and should not simply be a matter of following a recipe. This article presents principles for guiding rational therapeutic decision-making and examples of conditions in which those principles can be applied.
Gothe R.This paper gives a survey on biology and ecology of equine tapeworms as well as on pathogenesis, clinics, diagnosis, therapy, and prophylaxis of tapeworm infections.
Zientara S.After a brief historical account of the outbreak of infectious arteritis of horses which occurred in 1984 in Kentucky (United States of America), the author reports on the present state of knowledge concerning the organisation of the genome of the virus. Clinical signs of the disease are described, as well as modes and routes of transmission. Finally, currently-available vaccination procedures are discussed and their value is assessed.
Mumford JA, Wilson H, Hannant D, Jessett DM.Equine influenza vaccines containing inactivated whole virus and Carbomer adjuvant stimulated higher levels and longer lasting antibody to haemagglutinin in ponies than vaccines of equivalent antigenic content containing aluminium phosphate adjuvants. Five months after the third dose of vaccine containing Carbomer adjuvant, ponies were protected against clinical disease induced by an aerosol of virulent influenza virus (A/equine/Newmarket/79, H3N8). In contrast ponies which received vaccine containing aluminium phosphate adjuvant were susceptible to infection and disease. There was an inverse ...
Mumford JA, Jessett DM, Rollinson EA, Hannant D, Draper ME.Seven previously untreated five-month-old New Forest ponies received two doses of equine influenza immunostimulating complex vaccines, one with and one without an immunopurified tetanus toxoid component, given by deep intramuscular injection six weeks apart, followed by a booster dose without tetanus toxoid five months later. Fifteen months after the third dose of vaccine, the ponies were challenged by exposure to an aerosol of influenza A/Equine 2/Sussex/89 (H3N8), a virus isolated from a recent outbreak of influenza A/equine 2 in Britain. The challenge produced severe clinical signs of influ...
Elze K, Schulz J, Rob O.Necrosis of the skin on both lateral aspects of the hind limbs following the caudal branch of the lateral saphenous vein in 22 suckling foals is described. The first clinical signs were observed on days 2-5 post natum. S. aureus was isolated from the wounds. Decubitus in the region of the malleolus lateralis tibiae was considered the starting point of an ascending infection. This type of dermonecrosis was only observed in boxes with hard floors where the straw bedding was pushed aside by the lying foals regularly, never, however, in boxes with deep and permanent sawdust or straw bedding. Thera...
Watanabe T, Ohta C, Shirahata T, Goto H, Tsunoda N, Tagami M, Akita H.Foal diarrhea due to serotype 3 rotavirus broke out on a foal-raising farm in the years 1987 and 1989. In 1989, all of the foals, regardless of whether or not they suffered from diarrhea, received bovine colostral immunoglobulin (Ig) powder orally for 3 to 5 days during the epidemic. The morbidity of the diarrhea was lower than that observed in 1987, when the Ig powder was not administered to foals. These data suggested that the administration of Ig powder might partially prevent foal diarrhea with rotavirus infection.
Hinchcliff KW, Mitten LA.Furosemide and, less commonly, bumetanide and ethacrynic acid are potent diuretics administered to horses for a variety of reasons, including prophylaxis of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. These drugs affect urine volume and composition, and furosemide has marked effects on plasma volume and composition and on systemic hemodynamics at rest and during exercise.
Sullivan KE, Snyder JR, Madigan JE, Pascoe JR, Farver TB, Thurmond MC, Andresen JW.Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a glycoprotein that regulates the proliferation and maturation of hematopoietic progenitor cells and modulates the function of mature neutrophils. The responses to administration of G-CSF alone, and in combination with antimicrobials, were studied in an equine model of ascending colon ischemia. Complete segmental colonic ischemia (3.75 hours) with pelvic flexure enterotomy was created in four treatment groups. Group 1 horses received recombinant canine G-CSF (10 micrograms/kg, every 24 hours, intramuscularly), gentamicin sulfate (2.2 mg/kg, ever...
Art T, Lekeux P.This study was conducted in order to assess whether exercise- and training-induced cardio-respiratory adjustments are modified during the 10-day period which follows a booster vaccination with an oily adjuvanted inactivated vaccine against influenza and equine herpesvirus-1 (Equiffa). Nine healthy vaccinated thoroughbred horses were used. Six were revaccinated and three were kept as control. All the horses completed a standardised exercise test (SET) that was repeated 4 times, i.e. 10 (SET1) and 2 (SET2) days before revaccination, and 2 (SET3) and 10 (SET4) days after revaccination. During the...
Arroyo LG, Hodgins DC, Guest B, Costa M, Ma Z, Monteiro MA.Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridium difficile) is associated with colitis in foals and mature horses. C. difficile exposes specific phosphorylated polysaccharides (PSs), named PS-I, PS-II and PS-III. These cell-surface PSs are potential vaccine targets, especially the hexasaccharide phosphate PS-II, that has been found in all C. difficile ribotypes examined. Since we previously identified anti-PS-II circulating antibodies in horses, we postulated that vaccinating foals with PS-II may prevent colonization by C. difficile. In this study, we aim to evaluate the IgM antibody response...
Dalin G, Jeffcott LB.Gait analysis can play an important role in exercise physiology, racetrack ergonomics, lameness prophylaxis, and assessment of performance potential in racehorses. This article concentrates on the methods used for gait analysis and considers some basic data on the different gaits of the horse.
Hedderson EJ, Newton JR.Their is both historical and modern scientific evidence to support the hypothesis that equine grass sickness (EC'S) is caused by a toxico-infectious form of botulism involving a Clostridium botulism type C toxin 1114 is produced locally within the gastrointestinal tract of affected horses (Toc her et al. 1923: Tneher 1924: Hunter a aL 1999: Hunter and anion 2001: McCarthy 2002: McCarthy a aL 201)4a1. This report concerns a meeting convened to review the current state of knowledge and possible strategies for vaccination against EGS. including historical. clinical and pathological aspects of the...
Klei TR.This article will focus on current information available on the equine immune response to helminth parasites as it relates to acquired resistance, hypersensitivity reactions, and vaccine development.
Thomson M.Three thoroughbred foals were treated with anti-endotoxin hyperimmune serum. The serum was injected into the affected joint spaces. Two of the foals made a complete recovery.
Mayr A.Among all infectious diseases affecting horses, respiratory disease pose the greatest threat to horses kept in stables, horses used for breeding and race horses. Here a distinction should be made between the so-called monocausal infectious diseases (so-called Henle-Koch postulates) and multicausal infectious diseases which are the result of the synergistic interaction of different processes, that alone do not lead to disease. There is no clearcut distinction between the two groups. The most important monocausal respiratory infections of horses are caused by equine influenza virus (subtypes 1 a...
Luethy D.Treatment of equine laminitis continues to be a challenge despite recent advancements in knowledge of the pathophysiology of laminitis. With more evidence supporting its use, distal limb hypothermia or cryotherapy has become a standard of care for both prevention of laminitis and treatment of the early stages of acute laminitis. Recent studies have demonstrated that cryotherapy reduces the severity of sepsis-related laminitis and hyperinsulinemic laminitis in experimental models and reduces the incidence of laminitis in clinical colitis cases. This article reviews the recent literature support...
Beech J.This article presents a brief description of what is known about the cause and pathogenesis of chronic intermittent rhabdomyolysis in horses. Clinically applicable diagnostic tests and published results in affected horses, prophylaxis, and treatment of the acute case are discussed.
Young DR, Divers TJ, Benson CE.Clinical septicemia developed in 2 clinically normal horses after both were administered a portion of an amino acid solution IV. Serratia marcescens was subsequently isolated from blood of both horses. The isolates were shown to be identical on the basis of antibiograms and plasmid biochemistry, incriminating the infusate as the source of bacterial infection. The horses recovered after supportive and antimicrobial treatment.
Florindo HF, Pandit S, Gonçalves LM, Alpar HO, Almeida AJ.The successful development of particulate vaccines depends on the understanding of their physicochemical and biological characteristics. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to develop and characterise stable surface modified poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles, using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), alginate (ALG) and glycolchitosan (GCS) containing a Streptococcus equi enzymatic extract adsorbed onto the surface. The characterisation of the preparations and a physicochemical study of the adsorption process were performed. The adsorption of S. equi proteins is a rapid process reaching, wit...
Liefman CE.The protection afforded by active, passive and combined active-passive methods of immunisation against tetanus was examined in previously unimmunised horses. Three groups of horses were injected; one with tetanus toxoid alone, one with tetanus antitoxin alone and one in which the tetanus toxoid and tetanus antitoxin were injected simultaneously. The protection afforded was determined by monitoring the levels of antitoxin achieved in the horses by each of these methods. The results obtained demonstrated the effectiveness of the combined active-passive method in affording rapid and prolonged pro...
Thomas RJ, Rosenthal DV, Rogers RJ.A toxoid was prepared from type B toxin of Clostridium botulinum by treatment with 0.6% formalin for 6 weeks. The toxoid was adsorbed to aluminium hydroxide and this vaccine was evaluated for safety in guinea pigs, mice and horses, and for immunogenicity in guinea pigs and horses. Neutralising antitoxin was demonstrated in adult horses receiving two 2 ml subcutaneous doses 6 weeks apart, and in a foal which suckled its vaccinated dam. Another vaccinated mare and the passively immunised foal were protected against subcutaneous injection of 1600 and 2000 mouse lethal doses of toxin per kg respec...
Durham A.Although the treatment and management of laminitis in the horse requires a holistic and often multidisciplinary approach from the veterinarian, farrier, and nutritionist, this review focuses on pharmacologic interventions that might have prophylactic benefit, specifically in the horse with laminitis as a result of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction and equine metabolic syndrome.
Cross DL, Reinemeyer CR, Prado JC, Donnell RL, Bond KG, Farr H, Longhofer SL.The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of domperidone in the prevention of reproductive complications of fescue toxicosis in periparturient mares. Pregnant mares at ≤310 days of gestation were fed ≥200 μg ergovaline per kg diet daily in endophyte-infected fescue hay and seed, starting ≥30 days before their expected foaling date (EFD: 340 days after breeding). Thirty-five mares were randomized to a treatment group to receive either domperidone gel (n = 20, 1.1 mg/kg, PO, once daily) or placebo (n = 15). Treatment was initiated 10 to 15 days before the EFD and continued for 5 days aft...
Freitas NFQR, Otaka DY, Galvão CC, de Almeida DM, Ferreira MRA, Moreira Júnior C, Hidalgo MMMH, Conceição FR, Salvarani FM.In horses, Clostridium perfringens is associated with acute and fatal enterocolitis, which is caused by a beta toxin (CPB), and myonecrosis, which is caused by an alpha toxin (CPA). Although the most effective way to prevent these diseases is through vaccination, specific clostridial vaccines for horses against C. perfringens are not widely available. The aim of this study was to pioneer the immunization of horses with three different concentrations (100, 200 and 400 µg) of C. perfringens recombinant alpha (rCPA) and beta (rCPB) proteins, as well as to evaluate the humoral immune response ove...
Byrne CA, Hotchkiss JW, Barakzai SZ.To document variations in the application of equine prosthetic laryngoplasty among equine surgeons. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: Six hundred and seventy-eight equine surgeons performing prosthetic laryngoplasty. Methods: An online questionnaire was sent to equine surgeons, including diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and European College of Veterinary Surgeons. Questions focused on participant profile, surgical technique, antimicrobial therapy, and concurrent procedures. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed on the survey output. Results: Complete r...