Serum in horses refers to the component of blood that remains after the removal of cells and clotting factors. It contains a variety of proteins, electrolytes, hormones, and metabolic waste products. Serum analysis is a valuable tool in veterinary medicine for assessing the health status of horses. It provides insights into organ function, nutritional status, and the presence of disease. Common parameters measured in equine serum include enzymes, such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), as well as electrolytes like sodium and potassium. This page assembles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the composition, diagnostic applications, and implications of serum analysis in equine veterinary practice.
Rushton JO, Kammergruber E, Tichy A, Egerbacher M, Nell B, Gabner S.Despite advances in therapy of corneal ulcerative diseases in horses, a vast number of cases require surgical intervention, due to poor response to treatment. Topical application of serum has been used for many years, based on its anticollagenolytic properties and the presence of growth factors promoting corneal wound healing. However, although other blood derived products i.e. platelet rich plasma (PRP), plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) have been widely used in equine orthopaedics and in human ophthalmology, no reports of the effects of these blood derived products exist in equine ophthal...
Dirikolu L, Waller P, Waguespack ML, Andrews FM, Keowen ML, Gaunt SD.This study evaluated the usage of Beckman Coulter AU680 analyzers for measurement of TCO in horse serum, and the effect of sodium bicarbonate administrations on serum TCO levels in resting horses. Treatment of horses with sodium bicarbonate did not result in any adverse events. Mean TCO concentration was significantly higher from 1 to 8 h in the sodium bicarbonate-treated horses compared to the untreated controls. Within an hour, administration of sodium bicarbonate increased the TCO level from 31.5 ± -2.5 (SD) to 34.0 ± 2.65 (SD) mmol/L and at 2-8 h post-administration, the TCO l...
Shawaf T, Almathen F, Meligy A, El-Deeb W, Al-Bulushi S.Little is known about the serum levels of trace elements in donkeys and horses in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate the levels of some trace elements in these two species in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia and to compare the obtained results with the reference values. Methods: Seventeen Arabian horses and twenty eight Hassawi donkeys were randomly selected for this study. All of the studied healthy animals were kept under a uniform feeding protocol without any minerals supplementations. Atomic absorption spectrometer is used to estimate the serum concentrations of selenium (Se),...
Knych HK, Vale A, Wilson WD, Kass PH, Arthur RM, Jones JH.Furosemide is a diuretic agent used commonly in racehorses to attenuate the bleeding associated with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). The current study describes serum and urine concentrations and the pharmacokinetics of furosemide following administration at 4 and 24 hrs prior to maximal exercise. Eight exercised adult Thoroughbred horses received a single IV administration of 250 mg of furosemide at 4 and 24 hrs prior to maximal exercise on a high-speed treadmill. Blood and urine samples were collected at time 0 and at various times for up to 72 hrs and furosemide concentrat...
Joonè CJ, Schulman ML, Fosgate GT, Claes ANJ, Gupta SK, Botha AE, Human A, Bertschinger HJ.Circulating anti-Müllerian hormone concentration (AMH) is positively correlated to the number of small growing follicles in the mare and may reflect ovarian function. Dynamics of AMH during immunocontraception have not previously been investigated. This study aimed to compare serum AMH in mares following treatment with native porcine zona pellucida (pZP), recombinant pZP3 and pZP4 (reZP) or gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccines, and saline-treated controls. Stored sera collected during two previous studies examining ovarian activity in mares during zona pellucida (ZP) or GnRH immuno...
Schubert S, Brehm W, Hillmann A, Burk J.For clinical applications of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), serum-free culture is preferable to standardize cell products and prevent contamination with pathogens. In contrast to human MSCs, knowledge on serum-free culture of large animal MSCs is limited, despite its relevance for preclinical studies and development of veterinary cellular therapeutics. This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of a commercially available serum-free human MSC medium for culturing equine adipose-derived MSCs in comparison with human adipose MSCs. Enzyme-free isolation by explant technique and e...
There is currently no information regarding Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi infections in donkeys in Mexico. Here, we determined the presence of antibodies against S. neurona and N. hughesi in donkeys in the northern Mexican state of Durango. Serum samples of 239 domestic donkeys (Equus asinus) were assayed for S. neurona and N. hughesi antibodies using home-made enzyme-linked immunoassays; six (2.5%) of the 239 donkeys tested seropositive for S. neurona. The seroprevalence of S. neurona infection was comparable among donkeys regardless of their origin, health status, or sex. Multivar...
Intan-Shameha AR, Divers TJ, Morrow JK, Graves A, Olsen E, Johnson AL, Mohammed HO.The current study aimed at the investigating the potential use of phosphorylated neurofilament H (pNF-H) as a diagnostic biomarker for neurologic disorders in the horse. Paired serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples (n=88) and serum only (n=30) were obtained from horses diagnosed with neurologic disorders and clinically healthy horses as control. The neurologic horses consisted of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) (38 cases) and cervical vertebral malformation (CVM) (23 cases). Levels of pNF-H were determined using an ELISA. The correlation between CSF and serum concentrations of p...
Tangtrongsup S, Kisiday JD.Chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is induced in culture conditions that have been associated with oxidative stress, although the extent to which the oxidative environment affects differentiation and extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation is not known. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the oxidative environment during MSCs chondrogenesis in conventional serum-free medium, and the effect of serum-supplementation on intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and chondrogenesis. Young adult equine MSCs were seeded into agarose and cultured in chondrogenic medium, with o...
Bochnia M, Schürer C, Gottschalk J, Einspanier A, Hillegeist D, Wensch-Dorendorf M, Greef JM, Glatter M, Zeyner A.Aim of this study was to compare glycemic and insulinemic responses and feed intake patterns in sport ponies after feeding isoenergetic quantities of low-starch muesli feed high in fat and fibre (FF) or oat grains (OG). Six sport ponies were randomly assigned to one of these two treatment groups for 2 × 3 weeks according to a crossover-design. Ponies received two equal meals/day of either semi-crushed OG (1 g starch/kg bwt*meal ) or an isoenergetic quantity of FF. Hay was also given in two equal meals/day and provided the remaining metabolisable energy up to 1.3-fold maintenance level. On...
Brown JC, Valberg SJ, Hogg M, Finno CJ.Alpha-tocopherol (α-TP) supplementation is recommended for the prevention of various equine neuromuscular disorders. Formulations available include RRR-α-TP acetate powder and a more expensive but rapidly water-dispersible liquid RRR-α-TP (WD RRR-α-TP). No cost-effective means of rapidly increasing serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) α-TP with WD RRR-α-TP and then sustaining concentrations with RRR-α-TP acetate has yet been reported. Objective: To evaluate serum, CSF and muscle α-TP concentrations in an 8-week dosing regimen in which horses were transitioned from WD RRR-α-TP to RRR-α...
Frank N, Walsh DM.Repeatability of the oral sugar test (OST) has not been evaluated. Objective: We hypothesized that OST glucose, insulin, active (aGLP-1) and total (tGLP-1) glucagon-like peptide 1, and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin results would be repeatable. Methods: Fifty-three horses from a Tennessee research facility (n = 23) and private practice in Missouri (n = 30), including animals with medical histories of equine metabolic syndrome. Methods: Two OSTs were performed 7-14 days apart and plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were measured at 0, 60, and 75 minutes; a positive result w...
Tallmadge RL, Miller SC, Parry SA, Felippe MJB.The value of prophylactic neonatal vaccination is challenged by the interference of passively transferred maternal antibodies and immune competence at birth. Taken our previous studies on equine B cell ontogeny, we hypothesized that the equine neonate generates a diverse immunoglobulin repertoire in response to vaccination, independently of circulating maternal antibodies. In this study, equine neonates were vaccinated with 3 doses of keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) or equine influenza vaccine, and humoral immune responses were assessed using antigen-specific serum antibodies and B cell Ig var...
Cesar FB, Stewart AJ, Boothe DM, Ravis WR, Duran SH, Wooldridge AA.Nine horses received 20 mg/kg of intravenous (LEV ); 30 mg/kg of intragastric, crushed immediate release (LEV ); and 30 mg/kg of intragastric, crushed extended release (LEV ) levetiracetam, in a three-way randomized crossover design. Crushed tablets were dissolved in water and administered by nasogastric tube. Serum samples were collected over 48 hr, and levetiracetam concentrations were determined by immunoassay. Mean ± SD peak concentrations for LEV and LEV were 50.72 ± 10.60 and 53.58 ± 15.94 μg/ml, respectively. The y-intercept for IV administration was 64.54 ± 24.99 μg...
Liu S, Lian S, Yang Y, Fu C, Ma H, Xiong Z, Ling Y, Zhao C.An experiment was conducted to study the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 5'-untranslated regions (5'-UTR) of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) genes and the serum eCG levels. Methods: SNPs in 5'-UTR of eCG genes were screened across 10 horse breeds, including 7 Chinese indigenous breeds and 3 imported breeds using iPLEX chemistry, and the association between the serum eCG levels of 174 pregnant Da'an mares and their serum eCG levels (determined with ELISA) was analyzed. Results: Four SNPs were identified in the 5'-UTR of the eCGα gene, and one of them was u...
Schnabel CL, Babasyan S, Freer H, Wagner B.Only few quantitative reports exist about the concentrations and induction of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in mucosal secretions of horses. Despite this, it is widely assumed that IgA is the predominant immunoglobulin on mucosal surfaces in the horse. Here, two new monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against equine IgA, clones 84-1 and 161-1, were developed and characterized in detail. Both IgA mAbs specifically bound monomeric and dimeric equine IgA in different applications, such as Western blots and fluorescent bead-based assays. Cross-reactivity with other equine immunoglobulin isotypes was not observe...
Serrano-Rodríguez JM, Gómez-Díez M, Esgueva M, Castejón-Riber C, Mena-Bravo A, Priego-Capote F, Ayala N, Caballero JMS, Muñoz A.Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) properties of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) benazeprilat have not been evaluated in horses. This study was designed to establish PK profiles for benazepril and benazeprilat after intravenous (IV) and oral (PO) administration of benazepril using a PK/PD model. This study also aims to determine the effects of benazeprilat on serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), selecting the most appropriate dose that suppresses ACE activity. Six healthy horses in a crossover design received IV benazepril at 0.50mg/kg and PO at doses 0 (place...
Kimura Y, Aoki T, Chiba A, Nambo Y.Dystocia is often lethal for neonatal foals; however, its clinicopathological features remain largely unknown. We investigated the effect of dystocia on the foal blood profile. Venous blood samples were collected from 35 foals (5 Percheron and 30 crossbreds between Percheron, Belgian, and Breton heavy draft horses) at 0 hr, 1 hr, 12 hr and 1 day after birth. Dystocia was defined as prolonged labor >30 min with strong fetal traction with or without fetal displacement. The dystocia group (n=13) showed lower mean values for pH (P<0.01), bicarbonate (P<0.01), total carbon dioxide (P<0....
Weyer CT, Grewar JD, Burger P, Joone C, Lourens C, MacLachlan NJ, Guthrie AJ.African horse sickness (AHS) is a fatal disease of equids relevant to the global equine industry. Detection of AHS virus (AHSV) during outbreaks has become more rapid and efficient with the advent of group specific reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (GS RT-qPCR) assays to detect AHSV nucleic acid. Use of GS RT-qPCR together with recently described type specific (TS RT-qPCR) assays cannot only expedite diagnosis of AHS but also facilitate further evaluation of the dynamics of AHSV infection in the equine host. A potential limitation to the application of these assays i...
Steinbusch MM, Fang Y, Milner PI, Clegg PD, Young DA, Welting TJ, Peffers MJ.The development of effective treatments for the age-related disease osteoarthritis and the ability to predict disease progression has been hampered by the lack of biomarkers able to demonstrate the course of the disease. Profiling the expression patterns of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) in joint ageing and OA may provide diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This study determined expression patterns of snoRNAs in joint ageing and OA and examined them as potential biomarkers. Using SnoRNASeq and real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) we demonstrate snoRNA expression levels in murine age...
Elzinga SE, Rohleder B, Schanbacher B, McQuerry K, Barker VD, Adams AA.Extracts derived from the leaves of the stevia plant (stevioside) are commonly used as sweeteners for humans and horses. Stevioside appears to be safe for human consumption, including for individuals with insulin dysregulation. In the horse, the safety or metabolic effects of stevioside on normal animals or on those with metabolic dysfunction are unknown. Furthermore, the inflammatory response to a glycemic challenge or to stevioside in horses is not well defined. Therefore, the objective of this study was to measure the effects of stevioside and a glycemic challenge on insulin, glucose, and i...
Boison JO, Dowling P, Matus JL, Kinar J, Johnson R.This study reports the use of two validated LC with tandem MS (MS/MS) methods to study the residue depletion profile of phenylbutazone (PBZ) and its metabolite oxyphenbutazone (OXPBZ) from equine serum, urine, and muscle, kidney, and liver tissues. One LC-MS/MS method, with an LOQ of 1.0 ng/mL for PBZ and 2.0 ng/mL for OXPBZ, was used for the analysis of the two drugs in the biological fluids (equine urine and serum); the other LC-MS/MS method, with an LOQ of 0.5 ng/g for PBZ and OXPBZ, was used for the analysis of the drugs in the equine tissue samples. PBZ was administered intravenously to t...
Mariella J, Castagnetti C, Prosperi A, Scagliarini A, Peli A.The purpose of this study is to investigate the presence of IL-4, IL-8, IL-13 and IFN-γ in equine colostrum and in foals' serum. Samples were obtained from 14 mares and their healthy foals. Soon after parturition, 10ml of colostrum was collected, filtered, centrifuged and frozen until assayed. Blood samples were obtained from each foal at birth (TO) and again after 24h (T24), after which they were frozen until assayed. Serum IgG was measured at 24h of age with an immunoturbidimetric quantitative method. Cytokine concentration was determined using commercially available ELISA tests. Statistica...
Marcilla M, Muñoz A, Satué K.Systemic physiological changes required for placental and fetal development during pregnancy are associated with an activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) in women, but this fact has not been investigated in mares. Venous blood samples were taken monthly from 31 successful Spanish mares during the 11months of pregnancy. During the first 4months of pregnancy, adrenaline (AD), dopamine (DOPA) and ACTH increases, whereas 5-hydroxitryptamine (5-HT) decreased, and noradrenaline (NAD) and cortisol (CORT) did not change. Serum NAD increase...
Niedźwiedź A, Borowicz H, Kubiak K, Nicpoń J, Skrzypczak P, Jaworski Z, Cegielski M, Nicpoń J.Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) represents a serious health problem and is traditionally classified as an allergic disease, where contact with an antigen can induce clinical airway inflammation, bronchial hyper-responsiveness and reversible airway obstruction. Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of the Th2 response in the lungs of human patients with asthma and horses with heaves. These cells are involved in the production of cytokines which regulate the synthesis of immunoglobulins. 40 horses were evaluated: 30 horses with RAO and 10 healthy animals. The expression levels of in...
Knych HK, Stanley SD, McKemie DS, Steinmetz SJ.Romifidine is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist used for sedation and analgesia in horses. As it is a prohibited substance, its purported use at low doses in performance horses necessitates further study. The primary goal of the study reported here was to describe the serum concentrations and pharmacokinetics of romifidine following low-dose administration immediately prior to exercise, utilizing a highly sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay that is currently employed in many drug testing laboratories. An additional objective was to describe changes in heart rate and rhyt...
Al-Obaidi QT, Mohd Mokhtar A, Al-Sultan II, Azlinda AB, Mohd Azam KGK.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is global disease of equids affect the international movement of horses and their industry. This work was conducted on a random collection of blood samples from a total of 306 equids (horses and ponies) comprising both clinically healthy (n=276) and clinically suspected animals (n=30) for EP from 53 stables in eight districts at Kelantan, Malaysia. Competitive-inhibition enzyme linked immunosorbent test (cELISA) was applied to detect the antibodies for Theileria equi and Babesia caballi and their titers in the serum. Hemato-biochemical parameters were analyzed from bl...
Di Salvo A, Busechian S, Zappulla F, Marchesi MC, Pieramati C, Orvieto S, Boveri M, Predieri PG, Rueca F, Della Rocca G.A new formulation of omeprazole in gastro-resistant granules was tested with regard to its pharmacokinetics and tolerability. Twenty-four horses were randomly divided into three groups (8 horses/group) and treated, according a parallel study design, as follows: Group A untreated (control group), Group B received 4 mg/kg of omeprazole, and Group C received 12 mg/kg of omeprazole, both of which were treated orally once a day for 90 days. Blood samples, taken from Group B subjects during the 1st and the 29th day of treatment at pre-established time points, were used to determine the concentrat...
Jones JL, Doherty TJ, Rohrbach BW.Total serum nitrate/nitrite concentration (SNN in µM L−1), an indirect measure of nitric oxide (NO), has been reported to be increased during critical illness in people and dogs. The relationship of NO to critical illness in horses is unknown. The purpose of this study was to quantify and compare SNN in normal, endotoxin treated, and horses with naturally acquired colic requiring surgical intervention.
Ramsay EC, Geiser D, Carter W, Tobin T.To compare the effect of orally delivered detomidine on head posture when administered alone or in combination with two different food items, and to determine the serum concentrations of detomidine after oral delivery. Methods: Prospective randomized experimental study. Methods: Fifteen adult grade mares weighing 328-537 kg. Methods: The horses were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups (five horses each). The groups were given detomidine (0.06 mg kg): alone; mixed with 3 mL of an apple sauce and gum mixture; or mixed with 3 mL molasses. Head droop, measured before treatment a...
Sandstedt K, Engvall A.Sera from 116 and 89 Swedish pigs and horses respectively were examined for the presence of antibodies to L. bratislava. Antibodies were found in 18.1 and 49.4% respectively of pigs and horses examined. Presence of serum antibodies was not associated with clinical signs of infection.
Gröndahl G, Johannisson A, Demmers S, Jensen Waern M.The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of age and plasma treatment on neutrophil phagocytosis, CD18 expression and serum opsonic capacity in foals in field settings. Microbial infections constitute a large threat in young foals and neutrophil functions are crucial for the defense. Blood samples were obtained from 13 foals at seven time points between the ages of 2 and 56 days and once from 16 adult horses. Six of the foals were treated with adult plasma at the age of 1 week. Neutrophil phagocytosis of yeast after various opsonizations and the expression of complement adhesion rece...
Juneja RK, Gahne B, Sandberg K.Two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis of horse serum proteins was done by a first-dimension separation in agarose gel (pH 5.4) followed by a second-dimension separation in horizontal polyacrylamide gel (pH 9.0). This method resulted in improved and reproducible separation of many alpha-globulins. Two groups of alpha 1-globulins, designated Pi1 and Pi2, were found to be protease inhibitors. Preliminary studies indicated that Pi1 and Pi2 proteins differed from each other in molecular weight and in protease inhibiting spectra. Extensive polymorphism was observed for both these proteins. Family...
Faramarzi B, Rich LJ, Wu J.Pregnancy in many mammals, including mares, is associated with physiological changes that are reflected in hematological and biochemical profiles. Understanding those physiological changes and differentiating them from pathological changes is imperative for providing care and medical therapy in pregnant mares. Our objective was to compare normal hematological and biochemical profiles in healthy non-pregnant as well as healthy pregnant mares during the 1st and 2nd trimesters of pregnancy. Blood was collected by jugular venipuncture into ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and serum tubes. Whole blo...
Keay G, Doxey DL.Serum albumin concentrations were measured by the immediate reacting bromocresol green (BCG) method and by agarose gel electrophoresis in healthy cattle, sheep and horses. No statistically significant differences were found between the values obtained by the two methods. The immediate reacting BCG method is quicker and cheaper when used under the conditions described.
Cohen ND, Heck FC, Heim B, Flad DM, Bosler EM, Cohen D.Four hundred sixty-nine serum samples were obtained from horses admitted to the internal medicine service of the Texas Veterinary Medical Center between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 1990. Serum samples were tested by ELISA for antibody to Borrelia burgdorferi. Of these 469 samples, 1 (0.2%) was repeatedly seropositive for the organism by ELISA. Confirmatory testing by protein immunoblot was negative. The observed seroprevalence was 0%; the upper bound of the 95% confidence interval was 0.6%. These findings indicate the evidence of infection with B burgdorferi is presently uncommon in horses in central Te...
Turk R, Habuš J, Flegar-Meštrić Z, Svetina A, Mojčec V, Perkov S, Belić M, Starešina V, Turk N.The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of infection with Leptospira spp. in horses on activities of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) and paraoxonase-1 (PON1) considering the anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidative properties of both enzymes. A total of 63 sport and leisure horses' sera were chosen among those routinely serologically examined on leptospirosis during the year 2009 in Croatia. Sera were divided into three groups according to the estimated level of antibody titre against Leptospira spp; group 1: sera serologically negative to leptospirosis (antibody titre<5...
Lopez-Rodriguez MF, Cymbaluk NF, Epp T, Laarveld B, Thrasher M, Card CE.Iodine, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) are required for normal fetal growth, maturation, and neonatal survival. There is a lack of robust information on iodine levels found in colostrum, milk, and serum of mares and foals after a healthy pregnancy. Our objective was to characterize colostrum, milk, and serum iodine levels in healthy postpartum mares and foals (n = 10) and explore relationships with thyroid hormone concentrations. Colostrum, milk, and jugular blood samples from draft breed mares and foals with an estimated average iodine daily intake of 39 mg per mare during pregnan...
Frydendal C, Nielsen KB, Berg LC, van Galen G, Adler DMT, Andreassen SM, Jacobsen S.To investigate neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) concentrations in serum and synovial fluid (SF) from horses with joint inflammation. Methods: Experimental studies and retrospective clinical study. Methods: Serum and SF samples were available from healthy horses (n = 19), clinical cases, and horses with experimental joint inflammation. Clinical cases included horses with (n = 10) or without (n = 10) septic arthritis. Experimental intra-articular inflammation was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS; n = 7, severe inflammation), lidocaine (n = 6, moderate inflammation), or mepivac...
Gudding R.DNases were demonstrated in samples of colostrum and blood serum from man and various domestic animals. The measurable DNase activity recorded was highest in samples from cat and dog and lowest in samples from goat, horse, pig and sheep. In contrast to DNases produced by certain bacteria, these enzymes were thermo-labile and the activity was maximal in the area pH 5.0–5.5. A modification of an agar medium originally described for the demonstration of bacterial DNases was found to be suitable for assays of DNases from colostrum, milk and serum. DNaser ble påvist i prøver fra kolostrum og bl...
Krasnianskiĭ VP, Mikhaĭlov VV, Borisevich IV, Gradoboev VN, Evseev AA, Pshenichnov VA.Immunization of horses with Ebola virus resulted in the production of specific virus-neutralizing antibody with maximum titres at 28-42 days. Repeated cycles of immunization led to a rise in antibody titres to 1:4096.
Zintl A, Westbrook C, Mulcahy G, Skerrett HE, Gray JS.In order to explore the feasibility of producing a Babesia divergens live vaccine free of bovine material contaminants the parasite's ability to grow in human, sheep and horse erythrocytes and serum and serum-free medium was investigated. B. divergens was successfully maintained in bovine erythrocytes overlaid with serum-free HL-1 medium. Supplementation of the culture medium with bovine or sheep serum improved parasite growth (monitored by measuring parasitaemia and uptake of tritiated hypoxanthine) whereas horse and human sera reduced parasite growth. As assessed by Giemsa's stained and FITC...
Sherwood JA, Brittain DC, Howard JJ, Oliver J.Eastern equine encephalitis diagnostic serum antibody can appear 6 days after the onset of symptoms, and its numbers can increase 4-fold in 4 days, arguing for early and frequent serum testing. In populations where cerebrospinal fluid viral nucleic acid testing sensitivity and specificity remain undetermined, cerebrospinal antibody testing should also be performed.
Price JS, Jackson B, Eastell R, Goodship AE, Blumsohn A, Wright I, Stoneham S, Lanyon LE, Russell RG.Biochemical markers of bone metabolism were analysed in serum samples obtained from 60 horses with no history of orthopaedic disease (age 3 months-20 years). Serum levels of the carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP), a marker of bone formation and the pyridinoline cross linked telopeptide domain of type I collagen (ICTP), a putative marker of bone resorption, were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Serum levels of the bone specific isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase (BALP), another marker of bone formation, were measured by a wheatgerm agglutinin affinity (WGA) method. Total ...
Chen CL, Sailor JA, Collier J, Wiegand J.Seven mature thoroughbred horses, weighing between 400 and 541 kg, were each injected intra-articularly into three joints with 6 mg/joint of triamcinolone acetonide (Vetalog). The fourth joint, the control, was injected with saline. Synovial fluid was taken from all four legs of the horses on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 15 following the injections. Triamcinolone acetonide was assayed by a radioimmunoassay. Blood was collected at 1, 2, 4, 6, 12 h and on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 15 following injection of either triamcinolone or saline. Both cortisol and triamcinolone were as...
Collins A, Palmer E, Bézard J, Burke J, Duchamp G, Buckley T.Samples of blood and follicular fluid were recovered from 27 Welsh Pony mares at 4 distinct stages of follicular development. Eighteen biochemical parameters were measured in each sample, including sodium, potassium, chloride, glucose, urea, creatinine, calcium, inorganic phosphate, total bilirubin, total protein, albumin, magnesium, triglyceride, total cholesterol, nonesterified fatty acids, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. The concentrations of progesterone, 17beta oestradiol and testosterone, pH and osmolarity, were also measured in all the fol...
Cleary OB, Trumble TN, Merritt KA, Brown MP.To investigate the effects of exercise and osteochondral injury on concentrations of carboxy-terminal telopeptide fragments of type II collagen (CTX-II) in synovial fluid (SF) and serum of Thoroughbred racehorses and to compare findings with radiographic and arthroscopic scores of joint injury severity. Methods: 78 Thoroughbreds with (n = 38) and without (40) osteochondral injury. Methods: Serum and metacarpophalangeal or carpal joint SF samples were collected from noninjured horses before and at the end of 5 to 6 months of race training (pre- and postexercise samples, respectively) and from h...
Ruggerone B, Bonelli F, Nocera I, Paltrinieri S, Giordano A, Sgorbini M.Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) is an antioxidant compound that is considered a negative acute phase protein. No information on the analytic performance of the paraoxon method for measuring PON-1 in horse serum is available. Objective: The aim of this study was to validate a paraoxon-based method to measure PON-1 in horses and to establish RIs in healthy horses and foals. Methods: Horses and foals classified as healthy after physical examination and routine biochemistry were used in the study. Serum PON-1 activity was measured with an automated spectrophotometer and an enzymatic method validated in othe...
Brown JC, Valberg SJ, Hogg M, Finno CJ.Alpha-tocopherol (α-TP) supplementation is recommended for the prevention of various equine neuromuscular disorders. Formulations available include RRR-α-TP acetate powder and a more expensive but rapidly water-dispersible liquid RRR-α-TP (WD RRR-α-TP). No cost-effective means of rapidly increasing serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) α-TP with WD RRR-α-TP and then sustaining concentrations with RRR-α-TP acetate has yet been reported. Objective: To evaluate serum, CSF and muscle α-TP concentrations in an 8-week dosing regimen in which horses were transitioned from WD RRR-α-TP to RRR-α...
Acri G, Testagrossa B, Giudice E, Arfuso F, Piccione G, Giannetto C.Raman spectroscopy is a rapid qualitative and quantitative technique that allows the simultaneous determination of several components, both biomolecules both chemical compounds, in the biological fluids to assess the metabolic status. In this study, the serum composition was evaluated in regularly trained athletic horses using Raman spectroscopy to identify biomarkers of sports performance. Five clinically healthy and regularly trained Italian Saddle horses were subjected to a standardized obstacle course (350 m/minute; eleven 1.25 high jumps) preceded by a warm-up. On the collected sera, at ...
Tranquilli WJ, Thurmon JC, Neff-Davis CA, Davis LE, Benson GJ, Hoffman W, Lock TF.Plasma glucose and serum insulin concentrations in Thoroughbreds administered xylazine hydrochloride (1.1 mg/kg; IV) and ketamine hydrochloride (2.2 mg/kg; IV) at dosages sufficient to induce short periods of recumbency and anesthesia were measured. Samples of blood were collected from 6 adult horses before, during, and after the anesthetic period. Plasma glucose (mg/dl) was significantly increased above control (-30 minute concentration) from 15 to 150 minutes after xylazine administration with the peak value occurring at 30 minutes. Serum insulin (microU/ml) was significantly decreased from ...
Kristensen F, Firth EC.Using agarose as a supporting matrix, electrophoresis was conducted on 50 serum samples and 20 cerebrospinal fluid samples from clinically normal horses (n = 50) of various ages and breeds. The technique was shown to be reliable. A positive correlation between age and gamma-globulin concentration was found in young horses. Features of the electrophoretograms of serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples are discussed, and a nomenclature based on Rf values is proposed.
Divers TJ, Kraus MS, Jesty SA, Miller AD, Mohammed HO, Gelzer AR, Mitchell LM, Soderholm LV, Ducharme NG.Six adult horses were administered sodium monensin, 1.0-1.5 mg/kg, via gastric gavage. Anorexia and/or diarrhea occurred within 24 hr after monensin administration in all 6 horses. Cardiac disease and dysfunction were evaluated by both elevations in heart rate, echocardiography, and an increase in serum concentrations of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), occurred in 4 horses. The development and severity of cardiac disease was likely affected by the monensin dose, vehicle (water or corn oil) mixed with monensin, and/or whether the monensin was administered to fed or fasted horses. Initial increases i...
Duarte PC, Daft BM, Conrad PA, Packham AE, Saville WJ, MacKay RJ, Barr BC, Wilson WD, Ng T, Reed SM, Gardner IA.The objectives of this study were to evaluate the accuracy of the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) using serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of horses naturally and experimentally infected with Sarcocystis neurona, to assess the correlation between serum and CSF titers, and to determine the effect of S. neurona vaccination on the diagnosis of infection. Using receiver-operating characteristic analysis, the areas under the curve for the IFAT were 0.97 (serum) and 0.99 (CSF). Sensitivity and specificity were 83.3 and 96.9% (serum, cutoff 80) and 100 and 99% (CSF, cutoff 5), respectively...
Meyer C, Guthrie AJ, Stevens KB.Haematological variables and selected serum indices, particularly those affected by changes in renal and hepatic function, were examined in 6 healthy ponies following 4 intramuscular doses of 4 mg/kg imidocarb dipropionate administered every 72 hours. This treatment regime has been reported to sterilise experimental Babesia equi infections in horses and may have value in preventing the spread of this disease during exportation of possible carrier horses to non-endemic countries. Serum bile acids and serum gamma glutamyltransferase activity were measured to evaluate the effect of this treatment...
Stephano MA, Guidolin R, Higashi HG, Tambourgi DV, Sant'Anna OA.The main features associated with pit viper envenomations include the intense local lesions such as oedema, necrosis, acute renal failure and other effects. The severity of these reactions to snakebite depends on the degree of envenomation. Lachesis muta venom (LMV) has weak lethal activity, but due to the large amount often inoculated, the effects are extremely severe and demand anti-venom with a high neutralizing capacity. LMV had the lowest neutralizing antibody induction capacity in horses when compared with that of other venoms. For example, Bothrops anti-venom serum neutralizes 180 times...