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.
Watson ED, Stokes CR, Bourne FJ.Both random and directional migration of blood neutrophils from 9 mares susceptible to persistent endometritis were significantly less (p less than 0.05) than neutrophils from 8 resistant mares. Serum from susceptible mares had significantly more (p less than 0.01) chemotactic activity than serum from resistant mares. Although phagocytosis of yeast blastospores by blood neutrophils from 4 resistant and 3 susceptible mares was similar, uterine neutrophils from susceptible mares were significantly worse (p less than 0.01) at phagocytosis than uterine neutrophils from resistant mares. Uterine was...
Martens RJ, Martens JG, Renshaw HW, Hietala SK.The opsonic capacity of serum containing R. equi-specific antibody was compared with antibody-deficient sera using luminol-dependent chemilumenscence (LDCL) and bactericidal assays. These assays incorporated peripheral blood polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes (PMNL) exposed to R. equi opsonized with neonatal equine pre-colostral serum (control) or serum from foals with R. equi infections (principal). All sera were complement inactivated at 56 degrees C for 30 min. Bacteria were obtained from the lung of a foal with R. equi pneumonia. Neutrophils were obtained from one adult horse for LD...
Mayhew IG, Ferguson HO.A group of 834 Thoroughbred horses was surveyed on four central Florida farms for clinical and epidemiologic features of anhidrosis. In addition, comparative analysis was made of serum thyroxine, serum electrolytes, and fractional urinary electrolyte excretion ratios. An overall disease prevalence of 6.12% was observed. Training horses and nonpregnant broodmares had a predilection for the disease. Adolescent horses were infrequently affected. There was no correlation with sex or color. Comparative clinical signs, related to thermoregulatory compromise, included tachypnea and hyperthermia. Long...
Denny JE.Horses receiving a pelleted or cubed dietary supplementation with roughage, have serum inorganic phosphate (SIP) concentrations consistently below an accepted mean of 1,032 mmol l-1 or 3, 1 mg dl-1. Further, it has been reported that the best eight, two-year-old Irish Thoroughbred track performers of 51 horses tested over a 10 month period, had significantly lower SIP concentrations than the worst eight track performers. In an endeavour to assess any nutritive effect on SIP concentrations and also to assess any effect of SIP concentrations on track performance, metabolic blood profiles from 30...
Mäenpää PH, Lappeteläinen R, Virkkunen J.Serum levels of retinol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D2, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and alpha-tocopherol were determined by high performance liquid chromatography from 142 Standardbred and Finnish Coldblooded Trotters aged three to 15 years. Blood samples were collected during January and July. Serum levels of retinol and alpha-tocopherol were about a third of those in man, with summer values indicating an increase in most horses. The relatively low serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and alpha-tocopherol suggest that during the winter season a deficiency of these vitamins may occur in horses in north...
Brown MP, Gronwall R, Gossman TB, Houston AE.Six healthy foals, from 4 to 6 days of age, were given a single IM injection of sodium cephapirin (250 mg/ml) at a rate of 20 mg/kg of body weight. Serum concentrations of cephapirin were measured serially over an 8-hour period. The mean peak serum concentration was 21.2 micrograms/ml at 10 minutes. The overall elimination rate constant was 1.06/hr and the elimination half-life was 0.70 hour. The apparent volume of distribution at steady state was 1.06 L/kg and plasma clearance was 1,105 ml/hr/kg.
Duran SH, Ravis WR, Pedersoli WM, Schumacher J.Pharmacokinetics of phenobarbital was examined in 6 mature horses after 12 mg of phenobarbital/kg of body weight was infused over 20 minutes. Biexponential decrease in serum phenobarbital concentrations was observed with a distribution-phase half-life of 0.101 +/- 0.086 hour (mean +/- SD) and a terminal-phase elimination half-life of 18.3 +/- 3.65 hours. The volume of distribution at steady state was 0.803 +/- 0.070 L/kg. Total body clearance of phenobarbital was 30.8 +/- 6.2 ml/h/kg. The high clearance in the horse seems to explain the markedly shorter half-life of phenobarbital in this speci...
Rosendal S, Lumsden JH, Viel L, Physick-Sheard PW.Neutrophils were isolated from the peripheral blood of adult equids (group 1) and were purified on a density gradient of polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated silica gel. A bactericidal assay was developed, using an equine skin isolate of Staphylococcus epidermidis as target bacterium in medium containing pooled fresh equine serum for opsonization. Significant (P less than 0.05) killing was observed after 60 or 120 minutes' incubation. Reduction in bactericidal function of blood neutrophils was not found after incubation with a virulent strain of Mycoplasma felis for 30 or 60 minutes. Similarly, the fun...
Semrad SD, Moore JN.Previous work has shown repeated low doses of flunixin meglumine (FM) inhibit thromboxane production in normal horses. Enhanced concentrations of thromboxane in serum occurred after the drug therapy was discontinued. Our study was performed to evaluate the effects of low doses of FM in horses repeatedly challenged with endotoxin. Group I horses received E. coli endotoxin (0.1 microgram/kg IV) at 0 and 90 h. Group II horses received endotoxin and were also treated with FM (0.25 mg/kg IV) at 2, 10, 18, 26, 34, and 42 h after the initial administration of endotoxin. Clinical signs of endotoxemia ...
Vakkuri O, Salonen JS, Leppäluoto J, Anttila M, Karjalainen A, Järvensivu P.A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay was developed for detomidine, 4(5)-(2,3-dimethylbenzyl)imidazole. The antibodies were raised in rabbits against a conjugate of detomidine and bovine thyroglobulin prepared by diazo reaction. Detomidine was iodinated with chloramine-T and immunoreactive tracer was purified in cation exchange chromatography. The sensitivity of the RIA was 1.6 fmol/tube allowing direct detomidine measurements from minute serum and urine samples (0.1-0.2 microliter) as well as tissue homogenates (10 microliters). For concentrations below 16 pmol/ml chloroform extraction wa...
Glade MJ, Luba NK.Plasma glucose and serum insulin, thyroxine, and triiodothyronine concentrations were monitored in 6 weanling Thoroughbreds after direct gastric infusion of solutions containing sucrose or casein. Neither plasma glucose nor serum hormone concentrations were affected by infusions of water or by infusions of 326 or 424 g of casein/250 kg of body weight. However, glucose and hormone concentrations increased significantly (P less than 0.001) after infusions of 649 or 844 g of sucrose/250 kg. Initial rates of increase were more rapid and increases were subsequently reversed more rapidly when 844 g ...
Greene SA, Thurmon JC, Tranquilli WJ, Benson GJ.Serum insulin and plasma glucose concentrations were determined in 8 mares. Four IV treatments were studied: xylazine (1.1 mg/kg of body weight); yohimbine (0.125 mg/kg); yohimbine (0.125 mg/kg) followed 5 minutes later by xylazine (1.1 mg/kg); and 5 ml of isotonic saline solution as a control. Blood samples were collected before (time 0) and at 5, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 180 minutes after drug administration. Serum insulin concentration decreased and plasma glucose concentration increased in mares given xylazine. Plasma glucose concentration was unchanged in control mares and in mares given yohi...
Gummow B, Herr S, Brett OL.A microtitration serum agglutination test, based on that used for brucellosis, has been developed to detect antibodies in the sera of horses exposed to the contagious equine metritis (CEM) organism. Two known positive sera were tested 100 times in 15 separate tests. The results were reproducible to within a twofold range. The test is capable of being carried out within 100 min.
Kent JE.The concentrations of haptoglobin, immunoglobin (Ig)G(T) and IgG were measured in the serum of four previously parasite-free pony yearlings following a single dose of 700 (Group H) or 200 (Group L) stage three Strongylus vulgaris larvae (L3) and following a reinfection with the same doses 34 weeks later. The results are compared with an uninfected control pony. The haptoglobin concentration increased during Weeks 1 to 6 and 14 to 17 after infection in the serum of the ponies receiving 200 L3, but in only one pony dosed with 700 L3 (during Weeks 1 to 16). The serum haptoglobin also increased du...
Hietala SK, Ardans AA.This study was undertaken to examine the neutrophil response to Corynebacterium (Rhodococcus) equi, and to assess the possibility of neutrophil immaturity or malfunction in predisposition to C. equi pneumonia in foals. Neutrophil phagocytosis of Corynebacterium (Rhodococcus) equi was studied in foals from birth to 6 months of age. Chemiluminescence (CL) and bactericidal assays were used to assay the phagocytic response of peripheral blood neutrophils to C. equi in vitro. Results of in vitro bactericidal and CL assays indicate that foal neutrophils are able to ingest and kill C. equi, however a...
Parma AE, Fernández AS, Santisteban CG, Bowden RA, Cerone SI.An antigenic relationship between Leptospira interrogans and equine cornea was previously described by us. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed in the present work to investigate the existence of anti-leptospira and anti-cornea antibodies in tears, aqueous humor and serum from horses inoculated i.m. with those antigens. Ten days after a booster by the same route, antibodies that bind to microtiter plates, coated with an homogenate of either equine cornea or leptospira, were detected in those fluids and in the sera. At the same time, the corneas of the horses began to develop a dif...
Lothrop CD, Henton JE, Cole BB, Nolan HL.Serum prolactin concentration was determined before and after TRH administration to normal mares at 10 months of gestation, 2 and 4 months post partum and during a -7- to +14-day peri-parturient period. The serum prolactin concentration increased significantly (P less than 0.05) at 15, 30 and 60 min after TRH administration in the normal mares regardless of the season of the year, pregnancy or lactation status. However, during the periparturient period, the basal prolactin concentration was increased 4-fold and there was only a marginal increase after TRH administration. Of 9 agalactic mares, ...
Baxter GM, Moore JN.Different dosages of aspirin were administered (by nasogastric tube) to 3 groups of 5 healthy adult horses to determine the minimal effective dosage needed to decrease serum thromboxane B2 (TxB2) concentrations and to determine the duration of this decrease. When compared with their base-line serum TxB2 concentrations, horses in group 1 (given 5 mg/kg) had a 71% decrease in TxB2 concentrations at 24 hours after aspirin was given and a 86% decrease at 48 hours; serum TxB2 concentrations were back to base-line values by 120 hours. Horses in group 2 (given 10 mg/kg) had a 60% decrease in TxB2 con...
Archibald AL.1. Serum isoamylases with alpha-glucosidase activity from cattle, sheep, horses, goats, red deer, pigs and dogs were compared to one another. 2. The isoamylases from cattle and pigs were polymorphic. 3. In agarose gel electrophoresis the isoamylases behaved as alpha-1-globulins but in starch gel electrophoresis they were differentially retarded by affinity effects. 4. Molecular weights were estimated: cattle (417,000); sheep (402,000); horses (420,000); goat (399,000); red deer (405,000); pigs (375,000) and dogs (390,000). 5. Isoelectric points were estimated: cattle, sheep, goat and red deer ...
Bell JU, Lopez JM, Bartos KD.1. Serum samples were collected from ten foals at predetermined times during the first 12 months following birth and zinc and copper concentrations and ceruloplasmin activity were evaluated. 2. Serum zinc concentrations were found to be quite variable with respect to age (range = 67-95 micrograms/dl). 3. Serum copper concentrations increased in a linear fashion from day 0 to day 28 before levelling off at 190-247 micrograms/dl. 4. Ceruloplasmin activity was found to correlate with the concentration of serum copper (r = 0.92) and reached a plateau at an activity of 30-38 IU by day 28.
Savage NC, Liptrap RM.Fenprostalene (250 micrograms) or saline was given at 60 h after the onset of oestrus in alternate oestrous periods to 8 mares for 4 cycles. Onset of oestrus and stage of cycle were determined by daily teasing, palpation and ultrasonography until time of treatment when follicular development was monitored at 12-h intervals to confirm ovulation. Serum progesterone concentrations were monitored daily. The interval from treatment to ovulation was significantly decreased (41.25 vs 73.50 h; P = 0.001) as was the duration of oestrus (5.63 vs 6.88 days; P = 0.005). There was no significant difference...
Thompson DL, Johnson L.Prolactin concentrations in stallion serum were measured by radioimmunoassay based on antiserum generated against equine prolactin and radioiodinated canine prolactin. Prolactin concentrations in serum collected from 152 stallions at a slaughterhouse were higher (P less than .01) in summer than in winter (5.7 +/- .15 vs 2.0 +/- .17 ng/ml). Moreover, there was an effect of age (P less than .02) in the analysis of variance; there was no interaction between age and season. In general, prolactin concentrations increased with age up to 3 to 5 years. Samples of serum collected from five control and ...
Dutta SK, Rice RM, Hughes TD, Savage PK, Myrup AC.An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed which was specific and sensitive in detecting antibodies to Ehrlichia risticii in Potomac horse fever (PHF). The ELISA antibody titers were correlated with the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) titers. E. risticii propagated in human histiocyte culture was purified on renografin gradient and the band of the organisms at a density of 1.182 g/ml was used as antigen. ELISA antibody titers were determined through computer assisted analysis, the observed antibody titers were derived by serial serum dilutions and using a resultant...
Manning AW, Rajkumar K, Bristol F, Flood PF, Murphy BD.The variation in the quantity of circulating chorionic gonadotrophin (CG) and its follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) activity in rodent bioassay systems was investigated. A portion of the variability in total CG could be attributed to the stallion that sired the pregnancy and it was possible to select sires and mares to increase CG production. It was further demonstrated that FSH activity per unit of CG was greater at Days 71 and 104 of gestation than at Day 39. LH activity per unit of CG varied with the sire, but no effect of day of gestation could be shown. It wa...
Miller SK.1. Results of laboratory experiments which compared horse and human serum butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) with respect to their acid inactivation and ammonium sulfate protection show: 2. Horse serum butyrylcholinesterase is more resistant to inactivation at pH 3.0 than human serum butyrylcholinesterase. 3. The loss of activity at pH 3.0 for both horse and human butyrylcholinesterase does not follow first order kinetics. 4. Both human and horse serum butyrylcholinesterase are protected from pH 3.0 inactivation by ammonium sulfate concentrations up to 33% saturation (1.37 M).
Brown CM, Sonea I, Nachreiner RF, Obradovich JE.Using commercially available diagnostic reagents, serum immunoreactive gastrin activity was measured in five normal horses that were starved of food and water for 24 hours. Blood samples were taken every 15 minutes for two hours. The horses were then fed a pelleted diet for 15 minutes and samples were taken every 15 minutes for a further two hours. Three further samples were taken at hourly intervals. The total sampling period was seven hours. Basal immunoreactive gastrin activity was lower than that reported in other mammals, ranging from a mean of 7.0 pg/ml to 13.8 pg/ml. At 30, 60 and 75 mi...
Hines KK, Fitzgerald BP, Loy RG.Changes in the pattern of LH and FSH in serum were studied in 6 mares foaling during the summer. Samples were collected frequently (every 15 min) for 24 h twice before foaling, -33 +/- 2 and -12 +/- 2 days, and for 12 h after foaling, on Day 0 and Day 4. Simultaneous pulses of FSH and LH were observed before foaling (r2 = 0.99). Before foaling, gonadotrophin pulses were infrequent (6 in 264 h of observation). On the day of foaling, LH and FSH pulse frequency increased (P less than 0.005) with 2-4 pulses per mare. The amplitudes of pulses of LH and FSH were higher before parturition than for th...
Yamamoto M, Yamamoto I, Tanaka Y, Sugano M.1. A method for the purification of horse serum lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase has been established. 2. The method involves the adsorption of the enzyme from diluted horse serum on DEAE-Sephadex A-50, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, 1-butanol treatment, and chromatographic techniques of DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, DEAE-Sephadex A-50, Affi-Gel blue and hydroxylapatite. 3. The resultant enzyme preparation essentially formed a single main band when subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. 4. The final purification of the enzyme was 20,000-fold with 7% yi...
Thougaard AV, Jaliashvili I, Christiansen M.The glycoprotein tetranectin (TN) found in human serum is a 90-kDa homotrimeric C-type lectin binding Ca2+, heparin and plasminogen kringle 4. TN is suggested as being implicated in tissue remodelling. The antigenic reactivity of putative TN was examined in serum from 14 different animal species using three sandwich enzyme immunoassays for human TN. Crab-eating macaque serum showed the strongest reaction, followed by horse and cat. Serum from cow, goat, pig, mouse and chicken reacted weakly, while dog, trout, and the amphibian and the reptile species did not react. The TN-like protein from mac...
Stein F, Gilliam L, Davis J, Taylor J.In a randomized crossover design study, 10 adult horses were administered crushed metronidazole tablets rectally at 20 mg/kg. Horses' rectums were either evacuated (E) or not evacuated (NE) of manure prior to the administration of the drug. Serum samples were taken over 24 hr and plasma concentrations were determined via high pressure liquid chromatography. At 15 min post-administration, group E had a significantly higher plasma concentration (p = 0.027), but there were no concentration differences at any other time points. There was large variability in relative bioavailability in the NE...
Soma LR, Sams R, Duer W, Tobin T, Woodward C, McDonald J.The plasma and serum concentrations of phenylbutazone (PBZ) and oxyphenbutazone were measured in 158 Thoroughbred horses after various doses of PBZ wer given. All horses were competing or training at racetracks in various parts of the country. All horses used in the study had not been given PBZ 24 hours before they were placed on a specific dosage schedule. Samples were collected 24 hours after the last PBZ administration. Four grams of PBZ were given daily by stomach tube, paste, or tablet for 3 days. On day 4, 24 hours before sample collection, an IV dose of 2 g of PBZ was given, regardless ...
Martin KL, Hoffman RM, Kronfeld DS, Ley WB, Warnick LD.Changes in serum concentrations of Ca and parathyroid hormone (PTH) may develop in periparturient mares, may be influenced by dietary Ca, and may be associated with changes in Ca concentration of mammary secretion. Milk and blood samples were taken from eight mares on Farm A and eight on Farm B for 10 d before parturition and from four mares on each farm for 5 d postpartum. Milk Ca was measured by two commercial tests. Serum samples were analyzed for PTH and total Ca in 16 mares and for ionized Ca in six (Farm A). Parturition was induced in eight mares on Farm A and four on Farm B; no signific...
Westermarck E, Lindberg LA, Sandholm M.A sensitive gel-diffusion assay for determination of phospholipase A was developed. PLA standards, serum, faecal and pancreas homogenate samples with PLA-activity were allowed to diffuse from wells into agar-gels containing lecithin-membranes. The turbidity cleared radially upon PLA-activity. The diameters of the cleared zones showed a linear relationship with the log of the enzyme concentration. Serum samples resulted in some turbidity within the cleared zones. This interference originating from serum lipoproteins could be abolished by hydrophobic absorption. The gel-diffusion method was comp...
Amerault TE, Frerichs WM, Stiller D.An agglutinating antigen and a rapid card test (CT) for equine piroplasmosis was developed. The antigen for the CT was prepared from lyophilized Babesia caballi complement-fixation (CF) antigen. Serum and plasma samples for testing were obtained from known B caballi-infected horses and clinically normal horses maintained at the laboratory. Serum samples also were obtained from horses outside the continental United States, in areas where piroplasmosis is endemic. Comparative CT and CF tests were done on all samples. The CT correctly identified 85% of 192 plasma samples from known infected and n...
Fradette ME, Céleste C, Richard H, Beauchamp G, Laverty S.To evaluate the effects of continuous oral administration of phenylbutazone on serum and synovial fluid biomarkers of skeletal matrix metabolism in horses. Methods: 11 adult female horses without clinical or radiographic evidence of joint disease. Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to control or treatment groups. Phenylbutazone was administered orally twice daily at a dose of 4.4 mg/kg for 3 days to the treatment group and subsequently at a dose of 2.2 mg/kg for 7 days. Serum and radiocarpal synovial fluid samples were obtained at baseline and thereafter at regular intervals for 4 weeks. B...
Riley CB, McClure JT, Low-Ying S, Dolenko BK, Somorjai RL, Shaw RA.To assess the feasibility of a serum-based test using infrared spectroscopy to identify a subpopulation of mares at risk of producing foals susceptible to failure of passive transfer of immunity (FPT) because of mare-associated factors. Methods: Serum was collected from post-parturient mares (n = 126) and their foals at 24-72 h of age. A radial immunodiffusion IgG test was used to determine each foal's serum IgG concentration. Infrared absorbance spectra of dam sera were collected in the wave number range of 400-4000 cm(-1). Following data preprocessing, pattern recognition techniques were use...
Guillot J, Sarfati J, Ribot X, Jensen HE, Latgé JP.To detect antibodies against Aspergillus fumigatus antigens in serum samples from horses and to evaluate the relevance of this method as an alternative approach to the diagnosis of mycosis of the auditory tube diverticulum (guttural pouch mycosis [GPM]). Methods: Twelve clinically normal horses (controls) and 12 horses with GPM diagnosed by endoscopic observation of characteristic mycotic plaques. Methods: Antibodies to A fumigatus antigens were detected in serum by use of an ELISA and immunoblot analysis with extracellular antigens. Results: Antibodies against A fumigatus antigens were found ...
Takagi M, Nishimura K, Oguri N, Ohnuma K, Ito K, Takahashi J, Yasuda Y, Miyazawa K, Sato K.The viability of embryos before flushing from donor mares (n = 5) and after transfer to recipient mares (n = 7) was monitored in mare serum by detecting early pregnancy factor (EPF) using the rosette inhibition test (RIT). The EPF activity was measured in donor mares before and after natural mating at natural estrus; after ovulation on Days 2, 5 and 8; and after embryo flushing (Day 8) on Days 8, 9, 10 and 13 after ovulation. The collected embryos were transferred immediately after flushing. The EPF activity in recipient mares were measured on the day of transfer and after embryo transfer on D...
MacKay RJ.A total of 378 serum samples from 240 hospitalized horses and 47 sera from healthy control horses were assayed for growth effects on actinomycin D-treated L929 cells. On average, patient and control sera stimulated cell growth; however, mean percentage of the relative growth index (RGI) of sera from clinical cases was significantly (P less than 0.001) lower than that of control sera. Approximately 35% of patient sera and 6% of control sera had tumor necrosis factor-like cytotoxic activity for L929 cells (ie, RGI less than 100%). Sera from horses with either peritoneal leakage of gastrointestin...
Conway ED, Stiles J, Townsend WM, Weng HY.OBJECTIVE To compare the anticollagenase efficacy of fresh feline, canine, and equine serum and plasma on in vitro corneal degradation. SAMPLE Grossly normal corneas from recently euthanized dogs, cats, and horses and fresh serum and plasma from healthy dogs, cats, and horses. PROCEDURES Serum and plasma were pooled by species and used for in vitro experiments. Corneas were collected and stored at -80°C. Sections of cornea were dried, weighed, and incubated in saline (0.9% NaCl) solution with clostridial collagenase and homologous fresh serum or plasma. Corneal degradation was assessed as the...
Saikku A, Koskinen E, Sandholm M.The glutaraldehyde coagulation test was adapted to foal serum to determine adequacy of the colostral-intestinal transfusion of IgG. The test is performed simply by mixing one volume of reagent with 10 volumes of serum and observing the coagulation time. The required glutaraldehyde concentration was established for various threshold levels of IgG as determined by radial immunodiffusion. The analysis consisted of 140 serum samples from foals. Sera with low IgG levels require high glutaraldehyde concentrations and vice versa. The 4 g/l threshold generally accepted for IgG adequacy, was achieved a...
Herman EH, Knapton A, Liu Y, Lipshultz SE, Estis J, Todd J, Woodward RA, Cochran T, Zhang J, Poirier MC.Cardiac troponins serve as serum biomarkers of myocardial injury. The current study examined the influence of age on serum concentrations of cardiac troponin I (cTnI). An ultrasensitive immunoassay was used to monitor cTnI concentrations in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and Erythrocebus patas monkeys of different ages. The mean cTnI concentrations were highest in 10-day-old rats compared to 25-, 40-, and 80-day-old SD rats. Cardiomyocyte remodeling was apparent in hearts from 10-day-old SD rats as evident by hypercellularity, irregularly shaped nuclei, and moderate numbers of myocytes undergoing mi...
Gilkerson JR, Love DN, Drummer HE, Studdert MJ, Whalley JM.To investigate the seroprevalence of equine herpesvirus 1 in foals around weaning and after weaning on two large Thoroughbred farms using a type-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine exposure to infection. Methods: A longitudinal population study in groups of Thoroughbred weanling foals. Methods: Two hundred weanling Thoroughbred foals from a population of about 380 foals were enrolled on two adjacent stud farms in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Foals on both farms were weaned from February to May 1995 into randomly selected groups of 10 to 15 foals. Farms were selecte...
KAMINSKI M, GAJOS E.TWENTY-THREE fresh and 28 frozen (1–11 years old) samples of horse sera, 62 frozen donkey sera (3–11 years old), 24 frozen mule sera (2–10 years old), and 1 frozen 2-year-old serum sample of a hinny (offspring of a she-ass by a stallion) were studied by starch- and agar-gel electrophoresis (starch gel: horizontal migration, discontinued buffer system; tris-citrate pH 8.7 and borate 0.3 M, pH 8.2; 2 V/cm for 14 h; 10 samples analysed simultaneously; 0.1 ml. serum mixed with soluble starch Merck; agar gel: 0.8 per cent agar in veronal buffer 0.025 M, pH 8.2; 4.5 V/cm; 2½ h; 10 samples on ...
Stevenson AJ, Weber MP, Trudel R, Leavitt R, Woodard D, Todi F, Mendonca M, Robillo V, Young L, Kacew S.Analytical procedures were developed to monitor furosemide concentrations in post-race serum and urine samples obtained from horses participating in an exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) program. High performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet light detection proved a reliable, sensitive method for measuring urinary furosemide concentrations up to 12 h after administration of either 150 or 250 mg of the drug to race horses. However, this method was unreliable for determination of serum furosemide concentration. High performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detecti...
Pessoa VC, Branco-Ferreira M, Jónsdóttir S, Marti E, Tilley P.Thirty controls (C) and 30 IBH-affected (T) Lusitano horses were evaluated. T horses were included based on anamnesis and physical examination, supported by questionnaires. All horses were submitted to skin tests, Intrademal (IDT) and Skin Prick Tests (SPT), on the neck with 14 specific allergens, 13 recombinant proteins (r-proteins) from Culicoides nubeculosus (Cul n) and Culicoides obsoletus (Cul o) salivary glands and Culicoides nubeculosus Whole Body Extract (Cul n WBE). Addicionally, a cluster of six T and six C horses were also tested with Cul n 3 and Cul n 4 produced in insect cells and...
Araújo RA, Sales NAA, Basile RC, Feringer-Junior WH, Apparício M, Ferraz GC, Queiroz-Neto A.Firocoxib is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug specifically formulated for veterinary medicine and selectively acts on inhibiting the cyclooxygenase 2 enzyme (COX-2). This study evaluated the possible adverse effects of administering oral therapeutic firocoxib on gastric mucosa, hematological parameters, coagulation cascade, and hepatic and renal biochemistry in healthy horses. Nine clinically healthy Arabian horses, approximately 9 years old, received 0.1 mg/kg of oral firocoxib for 14 days. The gastroscopic examination was conducted 1 day before starting treatment (D0) and two days afte...
Alshut F, Venner M, Martinsson G, Vervuert I.Electrolyte supplementation may be a risk factor for gastric mucosal lesions, but relevant evidence is limited in horses. Objective: Investigate the effects of PO sodium chloride (NaCl) supplementation on the gastric mucosa of exercising horses. We hypothesized that NaCl supplementation would neither cause nor exacerbate existing gastric mucosal damage. Methods: Fifteen 3-year-old healthy Warmblood stallions from a stud farm. Methods: Placebo-controlled study with a crossover design. Horses were fed either a NaCl pellet at a dosage adequate to replace the electrolyte losses in 10 L sweat or ...
Kasap S, Babaeski S, Yildirim KN, Orman A, Temizel EM, Kennerman E.Prompt diagnosis of passive transfer failure in the neonatal period is important for early treatment. Objective: To compare the diagnostic performance of serum glutaraldehyde coagulation test (GCT) and colostrum BRIX% for failure to transfer passive immunity (FTPI) diagnosis with the results of SNAP foal test and to evaluate the results of serum GCT and colostrum BRIX% measurements in foals with diarrhoea in the 0-1 month period. Methods: In vitro experiments. Methods: Excess serum and colostrum (n: 298) from samples collected from newborn foals and their dams for clinical purposes were used...
Barnabé MA, Elliott J, Harris PA, Menzies-Gow NJ.Hypoadiponectinaemia is a risk factor for endocrinopathic laminitis, but the directionality and nature of its association with insulin dysregulation is unclear. Objective: To investigate the effects of short-term induced hyperinsulinaemia and dexamethasone challenge on circulating [total adiponectin] and whole blood expression of adiponectin (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2), insulin, and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) receptors in insulin-sensitive ponies. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Six never-laminitic, insulin-sensitive, native-breed UK ponies first underwent a dexamethasone challenge (...
Hedia M, Angel-Velez D, Papas M, Peere S, Gerits I, De Coster T, Van den Branden E, Govaere J, Van Soom A, Leroy JLMR, Smits K.The in vitro production of equine embryos via ovum pick-up (OPU) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has increased rapidly. There is a marked effect of the individual mare on the outcome of OPU-ICSI, but little is known about the influence of the mare's health condition. This study aimed to investigate the potential associations between the concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs), and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) in serum of oocytes' donor mares and the subsequent embryonic development. Just before OPU, a blood sample was collected from 28...
Tommasa SD, Roth SP, Triebe T, Brehm W, Lohmann KL, Stöckle SD.Granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) are the most common ovarian tumors in mares. The classical presentation of a GCT is a unilaterally enlarged ovary appearing as a multicystic honeycomb mass. In rare cases, GCTs cause hemoperitoneum as a result of the rapid growth of the tumor. The clinical diagnosis of GCT is usually based on history, rectal examination, ultrasonographic examination, and serum hormone analysis, and surgical removal of the affected ovary is the treatment of choice. The different surgical approaches are based on the dimension of the GCT. A 7-year-old mare was referred to the departme...
Borovikov S, Ryskeldina A, Tursunov K, Syzdykova A, Akibekov O. abortion in mares is caused by subspecies serovar infection and is characterized by premature (abortion) or non-viable fetus birth. Although all horses are susceptible to infection, the condition is more often clinically manifested in pregnant mares, with most abortions recorded in young females. In addition, nonspecific clinical disease signs and poorly sensitive and effective bacteriological diagnostic methods hinder rapid and reliable infection diagnoses. Immunochemical methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunochromatography assays can facilitate effective and...
Oddsdóttir C, Jónsdóttir HK, Sturludóttir E.Few studies have been conducted on haematological reference intervals (RIs) in Icelandic horses. Reference intervals have been published for Icelandic horses in Austria and a preliminary study in Iceland compared haematological values in riding horses to published RIs for other breeds as well as Icelandic horses abroad. Haematological parameters can vary greatly due to factors such as breed, gender, age, reproductive status, and training, as well as feeding, prior exercise and management method. Icelandic broodmares are kept on pasture under supervision throughout the year, with haylage provid...
Kaps M, Wenderoth J, Aurich J, Aurich C.Equine viral arteritis (EVA) can induce a persistent carrier state in stallions which then shed the virus via semen. About 30 years ago, obligatory EVA testing of stallions used for artificial insemination (AI) was implemented in the European Union. Information on the efficacy of these regulations on the prevalence of EVA in stallions are not yet available. Therefore, we retrospectively analyzed results of serological and virus antigen testing for EVA in sires of different age and breed referred to Vetmeduni Vienna for semen preservation or veterinary diagnostic procedures between 2001 and 202...
Turini L, Francesca B, Matilde V, Francesca B, Valentina M, Micaela S.While the passive transfer of immunity in horse and donkey foals has been extensively studied, there is limited information for mule foals. Immunoglobulin type G (IgG) and serum total protein concentration (TP) were assessed at different sampling times to evaluate the correlation between serum radial immunodiffusion (SRID) with electrophoresis, refractometry, and dry chemistry analyzer (Biuret), and to estimate serum IgG concentrations using serum TP in mule foals. We analyzed a total of 30 samples collected at birth, and at 6, 12, 24, and 48 h of life from 6 mule foals by SRID, electrophores...
Megerssa YC, Gari FR.Delays between blood collection and analysis are inevitable, and samples are always stored in the refrigerator. The current study aimed to evaluate the stability of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), total protein (TP), albumin and urea (URA) in horses and oxen after storage at -20°C. Methods: Sera from apparently healthy 20 male horses and 20 oxen were obtained and aliquots of serum were divided into 3 portions. The first tube was used for baseline (T0) measurement of analyte values, whereas the other two tubes, T1 and T2, were stored at -20°C for 1 and 2 months, respectively...
Kruse CJ, Dieu M, Renaud B, François AC, Stern D, Demazy C, Burteau S, Boemer F, Art T, Renard P, Votion DM.Equine atypical myopathy (AM) is a severe environmental intoxication linked to the ingestion of protoxins contained in seeds and seedlings of the sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) in Europe. The toxic metabolites cause a frequently fatal rhabdomyolysis syndrome in grazing horses. Since these toxic metabolites can also be present in cograzing horses, it is still unclear as to why, in a similar environmental context, some horses show signs of AM, whereas others remain clinically healthy. Label-free proteomic analyses on the serum of 26 diseased AM, 23 cograzers, and 11 control horses were per...
