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.
Boulanger P, Bannister GL, Ruckerbauer GM, Corner AH.Clinical field cases of equine infectious anemia were studied and the disease was reproduced experimentally in horses. Attempts were made to adapt the complement-fixation test to the detection of antibodies in the serum of infected animals and to the demonstration of antigens in tissue extracts.A moderate complement-fixing antibody response was demonstrated in the serum of horses shortly after primary exposure to the infectious agent. However, this reactivity was of short duration and occurred with normal as well as with infected saline tissue extracts. It was therefore concluded that this rea...
Turner GA, Taylor DM.The interactions between tetravalent plutonium and horse serum proteins were studied in vitro by electrophoresis on cellulose acetate and by gel filtration. The results show that in horse serum, as in other mammalian sera, the plutonium is associated principally with the transferrin component of the beta1-globulins. The formation of the plutonium-transferrin complex requires the presence of HCO3-, and plutonium is displaced from the complex by excess iron, thus indicating that similar binding sites may be involved in the complexing of iron and plutonium. The plutonium complex is considered to ...
Van Pelt RW.Physical, biochemical, and cytologic properties of synovial fluid from normal equine tarsal joints were investigated. Tarsal synovial fluid was pale yellow, clear, free of flocculent material, and did not clot. Volume varied in direct proportion to individual tarsal joint size. Relative viscosity was related to volume, polymerization and quantity of hyaluronic acid, and protein concentration. Mucinous precipitate quality (hyaluronic acid polymerization) was uniformly high. Results of certain analyses of serum were compared with those of tarsal synovial fluid. Tarsal synovial fluid protein conc...
Leclere M, Lavoie-Lamoureux A, Lavoie JP.Systemic inflammation is observed in horses with heaves and could also be present in horses with a lesser degree of pulmonary inflammation. Objective: It was hypothesized that racehorses with inflammatory airway disease (IAD) have increased concentration of circulating acute phase proteins. The objective of this study was to compare serum acute phase proteins of racehorses with and without lower airway inflammation. Methods: Serum from 21 client-owned Standardbred racehorses with exercise intolerance and lower airway inflammation and serum from 10 client-owned Standardbred racehorses with exer...
Dagleish MP, Pemberton AD, McAleese SM, Thornton EM, Miller HR, Scudamore CL.Equine alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (API) consists of three, occasionally four, serum glycoproteins. This study investigated the immunohistochemical localisation of equine API in paraformaldehyde fixed, paraffin embedded equine tissue samples of liver, lung, stomach, pancreas, jejunum and colon in five horses using affinity purified sheep polyclonal and protein A purified mouse monoclonal antibodies, whose specificities were verified by Western blotting. Exposing tissue sections to boiling citrate buffer greatly enhanced antigen recovery and improved immunostaining with both antibodies, result...
Riond B, Wenger-Riggenbach B, Hofmann-Lehmann R, Lutz H.Serum protein electrophoresis is a useful screening test in equine laboratory medicine. The method can provide valuable information about changes in the concentrations of albumin and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-globulins and thereby help characterize dysproteinemias in equine patients. Reference values for horses using agarose gel as a support medium have not been reported. Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish reference intervals for serum protein concentrations in adult horses using agarose gel electrophoresis and to assess differences between warm-blooded and heavy draught hors...
Jackman BR, Moore JN, Barton MH, Morris DD.The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro effects of flunixin meglumine, a cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, and ketoprofen, a reported cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibitor, on the synthesis of cyclo-oxygenase end-products thromboxane B2 and prostaglandin E2, lipoxygenase derived 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, tumor necrosis factor and tissue factor. Six adult horses were each randomly administered flunixin meglumine (1.1 mg/kg) or ketoprofen (2.2 mg/kg) intravenously every 12 hours with the drug treatments separated by two weeks. Blood samples were obtained prior to initiatin...
Nasciutti NR, Garcia FG, da Silva ESM, de Miranda RL, Fontes LAR, Rosa JB, Headley SA, Mundim AV, Saut JPE.Several studies have demonstrated variations in peripartum blood biochemical analytes used to monitor the health status of mares and their foals of different breeds. Objective: We aimed to characterize the physiologic changes of peripartum energy and mineral metabolism in healthy Quarter Horse mares and their neonatal foals. Methods: Blood samples were initially collected from 17 mares on days 60 and 30 prepartum, and from mares and their foals on the day of parturition (after colostrum ingestion), and on days 15, 30, and 60 postpartum. The serum concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, magnesiu...
Gold JR, Cohen ND, Welsh TH.The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) is influenced by the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α in critically ill humans. Information about the association of cytokines with the HPA axis in neonatal foals is lacking. Objective: The objectives were to describe for hospitalized septic and nonseptic foals (1) temporal changes in blood concentrations of ACTH, and cortisol, and leukocyte cytokine gene expression, and (2) coassociation of these HPA axis hormones with blood leukocyte cytokine gene expression. Methods: Hospitalized septic foals (N = 15) and hospitalized nonseptic foal...
Velineni S, DeNegri R, Artiushin SC, Timoney JF.Streptococcus zooepidemicus (Sz) and its clonal derivative Streptococcus equi (Se) share greater than 96% DNA identity and elicit immune responses to many shared proteins. Identification of proteins uniquely targeted by the immune response to each infection would have diagnostic value. Objective: The aim of the study was to compare serum antibody responses of horses infected by Se or Sz. Methods: Antibody levels were measured to panels of recombinant proteins of Sz and Se in sera of horses and ponies before and after experimental and naturally occurring invasive infections by these organisms. ...
Pickles KJ, Berger J, Davies R, Roser J, Madigan JE.The aim of this study was to investigate the use of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccine in the treatment of headshaking in horses. Fifteen geldings received two doses of the GnRH vaccine four weeks apart. Serum was collected before and after vaccination to measure concentrations of luteinising hormone (LH) (10 horses) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (six horses). Owners recorded the frequency of seven common headshaking behaviours using a visual analogue scale (VAS) before vaccination and at two, four, eight, 12, 16 and 20 weeks after vaccination. Serum LH (P=0.008) and FSH...
Athanasiou LV, Katsogiannou EG, Tyrnenopoulou P, Gougoulis D, Apostolidis KN, Papadakis SM, Kokkinaki KCG, Papatsiros VG, Tsokana CN.Among the various zoonotic pathogens that infect horses, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia spp. and Leishmania spp. have gained scientific interest, and relevant molecular and serological studies in horses have been conducted worldwide. Moreover, human and veterinary medicine have extensively applied alternatives to serum diagnostic samples-such as saliva-for detecting pathogens or antibodies. In this study, we investigated the exposure of horses in Greece to A. phagocytophilum, B. burgdorferi, and L. infantum, and we assessed the diagnostic accuracy of saliva compared to serum in detecting ...
Martínez-Sáez L, Dulac Q, Montaner-Angoiti E, Marín-García PJ, Llobat L.Leishmaniosis is a zoonosis caused by spp., an intracellular protozoan parasite. This parasite is transmitted by sandflies, and the disease is endemic in the Mediterranean basin. In recent years, the number of species which could be a reservoir of the parasite is increased. One of the most relevant species is the horse, due to their contact with humans and ability to control the disease, thus being a possible silent reservoir. In this study, we have analyzed the prevalence and factors related to infection in healthy horses in the Mediterranean region. Epidemiological data and serum samples w...
Kunanusont N, Taesuji M, Kulthonggate U, Rattanamas K, Mamom T, Thongsri K, Phannithi T, Ruenphet S.African horse sickness (AHS) has become a newly emerging disease after an outbreak in northeastern Thailand in March 2020. Mass vaccination in horses with live-attenuated AHS virus (AHSV) vaccine is essential for AHS control and prevention. This study aimed to monitor the longitudinal humoral immune response before and after a single vaccination using a live-attenuated vaccine against AHS in stallions, mares, and pregnant mares, including maternal immunity in foals born from pregnant mares during the outbreak in Thailand. Unassigned: A total of 13 stallions and 23 non-pregnant and 21 pregnant ...
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...
O'Brien M, Mochel JP, Kersh K, Wang C, Troy J.Pain management is critical to equine welfare with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) commonly used in horses. However, systemic NSAID use is limited by harmful gastrointestinal and renal side effects. Intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) is a technique used in horses that produces high, local antibiotic concentrations while limiting systemic circulation. NSAID-IVRLP would be a novel method of local pain management while limiting systemic NSAID side effects. To date, NSAID-IVRLP administration has not been reported in horses. This study aimed to identify the pharmacokinetics ...
Edwards L, Magdesian KG.To describe a population of horses with acute kidney injury (AKI) following administration of bisphosphonates including clinical signs, clinicopathologic data, treatment, and outcome. Methods: Retrospective study from August 2013 to July 2020. Methods: Veterinary university teaching hospital. Methods: Eight adult horses with AKI following administration of nonnitrogenous bisphosphonates. Methods: None. Results: Five horses received intramuscular clodronate (5/8; 62.5%) and 3 horses received intravenous tiludronate (3/8; 37.5%). Six horses (6/8; 75%) received concurrent nonsteroidal anti-inflam...
Bourebaba N, Sikora M, Qasem B, Bourebaba L, Marycz K.Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), which encompasses insulin resistance, low-grade inflammation and predisposition to laminitis is a critical endocrine disorder among the most prevalent conditions affecting horses from different breeds. According to the most recent research, low human sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) serum levels correlate with an increased risk of obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes, and may contribute to overall metabolic dysregulations. This study aimed to test whether exogenous SHBG could protect EMS affected adipose-derived stromal stem cells (EqASC) from apoptosis,...
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...
Williams Louie E, Nieto J, Wensley F, Morgan JM, Finno CJ, Berryhill EH.Omega-3 fatty acid and alpha-tocopherol supplementation reduces gastric ulcer formation in humans and rodents; however, efficacy of prevention in horses is unknown. Equine Omega Complete (EOC) is an oral supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol. Objective: Determine if EOC supplementation prevents gastric ulcers and increases serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations in healthy horses. Methods: Nine thoroughbred geldings; 5-13 years old. Methods: Prospective randomized block design, repeated in crossover model. Horses were administered EOC, omeprazole, or water PO for 28 ...
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 ...
de Laat MA, Sillence MN.Blood glucose concentration is often measured during an oral glucose test (OGT), but is not thought to aid in diagnosing insulin dysregulation (ID) or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate whether the change in blood glucose concentration during an OGT aligned with indicators of equine metabolic syndrome or PPID, including serum insulin and plasma ACTH concentrations, clinical observations, age, sex, breed type and the test dose. The cohort included 149 horses, miniature horses, and ponies that had undergone an in-feed OGT and clin...
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...
Hajimohammadi A, Ghane M, Ghari Tehrani M, Paravar B, Mirzaei A, Razavi S, Nikzad M.Sixty-one horses were enrolled in this study and divided into 3 different groups according to their severity of colic (heart rate, oral mucous membrane color, and abdominal distention): a strangulating colic (SC) group (n=21), non-strangulating colic (NC) group (n=20), and control group (n=20) consisting of randomly selected normal horses without signs of colic. The serum concentrations of haptoglobin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), zinc, iron, and copper were evaluated in all horses. The average concentration of TNFα in the SC group was higher tha...
Flood J, Byrne D, Bauquier J, Agne GF, Wise JC, Medina-Torres CE, Wood K, Sullivan O, Stewart AJ.Right dorsal colitis (RDC) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) induced, protein losing enteropathy in horses associated with a high case fatality rate. Objective: To describe signalment, NSAID usage, clinical presentations, clinical pathology, ultrasonographic findings, treatments, outcomes, and factors associated with survival in horses diagnosed with RDC. Methods: Thirty-five horses from 7 Australian equine hospitals diagnosed with RDC. Methods: Retrospective case series. Clinical records of cases were accepted if definitively or presumptively diagnosed by an internist with RDC ...
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 (...
Xiao T, Zeng J, Zhao C, Hou Y, Wu T, Deng Z, Zheng L.An infant in vitro digestion model was utilized to investigate protein digestion characteristics in human and diverse mammalian milk (i.e., cow, goat, sheep, mare, and camel milk) using electrophoresis and chromatography. Digestive differences among milks were mainly manifested in the infant gastric phase, as evidenced by varying degrees of protein digestion. Notably, proteins (i.e., lactoferrin, serum albumin, and immunoglobulin G-heavy chain) remained partially intact in human milk, whereas these proteins in animal milk were exclusively degraded after gastrointestinal digestion. The peptide ...
Burcáková L, Königová A, Kuzmina TA, Austin CJ, Matthews JB, Lightbody KL, Peczak NA, Syrota Y, Várady M.A lack of accurate information on the prevalence and distribution of Anoplocephala spp. infections on horse farms has led to insufficient attention to tapeworm control and increasing horse anoplocephaloses in Europe. Our study aimed to examine the occurrence of Anoplocephala spp. infection using coprological, serum- and saliva-based antibody detection methods and to analyze the risk factors associated with tapeworm infection in domestic horses in Slovakia. Fecal, serum, and saliva samples were collected from 427 horses from 31 farms in Slovakia. Additionally, a questionnaire study was conducte...
Li S, Guo K, Wang X, Lin Y, Wang J, Wang Y, Du C, Hu Z, Wang X.Equine infectious anemia (EIA) has a worldwide distribution and causes severe economic losses to the equine industry. The EIA virus (EIAV) genome sequences from different countries are highly diverse, which poses a great challenge for pathogen identification with PCR. Phylogenetic analysis showed that although gag is the most conserved structural gene, it still has great genome variability. Currently, most existing PCR methods are designed based on the gag gene sequence and therefore do not cover all the viral strains, especially Asian EIAV strains. In this study, we developed a tat-gag-based ...
Potier JFN, Durham AE, Modi R, Rosenberg W, Dash SA.Liver disease is common in equine practice, and treatment and prognosis are dependent on histopathologic examination of biopsies. Liver biopsy is invasive and expensive which restricts its use. Serum markers are used to predict hepatic fibrosis in humans. This study aimed to investigate the enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) test, based on serum Hyaluronic Acid (HA), procollagen III N-terminal peptide (PIIINP), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) to detect hepatic fibrosis in equids. Four groups were included; two with increased serum concentrations of liver-derived enzymes and a l...
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...
Tsuzuki N, Maruko T, Takeyama A, Ikeda H, Mizuguchi Y.Forty-five foals with Rhodococcus equi infection and pneumonia symptoms were classified into a surviving group and a dead group. Using serum samples, the oxidative stress index (OSI) was determined at the first visit and the follow-up visit. The OSI of the surviving group was significantly lower at the follow-up than that at the first visit. No significant difference was observed between the OSI of the dead group at the first and follow-up visits. In the surviving group, treatment at the first visit mitigated inflammation and reduced OSI. However, in the dead group, poor response to the treatm...
