The skin of horses is a complex organ that serves multiple functions, including protection, thermoregulation, and sensory perception. It consists of several layers, primarily the epidermis and dermis, each contributing to the overall health and functionality of the skin. The epidermis provides a barrier against environmental factors, while the dermis supports the skin structure and houses blood vessels, nerves, and hair follicles. Equine skin is also involved in the production of sweat and sebum, which aid in temperature regulation and skin lubrication, respectively. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the anatomy, physiology, and health conditions of equine skin, as well as advancements in dermatological treatments and care practices.
Brandt S.Sarcoids are benign, yet locally aggressive skin tumours that commonly affect horses and other equid species. The lesions are induced by bovine papillomavirus types 1, 2, and probably 13 in conjunction with other factors including trauma and a genetic predisposition. Although sarcoids have a substantial impact on the health and welfare of affected equids, information on the immune response to bovine papillomavirus infection and resulting sarcoids is limited. However, there is evidence that sarcoid disease is associated with an impaired immune response to bovine papillomavirus infection. This o...
Loy J, Sornalingam K, Cawley A, Scrivener C, Keledjian J, Noble GK.Altrenogest is a synthetic progestogen widely used in equine reproductive management. Adverse effects to altrenogest have been reported in people with cutaneous exposure reported as the highest exposure pathway. Despite these reports, there has been no quantitative research to determine the capacity for altrenogest to be absorbed through skin. This study aimed to determine if cutaneous application of oral altrenogest results in systemic absorption in mares and to evaluate the influence of application site. A randomized, two-period, two-treatment crossover study was undertaken in eight mares. M...
Hmb O, L W, M V, Jm W, Ct F.A systematic study of regional skin thickness in different types of horses has not yet been described. Knowledge about regional skin thickness has long been used in human medicine to optimise wound care and skin grafting outcomes and similar knowledge could prove useful in equine wound management. The objective of the current study was to report the topographical variation in skin thickness of Warmblood (WB) and Coldblood (CB) type horses and to compare different methods for measuring skin thickness. Horses free of skin conditions and euthanised for reasons unrelated to this study were include...
Rosa MCB, Campos MEST, Albuquerque AS, Braz MS, Mapele RO, de Oliveira MCG, Toma HS, Ferraz PFP, Pereira RN, Raymundo DL.Skin wounds in horses, particularly in the distal extremities, often heal slowly due to mechanical stress, compromised perfusion, and excessive fibroplasia. This study evaluated the effects of topical Croton lechleri (CL) cream, alone or in combination with nitroglycerin, on the healing of skin wounds in the metatarsal region of horses. Six mares received six standardized wounds in each region and were treated with: saline solution, nitroglycerin (0.1 or 1 mg/mL), CL (1 or 10 µg/mL), or CL + nitroglycerin (10 µg/mL + 1 mg/mL). Wound contraction, histology, and bacterial culture were evaluate...
Kremer H, Bartling B.The nasal vestibule of numerous horses is pigmented. In the ventral part of the nasal vestibule, this pigmentation is often disturbed resulting in a clearly depigmented area. As nasal discharge passes this area, our study aimed at the practical quantification of the depigmented area in the nasal vestibule of horses and the analysis of its relation to nasal discharge and other parameters.This study included 74 horses (59 warmblood horses, 15 ponies) with pigmented nasal vestibule. When a depigmentation was found to be present in the ventral part, this area was photographed and quantified by use...
Dropsy H, Husson JC, Degorce-Rubiales F, Cochet-Faivre N.A 9-year-old gelding Quarter Horse with a lesion on the right upper eyelid was diagnosed with cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Clinical resolution and control of UV-induced flares were achieved with topical tacrolimus and a UV-blocking mask without adverse effects over the following 3 years.
An T, Dugarjaviin M.(1) Background: The dun coat color, a wild-type phenotype in horses characterized by pigment dilution and primitive markings, is regulated by . This study explored the expression and localization of in the Bider marking (a primitive mark unique to the shoulder of horses); (2) Methods: We compared skin tissues from Bider-marked and non-Bider dun Mongolian horses. Samples were collected from the Bider area (dark-colored/light-colored shoulder), dorsal midline, and croup. Histological staining, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting were used to analyze pigment distribution and expression at mRNA and pr...
Vernaccini M, de Marchi L, Bindi F, Meucci V, Sala G, Cingottini D, Sgorbini M.Antibiotics are essential in veterinary medicine, enhancing animal health and welfare. However, widespread use contributes to resistance, increasing the risk of treatment failure and the transmission to humans. Objective: Analyze antibiotic prescribing practices in an equine internal medicine unit, focusing on factors influencing use, particularly Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials (HPCIAs). Methods: 1315 adult equids, including horses, donkeys and mules, presented for different diseases to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) of the University of Pisa from 2011 to 2023. Re...
Riquelme LF, de Araújo VO, da Silva TKF, de Sousa MS, da Silva MA, da Silva WDQ, Lucena RB.Malachra fasciata Jacq. (Malvaceae) is an invasive plant widely found in Northeastern Brazil and has been experimentally demonstrated to cause severe dermatitis in sheep. However, its toxic effects in horses have not previously been documented. This report describes primary photosensitization in four Quarter Horses grazing on a pasture heavily infested with M. fasciata in Paraíba, Brazil. Affected animals developed alopecic, erythematous, crusted, and ulcerated lesions on sun-exposed areas, accompanied by severe pruritus and behavioral signs of distress. Histopathology revealed epidermal ulce...
Zhang Y, Zhang M, Zhao Z, Peng Y, Deng F, Jiang H, Zhang M, Song B, Kim JK, Pan JH, Chai J, Li Y.Unique skin microbial communities have been shaped by the harsh climatic conditions in high-altitude areas, such as intense ultraviolet radiation and low oxygen concentration. However, it is unknown whether high altitude contributes to shaping common microbiota inhabiting the skin across different mammals. The skin microbial communities of humans and horses living in high-altitude (Tibetan) and low-altitude areas were analyzed using full-length 16S rRNA sequencing technology. Alpha diversity differed between high- and low-altitude groups ( < 0.01). Skin microbial community composition also dif...
Repciuc CC, Oros NV, Mureșan ȘMC, Sevastre B, Joaquim JGF, Oana LI.Limb wounds in horses represent a significant therapeutic challenge due to poor vascularization, reduced skin elasticity, and high risk of complications such as exuberant granulation tissue. Conventional treatments sometimes fail to provide satisfactory healing outcomes, leading to prolonged recovery and increased costs. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of topical ozone therapy using the bagging method in promoting the epithelialization and contraction of chronic distal limb wounds in horses refractory to conventional management. Eight horses, aged 3-21 years, with chronic wounds aver...
Hananeh W, Al Rukibat R, Hammad H, Mukbel R.Leishmaniosis is an endemic parasitic infection in Jordan and the Middle East. Despite the endemicity of leishmaniosis in Jordan and frequently reported humancases, no singleclinical case has been documented in animals throughout the country. This report documents the first two animal Leishmania cases in two different animal species with a current literature review. Cutaneous leishmaniosis was diagnosed in an adult horse that presented with multiple variably sized skin nodules, some of which ulcerated. Visceral leishmaniosis was diagnosed in a stray dog. Cytological, histopathological, and mol...
Muresu Ibba GM, Poeta A, De Lorenzi G, Pupillo G, D'Annunzio G, Pezzarossi A, Bisceglia I, Mangone L.Melanomas are dermal-epidermal and subcutaneous tumors commonly found in horses, especially those with grey coats. This study aimed to characterize melanomas in slaughtered horses by analyzing their distribution according to sex, age, and nationality, and to describe the veterinary inspection interventions required at slaughterhouses based on lymph node involvement and distant metastases in a province of northern Italy. Between January and December 2024, 182 grey horses were examined, and 28 cases of melanoma were identified (15% of grey horses) with an average age of 14 years: 8 males (mean a...
Braga C, Prazeres J, Borges J, Ribeiro G.To noninvasively characterize skin thickness and elasticity in healthy horses using B-mode ultrasound and shear wave elastography (SWE) and to verify whether there are differences between the skin of stabled and outdoor horses. Unassigned: 10 clinically healthy horses were enrolled in this study. Five animals were housed exclusively indoors (indoor group), and 5 had temporary or permanent access to an outdoor environment (outdoor group). All horses underwent bilateral ultrasonographic examination of 3 anatomical regions: neck, withers, and girth region caudal to the elbow. Skin thickness was a...
Wesołowska M, Szczuka E. In animals, staphylococci constitute a significant part of the normal skin microbiota and mucous membranes. There is limited information available on staphylococci isolated from healthy horses. These skin-associated bacteria can be easily transferred between animals and horse riders via direct contact. Patients undergoing hippotherapy (i.e., medical or therapeutic sessions with horses) are especially at risk of being colonized by horse skin-associated bacteria. However, it remains unclear whether equine skin is colonized by antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) opportunistic pathogens, which may be o...
Morgan JM, Gentille SR, Goyette FD, Lehman ML, Boss AL, Cassano JM, Knych HK, White SD.To determine the safety and pharmacokinetics of a single dose of the oral ectoparasiticide fluralaner at 10 and 25 mg/kg in healthy horses. Unassigned: 12 clinically healthy university-owned horses, 9 to 17 years of age, were administered a single oral dose of fluralaner at 10 or 25 mg/kg. Physical examinations, neurological examinations, plasma samples, hematology and biochemistry panels, and skin biopsies were collected throughout the 84-day trial period. Fluralaner concentrations were measured in plasma and skin by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and pharmacokinetics were ev...
Morales Yñiguez FJ, Leise BS.Over 25% of all emergencies are classified as wounds, making them the most common health conditions treated by veterinarians. While equine wounds may heal with minimal intervention, many complications associated with wound management can occur, thereby delaying wound healing and leading to chronic non-healing wounds. Wounds should be closed primarily when possible; however, numerous factors influence the risk of complications. Infection and biofilm production are common causes of delayed wound healing. Other causes of non-healing wounds include the presence of foreign material, sequestrum form...
Beshir A, Kemal J, Abraha B, Tola EH.Wounds on the skin are a common health issue affecting working equines. This study aimed to evaluate the in-vitro antibacterial properties of crude methanolic extracts from selected medicinal plants against pathogens isolated from equine skin wounds in Merti district. Agar well and disc diffusion tests were used to determine the mean zone of inhibition, while broth dilution methods were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs), further confirming the potent antibacterial effects of the selected medicinal plant extracts. One way anal...
Loyd A, Neto R, Caldwell F, Boone L, White A.This study aimed to determine the safety and macroscopic/microscopic effects of fluorescence biomodulation (FBM) on experimentally induced, full-thickness, distal limb wounds in horses.This was an experimental study ( = 6 horses). Two full-thickness wounds were created on both dorsal metacarpi of six adult horses. Each forelimb was randomly allocated to either control (no FBM) or treatment (FBM) and randomly allocated to visual or histological assessment of healing. Wounds were treated within each experimental group every 7 days for four treatments. Fluorescence biomodulation wounds were ...
Jebbawi F, Olomski F, Inversini V, Keller G, Rhiner T, Waldern N, Lam J, Pantelyushin S, Canonica F, Birkmann K, Johansen P, Kündig TM....Skin allergies are among the most frequent types of allergies, where continuous investigation of the pathological immune mechanisms is required for a better understanding and a more effective treatment of the disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of interleukin (IL)-5 vaccination on allergen-specific IgE antibodies as well as T cell cytokine modulation in skin allergy using a mouse model and a naturally occurring disease in horses. Methods: Ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized mice, as well as horses affected by equine insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) were administered an anti-IL-...
Hoh RL, Mama KR, Morales CJ, McKemie DS, Kass PH, Knych HK.To assess absorption after transdermal application of buprenorphine to different sites and assess behavioral, antinociceptive and adverse effects. It was hypothesized that the dose and site of transdermal buprenorphine administration would influence absorption, plasma drug concentrations, physiological, antinociceptive and behavioral effects in horses. Methods: Two-part study; prospective randomized balanced three-way crossover (study 1) and single-dose (study 2) experimental study. Methods: Six (study 1) and eight (study 2) horses, aged 3-14 years. Methods: In study 1, horses were administere...
Ferreira I, Pinto JG, Oliveira EGL, Azevedo MCBS, Marcolino LMC, Ferreira-Strixino J.Habronema muscae is a parasitic nematode that causes habronemiasis in horses, leading to chronic skin lesions. The parasite is transmitted via flies, and larvae deposited in wounds result in difficult-to-heal "summer sores". This case study involved treating a 9-year-old gelding male horse with recurrent habronemiasis using photodynamic therapy (PDT) concurrent with conventional treatments. The horse presented with ulcerated, exudative wounds on its limbs and face, unresponsive to traditional treatments. PDT was applied over six months, using methylene blue (MB) as a photosensitizer, combined ...
Accorroni L, Dini F, Pilati N, Marchegiani A, Bazzano M, Spaterna A, Laus F.Wound management is a fundamental skill for veterinarians, requiring a systematic approach to wound care and a deep understanding of the biological principles underlying healing. Sucralfate, widely known as a mucoprotective agent for gastroduodenal ulcers, has recently shown promising topical effects in human skin lesions by binding and protecting growth factors from proteolytic degradation, thereby enhancing their local availability. This action promotes angiogenesis, chemotaxis and cell proliferation, while reducing oxidative stress and exerting bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects agains...
Kurras S, Knottenbelt D, Schmelz U, Schaal T, Tischendorf T, Fuchs R, Schorling T, Koene MHW.Dermatophytosis is a common fungal skin infection in horses, particularly affecting young and immunocompromised animals. Traditional treatments often involve antifungal medications with potential side effects. Here, we present a case report that evaluated the efficacy of cold atmospheric plasma-aerosol (CAP-A) as a standalone treatment for equine dermatophytosis. Unassigned: A 2-year-old Westphalian warmblood stallion presented with confirmed dermatophyte lesions restricted to the left side of the mouth which were treated with CAP-A. Treatment was administered 2 times daily for 12 consecutive ...
Doherty O, Conway R, McGreevy P.Pressures applied to horses via nosebands are of growing concern. The current study applied noseband pressure to the head of a dead horse. Pressure sensors were placed on the left nasal bone to record pressures as the noseband was progressively tightened. Tightness increased as predicated by holes in the strap of the noseband (as supplied) through eight steps from two fingers' space, assessed using the standard International Society for Equitation Science Taper Gauge through to zero space. Sensors were also placed at the midline frontal plane and intra-orally at the level of the second premola...
Martins ALM, Estevam LGTM, Freire MA, Lima ACVMDR, de Oliveira FCB, Dutra-Rêgo F, Carvalho GML, Ribeiro VM, Paz GF.Equine leishmaniasis is a widespread disease in Brazil, mainly caused by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, with occasional cases involving Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum. This study reports a mixed infection in a 6-year-old mare from rural Itabirito, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The mare exhibited nodular cutaneous lesions on all limbs but had no other health issues. Skin and bone marrow samples were collected and analyzed using parasitological and molecular methods targeting the hsp70 gene and ITS1 region. Both L. (V.) braziliensis and L. (L.) infantum were identified, confirming a mixed infectio...
Kamm JL, Odegaard J, Gaida J, King N.This tutorial aims to illustrate and instruct on the technique of punch skin grafting in the horse. Unassigned: A 10-year-old paint gelding with a 9 X 6-cm chronic granulating wound to the left forelimb was utilized for this tutorial. Unassigned: The chronic wound was debrided with sharp dissection, and the limb was pressure bandaged overnight. Twenty-four hours later, the horse was sedated for punch skin grafting. The ventral pectoral region was aseptically prepared for skin harvest and locally anesthetized. An 8-mm biopsy punch was used to harvest the grafts. The subcutaneous tissue was then...
Zamith Cunha R, Gobbo F, Morini M, Zannoni A, Mainardi C, D'arpe L, Gramenzi A, Chiocchetti R.A growing body of evidence indicates that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is essential for controlling the homeostasis of the skin and that the ECS is modified in the presence of skin disease. It is plausible to expect that the lamellar junction of the hoof expresses cannabinoid receptors and that their expression could be affected by lamellar disease. The goal of this study was to characterise the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) and type 2 (CB2R) and the G protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55) within the dermo-epidermal junction of the hooves of healthy and laminitic horses. The expression ...
Gupta RC, Lall R, Srivastava A, Sinha A.Hyaluronic acid (also known as hyaluronan or hyaluronate) is naturally found in many tissues and fluids, but more abundantly in articular cartilage and synovial fluid (SF). Hyaluronic acid (HA) content varies widely in different joints and species. HA is a non-sulfated, naturally occurring non-protein glycosaminoglycan (GAG), with distinct physico-chemical properties, produced by synoviocytes, fibroblasts, and chondrocytes. HA has an important role in the biomechanics of normal SF, where it is partially responsible for lubrication and viscoelasticity of the SF. The concentration of HA and its ...
Ito S, Wakamatsu K.The color of hair, skin, and eyes in animals mainly depends on the quantity, quality, and distribution of the pigment melanin, which occurs in two types: black to brown eumelanin and yellow to reddish pheomelanin. Microanalytical methods to quantify the amounts of eumelanin and pheomelanin in biological materials were developed in 1985. The methods are based on the chemical degradation of eumelanin to pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid and of pheomelanin to aminohydroxyphenylalanine isomers, which can be analyzed and quantitated by high performance liquid chromatography. This review summarizes a...
Nagase N, Sasaki A, Yamashita K, Shimizu A, Wakita Y, Kitai S, Kawano J.From April 1999 to December 2000, a survey was made on the distribution of Staphylococcus species on the skin of 7 kinds of animals and humans. Staphylococci were isolated from 12 (100%) of 12 pigs, 17 (89.5%) of 19 horses, 30 (100%) of 30 cows, 73 (90.1%) of 81 chickens, 10 (40%) of 25 dogs, 23 (76.7%) of 30 laboratory mice, 20 (52.6%) of 38 pigeons, and 80 (88.9%) of 90 human beings. The predominant staphylococci isolated from a variety of animal species were novobiocin-resistant species, S. xylosus and S. sciuri regardless of the animal host species. The novobiocin-resistant species includi...
Harman RM, Yang S, He MK, Van de Walle GR.The prevalence of chronic skin wounds in humans is high, and treatment is often complicated by the presence of pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, safe and innovative treatments to reduce the bacterial load in cutaneous wounds are needed. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are known to provide paracrine signals that act on resident skin cells to promote wound healing, but their potential antibacterial activities are not well described. The present study was designed to examine the antibacterial properties of MSC from horses, as this animal model offers a readily translatable model for MSC therapies i...
Chermette R, Ferreiro L, Guillot J.Dermatophytoses are one of the most frequent skin diseases of pets and livestock. Contagiousness among animal communities, high cost of treatment, difficulty of control measures, and the public health consequences of animal ringworm explain their great importance. A wide variety of dermatophytes have been isolated from animals, but a few zoophilic species are responsible for the majority of the cases, viz. Microsporum canis, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton equinum and Trichophyton verrucosum, as also the geophilic species Microsporum gypseum. According to the host and the fungal spec...
Smith RK, Zunino L, Webbon PM, Heinegård D.A protein prominent in guanidine hydrochloride extracts of adult bovine and equine digital flexor tendons was confirmed to be Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein (COMP) by non-reducing and reducing SDS-PAGE, reaction with rabbit anti-COMP polyclonal antiserum on Western blots, trypsin digestion followed by HPLC on a C2/C18 column, and identification of COMP mRNA from tendon on Northern blots. Immunohistochemistry and Western blots of extracts showed COMP to be present in all regions of digital flexor tendons. Equine tendon COMP was purified by ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration and...
Chambers G, Ellsmore VA, O'Brien PM, Reid SWJ, Love S, Campo MS, Nasir L.The equine sarcoid, a locally aggressive, fibroblastic skin tumour, is the most common dermatological neoplasm reported in horses; there is no consistently effective therapy. It is widely accepted that bovine papillomavirus (BPV) types 1 and 2 are associated with the pathogenesis of sarcoid disease. Most sarcoids appear to contain detectable viral DNA and RNA and are also known to express the BPV types 1 and 2 major transforming protein, E5, but appear not to produce infectious virions. While the mode of transmission of infection has not been elucidated, viral gene expression, in particular of...
Traub-Dargatz JL, Salman MD, Voss JL.This paper reports the results of a survey conducted among members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, concerning medical problems of adult horses. A one-page questionnaire listing 36 medical problems grouped by body system was completed by 1,149 veterinarians. The top-ranked disease was colic, followed by viral respiratory tract disease, endometritis, dermatitis, and parasitism. When responses were evaluated by type of practice, location of practice, and number of veterinarians in the practice, ranking of the top 2 diseases was the same for the total respondents. Ranking of d...
Bjorland J, Steinum T, Sunde M, Waage S, Heir E.We identified a novel plasmid-borne gene (designated qacJ) encoding resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) in three staphylococcal species associated with chronic infections in four horses. qacJ was located on a 2,650-bp plasmid (designated pNVH01), a new member of the pC194 family of rolling-circle replication plasmids. The 107-amino-acid protein, QacJ, showed similarities to known proteins of the small multidrug resistance family: Smr/QacC (72.5%), QacG (82.6%), and QacH (73.4%). The benzalkonium chloride MIC for a qacJ-containing recombinant was higher than those for otherwise i...
Weese JS, Caldwell F, Willey BM, Kreiswirth BN, McGeer A, Rousseau J, Low DE.There are increasing reports of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection and colonization in horses and evidence that MRSA can be transmitted between horses and humans. The objective of this study was to investigate reports of skin infection in personnel working with a foal with community-associated MRSA colonization and subsequent infection. Clinical diagnostic specimens were collected from individuals reporting skin lesions following contact with the affected foal. Nasal and groin screening swabs were collected from other veterinary personnel that attended a voluntary scr...
Monteiro-Riviere NA, Bristol DG, Manning TO, Rogers RA, Riviere JE.Studies in dermatology, cutaneous pharmacology, and toxicology utilize skin from different animal species and body sites. However, regional differences exist in topical chemical percutaneous absorption studies in man and in animal. The objective of this study was to compare epidermal thickness and number of cell layers across species and body sites using both formalin-fixed paraffin and frozen sections. Cutaneous blood flow determined by laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) was compared to histologic data. Six animals of each of the following species were used: monkeys, pigs, dogs, cats, cows, hors...
Fettelschoss-Gabriel A, Fettelschoss V, Thoms F, Giese C, Daniel M, Olomski F, Kamarachev J, Birkmann K, Bühler M, Kummer M, Zeltins A, Marti E....Insect-bite hypersensitivity is the most common allergic dermatitis in horses. Excoriated skin lesions are typical symptoms of this seasonal and refractory chronic disease. On a cellular level, the skin lesions are characterized by massive eosinophil infiltration caused by an underlying allergic response. To target these cells and treat disease, we developed a therapeutic vaccine against equine IL-5 (eIL-5), the master regulator of eosinophils. The vaccine consisted of eIL-5 covalently linked to a virus-like particle derived from cucumber mosaic virus containing the tetanus toxoid universal T-...
Bussche L, Harman RM, Syracuse BA, Plante EL, Lu YC, Curtis TM, Ma M, Van de Walle GR.The prevalence of impaired cutaneous wound healing is high and treatment is difficult and often ineffective, leading to negative social and economic impacts for our society. Innovative treatments to improve cutaneous wound healing by promoting complete tissue regeneration are therefore urgently needed. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been reported to provide paracrine signals that promote wound healing, but (i) how they exert their effects on target cells is unclear and (ii) a suitable delivery system to supply these MSC-derived secreted factors in a controlled and safe way is unavailabl...
Koehler K, Stechele M, Hetzel U, Domingo M, Schönian G, Zahner H, Burkhardt E.This report describes a case of cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse in southern Germany. Diagnosis is based on histopathology, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. The protozoan was identified as Leishmania infantum via PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism. The horse did not show specific Leishmania antibodies. The lesions healed completely within 6 months without any specific treatment. Since neither the infected horse nor its dam had ever left their rural area, autochthonous infection in Germany cannot be excluded. Factors possibly influencing the epidemiological situatio...
Terzi A, Gallo N, Bettini S, Sibillano T, Altamura D, Madaghiele M, De Caro L, Valli L, Salvatore L, Sannino A, Giannini C.Collagen represents one of the most widely used biomaterial for scaffolds fabrication in tissue engineering as it represents the mechanical support of natural tissues. It also provides physical scaffolding for cells and it influences their attachment, growth, and tissue regeneration. Among all fibrillary collagens, type I is considered one of the gold standard for scaffolds fabrication, thanks to its high biocompatibility, biodegradability, and hemostatic properties. It can be extracted by chemical and enzymatic protocols from several collagen-rich tissues, such as tendon and skin, of differen...
Horváth G, Blahó M, Kriska G, Hegedüs R, Gerics B, Farkas R, Akesson S.White horses frequently suffer from malign skin cancer and visual deficiencies owing to their high sensitivity to the ultraviolet solar radiation. Furthermore, in the wild, white horses suffer a larger predation risk than dark individuals because they can more easily be detected. In spite of their greater vulnerability, white horses have been highly appreciated for centuries owing to their natural rarity. Here, we show that blood-sucking tabanid flies, known to transmit disease agents to mammals, are less attracted to white than dark horses. We also demonstrate that tabanids use reflected pola...
Pollitt CC.Thirty-two dorsal, mid-hoof wall, lamellar sections from 8 Standardbred horses, humanely killed 48 h after the administration of an alimentary carbohydrate overload, were sectioned and examined by light microscopy. Sections were stained with the connective tissue and basement membrane stains periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), Azan and periodic acid silver methanamine (PASM) and with routine haematoxylin and eosin (H&E). Lesions of the epidermal lamellae, attributable to laminitis, were graded in order of increasing severity from Grade N (normal), Grade 1 (mild), Grade 2 (moderate) to Grade 3 (severe ...
DeRossi R, Coelho AC, Mello GS, Frazílio FO, Leal CR, Facco GG, Brum KB.To establish a low-cost method to prepare platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and evaluates the potential of platelet derived factors to enhance wound healing in the surgical wounds in equine. Methods: To obtain a PRP gel, calcium gluconate and autologous thrombin were added to platelet-rich plasma. For the tests six saddle horses were used and two surgical incisions were made in each animal. Wounds were treated with PRP gel or untreated. Sequential wound biopsies collected at Treatment 1: at days 5 and 30 and Treatment 2: at days 15 and 45 post wounding permitted comparison of differentiation markers ...
Curik I, Druml T, Seltenhammer M, Sundström E, Pielberg GR, Andersson L, Sölkner J.The dominant phenotype of greying with age in horses, caused by a 4.6-kb duplication in intron 6 of STX17, is associated with a high incidence of melanoma and vitiligo-like skin depigmentation. However, the progressive greying and the incidence of melanoma, vitiligo-like depigmentation, and amount of speckling in these horses do not follow a simple inheritance pattern. To understand their inheritance, we analysed the melanoma grade, grey level, vitiligo grade, and speckling grade of 1,119 Grey horses (7,146 measurements) measured in six countries over a 9-year period. We estimated narrow sense...
Bogaert L, Martens A, Van Poucke M, Ducatelle R, De Cock H, Dewulf J, De Baere C, Peelman L, Gasthuys F.Bovine papillomavirus (BPV), the causative agent of papillomas in cattle, has been shown to play a major role in the pathogenesis of equine sarcoids in horses. BPV has also been detected occasionally in normal equine skin. In this study, presence and activity of BPV in normal skin and peripheral blood of 4 groups of horses were evaluated: sarcoid-affected horses, horses living in contact with sarcoid-affected horses, horses living in contact with papilloma-affected cattle and control horses. From each horse, 3 samples on 4 locations were collected: a swab of the intact skin surface and both a ...
Wagner B, Miller WH, Morgan EE, Hillegas JM, Erb HN, Leibold W, Antczak DF.In horses, allergies have been characterized by clinical signs and/or intradermal (i.d.) allergen testing. Our aim was to find the first direct evidence that immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediates equine allergy. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that immediate skin reactions in horses can also be mediated by IgG. Anti-IgE affinity columns were used to purify IgE from serum of one healthy horse and three horses affected with summer eczema, an allergic dermatitis which is believed to be induced by Culicoides midges. A modified Prausnitz-Küstner experiment was performed in four clinical healthy ho...
Pereira RCDF, De La Côrte FD, Brass KE, da Silva Azevedo M, Gallio M, Cantarelli C, Dau SL, Cezar AS, Inkelmann MA.Wounds localized on the distal limbs in horses are difficulty healing. No studies have been conducted to evaluate homologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in horses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect upon applying autologous PRP, homologous PRP, and autologous PRP gel on the wound healing process of wounds on the distal limb of horses. To study a possible correlation between the platelet count and wound healing time, four skin wounds of 4 cm2 were surgically created on the dorsolateral aspect of the third metacarpus in eight healthy adult horses. Each skin wound was randomly treate...
Biberstein EL, Jang SS, Hirsh DC.A total of 268 isolates of coagulase-positive staphylococci from a variety of animal species, including dogs, horses, cats, monkeys, goats, and cows, were assigned to species on the basis of the API Staph- Ident system (Analytab Products, Inc., Plainview , N.Y.). Of 195 isolates from dogs, 179 (91.8%) were Staphylococcus intermedius, as were 9 of 25 (36%) isolates from horses, 7 of 15 (46.6%) isolates from cats, and 4 of 6 (66.6%) isolates from goats. Only 1 of 10 isolates from monkeys and none of 7 isolates from cows were S. intermedius. Of the remaining 68 cultures, 63 were identified as Sta...
Sundström E, Komisarczuk AZ, Jiang L, Golovko A, Navratilova P, Rinkwitz S, Becker TS, Andersson L.Greying with age in horses is an autosomal dominant trait, characterized by hair greying, high incidence of melanoma and vitiligo-like depigmentation. Previous studies have revealed that the causative mutation for this phenotype is a 4.6-kb intronic duplication in STX17 (Syntaxin 17). By using reporter constructs in transgenic zebrafish, we show that a construct containing two copies of the duplicated sequence acts as a strong enhancer in neural crest cells and has subsequent melanophore-specific activity during zebrafish embryonic development whereas a single copy of the duplicated sequence a...
Phillips JC, Lembcke LM.Melanomas are among the most common skin tumors in horses, with prevalence rates reaching as high as 80% in adult gray horses. Most melanocytic tumors are benign at initial presentation; however, if left untreated, up to two-thirds can progress to overt malignant behavior. Standard local treatment options can be used to treat solitary early-stage lesions but do not address the underlying risk of recurrent tumor formation or the transformation to a malignant phenotype. An understanding of the specific molecular genetic factors associated with tumor formation should lead to targeted therapies th...
Björnsdóttir S, Sigvaldadóttir J, Broström H, Langvad B, Sigurdsson A.A cross sectional study was designed to estimate the prevalence of summer eczema (a chronic, recurrent seasonal dermatitis) in exported Icelandic horses and the influence of environmental and genetic factors on the development of the disease. Among 330 horses, which had been exported to Germany, Denmark and Sweden, 114 (34.5%) were found to have clinical signs of summer eczema. The prevalence was highest 2 years after export and the exposure to the biting midges Culicoides spp., was found to be the main risk factor for developing the disease. Genetic influence on the sensitivity for the diseas...
van Zyl A, Daniel J, Wayne J, McCowan C, Malik R, Jelfs P, Lavender CJ, Fyfe JA.Two horses were diagnosed as having Mycobacterium ulcerans infections. The first was a 21-year-old Quarterhorse-cross mare living in Mallacoota (a coastal town near the border of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia) that presented with lichenification, hair-loss and oedema on a fetlock, which subsequently ulcerated, as well as a non-healing ulcer on the wither. The second horse was a 32 year-old Standardbred gelding from Nicholson, near Bairnsdale, Victoria, that had an ulcerated lesion on its caudal thigh. Histologically, there were characteristic changes seen with M. ulcerans infections ...
Chang YF, Novosol V, McDonough SP, Chang CF, Jacobson RH, Divers T, Quimby FW, Shin S, Lein DH.Seven specific-pathogen-free (SPF) ponies, 1-5 years old, were exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi-infected adult ticks while being treated with dexamethasone over 5 consecutive days. One SPF pony (pony No. 178) was first exposed to laboratory-reared nymphs without B. burgdorferi infection and 3 weeks later was exposed to B. burgdorferi-infected adult ticks with concurrent dexamethasone treatment for 5 consecutive days. Four uninfected ponies treated with dexamethasone, exposed to laboratory-reared ticks without B. burgdorferi infection served as uninfected controls. Clinical signs, bacteriologic ...
Spirito F, Charlesworth A, Linder K, Ortonne JP, Baird J, Meneguzzi G.Recent achievements in the genetic correction of keratinocytes isolated from patients with junctional epidermolysis bullosa have paved the way to a gene therapy approach for the disease. Because gene therapy protocols require preclinical validation in animals, we have characterized spontaneous animal models of junctional epidermolysis bullosa. In this study we have elucidated the genetic basis of the hereditary junctional mechanobullous disease in the Belgian horse, a condition characterized by blistering of the skin and mouth epithelia, and exungulation (loss of the hoof). Immunofluorescence ...
