Topic:Small Intestine
The small intestine in horses is a component of the digestive system responsible for nutrient absorption and digestion. It consists of three main sections: the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. The small intestine is approximately 50 to 70 feet long and facilitates the breakdown of feed through enzymatic action, allowing nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream. It plays a role in the digestion of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, as well as in the absorption of vitamins and minerals. The small intestine's function and health are critical to maintaining overall equine well-being. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the structure, function, and health implications of the small intestine in horses.
Alterations in the Peritoneal Fluid Proteome of Horses with Colic Attributed to Ischemic and Non-Ischemic Intestinal Disease. Peritoneal fluid (PF) is intimately associated with the gastrointestinal tract, and changes in the PF may directly reflect abdominal pathology. We aimed to quantify differences in the PF proteome between intestinal lesion type (ischemic vs. non-ischemic) and location (small vs. large intestine). PF samples were collected at hospital admission from horses presenting for abdominal pain (colic). Cases were clinically categorized by lesion type and location after resolution (10 per group). PF proteins were extracted and quantified by label-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy. Data ...
Comparison of transrectal and transabdominal transducers for use in fast localized abdominal sonography of horses presenting with colic. Abdominal ultrasonography is valuable in the diagnosis of equine colic. Fast localized abdominal sonography of horses (FLASH) enables practitioners with limited experience to perform ultrasonography in emergency settings. However, many practitioners only possess rectal format linear array transducers (RFLT). The hypotheses are: (a) A low frequency curvilinear transducer (LFCT) and RFLT will detect free abdominal fluid and abnormal small intestinal loops with similar frequency during FLASH, and (b) there will be a difference between the transducers for detection of gastric abnormalities and nep...
Effect of micronization and meal size of corn grain on glycemic response and in vitro hindgut acidosis potential in horses. This study aimed to 1) evaluate the interaction of corn grain micronization and starch levels per meal on equine plasma glucose, and 2) determine if micronization affects the risk of hindgut acidosis. Six mature (aged 6 to 10 years), healthy, non-pregnant mares (initial body weight [BW]: 301 to 463 kg) were used in a 2×3 factorial cross-over design. The treatments included two forms of corn grain (ground and micronized flaked) at three levels of starch (1, 1.5, and 2 g/kg BW per meal). The blood was sampled before and 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 300 min after morning feeding and the glucos...
Human neutrophil extracellular traps do not impair in vitro Toxoplasma gondii infection. , responsible for causing toxoplasmosis, is a prevalent food and waterborne pathogen worldwide. It commonly infects warm-blooded animals and affects more than a third of the global human population. Once ingested, the parasite enters the host's small intestine and rapidly disseminates throughout the body via the bloodstream, infiltrating various tissues. Leukocyte-driven responses are vital against , with neutrophils playing a dual role: swiftly recruited to infection sites, releasing inflammatory mediators, and serving as a replication hub and Trojan horses, aiding parasite spread. Neutrophil...
Management of uroperitoneum through combination of conservative and surgical treatments in two colts. Ruptures of the urinary bladder and urachus are the most frequent cause of uroperitoneum in foals. Surgical correction is often the first treatment choice, however, nonsurgical methods, such as urine removal via urinary catheters and abdominal drains, have been successfully performed in foals. Unassigned: Two foals were referred to the Equine Perinatology Unit for suspicion of uroperitoneum. The diagnosis was confirmed by hematobiochemical and ultrasound examinations, thus cystorrhaphy and cystoplasty were attempted. Surgeons found a lesion in the dorsocranial margin of the bladder (Case 1) an...
Characterization of gastrointestinal inflammatory cell type in equine glandular gastric disease. To compare small intestinal inflammation with gastric inflammation in horses with and without equine gastric glandular disease (EGGD), we evaluated endoscopic, macroscopic, and microscopic findings of the glandular stomach and microscopic findings of the small intestine. Methods: 36 horses. Methods: Horses underwent endoscopy and were scored for EGGD. After euthanasia, stomachs were collected and macroscopically evaluated. Normal pyloric mucosa, glandular lesions, and small intestinal (duodenum, mid-jejunum, and ileum) samples were collected and processed for microscopic examination. Cellular ...
Diversity and functional prediction of fungal communities in different segments of mongolian horse gastrointestinal tracts. Anaerobic fungi are effective fibre-degrading microorganisms in the digestive tract of horses. However, our understanding of their diversity and community structure is limited, especially in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. For the first time, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyse and predict fungal microbial diversity in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract of Mongolian horses. The results revealed that the richness and diversity of fungi in the hindgut of Mongolian horses were much higher than those in the foregut. The foregut was dominated by Basid...
Alpha2 Antagonist Vatinoxan Does Not Abolish the Preconditioning Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Experimental Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury in the Equine Small Intestine. Pharmacological preconditioning with dexmedetomidine has been shown to ameliorate intestinal ischaemia reperfusion injury in different species, including horses. However, it remains unknown if this effect is related to alpha2 adrenoreceptor activity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of dexmedetomidine preconditioning with and without the administration of the peripheral alpha2 antagonist vatinoxan. This prospective randomized experimental trial included 12 horses equally divided between two treatment groups. Horses in group Dex received a bolus of dexmedetomidine fo...
Ultrasonographic Assessment of Small Intestinal Motility Following Hyoscine Butylbromide Administration in Horses: A Pilot Study. Horses commonly receive hyoscine butylbromide (HB) prior to hospital admission for colic. This could alter the appearance of the small intestine (SI) on ultrasound scan and affect clinical decision making. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of HB on ultrasonographically assessed SI motility and heart rate. Six horses hospitalised for medical colic with no significant abnormalities on baseline abdominal ultrasound examination were included. Ultrasound was performed in three locations (right inguinal, left inguinal and hepatoduodenal window) before and at 1, 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, an...
Serological and Histopathological Investigation of Chlamydia abortus in Aborted Ewes in Wasit, Iraq. is one of the most important pathogens, which causes a marked economic loss in small ruminants, in particular sheep, worldwide. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of in the sera of aborted ewes in Wasit province, Iraq, using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), followed by the investigation of the main histopathological alterations that occurred in some organs of the dead newborns. Out of 180 tested samples by ELISA, 32.22% of the evaluated animals showed positive reactions to IgG antibodies toward . Concerning the titers of the infection of seropositive ewes, there were sig...
Ex vivo ultrasonographic and histological morphometry of small intestinal wall layers in horses. Ultrasonographic morphometry of wall layers is commonly used in veterinary patients with suspected small intestinal disease, however published studies comparing this method with histopathology in horses are limited. This prospective, methods comparison study compared the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of small intestinal wall layers using ex vivo high-frequency ultrasound versus histopathology in a sample of 16 horses. Transverse section images of duodenum, distal jejunum, and ileum were acquired with a high-frequency linear transducer (7-15 MHz). Transverse histological cryosec...
Long-term survival in horses with strangulating obstruction of the small intestine managed without resection. Although many studies have described results after small intestinal resection and anastomosis in horses, few have described the outcome in horses with strangulating lesions managed without resection. Objective: To examine short- and long-term recoveries in horses with strangulated small intestine that was judged to be viable during surgery and not resected. Methods: Retrospective analysis of case records. Methods: Data were reviewed from all cases (35 horses) with colic caused by small intestinal strangulation that underwent surgery between 1996 and 2011 at 2 university hospitals and that were...
Preliminary study of capsule endoscopy in the small intestine of horses. To evaluate the visibility of various portions of the small intestine in healthy horses using capsule endoscopy. Methods: Six healthy, conscious adult Thoroughbreds were restrained and an endoscopic capsule (PillCam SB capsule) was inserted into the oesophagus using an intranasal catheter aided by a guide wire. Water (500 mL) flushed the capsule down the gastrointestinal tract. Data were collected and stored in the recorder of the endoscopic system for 6 hours after capsule insertion and the images were evaluated using an image reader and scored using a visual analogue scale. Results: Capsule ...
Effects of mosapride, a 5-hydroxytryptamine 4 receptor agonist, on electrical activity of the small intestine and cecum in horses. To examine the effects of various doses of mosapride, a 5-hydroxytryptamine 4 receptor agonist, on motility of the small intestine and cecum in horses by use of electrical activity and to determine the dose that provides the optimal response. Methods: 6 healthy adult Thoroughbreds. Methods: Electrical activity of the small intestine and cecum was recorded before and after mosapride administration by use of an electrogastrograph. Mosapride (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 mg/kg) was dissolved in 200 mL of water and administered orally to horses through a nasogastric tube. Three hours after drug administrati...
Factors affecting long-term survival of horses recovering from surgery of the small intestine. Epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) has been associated with a particularly poor post operative prognosis for equine colic cases, but the reasons for this are unknown. Objective: To identify variables associated with post operative survival following surgery for small intestinal disease; develop a model describing long-term post operative survival; and identify reasons for the poor prognosis associated with EFE. Methods: Data from 382 horses undergoing surgery were used to identify variables associated with survival. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model for post operative survival was ...
Prevalence and diagnosis of parasites of the stomach and small intestine in horses in south-west England. Parasites were extracted from the stomach and small intestine of 118 horses at slaughter. The most abundant species was the tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata. Maximum likelihood analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the number of worms and their total weight, and the ability of an antibody-based elisa to diagnose the level of infection. The total weight of tapeworms increased towards a maximum as the number of worms increased, suggesting a population density-dependent constraint on the weight. The number of A perfoliata present could be predicted approximately from the resu...
Eimeria organisms develop in the epithelial cells of equine small intestine. Histopathologic and immunohistochemical examinations were performed to determine the origin of host cells parasitized by Eimeria in the small intestines collected from five foals. Eimeria organisms at various stages (mainly microgametes and macrogametes) were frequently found in the cytoplasm of hypertrophied host cells in the lamina propria at the tips of villi of the jejunum and ileum. The cytoplasm of the host cell was immunohistochemically positive for cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and cytokeratin 13 and was negative for vimentin, desmin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, chromogranin A, neuron-specific en...
Age distributions of horses with strangulation of the small intestine by a lipoma or in the epiploic foramen: 46 cases (1994-2000). To test the hypothesis that strangulation of the small intestine by a lipoma or in the epiploic foramen is more common in older horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 46 horses. Methods: Ages of horses with strangulation of the small intestine by a lipoma (n = 29) or in the epiploic foramen (17) were compared with ages of 79 horses with miscellaneous small intestinal lesions. Effects of increasing age on risk of the diseases of interest were examined by use of logistic regression and a 1-sided trend test for binomial proportions. Results: Mean age of the horses with strangulation in th...
Morphologic changes and xanthine oxidase activity in the equine jejunum during low flow ischemia and reperfusion. To determine whether xanthine oxidase and dehydrogenase activities are altered during low flow ischemia and reperfusion of the small intestine of horses. Methods: 5 clinically normal horses without histories of abdominal problems. Methods: With the horse under general anesthesia, a laparotomy was performed and blood flow to a segment of the distal jejunum was reduced to 20% of baseline for 120 minutes and was then reperfused for 120 minutes. Biopsy specimens were obtained before, during, and after ischemia for determination of xanthine oxidase and dehydrogenase activities, and for histologic a...
Parasites of stomach and small intestine of 70 horses slaughtered in The Netherlands. The prevalence of metazoan parasites in the stomach and small intestine was investigated in 70 horses slaughtered in the period February 1994-July 1994. Most horses were young (1.5-3 years) and in good condition. Trichostrongylus axei was the most prevalent parasite species in the stomach (51.4%), followed by Gasterophilus intestinalis (41.4%) and Habronema spp. (4.3%). In the small intestine, Parascaris equorum (28.6%) and Paranoplocephala mamillana (1.4%) were found. The mean worm burden of T. axei was 957 (max. 8502), of G. intestinalis 21 (max. 84), of Habronema spp. 3 (max. 5), and of P. ...
Evaluation of a biofragmentable anastomosis ring for small intestinal anastomosis in ponies. Six ponies divided into two groups of three were used in a double crossover study design. Group 1 ponies had a small intestinal resection and anastomosis performed using a biofragmentable anastomosis ring (BAR); group 2 ponies had a hand-sewn small intestinal resection and anastomosis using a Gambee suture pattern. Approximately 30 days later, all ponies had a second celiotomy and anastomosed segments were removed. Group 1 ponies had a hand-sewn anastomosis performed and group 2 had a BAR. The anastomotic sites were collected at necropsy approximately 30 days later. Anastomosed intestinal segm...
An ultrastructural study of intranuclear bodies in granular epithelial cells of the equine small intestine. Gastrointestinal disorders and colic are common problems of
horses. In spite of its clinical importance, only a few reports
deal with the normal morphology of the equine intestinal barrier
(Roberts and Hill 1974). Furthermore, the intestinal epithelium
of horses presents some characteristics which are uncommon in
other species, e.g. the presence of conspicuous Paneth cells
(Meyer et al. 1970) or granular epithelial cells. Paneth cells
occur in the small intestinal crypts and sporadically in the caecum, while granular cells occur along the lining of the small
and large intestine in hors...
Failure of calcium channel blockade to prevent intra-abdominal adhesions in ponies. Intra-abdominal adhesions were created by localized serosal trauma in 11 adult ponies at three locations on the small intestine. Six ponies received verapamil hydrochloride (0.2 mg/kg) subcutaneously every eight hours for three days, and five ponies received an equal volume of saline solution at the same intervals. The investigators were not informed which treatments the ponies received. Systolic, diastolic, and mean carotid arterial pressures and heart rates were measured six hours before surgery, and then 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 8 hours after the first treatment on each day for three days. One pony...
[2 cases of ‘hardware’ foreign objects in ponies]. An obstruction of the small intestine was suspected in two ponies with colic. At surgery and at necropsy, the cause of the colic appeared to be an inflammation process caused by perforation of the jejunum by a piece of wire. One pony recovered after laparotomy and enterectomy, but had to be put down eight weeks later because of severe laminitis. The other pony was euthanized immediately after clinical evaluation.
Small intestinal malabsorption in the horse: an assessment of the specificity of the oral glucose tolerance test. Specificity of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for the diagnosis of small intestinal malabsorption in the horse was assessed by comparing the results of OGTT with the results of a histopathological examination of the small intestine in 42 adult horses affected by chronic weight loss. The horses were assigned to three groups on the basis of the results of the test. Five horses were considered to have a normal OGTT absorption result (Group 1); all the horses had a histologically normal small intestine. Twenty-five horses had a partial malabsorption result (Group 2) seven of which had norm...
Intestinal carcinoid in a mare: an etiologic consideration for chronic colic in horses. Intestinal carcinoid, or argentaffinoma, should be an etiologic consideration for horses with chronic colic. A mare was referred with a history of chronic colic. Previously, the signs of colic had subsided in response to impiric treatment, but recent episodes of colic did not. Clinical signs and results of physical examination supported the finding of strangulating obstruction of the small intestine. Exploratory celiotomy revealed internal herniation with simultaneous volvulus of the jejunum and accompanying carcinoid.
Evaluation of ivermectin paste in the treatment of ponies for Parascaris equorum infections. Twenty ponies less than 18 months of age and infected with Parascaris equorum were treated with either 0.2 mg of ivermectin/kg of body weight (n = 10) or a placebo (n = 10; controls). Five control and 5 ivermectin-treated ponies were euthanatized 14 and 35 days after treatment, respectively. At necropsy, the small intestinal contents, lungs, and liver were examined for larvae and/or adult P equorum. Significantly (P less than 0.02) higher mean total numbers of P equorum were found in the small intestinal contents of the controls on day 14 (51) and on day 35 (21) than in the ivermectin-treated ...
Diagnosis of gastroduodenojejunitis and its surgical treatment by a temporary duodenocaecostomy. Gastroduodenojejunitis is a catarrhal inflammation of the stomach and proximal portion of the small intestine. Secondary overloading of the stomach occurs so that affected horses rapidly enter a state of hypovolaemic shock which is further complicated by the presence of toxins. The condition can occur in a mild or severe form. In mild cases, conservative treatment comprising intravenous electrolyte therapy and repeated gastric decompression is indicated and is usually successful. In severe cases surgical treatment creating duodenocaecal anastomosis has given good results. This should be carrie...
Small intestine incarceration through the epiploic foramen of the horse. Fifteen horses were referred to Purdue University or to the University of Georgia because of colic. Each of these horses had small intestine incarcerated through the epiploic foramen. However, signs of pain, gastric reflux, and small intestine distention were not consistent signs, as would have been expected with small intestine strangulation/obstruction. In 10 of the 15 cases, abdominal fluid analysis provided the decisive information needed for surgical intervention. Surgery was performed in 14 cases. The small intestine was incarcerated through the epiploic foramen in a right-to-left direct...