Veterinary care in horses encompasses the medical and preventive measures taken to maintain and improve the health and well-being of equine patients. It includes a wide range of practices such as routine health examinations, vaccinations, dental care, parasite control, and management of injuries and diseases. Veterinary care also involves diagnostic procedures, surgical interventions, and therapeutic treatments tailored to the specific needs of horses. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of equine veterinary care, including advancements in diagnostic techniques, treatment protocols, and health management strategies to support the well-being and performance of horses.
Macleod BM, Wilkins PA, McCoy AM, Bishop RC.Viscoelastic coagulation testing (VCT) identifies subclinical disruption of coagulation homeostasis and may improve prognostication, particularly for patients with severe systemic inflammation or shock. Machine learning (ML) algorithms may capture complex relationships between clinical variables better than linear regression (GLM). Objective: To evaluate the utility of ML models incorporating VCT and clinical data to predict survival outcomes in horses with acute abdominal pain. Methods: Retrospective observational cohort study. Methods: VCT (VCM Vet™) was performed on 57 horses with acute a...
Pusterla N, Lawton K, Barnum S, Flynn K, Hankin S, Runk D, Mendonsa E, Doherty T.The present study reports on the management of an EHV-1 outbreak at a large, multi-week equestrian event with ongoing showing. Within a 48 h period, 8 horses out of a cohort of 38 horses from the same trainer displayed elevated rectal temperatures ranging from 38.4 to 39.0 °C. Initial testing using a point-of-care PCR assay detected EHV-1 in 2/8 horses, with the results being confirmed at a later time by qPCR. As a precautionary measure and because of the inability to isolate the entire at-risk population, the 38 horses were relocated to an equine facility outside the equestrian event for dai...
Brown KA, Engiles JB, de Solis CN, Bills KW, Johnson AL, Davidson EJ.To determine the accuracy of a dorsal ultrasound-guided approach for perineural injection of the sixth and seventh cervical spinal nerves (CSNs) with the use of a clinically relevant volume of injectate (2 mL). We hypothesized that the majority of injections would result in identification of contrast solution in the intervertebral foramen (IVF) on CT and corresponding methylene blue dye staining of the CSN on postmortem evaluation, and distribution of injectate into the epidural space would not occur. Unassigned: 7 horses donated to the University of Pennsylvania New Bolton Center for euthanas...
Cole RC, DeGraves FJ, Brown J, Schumacher J.To compare the effect of 2.5 mL 2% mepivacaine to the effect of 0.5 mL 2% mepivacaine administered over each palmar digital nerve, as an abaxial sesamoid nerve block (ASNB), to 6 horses lame because of naturally occurring digital pain. Unassigned: In a crossover study design with 3 horses in each group, the trotting gait of the horses was analyzed with an inertial sensor-based, motion-analysis system (Q with Lameness Locator; Equinosis LLC) immediately before and after treatment with either 0.5 or 2.5 mL mepivacaine administered over each nerve near the base of the proximal sesamoid bone of th...
Carbonell JD, Fernández N, Escobar MJ, Álvarez MT, Sánchez L, Hernández A, Meana A.Chorioptic mange is a challenging condition to treat due to the superficial locations of the nonhematophagous mite , and while topical acaricides are recommended, the clinical feature relapses are frequent. In a double-blinded clinical trial, three randomized groups of Spanish-Breton horses ( = 32) naturally infected with on their legs were evaluated over a period of 70 days. All treatments were applied once every 14 days for three treatments. Before treatment and on Day (D)10, D25, D37, D56, and D70, each leg per animal was scored according to equine pastern dermatitis clinical presentat...
Tulloch JSP, Schofield I, Jackson R, Whiting M.The veterinary industry has some of the highest rates of non-fatal work-related injuries, yet safety culture remains unexplored. Utilising a survey distributed to all UK employees of a consolidated group of veterinary practices, this study aimed to describe the prevalence of work-related injuries in equine, production animal, and mixed veterinary practices, and to understand the behaviours of injured persons. There were 144 respondents. Over 90 % of clinicians experienced injury during their careers, versus a third of non-clinical staff. Injuries to equine veterinarians were predominately ki...
The inflammatory status in horses with gastric ulcers was monitored by two inflammatory biomarkers, S100A12 and adenosine deaminase (ADA), using saliva samples from healthy and horses with gastric ulcers. Two trials were developed: an experimental trial, in which gastric ulceration was induced in 8 horses by feed deprivation, and a clinical trial, in which 20 horses without any symptomatology and 37 with symptoms compatible with gastric ulcers were used. S100A12 and ADA levels were measured in the saliva samples of all horses using previously validated assays. In both trials, horses with gastr...
Turek B, Jankowski K, Pawlikowski M, Jasiński T, Domino M.Proximal phalanx (P1) fractures in horses are relatively common, and present significant treatment challenges, especially when the fractures are comminuted or infected. An innovative treatment approach includes attaching an external fixator to the third metacarpal bone (MC III), the healthy bone above fracture, to offload the injured P1 and protect it from load-bearing forces, particularly during post-surgical standing up. This study aims to develop the favourable mathematical and numerical models for screws configuration in this external fixator. Nine configurations (I-IX), varying in screw a...
Kinoshita Y, Niwa H, Ueno T.In horses, the gut microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis and overall health, but antimicrobial administration can disrupt its balance, resulting in dysbiosis, which can cause antibiotic-associated diarrhea. This study assessed the impact of intravenous cephalothin sodium administration on the equine gut microbiota by using microbial amplicon sequencing targeting the 16S-ITS-23S rRNA operon. Fecal samples from 39 clinically normal horses, 16 antibiotic-treated horses (cephalothin, n=5; minocycline, n=5; metronidazole, n=6, each administered for 5 days), and seve...
Cerullo A, Di Nicola MR, Scilimati N, Bertoletti A, Pollicino G, Moroni B, Pepe M, Nannarone S, Gialletti R, Passamonti F.Bacterial contamination of the surgical site in horses is a major risk factor for the development of surgical site infections (SSIs), which increase morbidity, mortality, the hospitalisation period, antibiotic use, and management costs. While contamination is a prerequisite for infection, its progression to clinical infection depends on additional factors that compromise host defences. The present study, conducted at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Perugia over an 11-month period, investigated bacterial contamination in 70 surgeries (53 clean and 17 clean-contaminated) at...
Alberghina D, Tombolani C, Quintavalla F.Evaluating the body temperature of horses () is essential for monitoring their health. Rectal thermometry is the most common method for determining the temperatures of adult horses and foals. However, this method requires restraining the animals for several seconds, and it poses potential risks to both horses and humans. This study compared infrared and rectal thermometry in 126 horses, evaluating age and measurement site influences on body temperature. Horses were divided into three groups: foals (4-12 months), Shetland ponies (8-12 months), and adult horses (2-30 years). Rectal, ocular...
Himmele M, Engl JPM, Schwarz BC.The present report describes an 8-week-old warmblood foal presented following two episodes of epistaxis. The foal had a history of an umbilical infection, which had been treated with antibiotics when it was 8 days old. Four days before admission the filly showed severe, self-limiting epistaxis. The second hemorrhage occurred on the day of admission. The foal was lethargic and the remainder of the clinical examination unremarkable. A latero-lateral radiograph of the head revealed a fluid line within the guttural pouch. Endoscopy showed large amounts of blood within the pharynx and the upper thi...
Giorgio SD, Monti S, Palmieri V, Marino G, Napoli E, Vullo C, Catone G.A 3-year-old Quarter horse stallion with unilateral left cryptorchidism was referred for the absence of the left testis in the scrotal bursa and an enlarged right testis. The ultrasonographic examination revealed the presence of the left testis at the abdominal level. Two small hyperechogenic lines were observed running parallel and resembling a cylindrical cavitary foreign body, within a non-homogeneous area with blurred margins. The testis was removed by laparoscopy and macroscopically, the testis's cut section revealed the presence of two live adult nematodes emerging from 2 mm blood-filled...
Golamgouse NN.Mauritius hosts a population of approximately 900 equids, but no investigations have delved into issues such as the prevalence of equine helminths, anthelmintic usage, and resistance emergence. This study aimed to devise a qualitative and quantitative profile of common helminthic intestinal parasites in equines at eight out of twenty-eight stables (272 horses, 29 % of local population) and to determine whether helminthic intestinal parasites in equines at one stable have developed resistance to Fenbendazole by quantitatively assessing pre-treatment faecal egg counts, post-treatment faecal egg...
Kerbert MP, Delling U, Verhaar N.To investigate the computed tomography (CT) and gross anatomy of the equine medial digital flexor tendon sheath (MDFTS), and the endoscopic anatomy and approach to the MDFTS. Methods: Ex vivo experimental study and one clinical case. Methods: Twelve clinically normal cadaveric hindlimbs. Methods: Dissection, native and contrast CT scans were conducted to evaluate the anatomy of the MDFTS. Based on these findings, the portal locations for the endoscopic approaches were determined. Six hindlimbs were used in the pilot phase and another six limbs were selected for the main study. Endoscopic image...
Bacon EK, Donnelly CG, Finno CJ, Haase B, Velie BD.Multimodal analgesic administration is a promising strategy for mitigating side effects typically associated with analgesia; nevertheless, variation in analgesic effectiveness still poses a considerable safety concern for both horses and veterinarians. Pharmacogenomic studies have started delving into genetic influences on varying drug effectiveness and related side effects. However, current findings have narrow implications and are limited in their ability to individualize analgesic dosages in horses. Hydromorphone and detomidine were administered to a cohort of 48 horses at standardized time...
Nourinezhad J, Abdi A, Moarabi A, Hanafi MG, Fatahian Dehkordi RA, Tomańska A.Visualizing the major salivary glands (MSGs) in domestic mammals using plain radiology and identifying damaged their structures is impossible. To accurately display MSGs, the knowledge of normal sectional imaging anatomy is essential for veterinarians, aiding them significantly in identifying the exact relations and position of MSGs; however, no reports on the MSGs sectional imaging anatomy in this species have been made. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and gross sections of MSGs. Methods: Seven healthy adult donkeys were used ...
Van den Branden E, Salamone M, Broothaers K, Peere S, Polfliet E, Dewulf M, Van Steenkiste G, van Loon G, Smits K, Govaere J.The use of transvaginal ultrasound-guided follicle aspiration (TVA) for oocyte collection has become a widely used procedure in horses for embryo production (IVEP). The TVA procedure is characterized by various manipulations, which are physical restraint, perineal preparation, transrectal palpation, insertion of an intravaginal device, and needle punctures. These repeated transvaginal and transovarian punctures have raised concerns about their potential effects on mare welfare. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of TVA manipulations, and especially puncturing, on pain and stress in ma...
Bardhi A, Lanci A, Mannini A, Castagnetti C, Barbarossa A.Background: Although antibiotic resistance is a well-known issue in veterinary medicine, studies proposing real-time therapeutic monitoring (TDM) are lacking. The objective of the present study was to develop a simple and rapid protocol for the real-time therapeutic monitoring of antibiotics in horses and dogs. Methods: A reliable TDM protocol should encompass guidelines for the definition of plasma/serum collection time points, sample management by the clinical staff, transportation to the laboratory, and the availability of robust and swift analytical technologies. Ampicillin and sulbactam w...
Quinn CT.Catheterisation of the urinary bladder is a common procedure during perioperative care of horses. Benefits of urinary catheters include a reduction in the risk of recovery-associated slip hazards as a consequence of voided urine and the measurement of urine output during anaesthesia. However, there is little information regarding the risks associated with this procedure. A retrospective cohort study was undertaken in horses admitted to a university teaching hospital for surgery during which a urinary catheter was placed perioperatively. Data were retrieved from clinical records including signa...
Labens R, Saba C, Williams J, Hollis A, Ensink J, José-Cunilleras ELV, Jordana-Garcia M, Bergvall K, Ruppin M, Condon F, Spelta C, Elce Y....Intralesional chemotherapeutic administration represents an important treatment option for equine cutaneous neoplasia. Tigilanol-tiglate (TT), a novel molecule extracted from Fontainea picrosperma, an Australian rainforest plant, is registered for intratumoural treatment of canine MCT, leading to rapid oncosis and tumour slough. Evidence from horses is limited but suggests that efficacy may be similar. Objective: To evaluate the response to intratumoural TT treatment in horses with sarcoids (fibroblastic/nodular) and cutaneous melanomas. Methods: Two noncontrolled prospective multicentre clini...
Sjöberg I, Horn I, Ljungvall K, Andersen PH, Sternberg-Lewerin S.To investigate the influence of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) on complication rates and surgical site infections (SSI) in horses undergoing sutured castration in a hospital setting. Methods: Retrospective chart review of a convenience sample. Methods: A total of 220 colts and stallions admitted for sutured castration. Methods: Medical records of sutured castration were assessed for patient characteristics, perioperative and postoperative medications, and postoperative complications within 6 weeks after surgery. The effect of these variables on the occurrence of complications was a...
Karačonji IB, Jelača T, Jurič A, Vrdoljak AL.Opiates such as morphine and codeine are substances often misused to improve the performance of racing horses during competitions and are therefore on the International Federation for Equestrian Sports' list of prohibited substances. However, a positive antidoping test may be due to the consumption of feed (mainly lucerne or oats) contaminated by opium poppy containing the alkaloids morphine and codeine. In order to determine whether a positive antidoping test is the result of an intentional abuse of opiates or consumption of feed contaminated by poppies, we optimised conditions for the extrac...
Shokry M, Ali LB, El-Sharkawy M.Showjumping athletic horses are frequently affected by back pain, which in turn influences their performance and equestrian activities. Unassigned: The aim of the present study was to determine the etiological factors predisposing to back problems in show jumping horses and how to diagnose, and manage them. Unassigned: A total of 75 cases (45 geldings and 30 mares, aged between 8 and 23 years and weighing 420-550 Kg) with histories suggestive of back problems and low competitive ability as show jumping were used in this study. The evaluation of data was based on the inputs of case history, cli...
Tharwat M, Al-Sobayil F.Colic or acute abdominal pain is the most prevalent cause of emergency intervention in veterinary medicine, and it has been considered the principal reason for collapse and/or euthanasia in a wide range of studies. The condition may be initiated by a number of different disorders affecting the abdominal viscera, but acute gut disease is the most common etiology in equines showing colic symptoms. of the main goals of colic management is to distinguish between surgical and medical causes, as prompt surgical intervention can significantly improve outcomes for those requiring surgery. Despite the ...
Cullinane A, Garvey M, Dayot L, Lukaseviciute G.Equine rotavirus A (RVA) is a major cause of debilitating diarrhoea in neonatal foals globally. The aim of this study was to characterise RVA viruses currently circulating in Ireland and to identify risk factors associated with disease outbreaks. Of the 377 samples submitted during 2023 and 2024, 48 foals from 36 outbreaks were confirmed to be RVA-positive by real-time PCR. The viruses detected were genotyped by VP7 and VP4 gene sequencing. In 2024, the attending veterinary surgeon was contacted, and epidemiological data were collected. These included the vaccination status of the foal's dam a...
Marsella R.Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern worldwide and across species. This is especially important in horses with skin infections, as many of them are infected with Staphylococcus aureus, which can also colonize people. An increasing body of literature has documented colonization of horses with methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) and transmission of MRSA between horses and veterinarians and vice versa. Colonization with MRSA does not always result in disease but has a potential impact on other horses, owners, handlers, and especially veterinarians. The WHO has published criteria to determ...
Gravey F, Sévin C, Langlois B, Maillard K, Foucher N, Duquesne F, Léon A, Le Hello S, Petry S.Misidentifications as Klebsiella pneumoniae were observed during a French retrospective study of a necropsy-associated K. pneumoniae bacterial collection from horses. Accordingly, the present study aimed to further characterise the 12 Raoultella spp. and Klebsiella spp. strains involved in these misidentifications. The strains were identified and characterised using the Api 20E system, K. pneumoniae PCR detection, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectroscopy and whole-genome sequencing. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested by the disc diffusion method with...
Strugava L, Gomes ARC, Lorga AD, Bosak VL, Rossa AP, Janiszewski JDR, Machado M, Dornbusch PT, Moreno JCD.To describe anatomical references and sonoanatomy of an echo-guided injection for blocking the tibial and common fibular nerves with the use of a caudocranial midfemoral approach and to evaluate dye spreading in horse cadavers. Unassigned: 1 horse cadaver preserved in glycerin was used for the anatomical study, and 14 fresh horse cadavers were used for the dye spreading study. The experimental procedures were conducted on the first cadaver on March 25, 2021, and on the last cadaver on October 5, 2022. A glycerin-preserved horse cadaver's pelvic limb was dissected to identify anatomical landmar...
Karikoski NP, Horn I, McGowan TW, McGowan CM.Endocrinopathic causes of laminitis may be a common underlying causative pathogenesis in first-opinion or field cases presenting with laminitis, as opposed to laminitis produced in inflammatory research models. This study aimed to determine whether evidence of an underlying endocrinopathy was present in horses presented for laminitis to a first-opinion/referral veterinary teaching hospital. A second aim was to compare the signalment of horses and ponies with laminitis with the equine hospital population during the same period. All horses presenting for laminitis at Helsinki University Equine T...
Lange-Consiglio A, Corradetti B, Bizzaro D, Magatti M, Ressel L, Tassan S, Parolini O, Cremonesi F.The aim of this work was to isolate, for the first time, progenitor-like cells from the epithelial (AECs) and mesenchymal (AMCs) portions of the horse amniotic membrane, and to define the biological properties of these cells. AECs displayed polygonal epithelial morphology, while AMCs were fibroblast-like. Usually, six to eight passages were reached before proliferation decreased, with 13.08 and 26.5 cell population doublings attained after 31 days for AECs and AMCs, respectively. Immunocytochemical studies performed at passage 3 (P3) showed that both cell populations were positive for the expr...
Huser CA, Davies ME.Chondrocyte apoptosis is an important factor in the progression of osteoarthritis. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms involved upstream of caspase 9 activation and, in particular, calcium signaling and mitochondrial depolarization. Methods: Articular cartilage explants obtained from healthy horses were subjected to a single impact load (500-gm weight dropped from a height of 50 mm) and cultured in vitro for up to 48 hours. Chondrocyte death was quantified by the TUNEL method. Release of proteoglycans was determined by the dimethylmethylene blue assay. Weight change was measured, and ...
Islam MZ, Espinosa-Gongora C, Damborg P, Sieber RN, Munk R, Husted L, Moodley A, Skov R, Larsen J, Guardabassi L.Denmark is a country with high prevalence of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clonal complex (CC) 398 in pigs. Even though pig farming is regarded as the main source of human infection or colonization with MRSA CC398, 10-15% of the human cases appear not to be linked to pigs. Following the recent reports of MRSA CC398 in horses in other European countries and the lack of knowledge on S. aureus carriage in this animal species, we carried out a study to investigate whether horses constitute a reservoir of MRSA CC398 in Denmark, and to gain knowledge on the ...
Schaffartzik A, Hamza E, Janda J, Crameri R, Marti E, Rhyner C.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is an allergic dermatitis of the horse caused by bites of insects of the genus Culicoides and is currently the best characterized allergic disease of horses. This article reviews knowledge of the immunopathogenesis of IBH, with a particular focus on the causative allergens. Whereas so far hardly any research has been done on the role of antigen presenting cells in the pathogenesis of IBH, recent studies suggest that IBH is characterized by an imbalance between a T helper 2 (Th2) and regulatory T cell (T(reg)) immune response, as shown both locally in the skin...
Romero A, Barrachina L, Ranera B, Remacha AR, Moreno B, de Blas I, Sanz A, Vázquez FJ, Vitoria A, Junquera C, Zaragoza P, Rodellar C.Several therapies have been investigated for equine tendinopathies, but satisfactory long term results have not been achieved consistently and a better understanding of the healing mechanism elicited by regenerative therapies is needed. The aim of this study was to assess the separate effects of autologous bone marrow (BM) and adipose tissue (AT) derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and platelet rich plasma (PRP), for treating lesions induced in the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) of horses. Lesions were created surgically in both SDFTs of the forelimbs of 12 horses and were treated...
Scheel TK, Kapoor A, Nishiuchi E, Brock KV, Yu Y, Andrus L, Gu M, Renshaw RW, Dubovi EJ, McDonough SP, Van de Walle GR, Lipkin WI, Divers TJ....Nonprimate hepacivirus (NPHV) is the closest known relative of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and its study could enrich our understanding of HCV evolution, immunity, and pathogenesis. High seropositivity is found in horses worldwide with ∼ 3% viremic. NPHV natural history and molecular virology remain largely unexplored, however. Here, we show that NPHV, like HCV, can cause persistent infection for over a decade, with high titers and negative strand RNA in the liver. NPHV is a near-universal contaminant of commercial horse sera for cell culture. The complete NPHV 3'-UTR was determined and consists...
Sellon DC, Perry ST, Coggins L, Fuller FJ.In situ hybridization of tissues from two horses infected with the wild-type Wyoming strain of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) identified the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, kidney, lung, and adrenal gland as the primary host tissue sites for viral transcription during acute infection. Combined immunohistochemistry, with a monoclonal antibody recognizing a cytoplasmic antigen of equine mononuclear phagocytes, and in situ hybridization for viral RNA identified most infected cells as mature tissue macrophages. In contrast, in situ hybridization of adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells co...
Hinchcliff KW, Couetil LL, Knight PK, Morley PS, Robinson NE, Sweeney CR, van Erck E.Published studies of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), when assessed individually, often provide equivocal or conflicting results. Systematic reviews aggregate evidence from individual studies to provide a global assessment of the quality of evidence and to inform recommendations. Objective: Evaluate evidence to determine: if EIPH adversely affects the health, welfare or both of horses; if EIPH affects the athletic capacity of horses; the efficacy of prophylactic interventions for EIPH; and if furosemide affects the athletic capacity of horses. Methods: None. Methods: Systematic re...
McGreevy P, Berger J, de Brauwere N, Doherty O, Harrison A, Fiedler J, Jones C, McDonnell S, McLean A, Nakonechny L, Nicol C, Preshaw L, Thomson P....The aim of this study was to conduct a series of paper-based exercises in order to assess the negative (adverse) welfare impacts, if any, of common interventions on domestic horses across a broad range of different contexts of equine care and training. An international panel (with professional expertise in psychology, equitation science, veterinary science, education, welfare, equestrian coaching, advocacy, and community engagement; = 16) met over a four-day period to define and assess these interventions, using an adaptation of the domain-based assessment model. The interventions were consid...
Murray MJ, Schusser GF, Pipers FS, Gross SJ.Gastroscopic examinations were performed on 67 Thoroughbred horses in training at a race track and repeat examinations performed in 35 horses, 2 to 3 months later. Horses were age 2-9 years and included 16 two-year-olds, 32 three-year-olds and 19 horses > or = 4-years-old. Forty-two of the 67 horses had raced within the 2 months before the initial examination and the remaining 25 horses were in training. Sixty-two of the 67 horses (93%) had one or more lesions present in the gastric mucosa and lesions were present in all of the 42 horses that had raced. Thirty-two of the 35 horses, examined...
Weems CW, Weems YS, Randel RD.Prostaglandins impact on ovarian, uterine, placental, and pituitary function to regulate reproduction in female livestock. They play important roles in ovulation, luteal function, maternal recognition of pregnancy, implantation, maintenance of gestation, microbial-induced abortion, parturition, postpartum uterine and ovarian infections, and resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclicity. Prostaglandins have both positive and negative effects on reproduction; they are used to synchronize oestrus, terminate pseudopregnancy in mares, induce parturition, and treat retained placenta, luteinized cysts, ...
Wallner B, Vogl C, Shukla P, Burgstaller JP, Druml T, Brem G.The paternally inherited Y chromosome displays the population genetic history of males. While modern domestic horses (Equus caballus) exhibit abundant diversity within maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA, no significant Y-chromosomal sequence diversity has been detected. We used high throughput sequencing technology to identify the first polymorphic Y-chromosomal markers useful for tracing paternal lines. The nucleotide variability of the modern horse Y chromosome is extremely low, resulting in six haplotypes (HT), all clearly distinct from the Przewalski horse (E. przewalskii). The most wi...
Giguère S, Cohen ND, Chaffin MK, Slovis NM, Hondalus MK, Hines SA, Prescott JF.Rhodococcus equi, a gram-positive facultative intracellular pathogen, is one of the most common causes of pneumonia in foals. Although R. equi can be cultured from the environment of virtually all horse farms, the clinical disease in foals is endemic at some farms, sporadic at others, and unrecognized at many. On farms where the disease is endemic, costs associated with morbidity and mortality attributable to R. equi may be very high. The purpose of this consensus statement is to provide recommendations regarding the diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of infections caused by R. equi...
Lesimple C.Animal welfare is defined as a chronic state reflecting an individual's subjective perception of its situation. Because it is possible to be in a good welfare state and nevertheless experience acute fear or pain, and conversely, short-term positive emotions can be experienced during impaired welfare states, welfare as a chronic state has to be clearly distinguished from temporary states related to emotions, pain or stress. The evaluation of non-verbal individuals' welfare state, particularly in interspecific situations, is a real challenge that necessarily implies animal-based measures and req...
Wiler R, Leber R, Moore BB, VanDyk LF, Perryman LE, Meek K.V(D)J rearrangement is the molecular mechanism by which an almost infinite array of specific immune receptors are generated. Defects in this process result in profound immunodeficiency as is the case in the C.B-17 SCID mouse or in RAG-1 (recombination-activating gene 1) or RAG-2 deficient mice. It has recently become clear that the V(D)J recombinase most likely consists of both lymphoid-specific factors and ubiquitously expressed components of the DNA double-strand break repair pathway. The deficit in SCID mice is in a factor that is required for both of these pathways. In this report, we show...
Maros K, Gácsi M, Miklósi A.Twenty domestic horses (Equus caballus) were tested for their ability to rely on different human gesticular cues in a two-way object choice task. An experimenter hid food under one of two bowls and after baiting, indicated the location of the food to the subjects by using one of four different cues. Horses could locate the hidden reward on the basis of the distal dynamic-sustained, proximal momentary and proximal dynamic-sustained pointing gestures but failed to perform above chance level when the experimenter performed a distal momentary pointing gesture. The results revealed that horses coul...
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...
Brewer BD, Koterba AM.A sepsis scoring system was developed and tested prospectively in a blind study of 190 neonatal foals admitted to the University of Florida Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. The system used 14 readily available historical, clinical or laboratory variables and weighted each item to arrive at a sepsis score. The score was found to have a sensitivity of 93 per cent, a specificity of 86 per cent, positive accuracy rate of 89 per cent and negative accuracy rate of 92 per cent. The sepsis score was far more sensitive and specific for infection, even in very early c...
Marycz K, Kornicka K, Szlapka-Kosarzewska J, Weiss C.Nowadays, endocrine disorders have become more frequent in both human and veterinary medicine. In horses, reduced physical activity combined with carbohydrate and sugar overload may result in the development of the so-called equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). EMS is characterized by insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, elevated blood triglyceride concentrations and usually obesity. Although the phenotypic features of EMS individuals are well known, the molecular mechanism underlying disease development remains elusive. Therefore, in the present study, we analyzed insulin-sensitive tissues, i.e....
Bertuglia A, Lacourt M, Girard C, Beauchamp G, Richard H, Laverty S.The role of osteoclasts in osteochondral degeneration in osteoarthritis (OA) has rarely been investigated in spontaneous disease or animal models of OA. Objective: The objectives of the current study were to investigate osteoclast density and location in post-traumatic OA (PTOA) and control specimens from racehorses. Methods: Cores were harvested from a site in the equine third carpal bone, that undergoes repetitive, high intensity loading. Histological and immunohistochemical (Cathepsin K and Receptor-activator of Nuclear Factor kappa-β ligand (RANKL)) stained sections were scored (global an...
Bower MA, McGivney BA, Campana MG, Gu J, Andersson LS, Barrett E, Davis CR, Mikko S, Stock F, Voronkova V, Bradley DG, Fahey AG, Lindgren G....Selective breeding for speed in the racehorse has resulted in an unusually high frequency of the C-variant (g.66493737C/T) at the myostatin gene (MSTN) in cohorts of the Thoroughbred horse population that are best suited to sprint racing. Here we show using a combination of molecular- and pedigree-based approaches in 593 horses from 22 Eurasian and North-American horse populations, museum specimens from 12 historically important Thoroughbred stallions (b.1764-1930), 330 elite-performing modern Thoroughbreds and 42 samples from three other equid species that the T-allele was ancestral and there...
Hierholzer JC, Stone YO, Broderson JR.Reference equine antisera to all 47 serotypes of human adenoviruses presently described have been prepared and evaluated by reciprocal neutralization and hemagglutination-inhibition tests. All tests were carried to endpoint dilutions a minimum of five times in each direction to give accurate values for homologous and heterologous antibody titers. Significant cross-reactions in the horse antisera were compared to similar data obtained from rabbit antisera. Using this analysis, major antigenic relationships exist among types 12-18-31 of subgenus A, types 7-11-14 and 34-35 of subgenus B, types 8-...
Lichtenfels JR, Kharchenko VA, Dvojnos GM.The Equidae (the horse, Equus caballus, the ass, Equus asinus, zebras and their hybrids) are hosts to a great variety of nematode parasites, some of which can cause significant morbidity or mortality if individual hosts are untreated. Worldwide the nematode parasites of horses belong to 7 suborders, 12 families, 29 genera and 83 species. The great majority (19 of 29 genera and 64 of 83 species) are members of the family Strongylidae, which includes the most common and pathogenic nematode parasites of horses. Only the Strongylidae are included in this treatise. The Strongylidae (common name str...
Müller N, Welle M, Lobsiger L, Stoffel MH, Boghenbor KK, Hilbe M, Gottstein B, Frey CF, Geyer C, von Bomhard W.The present report describes a novel etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in horses that, at least for some cases, sporadically appeared as autochthonous infections in geographically distant regions of Germany and Switzerland. The infection was initially diagnosed upon clinical and immunohistological findings. Subsequent comparative sequence analysis of diagnostic PCR products from the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) of ssrRNA classified the respective isolates as neither Old World nor New World Leishmania species. However, four isolates subjected to molecular analyses all exhibit...
Golomidova A, Kulikov E, Isaeva A, Manykin A, Letarov A.The diversity of coliphages and indigenous coliform strains (ICSs) simultaneously present in horse feces was investigated by culture-based and molecular methods. The richness of coliforms (as estimated by the Chao1 method) is about 1,000 individual ICSs distinguishable by genomic fingerprinting present in a single sample of feces. This unexpectedly high value indicates that some factor limits the competition of coliform bacteria in the horse gut microbial system. In contrast, the diversity of phages active against any selected ICS is generally limited to one to three viral genotypes present in...
