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.
Tuomola K, Mäki-Kihniä N, Valros A, Mykkänen A, Kujala-Wirth M.Bit-related oral lesions are common and may impair horse welfare. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of oral lesions and their risk factors in a sample of Finnish event horses. The rostral part of the oral cavity (the bit area) of 208 event horses (127 warmbloods, 52 coldbloods, and 29 ponies) was examined in a voluntary inspection after the last competition phase, i.e., the cross-country test. Acute lesions were observed in 52% (109/208) of the horses. The lesion status was graded as no acute lesions for 48% (99/208), mild for 22% (45/208), moderate for 26% (55/208) and s...
Lee H, Hwang H, Ro Y, Kim JH, Lee K, Choi E, Bae Y, So B, Lee I.This study was performed to examine and clarify the cause of hindlimb ataxia and neuropathy seen in the South Korean horse population. Fifty horses diagnosed with hindlimb ataxia and neuropathy were referred for this study. Neurological examination was performed on 47 horses while necropsy was performed in all 50 animals. The occurrence of neurological diseases increased rapidly in the summer and 47 out of 50 horses were referred after the end of July. The incidence of neurological diseases started from the southern part of Korea in July and proceeded northward in August and September. Althoug...
Crabtree NE, Epstein KL.Despite the frequent inclusion of fluid therapy in the treatment of many conditions in horses, there are limited studies available to provide evidenced-based, species-specific recommendations. Thus, equine fluid therapy is based on the application of physiology and extrapolation from evidence in other veterinary species and human medicine. The physiologic principles that underly the use of fluids in medicine are, at first glance, straightforward and simple to understand. However, in the past 20 years, multiple studies in human medicine have shown that creating recommendations based on theory i...
Badenhorst M, de Heus P, Auer A, Tegtmeyer B, Stang A, Dimmel K, Tichy A, Kubacki J, Bachofen C, Steinmann E, Cavalleri JMV.Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) research is in its infancy. Information regarding prevalence, geographical distribution, genetic diversity, pathogenesis and risk factors enhances understanding of this potentially fatal infection. Objective: Determining the prevalence of EqPV-H in Austrian equids. Investigating factors increasing probability of infection, liver-associated biochemistry parameters, concurrent equine hepacivirus (EqHV) infection and phylogenetic analysis of Austrian EqPV-H variants. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Sera from 259 horses and 13 donkeys in Austria were a...
Yu F, Liu B, Chen S, Yi Z, Liu X, Zhu Y, Li J.A 5-year-old Mongolian mare (Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758) was observed to have corneal opacity and excessive ocular discharge. An ophthalmic examination revealed a moving thread-like cylindrical worm in the anterior chamber of the right eye. The parasite was successfully removed surgically. The worm was observed under light microscopy and confirmed as Setaria digitata by 12S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated similarity with Setaria digitata in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank database isolated from other Asian countries...
Redmond EF, Jones D, Rushton J.African horse sickness (AHS) is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa posing a threat to equine populations in non-endemic regions. Available vaccine technologies have limitations, creating barriers to horse movement, AHS control and, in non-endemic areas or countries, rapid elimination of virus after incursion. The literature lacks an economic assessment of the benefits of bringing a new, more effective AHS vaccine to market. Objective: The study assesses the economic impact of AHS and tests the hypothesis that investment in a safer, more effective AHS vaccine would give an economic return. Methods: ...
Ortolani F, Nannarone S, Sforna M, Gialletti R, Giglia G, Mandara MT.A 10-year-old Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland (KWPN, Netherlands-based organization for registration of the Dutch Warmblood horses) mare was evaluated three times over four months because of recurrent colic. At every referral, a physical examination revealed a small colon impaction, which partially responded to food deprivation and oral administration of water and magnesium sulphate. Due to the recurrent nature of the small colon impaction, several differential diagnoses were considered: inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), chronic salmonellosis and myenteric ganglionopathies. At f...
Mosichuk AP, Smith JS, Tatarniuk DM, Troy JR, Kreuder AJ.Septic synovitis is a critical orthopedic condition in horses. Early intervention is key, with antibiotic therapy typically initiated prior to culture and susceptibility reports becoming available. The pharmacokinetics of several antibiotics have been studied in horses for use in intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) for septic synovitis, including the carbapenem antibiotic, meropenem. For a variety of factors, some veterinary clinicians may select IVRLP meropenem as therapy for these cases. Meropenem is a vital antibiotic in human medicine, making veterinary use divisive. However, verif...
van Galen G, Saegerman C, Hyldahl Laursen S, Jacobsen S, Andersson Munk M, Sjöström H, Holm Lindmark S, Verwilghen D.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause right dorsal colitis, but longitudinal clinical studies are lacking. This study investigates whether NSAID treated horses develop right dorsal colonic pathology in a clinical setting. Non-gastrointestinal hospitalized horses treated with NSAIDs >4 days, and untreated hospital-owned teaching horses and non-gastrointestinal client-owned hospitalized horses were included. All horses were monitored over time with clinical examinations (focusing on presence of colic, depression, reduced appetite, unstructured feces), ultrasonographic intestin...
Janczarek I, Stachurska A, Wilk I, Wiśniewska A, Różańska-Boczula M, Kaczmarek B, Łuszczyński J, Kędzierski W.The horse's welfare and, consequently, the emotional arousal may be connected with stressful environmental conditions. This study aimed to determine whether horses show behavioural or physiological symptoms of thermal discomfort and if their behaviour and cardiac parameters are related to freely chosen insolated (IS), shaded (SH), or water sprayed (with a mist curtain (MC)) areas in a paddock under heat conditions (29-32 °C, 42.0 ± 1.5% humidity). Twelve adult horses freely moving in the paddock were studied during a 45 min solitary turnout. Six cardiac variables, locomotor, and non-locomoto...
Cequier A, Sanz C, Rodellar C, Barrachina L.The differentiation ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) initially raised interest for treating musculoskeletal injuries in horses, but MSC paracrine activity has widened their scope for inflammatory and immune-mediated pathologies in both equine and human medicine. Furthermore, the similar etiopathogenesis of some diseases in both species has advanced the concept of "One Medicine, One Health". This article reviews the current knowledge on the use of MSCs for equine pathologies beyond the locomotor system, highlighting the value of the horse as translational model. Ophthalmologic and repro...
Reshadi P, Heydari F, Ghanbarpour R, Bagheri M, Jajarmi M, Amiri M, Alizade H, Badouei MA, Sahraei S, Adib N.Transmission of antimicrobial resistant and virulent Escherichia coli (E. coli) from animal to human has been considered as a public health concern. This study aimed to determine the phylogenetic background and prevalence of diarrheagenic E. coli and antimicrobial resistance in healthy riding-horses in Iran. In this research, the genes related to six main pathotypes of E. coli were screened. Also, genotypic and phenotypic antimicrobial resistance against commonly used antibiotics were studied, then phylo-grouping was performed on all the isolates. Results: Out of 65 analyzed isolates, 29.23...
Collinet A, Grimm P, Julliand S, Julliand V.The equine hindgut ecosystem is specialized in dietary fibers' fermentation to provide horses' energy and contribute to its health. Nevertheless, antibiotics are known to disrupt the hindgut microbiota, affecting the fibrolytic activity of bacteria and the intestinal immune balance, leading to diseases. This study used a general and comprehensive approach for characterizing the hindgut ecosystem of 9 healthy horses over 28 days in response to a 5-day challenge with oral trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (TMS), with a special emphasis on microbial fibrolytic activity and the host immune response. Hors...
Adams RJ, Mollenkopf DF, Mathys DA, Whittle A, Ballash GA, Mudge M, Daniels JB, Barr B, Wittum TE.To estimate the prevalence of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-, carbapenem-, and fluoroquinolone-resistant bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae in the feces of hospitalized horses and on hospital surfaces. Methods: Fecal and environmental samples were collected from The Ohio State University Galbreath Equine Center (OSUGEC) and a private referral equine hospital in Kentucky (KYEH). Feces were sampled within 24 hours after hospital admission and after 48 hours and 3 to 7 days of hospitalization. Methods: Fecal and environmental samples were enriched, and then selective media were inoculate...
Ireland JL, McGowan CM.Research demonstrating insulin's causal role in endocrinopathic laminitis has greatly advanced understanding of equine laminitis. However, the degree to which this knowledge has been translated into clinical practice has not been assessed. This two-part study aimed to investigate veterinary surgeons' current diagnostic approach to laminitis, whether this had changed over time, and the impact of diagnosing an endocrinopathy on laminitis case management and outcome. Two cross-sectional online surveys of equine veterinary surgeons working within the UK were undertaken. The first study population ...
Townsend KS, Johnson PJ, LaCarrubba AM, Martin LM, Ericsson AC.Bacteremia resulting from dental surgery is increasingly recognized as a health risk, especially in older and immunocompromised patients. Dentistry-associated bacteremia can lead to remote infections, as exemplified by valvular endocarditis. Emerging evidence points to a novel role played by oral cavity commensals in the pathogenesis of diabetes, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Whether dental extraction, a commonly undertaken procedure in old horses, causes bacteremia has not been reported extensively. In a prospective clinical study using next gene...
Dufour P, Courtois J, Seynaeve Y, Peeters S, Le Goff C, Cavalier E, Ponthier J.Steroid concentrations in serum are fluctuating during pregnancy of many mammal species. The current knowledge about endocrinology of gestation is mainly based on immunoassays. However, the lack of specificity of these assays hampers the reliability of the results. In the present work, we developed and validated a methodology associating liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) to simultaneously quantify, with high specificity and accuracy, estrone-3-sulfate (E3S), progesterone (PRO), estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2) in serum of two different mammal species. The sample preparation ...
Boyle AG, Rankin SC, O'Shea K, Stefanovski D, Peng J, Song J, Bau HH.Rapid point-of-care (POC) detection of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi (S. equi) would theoretically reduce the spread of strangles by identifying index and carrier horses. Objective: That the eqbE isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, and the same eqbE LAMP assay tested in a microfluidic device format, are comparable to a triplex real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay that is commonly used in diagnostic labs. Methods: Sixty-eight guttural pouch lavage (GPL) specimens from horses recovering from strangles. Methods: Guttural pouch lavage specimens were tested for S. equi ...
Al Abri MA, Brooks SA, Al-Saqri N, Alkharousi K, Johnson EH, Alqaisi O, Al-Rawahi A, Al Marzooqi W.Arabian horses were selected for metabolic efficiency, beauty, efficiency and endurance. Therefore, Bedouins have for centuries traced their prized horses' ancestries. With the establishment of the World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO), registration of Arabian horses became centralized and countries worldwide registered them in its database. Most existing Arabian horses in Oman today were imported after the 1970s and are predominantly flat-racing Arabians. This work aimed at revealing the genetic background and diversity of Omani Arabian horses by comparing them with Arabian horses from a di...
Villa L, Gazzonis AL, Diezma-Diaz C, Perlotti C, Zanzani SA, Ferrucci F, Álvarez-García G, Manfredi MT.Besnoitiosis is an emerging parasitic disease of equids. Italy is one of the few European countries where the circulation of Besnoitia spp. antibodies was demonstrated. In this study, a case of clinical besnoitiosis in two donkeys in northern Italy is reported. The two animals were clinically examined. Serum and blood samples were analyzed for the detection of Besnoitia spp. antibodies and for hematology, biochemistry, and enzyme activity, respectively. ITS-1 PCR and sequencing were carried out on DNA extracted from skin biopsies. Clinical examination revealed numerous scleral pearls in eyes o...
Nemoto M, Matsumura T.This review briefly describes the virus classification, clinical signs, epidemiology, diagnosis, disinfection, and vaccines related equine group A rotavirus (RVA) infection. Equine RVA is one of the most important pathogens causing diarrhoea in foals. The main transmission route is faecal-oral, and the clinical signs are diarrhoea, fever, lethargy, and anorexia (decreased suckling). Some human RVA rapid antigen detection kits based on the principles of the immunochromatographic assay are useful for the diagnosis of equine RVA infection. The kits are used in daily clinical practice because of t...
Lapjit C, Charoenchanikran P, Petchkaew P, Sukpipattanamongkol S, Yodsheewan R, Theerapan W, Chanda M.The fetlock joint is a high mobility structure that accommodates enormous loading during locomotion. An injury of the superficial constituent such as subtendinous bursitis may occur due to repeated trauma. An 8-year old school riding horse was presented with dorsomedial distension in the left hindlimb fetlock region. The lesion was noted following routine exercise. The horse demonstrated no lameness and a negative response to the fetlock flexion test. Radiographic findings revealed a smooth surface cortical thickening on the medial aspect of the distal third metatarsal bone. Furthermore, the u...
Takahashi Y, Takahashi T, Mukai K, Ohmura H.Exercise intensity during races is considerably high. To understand how Thoroughbreds adapt to fatigue conditions, stride parameters for the first and second lap of the race (2400-m, turf) were compared. A high-speed video system was set in a right lateral position about 20 m before the finishing post, with a field view width of about 16 m. The stride frequency, the length between each limb (hind step, diagonal step, fore step, and airborne step), and stride length were measured and analyzed using a generalized linear mixed model. Compared with the first lap, the mean ± standard deviation val...
Ono T, Inoue Y, Hisaeda K, Yamada Y, Hata A, Miyama TS, Shibano K, Kitagawa H, Ohzawa E, Iwata E.This study aimed to evaluate the influence of seasons and sex on body size and hematological and biochemistry parameters of Noma horses, a native Japanese breed. Body size was larger in winter than in summer. Laboratory testing variables, including erythrocytic parameters and urea nitrogen, total cholesterol, and creatinine kinase levels, were higher in winter, while the eosinophil count was higher in summer. These seasonal differences may be related to increased energy consumption of horses due to heat stress. The higher eosinophil counts may have been related to the dermatitis observed in su...
Scilimati N, Pepe M, Pressanto MC, Angeli G, Beccati F.A 4-month-old Thoroughbred filly was referred for evaluation of severe left forelimb lameness of 24 hours duration. Radiographic projections of the shoulder revealed mild irregularity and sclerosis of the proximal humeral apophysis. Ultrasonographic examination showed a moderate increase in the amount of anechogenic synovial fluid within the intertubercular bursa and scapulohumeral joint, and irregularity of the ossifying bone surface of the intermediate tubercle of the humerus. Computed tomographic (CT) examination revealed a circular hypoattenuating area at the level of the proximal apophysi...
Martin de Bustamante M, Plummer C, MacNicol J, Gomez D.Sample storage conditions are an important factor in fecal microbiota analyses in general. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sample storage at room temperature on the equine fecal microbiota composition. Fecal samples were collected from 11 healthy horses. Each sample was divided into 7 sealed aliquots. One aliquot was immediately frozen at -80 °C; the remaining aliquots were stored at room temperature (21 to 22 °C) with one transferred to the freezer at each of the following time points: 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. The Illumina MiSeq sequencer was used for high-th...
Leventhal HR, McKenzie HC, Estell K, Council-Troche M, Davis JL.The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics and tolerability of tulathromycin (Draxxin ; 2.5 mg/kg once) after intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous (SC), and slow intravenous (IV) administration to six adult horses. A three-phase design and 4-week washout period were used. Drug concentrations in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and pharmacokinetic parameters calculated using noncompartmental analysis. Following SC and IM administration, all horses exhibited sweating, discomfort,...
Li J, Zhu Y, Mi J, Zhao Y, Holyoak GR, Yi Z, Wu R, Wang Z, Zeng S.Endometrial and vaginal microbiomes are critical in the study of endometritis, which is an important cause of infertility in donkeys. Our objective was to investigate the difference of the endometrial and vaginal microbiomes between healthy donkey jennies (group C) and jennies with endometritis (group E). Endometrial and vaginal swab samples were collected, and the 16 s rRNA gene amplicon high-throughput sequencing technique was applied to identify the microbial composition in the samples. A similar microbial composition pattern was found between endometrial and vaginal samples, which indica...
Webster AJ, Clarke AF, Madelin TM, Wathes CM.The concentration of fungal spores, the main constituents of respirable dust in stables, is determined by rates of release from fodder and bedding and rate of clearance, principally by ventilation. This paper outlines the principles that govern the application of natural ventilation to the control of air hygiene in barns and individual boxes for horses. When release rates are low, ventilation rates over four air changes per hour are satisfactory. Ventilation was satisfactory in individual boxes but usually unsatisfactory in barns and specific recommendations are made for improvement. Prelimina...
Flaminio MJ, Rush BR.In horses, fluid losses of 10L to 15L per hour can occur during endurance exercise under hot environmental conditions. The horse's sweat is hypertonic with respect to plasma, and large amounts of sodium, chloride and potassium are lost during prolonged exercise. Horses that reach exhaustive syndrome often show pronounced increases in plasma protein concentration. This could be an indication of failure of the compensatory fluid shift from the intracellular compartment caused by severe dehydration. Thorough physical examination by the ride veterinarian allows early recognition of dehydration and...
Blott SC, Swinburne JE, Sibbons C, Fox-Clipsham LY, Helwegen M, Hillyer L, Parkin TD, Newton JR, Vaudin M.Thoroughbred racehorses are subject to non-traumatic distal limb bone fractures that occur during racing and exercise. Susceptibility to fracture may be due to underlying disturbances in bone metabolism which have a genetic cause. Fracture risk has been shown to be heritable in several species but this study is the first genetic analysis of fracture risk in the horse. Results: Fracture cases (n = 269) were horses that sustained catastrophic distal limb fractures while racing on UK racecourses, necessitating euthanasia. Control horses (n = 253) were over 4 years of age, were racing during the s...
Roberts VL, McKane SA, Williams A, Knottenbelt DC.REASONS FOR DESIGNING AND REPORTING TECHNIQUE: Idiopathic headshaking has remarkable similarities to human neuropathic facial pain syndromes associated with post herpetic and trigeminal neuralgia. These derive from abnormal sensory function within the peripheral or central pathways of the trigeminal nerve (TgN). Limiting input from the TgN can be helpful in controlling the perception of pain. Rhizotomy of the infraorbital branch of the TgN as it emerges from the infraorbital canal has been reported but has a poor efficacy. A novel technique involves compression of the nerve at a more caudal lo...
Toribio RE.Critical illness challenges many endocrine homeostatic systems to overcome diseases, stress, and hostile conditions that threaten survival. Coordinated and consecutive responses by the autonomic nervous system, endocrine metabolic adaptations to mobilize and conserve energy and electrolytes, cardiovascular adjustments to maintain organ perfusion, and immunomodulation to overcome infections and inflammation are required. Because most admissions to equine intensive care units are related to horses with gastrointestinal disease and septic foals, most endocrine information during critical disease ...
McCue PM, Roser JF, Munro CJ, Liu IK, Lasley BL.The granulosa cell tumor is the most common ovarian tumor in mares. A clinical diagnosis can be made based on the presence ofa unilaterally enlarged ovary and a small inactive contralateral ovary. Endocrine testing may be beneficial to confirm a diagnosis. Surgical removal of the tumor eliminates the adverse effect on pituitary function and results in resumption of follicular development and ovulation in the opposite ovary over time.
Wohlfender FD, Barrelet FE, Doherr MG, Straub R, Meier HP.Neonatal diseases have been grouped and analysed but up-to-date statistically significant information about the incidence and prevalence of diseases in foals is limited. Since the 1950s it has been a common management practice to administer a 3 day course of antimicrobial drugs to neonatal foals. This was shown to significantly reduce the incidence of infections (Platt 1977). Since then management practices have improved and it is widely believed that prophylactic antimicrobial drugs are no longer necessary in foal rearing. Objective: To determine the 30 day incidences or prevalences (dependin...
Slack J, Boston RC, Soma L, Reef VB.Upper reference limits for cTnI have not been established for healthy Standardbred racehorses. Objective: To establish cTnI upper reference limits for Standardbred racehorses and determine if increases in plasma cTnI concentration can be detected in 1-2 hours after a race. Methods: Samples were obtained from 586 apparently healthy Standardbreds aged 2-14 years before racing and from the winners of 144 races 1-2 hours after the end of the race. Methods: Prospective, observational study; convenience sampling; assay validation; and reference limits determinations were performed according to ASCVP...
Spence KL, O'Sullivan TL, Poljak Z, Greer AL.Identifying the contact structure within a population of horses attending a competition is an important element towards understanding the potential for the spread of equine pathogens as the horses subsequently travel from location to location. However, there is limited information in Ontario, Canada to quantify contact patterns of horses. The objective of this study was to describe the network of potential contacts associated with an equestrian show to determine how this network structure may influence potential disease transmission. Results: This was a descriptive study of horses attending an...
Coultous RM, McDonald M, Raftery AG, Shiels BR, Sutton DGM, Weir W.Theileria equi, one of the primary pathogens causing equine piroplasmosis, has previously been sub-classified into a number of clades on the basis of 18S SSU rRNA gene sequence diversity. This partitioning of the parasite population has potential implications for host immunity, treatment and vaccine development. To detect and identify different clade genotypes among and within individual equine blood samples, a novel PCR-based technique was designed and optimized. Theileria equi has only recently been described in The Gambia, and the developed genotyping technique was used to analyse blood sam...
The Journal of nutritionJune 15, 2006
Volume 136, Issue 7 Suppl 2094S-2098S doi: 10.1093/jn/136.7.2094S
Treiber KH, Kronfeld DS, Geor RJ.Insulin is a major regulatory hormone in glucose and fat metabolism, vascular function, inflammation, tissue remodeling, and the somatotropic axis of growth. Insulin resistance alters insulin signaling by decreasing insulin action in certain resistant pathways while increasing insulin signaling in other unaffected pathways via compensatory hyperinsulinemia. In humans, altered insulin signaling is implicated in reduced glucose availability to insulin-sensitive cells, vasoconstriction and endothelial damage, and inflammatory response. Although no direct evidence exists for insulin's role in thes...
Rames DS, Miller DK, Barthel R, Craig TM, Dziezyc J, Helman RG, Mealey R.Ocular contents from a horse with a 4-week history of severe unilateral uveitis were submitted for histopathologic examination. A severe unilateral granulomatous chorioretinitis with intralesional Halicephalobus deletrix was diagnosed. The horse developed progressive neurologic signs several days following the surgery to remove ocular contents and implant a prosthesis and was subsequently euthanatized. A severe multifocal granulomatous encephalitis with intralesional H. deletrix, localized primarily to the optic chiasm, thalamus, and brain stem, was diagnosed from tissues acquired at necropsy....
Aragona F, Di Pietro S, Arfuso F, Fazio F, Piccione G, Giudice E, Giannetto C.The aim of the present study was to investigate the response to physical exercise of some ocular physiological variables (ocular temperature and intraocular pressure) in horses performing a jumping course in the morning (a.m.) or in the afternoon hours (p.m.), before and after the exercise, in correlation with the rectal temperature. Data collection was carried out on 14 clinical healthy Italian saddle horses. All horses were trained from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. and from 19:00 to 20:00 p.m. according to a specific training program. Ocular temperature (OT), rectal temperature (RT) and intraocular pr...
Murray DR, Ladds PW, Campbell RS.Lesions encountered in a clinicopathological study of cutaneous lesions resembling 'swamp cancer' from horses in North Queensland included 37 cases of subcutaneous phycomycosis, 5 of which were also infected with Habronema sp larvae. In addition 9 cases of primary cutaneous habronemiasis, 58 sarcoids, 12 fibromas, 8 fibrosarcomas, 10 squamous cell carcinomas, 4 haemangiomas, 3 melanomas, 1 papilloma, 1 palpebral adenocarcinoma and 7 cases of simple granulation were diagnosed. Subcutaneous phycomycosis resulted in the most extensive lesions. These were rapidly growing and provided the poorest p...
Köhne M, Kuhlmann M, Tönißen A, Martinsson G, Sieme H.Endometritis is a major cause for impaired fertility in mares. The objectives of this study were to collect information on diagnostic and treatment practices performed by veterinarians and to investigate possible effects of professional experience, caseload, and geographical location on the practitioners' management of endometritis cases. For this purpose, equine practitioners ( = 680) were asked to fill out an online survey (34 questions). The online survey yielded 117 responses by veterinarians practicing in all parts of Germany. Most respondents came from Lower Saxony and managed <20 mares ...
Wang J, Guo K, Li S, Liu D, Chu X, Wang Y, Guo W, Du C, Wang X, Hu Z.Salmonella enterica subsp. serovar Abortusequi is a major pathogen in horse and donkey herds, causing abortion in pregnant equids and resulting in enormous economic losses. A rapid and reliable method is urgently needed to detect . Abortusequi in herds where the disease is suspected. To achieve this goal, a TaqMan-based real-time PCR assay targeting the gene for the flagellin protein phase 2 antigen FljB was developed. This real-time PCR assay had high specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. The detection limit of the assay was 30 copies/μL of standard plasmid and 10 CFU/μL of bacter...
Downar J, Willey BM, Sutherland JW, Mathew K, Low DE.We report a case of group C streptococcal meningitis in a woman with a history of close animal contact as well as head trauma as a result of a kick by a horse. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures grew Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus, as did a throat culture taken from the colt that had kicked her 2 weeks prior to admission.
Diab SS, Poppenga R, Uzal FA.In racehorses, sudden death (SD) associated with exercise poses a serious risk to jockeys and adversely affects racehorse welfare and the public perception of horse racing. In a majority of cases of exercise-associated sudden death (EASD), there are no gross lesions to explain the cause of death, and an examination of the cardiovascular system and a toxicologic screen are warranted. Cases of EASD without gross lesions are often presumed to be sudden cardiac deaths (SCD). We describe an equine SD autopsy protocol, with emphasis on histologic examination of the heart ("cardiac histology protocol...
Tessier L, Côté O, Bienzle D.Severe equine asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lung in horses similar to low-Th2 late-onset asthma in humans. This study aimed to determine the utility of RNA-Seq to call gene sequence variants, and to identify sequence variants of potential relevance to the pathogenesis of asthma. Methods: RNA-Seq data were generated from endobronchial biopsies collected from six asthmatic and seven non-asthmatic horses before and after challenge (26 samples total). Sequences were aligned to the equine genome with Spliced Transcripts Alignment to Reference software. Read preparation for sequenc...
Ramzan PH, Palmer L, Dallas RS, Shepherd MC.Ultrasonographic (US) abnormalities of the suspensory ligament branch (SLB) have been poorly investigated but can have considerable impact on market value and career path when encountered in athletic horses. There is a need for determination of the prevalence and relationship to clinical injury of these US abnormalities in the Thoroughbred (TB) racehorse. Objective: To establish the prevalence of, and the repeatability of an US grading system for, subclinical US abnormalities of the forelimb SLB in a population of UK TB flat racehorses. Methods: Ultrasonographic assessment of the forelimb SLBs...
Tsachev I, Pantchev N, Marutsov P, Petrov V, Gundasheva D, Baymakova M.Lyme Borreliosis and granulocytic anaplasmosis are less extensively studied in horses than in dogs and humans. Equine ehrlichiosis is not known in Europe and is in the initial stage of investigation in South, Central, and North America. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of these infections in Bulgaria. A total of 155 horses were investigated from five regions in Southeastern Bulgaria. Horses were tested for Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Ehrlichia spp. antibodies by a commercial rapid ELISA test. B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum antibodies wer...
Tomlinson JE, Blikslager AT.Recent studies have shown that flunixin prevented recovery of equine jejunum post ischaemia. However, the use of a purported cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 preferential inhibitor, etodolac, also prevented recovery. These findings may have implications for the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in colic patients. Objective: To compare the effects of deracoxib, a highly selective canine COX-2 inhibitor, with flunixin on in vitro recovery of ischaemic-injured equine jejunum. Methods: Six horses underwent 2 h jejunal ischaemia, after which mucosa was mounted in Ussing chambers and recovered for 2...
Dias DP, de Lacerda Neto JC.Thrombophlebitis of the jugular vein is commonly observed in horses, particularly during intensive care, and leads to local and systemic inflammatory responses as well as head and neck circulatory impairment. Thrombolytic therapy is widely used in human practice with the aim of thrombus dissolution and recanalization of the injured vessels. There are similarities between human and horse coagulation and fibrinolytic processes. This review examines the fibrinolytic system, thrombus formation, and the clinical management of jugular thrombophlebitis, including thrombolytic therapy. There is eviden...