Veterinary medicine for horses encompasses the study and application of medical practices to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases in equine species. This field involves a comprehensive understanding of equine anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology. Veterinary practitioners employ a range of diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions to address health issues in horses, including lameness, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory conditions, and infectious diseases. Preventative care, such as vaccination and deworming programs, is also a significant aspect of equine veterinary medicine. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of veterinary medicine as it pertains to horses, including advancements in diagnostic techniques, treatment protocols, and preventive health strategies.
Varandas M, Lozano J, Agrícola R, Gomes L, Rosa T, Magalhães M, Lamas L, Rinaldi L, Oliveira M, Paz-Silva A, Madeira de Carvalho L.The diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) strongyle infections in equids is still mainly performed using quantitative coprological techniques, like the McMaster (McM), but more sensitive and precise techniques, like FLOTAC (FL) and Mini-FLOTAC (MF), have been proposed over the past 20 years. The present study aimed to compare the analytical performance of these three methods in the diagnosis of strongyle infections in horses. Between October 2023 and June 2024, 32 fecal samples were processed using the McM, FL and MF techniques to identify strongyles' eggs, estimate their shedding (eggs per gram ...
de Zutter BM, de Paula Freitas-Dell'Aqua C, Dell'Aqua-Junior JA, Monteiro GA, Troncarelli T, Papa FO.This study evaluated the effects of cholesterol, pentoxifylline and casein, with or without skim milk, added to extenders during pre-centrifugation on equine sperm cryosurvival. Seven ejaculates from four stallions (n = 28) were divided into four groups: SM (skim milk), SMP (SM + pentoxifylline), SMCho (SM + cholesterol) and ChoCa (cholesterol + casein). After centrifugation and freezing, sperm kinematics and plasma membrane integrity were assessed immediately and 30 min post-thaw. SMCho and ChoCa showed superior results compared with SM and SMP. These findings indicate that chol...
Zanilabdin M, Ilgekbayeva G, Otarbayev B, Nissanova R, Mussayeva G, Takai S, Suzuki Y, Kakuda T, Kurman S, Kassymov Y, Valiyeva B. is a facultative intracellular pathogen causing bronchopneumonia in foals; data from Central Asia are limited. We conducted a cross-sectional serological and molecular survey in horses from three regions of Kazakhstan (Kyzylorda, Almaty, Akmola). Unassigned: Sera from 312 animals (272 adults, 40 foals) on 20 farms were tested by indirect ELISA. Selected clinical samples underwent culture, PCR, and 16S rRNA sequencing. Unassigned: Overall seroprevalence was 8.3% (26/312; 95% CI 5.8-11.9). Positivity among foals was 25.0% (10/40; 95% CI 14.2-40.2) versus 5.9% (16/272; 95% CI 3.7-9.3) in adults,...
Beck C, Hitchens PL, Muir P, Whitton RC.Computed tomography (CT) is increasingly used for metacarpo/tarsophalangeal or fetlock joint (MC/TPJ) evaluation in Thoroughbred racehorses. CT features and lesion prevalence in competing Thoroughbreds are unknown. Objective: To identify standing CT features within the MC/TPJ of elite Thoroughbred staying racehorses. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Computed tomography scans of the MC/TPJ were performed as part of pre-race screening for fracture risk and graded for CT features. Descriptive statistics and univariable logistic regression models were generated to investigate associat...
Righetti F, Hentrich K, Flock M, Frosth S, Jacobsson K, Bjerketorp J, Pathak A, Ido N, Henriques-Normark B, Frykberg L, Paillot R, Guss B, Wood T.... subspecies () is the cause of strangles, one of the most prevalent diseases of horses worldwide. The disease is characterised by fever and the formation of abscesses in the lymph nodes of the head and neck, which can restrict the airway. A multicomponent subunit vaccine, Strangvac, has been shown to effectively reduce clinical signs of strangles and to reduce its incidence. The aim of this study was to determine the immune response against the immunoglobulin-cleaving endopeptidase IdeE, a key protective component within the vaccine and the ability of antibodies to neutralize the proteolytic...
Roxon CA, Deacon LJ, Abraham M, Stefanovski D, Sertich PL.Gestation length is not a reliable indicator of fetal maturity due to the variability of normal gestation length in the mare. A standard method to accurately predict equine fetal maturity is not being used clinically. The presence of continuous gastrointestinal peristalsis, as detected ultrasonographically, is an indicator that both human and canine fetuses are mature (can survive after elective cesarean section). To determine if continuous gastrointestinal peristalsis, which we termed Phase 5, was a valid indicator of fetal maturity in the horse, and whether this indicator varied in late-gest...
Ostendarp C, Barton AK.Intraocular neoplasia in horses is rare and only few case reports and small case series exist. Intraocular neoplasia has various clinical signs and includes important differential diagnoses in ocular disease. This narrative review of the current literature aims to provide a clinically relevant overview and classification of intraocular tumors in horses and adds a comparative oncological perspective concerning diagnosis, treatment and future considerations. The available clinical and imaging examination techniques allow for a reliable and differentiated investigation of the tumor, even in the s...
Peralta AG, Raeisimakiani P, Hayashi K, Mahal LK, Reesink HL.Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a common sequela to joint injury in both humans and companion animal species such as horses and dogs. Despite the increasing prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) in humans, investigation of glycosylation changes associated with OA remains in its infancy. Recent advances, such as lectin microarray analysis, now enable detailed glycan profiling in complex biofluids such as synovial fluid. Using lectin microarray technology, this study characterized glycosylation patterns in synovial fluid samples from healthy and OA-affected joints in horses, dogs, and humans...
Boakari Y, El-Sheikh Ali H, Almeida GHDR, Scoggin KE, Fernandes CB, Marchio SP, Troedsson MHT, Carreira ACO.Equine placental dysfunction impairs fetal growth and disrupts pregnancy outcomes. Despite many advances in diagnosis, the molecular pathophysiology of equine placentitis and premature placental separation remains poorly understood. However, the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-α) pathway is related to placental hypoxia, and its modulation in placental diseases has been shown in other species. Therefore, we hypothesized that in conditions marked by equine placental dysfunction, oxygen deprivation in the chorioallantois membrane triggers the activation of the HIF-α pathway, which is related to m...
Villalba-Díez M, Benavente-Sánchez L, Bustamante R, Santiago-Llorente I, Villalba-Orero M.Several induction quality scoring systems (IQSS) have been described to evaluate drugs and risk factors of this anaesthetic period in horses, but no attempts to compare their reliability have been performed. Objective: To elucidate the reliability of three IQSS: the visual analogue scale (VAS), a simple descriptive scale (SDS), and a composite grading scale (CGS) proposed by the authors. Methods: Reliability study. Methods: Eight randomly selected video-recorded anaesthetic inductions from horses that underwent general anaesthesia were evaluated twice by four blinded evaluators with experience...
Wesołowska M, Szczuka E. In animals, staphylococci constitute a significant part of the normal skin microbiota and mucous membranes. There is limited information available on staphylococci isolated from healthy horses. These skin-associated bacteria can be easily transferred between animals and horse riders via direct contact. Patients undergoing hippotherapy (i.e., medical or therapeutic sessions with horses) are especially at risk of being colonized by horse skin-associated bacteria. However, it remains unclear whether equine skin is colonized by antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) opportunistic pathogens, which may be o...
Dalla Costa E, Bovo M.Flowchart illustrating interdisciplinary collaboration in animal research. A horse symbolizes the focus, with pathways connecting physiology, behavior, and environment to decision-making and regulatory indications. Data analysis, system understanding, and data interpretation lead to feedback and warning. Visual elements include sun, clouds, a light bulb, gears, and a graph.
Marcatili M, Kalinovskiy A, Christoph L.To describe the additional information provided by computed tomography (CT) in planning and assisting repair of comminuted fractures of the middle phalanx (MP) in Warmblood horses. Methods: Case series. Methods: Six adult Warmblood horses. Methods: The case records of horses undergoing CT examination prior to internal fixation of comminuted MP fractures were reviewed. All horses underwent radiographic and preoperative CT examination. A standardized fast protocol (SFP) to assess CT images was used. Surgical repair consisted of fracture repair and proximal interphalangeal joint arthrodesis using...
Della Tommasa S, Gerlach K, Roth SP, Brehm W, Tönnies P, Zettl F, Pelli A. is a common causative agent of the septic arthritis, physitis, and osteomyelitis (SAPO) complex in foals, often resulting from hematogenous dissemination or perforating trauma. The early detection of osteomyelitis is challenging, and treatment has a guarded prognosis.A 3-month-old warmblood filly was presented with severe lameness, swelling, and palpable heat in the right cubital region. Ultrasonographic examination revealed signs suggestive of septic arthritis. Joint lavage and intra-articular injection of antibiotic were performed, but synovial swab cultures were sterile. Subsequently worse...
Khalid E, Tartor YH, Ammar AM, Abdelaziz R, Mahmmod Y, Abdelkhalek A.Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health issue requiring a coordinated response. This study investigated for the first time the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance phenotypes of bacteria causing infections in Arabian horses, and the potential of bacteriophage therapy for wound treatment. One hundred clinical samples from infected Arabian horses, presenting respiratory disorders, diarrhea, abortion, wound, and ocular infection, were examined using direct sample multiplex PCR and phenotypic methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the recovered isolates was performed using pane...
Rosanowski SM, Milne H, Pearce P, McDonald N, Zobel G, McFadden A.An essential component of a timely response to a disaster event or disease outbreak is an accurate understanding of the population at risk, its location, and the owners' contact details. In equines, this can be achieved through individual identification, via microchipping, and the registration of these individuals in a centralised database. This review outlines the development by the New Zealand Equine Health Association (NZEHA) of a centralised database for equines in New Zealand, the National Equine Identification and Traceability (NEIT) system, which is built using Companion Animal New Zeal...
Villa RE, Azimonti G, Bonos E, Christensen H, Durjava M, Dusemund B, Gehring R, Glandorf B, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, Marcon F, Nebbia C, Pechová A....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the efficacy of feed additives obtained from the leaves of L.: ginkgo tinctures as sensory additives for all animal species and ginkgo extract as a sensory additive for horses, dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs. In previous assessments, a sensory analysis of ginkgo extract was performed, which showed that aqueous solutions of ginkgo extract have an intense aroma, significantly different from plain water. No evidence was provided to show that the additives would impart flavour to a food or fee...
du Preez S, Lynch B, Lindsay S, Simon O, Ferlini Agne G.To describe the case details of an equine corneal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising from the central scar of a previous conjunctival pedicle graft. Methods: An 18-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, showing a progressive increase in diameter, depth, opacity, and pigmentation of a conjunctival pedicle graft scar of the left eye, 34 months after surgery. Methods: Complete ophthalmic examination, standard histologic and immunohistochemical evaluation of an incisional biopsy to formulate a definitive diagnosis. Carbon dioxide (CO) laser photoablation combined with topical mitomycin C treatment. R...
Memarian P, Basso G, Rigo M, Falomo ME, Isola M.Patellar luxation is a rare orthopedic condition in horses, with congenital lateral patellar luxation being the most frequently reported form. A few sporadic reports have described surgical options for addressing equine patellar luxation. This report details the clinical presentation of a 2-month-old Italian Trotter foal diagnosed with bilateral lateral patellar luxation. Staged surgical correction of both stifles was performed, including block recession trochleoplasty combined with the application of polypropylene mesh for reinforcing medial imbrication sutures. Intra- and post-operative eval...
Rocha IA, McPeek JL, Hulverson MA, Choi R, Orr K, Sponseller BT, Kennedy T, Ojo KK, Barrett LK, Ruby R, Janes J, Reed SM, Arnold SLM, Van Voorhis WC....To determine the systemic and CNS distribution of bumped-kinase inhibitors (BKIs) in healthy horses, assess potential side effects, and identify a candidate compound for a clinical trial in equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) cases. Unassigned: 9 pharmacokinetic (PK) experiments were conducted from March 2021 through November 2024. Bumped-kinase inhibitors 1708, 1748, and 1841 were screened in Sarcocystis neurona growth assays and IV PKs, followed by investigation of a lead BKI compound by single-dose or multiday oral administration. Serial plasma collections were performed to assess syst...
Hobbs KJ, Ludwig EK, Martin EM, Bayless R, Bauck AG, Freeman DE, Gonzalez LM.To determine if blood and peritoneal fluid levels of syndecan-1, heparan sulfate, and hyaluronan are elevated in horses with small intestinal disease compared to healthy counterparts. Unassigned: 61 horses were categorized into control (n = 20), inflammatory (11), and strangulating (30) groups. Paired peritoneal fluid and blood samples were obtained from each group from December 2016 through December 2024 and analyzed via equine-validated ELISAs for syndecan-1, heparan sulfate, and hyaluronan concentrations. Patient survival to discharge was recorded for all groups. Immunofluorescence staining...
Dufourni A, Demeyere M, Vernemmen I, Van Steenkiste G, Verhaeghe LM, van Loon G, Decloedt A.Administration of N-butylscopolammonium bromide (NBB) with metamizol sodium (NBBM) causes tachycardia and hypertension, and has been associated with accentuated cardiac murmurs. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a pharmacological challenge using NBBM on valvular regurgitation and cardiac murmurs in horses with aortic (AR) and mitral valve regurgitation (MR). Methods: Twenty Warmblood horses with AR and 20 with MR. Methods: Cardiac auscultation and two-dimensional (2D), M-mode, color flow, pulsed wave Doppler flow, and tissue Doppler echocardiography were performed with simultaneous ECG reco...
Bollens J, Gheysen L, Verkade M, Stael J, Martens A, Segers P.Postoperative incisional complications are common in horses following abdominal surgery, which typically involves an incision through the abdominal wall along the linea alba. The linea alba is a fibrous band running in the craniocaudal direction along the ventral abdomen. This incision is closed with sutures, where the choice of suture pattern and surgical technique has shown to influence the rate of complications. Therefore, this study investigated how different suture patterns and variations influence the stresses in the tissue by combining experimental and computational biomechanics. The me...
Minamijima Y, Kuroda T, Okano A, Wakuno A, Yuasa R, Ishikawa Y, Nomura M, Kinoshita K, Yamada M.We examined the pharmacokinetics of intravenous pridinol in six thoroughbred horses. Each horse received a single 20 mg dose of pridinol mesylate via the jugular vein, and plasma and urine samples were collected over 72 h. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to quantify pridinol concentrations in plasma and urine, allowing for the calculation of pharmacokinetic parameters. A three-compartment model best fit the plasma elimination data. Using the Toutain model, irrelevant plasma and urine concentrations were estimated to be 0.00284 and 0.000612 ng/mL, respec...
Thane K, Voth R, Klee R, Warnken T, Chukwu V, Frank N.Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are promising treatments to manage hyperinsulinemia in horses with insulin dysregulation (ID). Objective: The SGLT2i velagliflozin decreases insulin concentration in horses with ID. Methods: Privately-owned adult horses (n = 37) with laboratory-confirmed ID (low-dose oral sugar test insulin concentration > 75 μIU/mL). Methods: Double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. Horses received placebo (n = 19) or velagliflozin 0.3 mg/kg PO q24h (n = 18) for 20 weeks (Study Period 1, SP1) immediately followed by a 20-week ope...
Kal AKK, Subhahar MB, Philip M, Graiban FM, Karatt TK, Mathew B, George RM, Maruthasalam B.Voxelotor, a therapeutic drug for sickle cell disease, has been reported to elevate serum erythropoietin and hemoglobin levels in healthy individuals. Because of its potential to alter blood parameters, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) classified voxelotor under category M1 of the 2023 Prohibited List. Despite this classification, little is known about its metabolic behavior in either humans or animals. In this study, the metabolism of voxelotor was investigated in Thoroughbred horses after oral administration. Using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), 35 meta...
Nocera I, Moroni R, Fanelli D, Rota A, Di Franco C, Ungari C, Puccinelli C, Gandini M, Giusto G, Vannozzi I.Over the years, various diagnostic and surgical techniques have been developed to recognise and treat cryptorchidism in equid. This study retrospectively analysed cases of cryptorchidism referred to two centres between 2012 and 2025. Clinical data collected included species, breed, age, gender, location of retained testis, diagnostic approach, anaesthesia plan and surgical treatment, perioperative medical treatment, intra-operative complications and outcomes. A total of 37 clinical cases were included, 1/37 was a donkey and 1/37 was an intersex female. Most of the horses were three years old a...
Klopfenstein Bregger MD, de Preux M, Brünisholz HP, Van der Vekens E, Schweizer D, Koch C.This retrospective case series reports on the use of computer-assisted surgery (CAS) to perform cheek tooth repulsion in 16 equids. Thirteen of the 16 subjects in this case series had a mandibular cheek tooth repulsed, and 3 had a maxillary cheek tooth removed. Surgery was performed on all subjects under general anesthesia, and all but one were placed in lateral recumbency. All cheek teeth were successfully removed by navigated repulsion, except in one case where additional intraoral sectioning was performed. In one horse, a surgical approach through the contralateral nasal conchae was made to...
Dempsey JA.In summary, we have shown that the design of the pulmonary system from the architectural capacities of the lung parenchyma and respiratory muscles to the remarkable, multi-level neural integration of breathing pattern and respiratory muscle recruitment is clearly intended for the exercising state. Furthermore, the system shows remarkable capability for true adaptation, both phylogenetically and even within only a few generations within a species, when preservation of the organism's ability to survive and function is at stake. At the same time there are limits to the system's homeostatic capabi...
Haugaard MM, Hesselkilde EZ, Pehrson S, Carstensen H, Flethøj M, Præstegaard KF, Sørensen US, Diness JG, Grunnet M, Buhl R, Jespersen T.Small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels have been found to play an important role in atrial repolarization and atrial fibrillation (AF). Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the existence and functional role of SK channels in the equine heart. Methods: Cardiac biopsies were analyzed to investigate the expression level of the most prominent cardiac ion channels, with special focus on SK channels, in the equine heart. Subcellular distribution of SK isoform 2 (SK2) was assessed by immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. The electrophysiologic and anti-...
Ball BA.Oxidative stress is an important component of the cytopathology of equine spermatozoa undergoing storage as liquid or frozen semen. Damage to chromatin, membranes and proteins of sperm are important components of oxidative damage to sperm. Similarly, sperm are exposed to a variety of osmotic stresses during storage that result from exposure to hypertonic media or result as a consequence of osmotic changes induced during freezing. A number of changes induced during processing and storage of equine sperm also appear to induce apoptotic-like changes which may adversely affect sperm survival and f...
Kapoor A, Simmonds P, Cullen JM, Scheel TK, Medina JL, Giannitti F, Nishiuchi E, Brock KV, Burbelo PD, Rice CM, Lipkin WI.The recent identification of nonprimate hepaciviruses in dogs and then in horses prompted us to look for pegiviruses (GB virus-like viruses) in these species. Although none were detected in canines, we found widespread natural infection of horses by a novel pegivirus. Unique genomic features and phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the tentatively named equine pegivirus (EPgV) represents a novel species within the Pegivirus genus. We also determined that EPgV causes persistent viremia whereas its clinical significance is undetermined.
Bosch S, Serra Bragança F, Marin-Perianu M, Marin-Perianu R, van der Zwaag BJ, Voskamp J, Back W, van Weeren R, Havinga P.In this paper, we describe and validate the EquiMoves system, which aims to support equine veterinarians in assessing lameness and gait performance in horses. The system works by capturing horse motion from up to eight synchronized wireless inertial measurement units. It can be used in various equine gait modes, and analyzes both upper-body and limb movements. The validation against an optical motion capture system is based on a Bland-Altman analysis that illustrates the agreement between the two systems. The sagittal kinematic results (protraction, retraction, and sagittal range of motion) sh...
Bartsch S, Bauer B, Wiemann A, Clausen PH, Steuber S.Host feeding patterns of engorged sibling species of the Culicoides obsoletus and Culicoides pulicaris groups captured during three nights on two selected farms maintaining either cattle, sheep, horses, and pigs (Seedorf, Brandenburg) or cattle, sheep, moufflons, and red and fallow deer (Paulinenaue, Brandenburg) were determined by polymerase chain reaction amplification using conserved primers and sets of species-specific primers derived from vertebrates mitochondrial cytochrome b. Out of a total of 177 blood meals analysed, 115 (65%) tested positive for a blood meal from vertebrates. 63.5% (...
von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Fritzen B, Demeler J, Schürmann S, Rohn K, Schnieder T, Epe C.In 2003 and 2004, on a total of 63 different German horse farms, a survey using the faecal egg count reduction (FECR) test was performed to investigate the efficacy of ivermectin (IVM, Ivomec) and pyrantel (PYR, Banminth) treatment against gastro-intestinal nematodes in a total of 767 horses. IVM treatment resulted in 100% reduction of the cyathostomin egg production 14 and 21 days post-treatment (d.p.t.) on 37 farms. On the remaining five farms, the mean faecal egg count reduction ranged between 97.7 and 99.9%. The mean cyathostomin FECR following PYR treatment ranged between 92.2 and 100% on...
Field HE.Hendra virus causes acute and highly fatal infection in horses and humans. Pteropid bats (flying-foxes) are the natural host of the virus, with age and species being risk factors for infection. Urine is the primary route of excretion in flying-foxes, with viral RNA more frequently detected in Pteropus alecto and P. conspicillatus than other species. Infection prevalence in flying-foxes can vary between and within years, with a winter peak of excretion occurring in some regions. Vertical transmission and recrudescing infection has been reported in flying-foxes, but horizontal transmission is ev...
Frisbie DD, Lu Y, Kawcak CE, DiCarlo EF, Binette F, McIlwraith CW.Current autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) techniques require 2 surgical procedures: 1 for cell harvest and 1 for reimplantation of cultured cells. A 1-step procedure is more desirable. Objective: A 1-step surgical procedure using autologous cartilage fragments on a polydioxanone scaffold, or CAIS (cartilage autograft implantation system), in a clinically relevant defect (15-mm diameter) within equine femoral trochlea was compared with a 2-step ACI technique as well as with empty defects and defects with polydioxanone foam scaffolds alone. Methods: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: ...
Roth JA.Veterinary vaccines have had, and continue to have, a major role in protecting animal health and public health, reducing animal suffering, enabling efficient production of food animals to feed the burgeoning human population, and greatly reducing the need for antibiotics to treat food and companion animals. Prominent examples include rabies vaccines and rinderpest vaccines. Rabies vaccines for domestic animals and wildlife have nearly eliminated human rabies in developed countries. Thanks to the Global Rinderpest Eradication Program which involves vaccination, trade restrictions, and surveilla...
Julliand V, Grimm P.In the early 1990s, the equine hindgut microbial ecosystem looked like a "black box." Its vital role in hydrolyzing and fermenting fiber, thus providing energy to the host, was recognized. Although there was a critical lack of information on the hindgut microbes, their role in preventing intestinal diseases was suggested. Traditionally, the microbes of the horse hindgut were studied using culture-dependent techniques. More recently, culture-independent methods have been used and provided further insight. This review presents the history and updated knowledge regarding the microbes that live in...
Nielsen BL, Dybkjær L, Herskin MS.Transport of farm animals gives rise to concern about their welfare. Specific attention has been given to the duration of animal transport, and maximum journey durations are used in legislation that seek to minimise any negative impact of transport on animal welfare. This paper reviews the relatively few scientific investigations into effects of transport duration on animal welfare in cattle, sheep, horses, pigs and poultry. From the available literature, we attempt to distinguish between aspects, which will impair welfare on journeys of any duration, such as those associated with loading, and...
Rushlow K, Olsen K, Stiegler G, Payne SL, Montelaro RC, Issel CJ.The nucleotide sequence of the envelope (env) gene region of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), a member of the lentivirus subfamily of retroviruses, has been determined from a clone of integrated proviral DNA for which the gag and pol sequences have been reported previously. The env gene is 859 codons in length and the sequence reported here is consistent with the published biochemical properties of EIAV glycoproteins. The env gene region of EIAV shares considerable structural similarities but negligible sequence homologies with the env genes of other members of the lentivirus subfamily, ...
Richardson LE, Dudhia J, Clegg PD, Smith R.Stem cells have evoked considerable excitement in the animal-owning public because of the promise that stem cell technology could deliver tissue regeneration for injuries for which natural repair mechanisms do not deliver functional recovery and for which current therapeutic strategies have minimal effectiveness. This review focuses on the current use of stem cells within veterinary medicine, whose practitioners have used mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), recovered from either bone marrow or adipose tissue, in clinical cases primarily to treat strain-induced tendon injury in the horse. The backgr...
Divers TJ, Tennant BC, Kumar A, McDonough S, Cullen J, Bhuva N, Jain K, Chauhan LS, Scheel TKH, Lipkin WI, Laverack M, Trivedi S, Srinivasa S....Equine serum hepatitis (i.e., Theiler's disease) is a serious and often life-threatening disease of unknown etiology that affects horses. A horse in Nebraska, USA, with serum hepatitis died 65 days after treatment with equine-origin tetanus antitoxin. We identified an unknown parvovirus in serum and liver of the dead horse and in the administered antitoxin. The equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) shares <50% protein identity with its phylogenetic relatives of the genus Copiparvovirus. Next, we experimentally infected 2 horses using a tetanus antitoxin contaminated with EqPV-H. Viremia develop...
Morens DM, Taubenberger JK.To understand human influenza in a historical context of viral circulation in avian species, mammals, and in the environment. Methods: Historical review. Methods: Global events in a variety of circumstances over more than 3,000 years time. Methods: Comprehensive review of the historical literature including all major publications on pandemic and panzootic influenza. Methods: Influenza pandemics, panzootics, major epidemics and epizootics, and instances of interspecies transmission of influenza A. Results: Extensive documentation of human and animal influenza over many centuries suggests that i...
de Laat MA, McGree JM, Sillence MN.Compared with some other species, insulin dysregulation in equids is poorly understood. However, hyperinsulinemia causes laminitis, a significant and often lethal disease affecting the pedal bone/hoof wall attachment site. Until recently, hyperinsulinemia has been considered a counterregulatory response to insulin resistance (IR), but there is growing evidence to support a gastrointestinal etiology. Incretin hormones released from the proximal intestine, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide, augment insulin secretion in several species but require invest...
Magneson GR, Puvathingal JM, Ray WJ.The enzyme phosphoglucomutase can be used as a metal ion indicator to measure the concentrations of free Mg2+ and free Zn2+ in physiological fluids. In horse plasma, the concentration of free Mg2+ is close to 0.5 mM, whereas that of free Zn2+ is about 2 X 10(-10) M, although numerous physiological roles for Zn2+ have been postulated that would require free Zn2+ concentration orders of magnitude higher than this. A titration of plasma with Zn2+ shows that the fractional increase in free Zn2+ is essentially the same as the fractional increase in total exchangeable Zn2+, and the results are consi...
Powers AM, Oberste MS, Brault AC, Rico-Hesse R, Schmura SM, Smith JF, Kang W, Sweeney WP, Weaver SC.Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) epidemics and equine epizootics occurred periodically in the Americas from the 1920s until the early 1970s, when the causative viruses, subtypes IAB and IC, were postulated to have become extinct. Recent outbreaks in Columbia and Venezuela have renewed interest in the source of epidemic/epizootic viruses and their mechanism of interepizootic maintenance. We performed phylogenetic analyses of VEE virus isolates spanning the entire temporal and geographic range of strains available, using 857-nucleotide reverse transcription-PCR products including the E3 and ...
Båverud V, Gustafsson A, Franklin A, Aspán A, Gunnarsson A.Clostridium difficile has been associated with acute colitis in mature horses. Objective: To survey C. difficile colonisation of the alimentary tract with age, occurrence of diarrhoea and history of antibiotic therapy; and to study the occurrence and survival of C. difficile in the environment and antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated strains. Methods: A total of 777 horses of different breeds, age and sex were studied. Further, 598 soil samples and 434 indoor surface samples were examined. Antimicrobial susceptibility of 52 strains was investigated by Etest for 10 antibiotics. Results: In ...
Cuny C, Strommenger B, Witte W, Stanek C.During 2006 and 2007 small clusters of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in horses were recorded in different clinical departments of a veterinary university. The infections were caused by different MRSA clones (ST1, ST254, and ST398). In the same time, nasal colonization of veterinarians, veterinary personnel, and students was observed indicating transmission to humans.
Leroux C, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.We have investigated the genetic evolution of three functionally distinct regions of the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) genome (env, rev, and long terminal repeat) during recurring febrile episodes in a pony experimentally infected with a well-characterized reference biological clone designated EIAV(PV). Viral populations present in the plasma of an EIAV(PV)-infected pony during sequential febrile episodes (18, 34, 80, 106, and 337 days postinfection) were amplified from viral RNA, analyzed, and compared to the inoculated strain. The comparison of the viral quasispecies showed that the ...
Browning GF, Fitzgerald TA, Chalmers RM, Snodgrass DR.Equine rotavirus FI23 was shown to be prototypic of a novel G serotype, provisionally G14, by cross-neutralization and VP7 sequence determination. Although distinct, there are as few as six differing amino acid residues (92, 94, 96, 146, 147, and 221) in the VP7 antigenic regions of FI23 and G3 rotaviruses.
de Grauw JC, van Loon JP.Accurate recognition and quantification of pain in horses is imperative for adequate pain management. The past decade has seen a much needed surge in formal development of systematic pain assessment tools for the objective monitoring of pain in equine patients. This narrative review describes parameters that can be used to detect pain in horses, provides an overview of the various pain scales developed (visual analogue scales, simple descriptive scales, numerical rating scales, time budget analysis, composite pain scales and grimace scales), and highlights their strengths and weaknesses for po...
Browning GF, Chalmers RM, Fitzgerald TA, Snodgrass DR.A group A rotavirus designated L338 was isolated from the faeces of a diarrhoeic foal and was compared to 11 standard G serotype strains of group A rotaviruses by cross-neutralization. It was clearly distinct from serotypes G1 to G11 and thus representative of a novel rotavirus G serotype tentatively designated G13. The nucleic acid sequence of the virion protein 7 (VP7) coding region was determined and the deduced amino acid sequence compared to published sequences. Within VP7 regions A and B, L338 was clearly distinct from serotypes G1 to G12 (excluding G7 which has not been sequenced), but ...
Van den Eede A, Martens A, Lipinska U, Struelens M, Deplano A, Denis O, Haesebrouck F, Gasthuys F, Hermans K.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections do occur in equine patients. Little is known, however, about their origin and the general equine MRSA colonization status. In West European horses in particular, neither the colonization rate nor the present strains or their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns are known. In the present study, a sample of 110 (Belgian, French, Dutch and Luxemburg) horses presented at a Belgian equine clinic was screened for nasal MRSA carriage. An indirect culturing protocol using a 0.001% colistin and nalidixic acid containing broth was compared t...
Arnhold SJ, Goletz I, Klein H, Stumpf G, Beluche LA, Rohde C, Addicks K, Litzke LF.To isolate and characterize bone marrow-derived equine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for possible future therapeutic applications in horses. Methods: Equine MSCs were isolated from bone marrow aspirates obtained from the sternum of 30 donor horses. Methods: Cells were cultured in medium (alpha-minimum essential medium) with a fetal calf serum content of 20%. Equine MSC features were analyzed to determine selfrenewing and differentiation capacity. For potential therapeutic applications, the migratory potential of equine MSCs was determined. An adenoviral vector was used to determine the transdu...
Rico-Hesse R, Weaver SC, de Siger J, Medina G, Salas RA.One of the most important questions in arbovirology concerns the origin of epidemic Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) viruses; these viruses caused periodic, extensive epidemics/epizootics in the Americas from 1938-1973 (reaching the United States in 1971) but had recently been presumed extinct. We have documented the 1992 emergence of a new epidemic/epizootic VEE virus in Venezuela. Phylogenetic analysis of strains isolated during two outbreaks indicated that the new epidemic/epizootic virus(es) evolved recently from an enzootic VEE virus in northern South America. These results suggest co...
DebRoy C, Maddox CW.The pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli recovered from the intestinal tract of animals fall into categories called enterotoxigenic, enteropathogenic, enterohemorrhagic and necrotoxigenic. The other two categories, enteroinvasive and enteroaggregative, have not been reported in animals. The pathogenicity of these strains is determined by the presence of certain genes that encode adhesins and toxins, are generally organized in large blocks in chromosomes, large plasmids or phages, and are often transmitted horizontally between strains. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the vir...
