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.
Munday JS, Orbell G, Fairley RA, Hardcastle M, Vaatstra B.Equine sarcoids are common mesenchymal neoplasms of horses that are caused by cross-species infection by . While bovine papillomavirus (BPV) 1 and 2 are the most common causes, there are differences between countries regarding which of these BPV types cause the majority of sarcoids. Additionally, no causative PV can be detected in a subset of sarcoids, suggesting that other PV types could be rarer causes of these neoplasms. In the present study, consensus PCR primers and PCR primers specific for the five types currently known to cause mesenchymal neoplasia (BPV1, BPV2, BPV13, BPV14, and Ovis ...
de Albuquerque AL, Zanzarini Delfiol DJ, Andrade DGA, Albertino LG, Sonne L, Borges AS, Valberg SJ, Finno CJ, Oliveira-Filho JP.In the Quarter Horse (QH), myosin heavy chain myopathy (MYHM), which is characterised by nonexertional rhabdomyolysis or immune-mediated myositis (IMM) with acute muscle atrophy, is strongly associated with the missense E321G MYH1 mutation. Objective: To document the existence of MYHM in the Brazilian QH population, this study includes a case report of two related QH foals with the E321G MYH1 mutation that had clinical signs of MYHM, with histological confirmation of IMM in one of the foals. This prompted an investigation the aim of which was to determine the allele frequency of the E321G MYH1...
Angel-Velez D, De Coster T, Azari-Dolatabad N, Fernandez-Montoro A, Benedetti C, Bogado Pascottini O, Woelders H, Van Soom A, Smits K.Equine oocyte vitrification would benefit the growing in vitro embryo production programs, but further optimization of the protocol is necessary to reach clinical efficiency. Therefore, we aimed to perform a direct comparison of non-permeating and permeating cryoprotective agents (CPAs) during the vitrification and warming of equine immature oocytes. In the first experiment, cumulus oocytes complexes (COCs) were vitrified comparing sucrose, trehalose, and galactose in combination with ethylene glycol (EG) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). In the second experiment, the COCs were vitrified using th...
Sander J, Terhardt M, Janzen N.In horses, congenital defects of energy production from long-chain fatty acids have not been described so far. In contrast, inhibition of fatty acid degradation caused by the toxins hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine from various maple species are observed frequently. These non-proteinogenic aminoacids are passed on placentally to fetuses or with collostrum or milk to newborn foals. Nevertheless, newborn foals become very rarely symptomatic. Vertical transmission apparently is not sufficient to induce clinical disease without a particular genetic constellation being present. One of t...
de Souza Garcia AF, Ribeiro G, de Assis Arantes J, Reginato GM, Xavier NV, Carregaro AB, Silva TJF, Grigoletto R, de Freitas SH, Dória RGS.For horses requiring prolonged daily cephalic intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP), the use of a totally implantable catheter (TIC) could be indicated to reduce complications associated with frequent venipuncture or external catheterization. This study aims to evaluate the implantation technique of the TIC in the cephalic vein of horses for IVRLP, describe the complications associated with the device's placement and use, and assess its viability up to 60 days after implantation. Totally implantable catheters, cut to 15 cm (n = 5) and 46 cm (n = 5) in length, were implanted...
Pimentel KL, Carmalt JL. There is conflicting evidence regarding communication between the two compartments of the equine temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Understanding the inter-relationship between TMJ compartments is critical for diagnostic and clinical management purposes. To determine the frequency of communication between the discotemporal joint (DTJ) and the discomandibular joint (DMJ) of the equine TMJ in horses free of overt disease. A randomized, blinded, controlled cadaveric study. Equine cadaver heads ( = 20), with no reported history of potential TMJ disease, were collected and stored frozen until use. ...
Druml T, Brem G, Velie B, Lindgren G, Horna M, Ricard A, Grilz-Seger G.In horses, the autoimmune disease vitiligo is characterized by the loss of melanocytes and results in patchy depigmentation of the skin around the eyes, muzzle and the perianal region. Vitiligo-like depigmentation occurs predominantly in horses displaying the grey coat colour and is observed at a prevalence level of 26.0-67.0% in grey horses compared with only 0.8-3.5% in non-grey horses. While the polygenetic background of this complex disease is well documented in humans, the underlying candidate genes for this skin disorder in horses remain unknown. In this study we aim to perform a genome-...
Ganeshpurkar A, Singh R, Kumar D, Gutti G, Sardana D, Shivhare S, Singh RB, Kumar A, Singh SK.Machine learning (ML), an emerging field in drug design, has the potential to predict toxicity, shape-based analysis of inhibitors, scoring function (SF) etc. In the present study, a homology model, docking protocol, and a dedicated SF have been developed to identify the inhibitors of horse butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzyme. Horse BChE enzyme has homology with human BChE and is a substitute for the screening of inhibitors. The developed homology model was validated and the active site residues were identified from Cavityplus to generate grid box for docking. The validation of docking invol...
Otzdorff C, Beckmann J, Goehring LS.(1) Background: Equine arteritis virus (EAV) infection causes reproductive losses and systemic vasculitis in susceptible equidae. The intact male becomes the virus' reservoir upon EAV infection, as it causes a chronic-persistent infection of the accessory sex glands. Infected semen is the main source of virus transmission. (2) Here, we describe acute EAV infection and spread in a stallion population after introduction of new members to the group. (3) Conclusions: acute clinical signs, acute phase detection of antigen via (PCR) nasal swabs or (EDTA) blood, and seroconversion support the idea of...
Looijen MGP, Hanousek K, Maree JTM, Visser MC, Berner D.There is wide variability in radiographic grading systems in thoracolumbar spinous processes in horses. The aim of this study was to determine the agreement of grading different parameters, and combinations of those, in radiographs of the spinous processes of the equine thoracolumbar spine in the scope of a pre-purchase examination. We hypothesized that agreement is variable and interpretation of these radiographs is difficult. Methods: Radiographs of the thoracolumbar spine of healthy horses (N = 100) were assessed by three observers. Spinous processes were separately graded for interspinou...
Faber E, Tshilwane SI, Van Kleef M, Pretorius A.Expanding on our previous work, this study used transcriptome analysis of RNA sequences to investigate the various factors that contributed to either inducing apoptosis that resulted in cell death or promoting the survival of African horse sickness virus serotype 4 (AHSV4)-infected horse peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after 24 h. Apoptosis is a host defense mechanism that prevents virus replication, accumulation and spread of progeny viruses. AHSV4-infected PBMC were killed via the intrinsic and the perforin/granzyme pathways of apoptosis during the attenuated AHSV4 (attAHSV4) in v...
Hay AN, Wagner B, Leeth CM, LeRoith T, Cecere TE, Lahmers KK, Andrews FM, Werre SR, Johnson AL, Clark CK, Pusterla N, Reed SM, Lindsay DS, Taylor S....Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a debilitating neurologic disease affecting horses across the Americas. Gaps in understanding the inflammatory immune response in EPM-affected horses create difficulties with diagnosis and treatment, subsequently negatively impacting the prognosis of affected horses. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate circulating levels of the inflammatory immune marker soluble CD14 (sCD14), in horses with EPM (n = 7) and determine if they differed from healthy neurologically normal horses (n = 6). Paired sera and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were ...
Montgomery JB, Klein M, Boire JR, Beck C, Häusermann D, Maksimenko A, Hall CJ.Laminitis is an extremely painful and debilitating condition of horses that can affect their athletic ability and even quality of life. The current gold standard for assessment of laminar tissue is histology, which is the only modality that enables detailed visualization of the lamina. Histology requires dissection of the hoof and therefore can only represent one specific time point. The superior spatial and contrast resolution of synchrotron computed tomography (sCT), when compared with readily available imaging modalities, such as radiographs and conventional CT, provides an opportunity for ...
Selim A, Megahed A, Kandeel S, Alouffi A, Almutairi MM.Determination of the seroprevalence and risk factors that are associated with West Nile virus (WNV) in horses is essential for adoption of effective prevention strategies. Our objective in this study, therefore, was to determine the seroprevalence and to identify the risk factors associated with WNV infection in the most densely horse-populated governorates in Egypt. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 on 930 horses, which were distributed over five governorates in the Nile delta of Egypt. The horses, which were randomly selected, were serologically tested through use of an ID screen...
Malaluang P, Wilén E, Lindahl J, Hansson I, Morrell JM.Bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics following low-level "background" exposure to antimicrobial agents as well as from exposure at therapeutic levels during treatment for bacterial infections. In this review, we look specifically at antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the equine reproductive tract and its possible origin, focusing particularly on antibiotics in semen extenders used in preparing semen doses for artificial insemination. Our review of the literature indicated that AMR in the equine uterus and vagina were reported worldwide in the last 20 years, in locations as diverse as Euro...
Dupont J, Gougnard A, Salciccia A, Detilleux J, Serteyn D, Sandersen C.To compare the efficacy of single-breath continuous positive airway pressure manoeuvre (CPAP-M) with inhaled salbutamol, and a combination of both. Methods: Randomized, clinical study. Methods: A total of 62 client-owned horses (American Society of Anesthesiologists status III-V) anaesthetized for laparotomy. Methods: Horses were premedicated with intravenous (IV) xylazine (0.4-0.6 mg kg), anaesthesia was induced with midazolam (0.06 mg kg IV) and ketamine (2.2 mg kg IV) and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen using volume-controlled ventilation without positive end-expiratory pressure. If Pa...
Pakdemirli A, Çalışkan E, Hacıoğlu S, Danyer E, Kardoğan Ö, Kurt ZE, Yıldırım Ö, Taşkaya H, Ündar B, Sezgin Y, Ergin G, Ekici H....SARS-CoV-2 disease was announced as a pandemic by The World Health Organization in early 2020. It is still threatening the world population. Here, we aimed to produce hyperimmune sera that contain immunoglobulin G and F(ab')2 fragments sourced from horse antibodies as an urgent response to the pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 was produced and inactivated with three different methods [formaldehyde (FA), formaldehyde, and binary ethylene amine (FA + BEI), and heat treatment]. After in vitro inactivation control, immunogens were mixed with Freund’s adjuvant, thereafter horses (n: 2 for FA, 4 for FA + BEI, ...
Trolinger-Meadows KD, Biedrzycki AH, He H, Werpy N.The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has led to increased clinical and research applications using 3D segmentation and reconstructed volumetric data in musculoskeletal imaging. Lesions of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) are a common pathology in horses undergoing MRI. Three-dimensional MRI reconstruction performed for volumetric tendon analysis in horses has not previously been documented. The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to evaluate the 3D segmentation of horses undergoing repeated MRI at several time points and to perform an analysis of the segmented DDFTs across time....
Ishii H, Shibuya M, So YM, Wong JKY, Ho ENM, Kusano K, Sone Y, Kamiya T, Wakuno A, Ito H, Miyata K, Yamada M, Leung GN.IOX4 is a hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PHD) inhibitor, which was developed for the treatment of anemia by exerting hematopoietic effects. The administration of HIF-PHD inhibitors such as IOX4 to horses is strictly prohibited by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities and the Fédération Équestre Internationale. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive metabolic study of IOX4 in horse plasma and urine after a nasoesophageal administration of IOX4 (500 mg/day, 3 days). A total of four metabolites (three mono-hydroxylated IOX4 and one ...
Premont A, Balthes S, Marr CM, Jeevaratnam K.Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common pathological arrhythmia in horses. Although it is not usually a life-threatening condition on its own, it can cause poor performance and make the horse unsafe to ride. It is a complex multifactorial disease influenced by both genetic and environmental factors including exercise training, comorbidities or ageing. The interactions between all these factors in horses are still not completely understood and the pathophysiology of AF remains poorly defined. Exciting progress has been recently made in equine cardiac electrophysiology in terms of diagnosis ...
Stewart HL, Kawcak CE, Inscoe CR, Puett C, Lee YZ, Lu J, Zhou OZ, Selberg KT.To describe the technique and assess the diagnostic potential and limitations of tomosynthesis for imaging of the metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ) of equine cadavers; compare the tomosynthesis appearance of pathological lesions with their conventional radiographic, CT, and MRI appearances; and evaluate all imaging findings with gross lesions of a given MCPJ. Methods: Distal portions of 4 forelimbs from 4 equine cadavers. Methods: The MCPJs underwent radiography, tomosynthesis (with a purpose-built benchtop unit), CT, and MRI; thereafter, MCPJs were disarticulated and evaluated for the presence...
Broyles AH, Embertson RM, Brett Woodie J, Machado V.There is persistent concern among some trainers, owners and veterinarians regarding the effect of preoperative laryngeal function grade on the outcome of laryngoplasty and ventriculocordectomy (LPVC). Objective: To determine the effect of laryngeal function grade prior to LPVC on postoperative performance. Methods: Retrospective case-series. Methods: Medical and race records of Thoroughbred racehorses diagnosed with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) and treated with LPVC between 1998 and 2013 were reviewed. Horses were placed into three groups based on preoperative laryngeal function grade ...
McQuillan S, Kearney C, Hoey S, Connolly S, Rowan C.Computed tomographic arthrography (CTA) has been described as a method for detecting articular cartilage defects in equine carpal joints; however, published studies on the effects of contrast volume for lesion detection are currently lacking. The purpose of this prospective, experimental, pilot study was to determine a threshold volume of iodinated contrast for CTA of the antebrachiocarpal (ABC) and middle carpal (MC) joints for detection of articular cartilage surface defects. Articular cartilage defects were iatrogenically created in the surfaces of the ABC and MC joints of 20 equine cadaver...
Harman RM, Churchill KA, Jager MC, Van de Walle GR.Equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) outbreaks occur when virus spreads from infected horses to in-contact horses, primarily via nasal shedding. This study evaluated the efficacy of factors secreted by equine peripheral blood derived mesenchymal stromal cells (PB-MSCs), collectively named the secretome, to inhibit the growth of EHV-1 in (i) 2D epithelial cell cultures (RK-13) in vitro, (ii) 3D equine nasal explants in vitro and (iii) an EHV-1 infection mouse model in vivo. The PB-MSC secretome was found to inhibit EHV-1 in RK-13 cells as well as in the epithelium of equine nasal explants. Although the ...
Marčeková P, Mad'ar M, Styková E, Kačírová J, Sondorová M, Mudroň P, Žert Z.Equine hoof canker and bovine digital dermatitis are infectious inflammatory diseases of the hooves with an unknown etiology. However, anaerobic spirochetes of the genus Treponema are considered to be potential etiological agents. The aim of this study was to find a suitable way to isolate DNA and to detect the presence of treponemal DNA in samples of equine hoof canker and bovine digital dermatitis. DNAzol®® Direct and column kits were used to isolate DNA from samples of equine hoof canker and bovine digital dermatitis. The presence of Treponema spp. was detected using PCR and Sanger sequen...
Gough RL, McGovern KF.Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is widely used in other species as a marker of renal dysfunction and is considered a more sensitive indicator of glomerular filtration rate than creatinine. Reference ranges are established in healthy adult horses (≤14 μg/dL) and concentrations are increased in horses with acute kidney injury (median 32 μg/dL; range 15-92). Objective: To establish the normal range of SDMA concentrations in neonatal Thoroughbreds. Methods: Cross-sectional. Methods: Blood samples were collected from Thoroughbred foals <36 h old deemed healthy by physical examination. E...
Grenager NS.Endocrinopathic laminitis (EL) primarily occurs because of insulin dysregulation (ID) mediated through downstream effects of insulin on IGF-1R in lamellar tissues. There is likely contributing vascular and metabolic dysfunction within the lamellae, but EL is relatively non-inflammatory. EL is associated with lamellar stretching, proliferation, and failure, ultimately causing failure of the suspensory apparatus of the distal phalanx. Proper education regarding mitigating risk factors makes this a largely preventable cause of laminitis. Annual hoof evaluation plus screening geriatric horses for ...
Hopster K, Driessen B.One of the biggest challenges in managing laminitis in horses remains the control of pain. The best analgesic approach is a multimodal approach, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and/or constant rate infusions of α-2 agonists, ketamine, and lidocaine. Recent literature indicates that amitriptyline and soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor might be beneficial. Clinically oriented studies will be needed if they have a place in laminitis pain management. The systemic pain control can be combined with local techniques such as long-acting local anesthetics or epidural catheter...
Orsini JA.The multiple topics summarized in this article and discussed in detail in this issue of VCNA are comprehensive and in-depth, exploring concepts and clinical experiences for state-of-the-art care of the equine foot. The research on the equine foot will translate to the clinical setting and with this the compassionate care of the horse.
Raulo SM, Sorsa T, Tervahartiala T, Pirilä E, Maisi P.Gelatinolytic activity was analysed to study whether elevated activity previously found at the tracheal level of the respiratory tract of horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could also be found at the lower part of the respiratory tract. Furthermore, presence and significance of the gelatinolytic matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) MMP-2 and MMP-9 in respiratory secretions of healthy and COPD horses were determined. Elevated gelatinolytic matrix metalloproteinases were detected in bronchoalveolar and tracheobronchial secretions from COPD horses. The main pathologically elevat...
Smits K, Gansemans Y, Tilleman L, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Van De Velde M, Gerits I, Ververs C, Roels K, Govaere J, Peelman L, Deforce D, Van Soom A.The signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) has still not been identified in the horse. High-throughput molecular biology at the embryo-maternal interface has substantially contributed to the knowledge on pathways affected during MRP, but an integrated study in which proteomics, transcriptomics and miRNA expression can be linked directly is currently lacking. The aim of this study was to provide such analysis. Endometrial biopsies, uterine fluid, embryonic tissues, and yolk sac fluid were collected 13 days after ovulation during pregnant and control cycles from the same mares. Micro...
Vander Heyden L, Lejeune JP, Caudron I, Detilleux J, Sandersen C, Chavatte P, Paris J, Deliège B, Serteyn D.Osteochondrosis (OC) is the most common developmental orthopaedic disease in horses and represents a major problem to the horse industry. The complete mechanism of this multifactorial disease is not yet elucidated, but it is accepted that OC lesions are the result of intrinsic genetic and external factors. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the relationship between breeding management and OC. Breeding conditions were recorded, and a radiological examination was performed in 223 foals. Feeding practice and housing management were analysed in a multivariate model to determine risk facto...
Nogueira SA, Torres SM, Malone ED, Diaz SF, Jessen C, Gilbert S.Imiquimod is an immune response modifier with potent antiviral and antitumour activity. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of an imiquimod 5% cream (Aldaratrade mark: 3M, Saint Paul, MN, USA) as a topical treatment for equine sarcoids. Fifteen horses with a total of 19 tumours were enrolled, including mixed (7), fibroblastic (5), flat (3), verrucous (2), and nodular (2) types. Baseline data included history, physical examination, tumour location, measurement and digital photography. Imiquimod was applied by the owners three times a week until complete resolution of ...
Proudman CJ, Trees AJ.There is increasing interest in the application of serological methods to macro-parasite infections to indicate infection intensity, which in turn is related to pathogenicity. Colic is the single most important cause of mortality in horses and there is evidence that a proportion of colic cases are associated with infection with the intestinal cestode Anoplocephala perfoliata. In order to develop better tools to investigate this association, the correlation between antigen-specific equine IgG and IgG(T) and infection intensity of A. perfoliata was investigated. Affinity purification of a 12/13 ...
Trimeche A, Yvon JM, Vidament M, Palmer E, Magistrini M.The supplementation of the freezing diluent with 3 amino acids (glutamine, proline and histidine) and 1 amino acid-related compound (betaine) in preserving stallion spermatozoa diluted in INRA82 extender containing 2.5% (v/v) glycerol and 2% (v/v) egg yolk (control extender) during freezing and thawing was studied at 0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 mM in 20 split ejaculates (10 stallions x 2 ejaculates; Experiment 1). Glutamine and proline were studied at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 mM in 20 split ejaculates (10 stallions x 2 ejaculates; Experiment 2). In each experiment, spermatozoa were eval...
Pastuszka R, Barłowska J, Litwińczuk Z.Protein content in cow milk (with over 20 proteins, and peptides may also occur as a result of enzymatic hydrolysis) ranges from 2.5% to 4.2% and is about 1.5-2 times higher than in human milk. Its most important allergens are considered to be β-lactoglobulin (absent in human milk) and αs1-casein. The most similar in composition to human milk is horse and donkey milk. It contains considerably more whey proteins (35-50%) than cow milk (about 20%), and the concentration of the most allergenic casein fraction αs1 is 1.5-2.5 g/l. In comparison, the content of αs1-casein in cow milk is about 10...
Olitsky PK, Harford CG.Young (12 to 15 day old) mice are approximately as susceptible to the virus of equine encephalomyelitis, Eastern or Western strain, when it is given intraperitoneally as are adult mice when the virus is injected intracerebrally. With this susceptibility by the intraperitoneal route as a basis, the injection of immune serum-virus mixtures intraperitoneally was found to result in protection in dilutions which give rise to infection after intracerebral inoculation. The difference of protective power by the two indicated routes was shown not to depend on the amount of inoculum nor on the age of th...
Almagro JC, Martinez L, Smith SL, Alagon A, Estevez J, Paniagua J.We have constructed a chimeric antibody single-chain Fv (scFv) fragments phage-displayed library that combines an invariant human V(L) chain with the repertoire of V(H) domains amplified from a horse immunized against scorpion venom. To gain insight into the equine V(H) repertoire, the V(H) sequences of 46 unique clones randomly chosen from the library prior to antigenic selection were analyzed. Comparisons with previously reported equine V(H) sequences, as well as with the repertoire of human IGHV germline genes and known V(H) sequences of sheep, cattle and pig, suggest that the equine IGH lo...
Felix MR, Turner RM, Dobbie T, Hinrichs K.Methods for standard in vitro fertilization have been difficult to establish in the horse. We evaluated whether prolonged sperm pre-incubation would support subsequent fertilization. Fresh sperm were pre-incubated with penicillamine, hypotaurine, and epinephrine (PHE) for 22 h. Co-incubation of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) for 6 h yielded 43% fertilization; culture of presumptive embryos yielded 21% blastocysts. Sperm incubated similarly, but without PHE, did not fertilize oocytes. Use of extended semen in the system yielded 54% blastocysts and was applied in subsequent experiments. Trans...
Tutluoglu B, Atiş S, Anakkaya AN, Altug E, Tosun GA, Yaman M.This study aimed to investigate the rate of occupational sensitization to horse hair in grooms and whether occupational exposure to horse hair increases respiratory and allergic symptoms and affects lung function in grooms or not. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Two hundred grooms were randomly selected among 1000 grooms working in Veliefendi Hippodrome of Istanbul. One hundred and twenty-five subjects agreed to enter the study. Ninety-two workers who worked in the different parts of this hippodrome enrolled as the control group. A detailed questionnaire including respiratory and all...
Soroko M, Zaborski D, Dudek K, Yarnell K, Górniak W, Vardasca R.The impact of a rider's and saddle's mass on saddle thermal pattern distribution was evaluated using infrared thermography (IRT). Eighteen racehorses were ridden by four riders with their own saddle. Images of the saddle panels were captured at each of six thermographic examinations. On each image, six regions of interest (ROIs) were marked on the saddle panels. The mean temperature for each ROI was extracted. To evaluate the influence of load on saddle fit, 4 indicators were used: ΔTmax (difference between the mean temperature of the warmest and coolest ROI); standard deviation of the mean t...
Crowe MW, Swerczek TW.In a 13-year survey of equine congenital defects that resulted in death or required euthanasia in central Kentucky, necropsies were performed on 608 deformed fetuses or newborn foals. The following congenital anomalies were observed: contracted foal syndrome (33.2%), miscellaneous limb contraction (20%), multiple defects (5.3%), microphthalmia (4.6%), craniofacial malformations (4.3%), cleft palate (4.0%), heart defects (3.5%), umbilical defects (3.5%), and hydrocephalus (3.0%). Eleven less frequently occurring anomalies constituted the balance of the congenital defects in fetuses and newborn ...
Celeste CJ, Deschene K, Riley CB, Theoret CL.Wound repair in horse limbs is often complicated by the development of exuberant granulation tissue (EGT) and excessive scarring while body wounds tend to repair uneventfully. EGT resembles the human keloid. While the events leading to keloid formation are not fully elucidated, tissue hypoxia has been proposed as a major contributing factor. The objective of this study was to investigate tissue oxygen saturation in healing full-thickness wounds created on the horse limb and body, using near-infrared spectroscopy. Spectroscopic reflectance data were collected from both anatomic sites at specifi...
Won SY, Kim YC, Kim SK, Jeong BH.Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative diseases and are characterized by the accumulation of abnormal prion protein (PrP) in the brain. During the outbreak of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic in the United Kingdom, prion diseases in several species were reported; however, horse prion disease has not been reported thus far. In previous studies, the shadow of prion protein (Sho) has contributed to an acceleration of conversion from normal prion protein (PrP) to PrP, and the shadow of prion protein gene () polymorphisms have been significantly associated with the susceptibi...
Naylor RJ, Taylor AH, Knowles EJ, Wilford S, Linnenkohl W, Mair TS, Johns IC.Ex vivo evidence suggests that cyclo-oxygenase (COX) 2-preferential inhibitor nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as meloxicam, have a less detrimental effect on intestinal healing than flunixin meglumine (FM). Whether this translates to a beneficial effect in horses with naturally occurring strangulating small intestinal (SSI) lesions is unknown. Objective: To compare the clinical outcome of horses with naturally occurring SSI lesions treated with meloxicam or FM. Methods: Randomised prospective study. Methods: Cases presenting to the Royal Veterinary College Equine Referral H...
Broeckx S, Borena BM, Zimmerman M, Mariën T, Seys B, Suls M, Duchateau L, Spaas JH.It has been reported that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have homing capacities and immunomodulating effects after an intravenous injection. However, transplanting MSCs in murine tail veins can result in pulmonary reactions and even death of the animals. Unfortunately, only a few intravenous MSC transplantations have been reported in large animal species and these were performed in a limited number of individuals. To assess the safety of MSC transplantations, a large study on 291 recipient horses is reported here. MSCs were isolated from the peripheral blood (PB) of a 4-year-old and 6-year-old ...
Meny P, Menéndez C, Ashfield N, Quintero J, Rios C, Iglesias T, Schelotto F, Varela G.Leptospirosis is important in Uruguay due to the economic loss caused by the diseases of production animals, mainly bovines, and also due to frequent human infection. We decided to study anti-Leptospira antibodies in the sera of dairy workers, rice laborers, veterinarians, suburban slum dwellers and garbage recyclers. Our aims were to estimate the seroprevalence of infection by Leptospira spp. in these people at risk, the relative importance of the known risk factors associated with infection, and the impact of human infections in each setting. Groups at risk were identified and 35 visits to t...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A, Petkova M....Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of an essential oil from the leaves of L. (laurel leaf oil), when used as a sensory additive for all animal species. The additive contains up to 4% methyleugenol. The use of the additive at 2 mg/kg complete feed in dogs and cats was considered of low concern. For other long-living and reproductive animals, the use of the additive at 10 mg/kg was considered of concern. For short-living animal...
Marenzoni ML, Coppola G, Maranesi M, Passamonti F, Cappelli K, Capomaccio S, Verini Supplizi A, Thiry E, Coletti M.Equid herpesvirus 5 (EHV-5) infection was detected in a farm in Italy by the use of a semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting glycoprotein B of EHV-5 on nasal swabs and blood samples of clinically healthy and randomly selected Lipizzaner horses (n = 55). Twenty-five horses at the age of 4-17 years and 30 at an age of 1-3 years were sampled once. The association of the infection with these age-groups and the gender of the horses was investigated. The apparent prevalence of EHV-5 infection was significantly different between age-cohorts: it was higher in the younger group of ...
Sato K, Wakai T, Seita Y, Takizawa A, Fissore RA, Ito J, Kashiwazaki N.A sperm-specific phospholipase C (PLC), PLCzeta (PLCζ), is thought to underlie the initiation of calcium ([Ca(2+) ]i ) oscillations that induce egg activation in mammals. In large domestic species, only bovine, porcine and recently equine PLCζ have been cloned, and the physiological functions of these molecules have not been fully characterized. Here, we evaluated the physiological functions of equine PLCζ (ePLCζ) in mouse oocytes. ePLCζ was cloned from testis using RT-PCR. The expression of ePLCζ messenger RNA was confirmed in testis but not in other tissues. Microinjection of ePLCζ co...
Gharekhani J, Yakhchali M, Berahmat R.Knowledge on neosporosis and associated risk factors in different species of animals are so important for designing the control programs and reduce the economic losses globally. This literature review targeted for evaluating the infection rate of in animals in Iran. Until April 2020, all of published documents in the main English and Persian-language databases were searched. A total number of 110 documents (English = 85 and Persian = 25) were extracted. Most of reports were sero-epidemiological studies using ELISA in Iranian cattle population. The range of infection was 3.8-76.2% in ...
Schoster A.Probiotics are commonly used in human and veterinary medicine due to their postulated positive effects on overall and specifically gastrointestinal health. Although some beneficial effects have been shown in several human diseases, a general beneficial effect of probiotics is currently not supported. In horses, well-designed studies to date are few, results are conflicting, and the effects of probiotics are questionable. Adverse effects are rare; however, intestinal adverse effects (diarrhea) have been reported in foals. Quality control of over-the-counter probiotics is not tightly regulated, ...
Boxell AC, Gibson KT, Hobbs RP, Thompson RC.To assess the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in horses in Perth. To apply polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the identification of some species of encysted larval cyathostomes. Methods: Between February and September of 2000, the gastrointestinal tracts of 29 horses submitted to a local knackery and Murdoch University Veterinary hospital in Perth were examined post mortem for the presence of gastrointestinal parasites. Methods: The gastrointestinal tract was divided into six sections, which were screened for the presence of parasites such as Gasterophilus sp, Anoplocephala sp and Pa...
Nilsson O, Ljungström BL, Höglund J, Lundquist H, Uggla A.Distal ileum, caecum and proximal colon of 470 horses were examined for helminths during 1 year at an abattoir in central Sweden. The infection levels of the horse tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata, their stage of development, site of attachment and gross pathological lesions caused by the worm were recorded. Faecal samples from 395 of the horses were examined specifically for tapeworm segments and eggs in order to correlate these findings with the numbers in the alimentary canal. In total 65% of the horses were infected with A. perfoliata and the mean intensity of infection was 79 worms per i...
Olivo G, Lucas TM, Borges AS, Silva RO, Lobato FC, Siqueira AK, da Silva Leite D, Brandão PE, Gregori F, de Oliveira-Filho JP, Takai S, Ribeiro MG.Diarrhea is a major clinical problem affecting foals up to 3 months of age. The aim of this study was to identify enteric microorganisms involved in monoinfections and coinfections and the associated virulence factors in healthy and diarrheic foals. Diarrheic (D) ( = 56) and nondiarrheic (ND) foals ( = 60) up to three months of age were studied. Fecal samples were analyzed for identification of infectious agents (microbiological culturing, molecular techniques, and microscopic analyses). (30% versus 25%), spp. (25% versus 7%), (25% versus 25%), type A (21% versus 10%), (20% versus 35%), ...
Mularczyk M, Bourebaba N, Marycz K, Bourebaba L.Astaxanthin is gaining recognition as a natural bioactive component. This study aimed to test whether astaxanthin could protect adipose-derived stromal stem cells (ASCs) from apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. was used to extract astaxanthin, whose biocompatibility was tested after 24, 48 and 72 h of incubation with the cells; no harmful impact was found. ASCs were treated with optimal concentrations of astaxanthin. Several parameters were examined: cell viability, apoptosis, reactive oxygen levels, mitochondrial dynamics and metabolism, superoxide dismutase activity, ...
Leclere M, Costa MC.Gastrointestinal microbiota can be influenced by several factors, including diet and systemic inflammation, and in turn could act as a modulator of the allergic response. Fecal microbiota of horses with asthma has not been described. Objective: Analyze the bacterial fecal microbiota of horses with and without asthma under different environment and diet conditions, during both remission and exacerbation. Methods: Prospective observational study. Feces from 6 asthmatic and 6 healthy horses were collected under 3 different conditions: on pasture, housed indoors receiving good quality hay ("good h...
Lang HM, Schnabel LV, Cassano JM, Fortier LA.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are frequently delivered via needle injection for treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of needle diameter on the viability of MSCs. Methods: Equine bone marrow-derived MSCs from 5 horses were suspended in PBS, and held at room temperature for 7 hours to mimic shipping conditions. Two replicate samples for each needle size (20, 22, 23, or 25-gauge [ga]) were aspirated into a 3 mL syringe and re-injected into the holding vial 3 times, to reproduce the resuspension of cells prior to injection in clinical cases. C...
