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.
Bażanów B, Pawęska JT, Pogorzelska A, Florek M, Frącka A, Gębarowski T, Chwirot W, Stygar D.Huculs () are an old breed of primitive mountain horses, originating from the Carpathian Mountains. To the best of our knowledge, data concerning the epidemiology of viral infections observed within this breed are sparse. The objective of this study was to estimate the serological status of a semi-isolated, unvaccinated Hucul herd, with respect to both common equine viral infections and horse-infecting arboviruses, the presence of which was previously reported in Poland. Twenty horses of the Hucul breed, living in a remote area in Poland, were studied in 2018 from March to May. Using nasal sec...
Haspeslagh M, Van Hecke LL, Hermans K, Chiers K, Pint E, Wilmink JM, Martens AM.Distal limb wounds in horses often show aberrant healing due to a slow inflammatory response. In human medicine, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is used for the treatment of chronic wounds with a similar inflammatory response. Objective: To compare the effect of NPWT to calcium alginate dressings on the healing of (non) contaminated equine distal limb wounds. Methods: Controlled experiment. Methods: Circular wounds were created on the left and right dorsomedial metacarpus of 10 horses. In five horses, the wounds were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In...
Chen YT, Mills C, von Rickenbach KJ, McInnis KC.A 61-yr-old female equestrian presented after 2 wks of left medial thigh pain, which developed suddenly while exiting a car. She denied any history of recent trauma or falls. On examination, she was found to have tenderness at the left distal medial thigh with a palpable region of decreased tissue volume at the gracilis myotendinous junction. Point-of-care ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed a high-grade partial thickness tear of the left distal gracilis at the myotendinous junction, as well as pes anserine bursal distention. She received physical therapy and underwent a 1-time...
Bedenice D, Avila B, Paradis MR.Species-related differences in the prevalence, manifestation, and outcome of neonatal illness may impact management practices of neonatal intensive care. The study aimed to elucidate similarities between disease manifestations and mortality risks of critically ill (CI) neonatal crias and foals admitted to the same referral center. Methods: A comparative, retrospective cohort evaluation of two species (camelid and equine). Methods: The study was conducted in a University hospital. Methods: Two hundred and forty-six CI neonatal crias (January 1999 to May 2016) and 356 neonatal foals (February 20...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Fašmon Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A....The tincture derived from L. (great mullein tincture) is intended to be used as a sensory additive in feed for all animal species. The product is a water/ethanol solution, with a dry matter content of ˜ 2.8% and contains on average 0.216% polyphenols including 0.093% flavonoids. According to a previous assessment, the additive was not characterised in full and about 82% of the dry matter fraction remained uncharacterised (representing 2.26% of the tincture). There was also uncertainty on the potential presence of iridoid glycosides in the tincture. Therefore, the Panel on Additives and Prod...
Fouché N, Oesch S, Ziegler U, Gerber V.Tick-borne encephalitis is an important viral tick-borne zoonosis in Europe and Asia. The disease is induced by tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). This report describes a 16-year-old Warmblood gelding presenting with sudden onset of lethargy, ataxia, and muscle fasciculations on the nostrils, the lips, and the eye lids as the most important clinical findings. The horse further had a mild facial nerve paralysis with drooping of the right upper and lower lip. Diagnosis was based on paired serum samples using TBEV-ELISAs revealing high serum IgM in the first sample with normal IgM in the secon...
Aleman MR, True A, Scalco R, Crowe CM, Costa LRR, Chigerwe M.Irreversible sensorineural auditory loss has been reported in humans treated with aminoglycosides but not in horses. Objective: Investigate if auditory loss occurs in horses treated using the recommended IV daily dosage of gentamicin for 7 consecutive days. Methods: Ten healthy adult horses (7-15 years; females and males, 5 each). Methods: Prospective study. Physical and neurological examinations and renal function tests were performed. Gentamicin sulfate was administered at a dosage of 6.6 mg/kg via the jugular vein on alternating sides for 7 days. Gentamicin peak and trough concentratio...
Erol E, Scortti M, Fortner J, Patel M, Vázquez-Boland JA.Clonal multidrug resistance recently emerged in Rhodococcus equi, complicating the therapeutic management of this difficult-to-treat animal- and human-pathogenic actinomycete. The currently spreading multidrug-resistant (MDR) "2287" clone arose in equine farms upon acquisition, and coselection by mass macrolide-rifampin therapy, of the pRErm46 plasmid carrying the (46) macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin resistance determinant, and of an mutation. Here, we screened a collection of susceptible and macrolide-resistant strains from equine clinical cases using a panel of 15 antimicrobials agains...
Kritchevsky J, Olave C, Tinkler S, Tropf M, Ivester K, Forsythe L, Couetil L.The use of thyroid supplement is pervasive in athletic horses although its effects on measures of performance are not known. Objective: One purpose of this study was to determine whether supra-physiologic doses of levothyroxine affect the velocities at which blood lactate was greater than 4 mmol/L (VLa4 ) and heart rate was over 150 (V150 ) and 200 (V200 ) beats per minute respectively. Additionally, a survey of post-race blood samples was also conducted to determine whether high thyroxine concentrations were common in racehorses. Methods: A randomised, crossover, trial was performed in six h...
Viana GF, Midon M, Fonseca MW, Hataka A, Carandina L, Bueno LMC, Puoli Filho JNP, Machado VMV.In humans and pets, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides important adjunctive anatomic information about the thyroid and its adjacent structures. To the best of our knowledge, however, no studies have been reported regarding the use of MRI for thyroid evaluation in horses. The aim of this study was to obtain qualitative and quantitative parameters of healthy thyroid gland in adult horses by MRI. Eleven horses were submitted to thyroid MRI evaluation. The healthy thyroid of these animals was ensured by normal examinations performed before (free thyroxine and ultrasound) and after (cytology...
Cohen ND, Kahn SK, Cywes-Bentley C, Ramirez-Cortez S, Schuckert AE, Vinacur M, Bordin AI, Pier GB.Rhodococcus equi is a prevalent cause of pneumonia in foals worldwide. Our laboratory has demonstrated that vaccination against the surface polysaccharide β-1→6-poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG) protects foals against intrabronchial infection with R. equi when challenged at age 28 days. However, it is important that the efficacy of this vaccine be evaluated in foals when they are infected at an earlier age, because foals are naturally exposed to virulent R. equi in their environment from birth and because susceptibility is inversely related to age in foals. Using a randomized, blind experim...
Vercelli C, Tursi M, Miretti S, Giusto G, Gandini M, Re G, Valle E.Laminitis is one of the most devastating diseases in equine medicine, and although several etiopathogenetic mechanisms have been proposed, few clear answers have been identified to date. Several lines of evidence point towards its underlying pathology as being metabolism-related. In the carbonyl stress pathway, sugars are converted to methylglyoxal (MG)-a highly reactive α-oxoaldehyde, mainly derived during glycolysis in eukaryotic cells from the triose phosphates: D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate. One common hypothesis is that MG could be synthesized during the dig...
Lemirre T, Santschi EM, Girard CA, Fogarty U, Janes JG, Richard H, Laverty S.The aetiology of equine medial femoral condyle (MFC) subchondral bone radiolucencies (SR) is unknown. Objective: Characterise the microstructural structural features of MFC SR in juvenile Thoroughbreds with microcomputed tomography (μCT) and histology. Methods: Cross-sectional post-mortem study. Methods: Distal femurs were collected at post-mortem. Conventional tomodensitometry was employed to scout for MFCs with and without SR lesions (SR+ and SR-, respectively). Group 1 were CT MFC SR+ and Group 2 age-matched SR- controls. Both underwent μCT and histological analysis. Group 3 CT MFC SR- fo...
Miller AB, Murphy BA, Adams AA.Blue light therapy can be used in horses to alter the natural photoperiod and inhibit winter hair coat growth. Seasonal increases in ACTH occur in the fall season but are exaggerated in horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Additionally, PPID horses frequently present with hypertrichosis. Thus, blue light therapy was proposed as a potential management tool for hypertrichosis and for investigating the impact of photoperiod manipulation on ACTH. Eighteen PPID horses, aged 18 to 31 yr, from a university-owned research herd were selected and assigned to either the control group...
Brom-de-Luna JG, Salgado RM, Felix MR, Canesin HS, Stefanovski D, Diaw M, Hinrichs K.In vitro production of horse embryos via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a useful clinical and research technique. Current rates of blastocyst production are typically sub-optimal, and few methods to increase the rate of equine blastocyst development have been reported. Factors that might improve blastocyst production in a horse embryo culture system were explored. Myo-inositol is found in the horse oviduct and improves blastocyst development in other species, thus Experiment 1 was conducted to assess the effect of 10 mM myo-inositol added to Day 0-5 embryo culture medium, using hor...
Ravichandran K, Anbazhagan S, Karthik K, Angappan M, Dhayananth B.Avian chlamydiosis is one of the important neglected diseases with critical zoonotic potential. Chlamydia psittaci, the causative agent, affects most categories of birds, livestock, companion animals, and humans. It has many obscured characters and epidemiological dimensions, which makes it unique among other bacterial agents. Recent reports on transmission from equine to humans alarmed the public health authorities, and it necessitates the importance of routine screening of this infectious disease. High prevalence of spill-over infection in equines was associated with reproductive losses. New...
Ellero N, Lanci A, Avallone G, Mariella J, Castagnetti C, Muscatello LV, Di Maio C, Freccero F.Seizures, coma and death rapidly appeared after admission in a one ‑month‑old foal with a history of lethargy, fever and anorexia. Severe icterus and necrotizing hepatitis were observed at necropsy. Clinical signs, laboratory and postmortem findings were compatible with a suspect of clostridial hepatitis. Tyzzer’s disease was confirmed by the presence of organisms morphologically consistent with Clostridium piliforme in the hepatocytes at the margins of multiple areas of hepatic necrosis. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of clostridial hepatitis caused by Clos...
Gallup GG, Anderson JR.The recent article by Baragli, Scopa, Maglieri, and Palagi (Anim Cogn https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-021-01502-7 , 2021) that claims to demonstrate mirror self-recognition (MSR) in horses is not based on compelling evidence. We identify problems with their experimental procedures, data, and assertion about "demonstrating MSR at group level." Examples of these problems include incomplete experimental design, absence of important control conditions, inappropriate terminology, suboptimal mark application procedures and coding of videos, ambiguity of videos presented as supporting evidence, and in...
Balko JA, Fogle C, Stuska SJ, Fogle JE, Posner LP.Butorphanol-azaperone-medetomidine (BAM™) has not been evaluated in horses. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate BAM™ for chemical restraint of feral horses. Methods: Retrospective and prospective descriptive studies. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from medical records of 28 feral horses immobilised with BAM™ over a 6-year period. Prospectively, 0.0125 mL/kg bwt of BAM™ (butorphanol 27.3 mg/mL, azaperone 9.1 mg/mL and medetomidine 10.9 mg/mL) intramuscularly (im) was administered to eight stallions via dart, and once recumbent, 1.0 mg/kg bwt ketamin...
Gray SM, Gutierrez-Nibeyro SD, Couëtil LL, Horn GP, Kesler RM, McCoy AM, Stewart MC, Schaeffer DJ.To evaluate the airway mechanics of modified toggle LP constructs in an airflow chamber model and compare these to the airway mechanics of standard LP constructs. Methods: Ex-vivo experimental study. Methods: Fifty-one equine cadaveric larynges. Methods: Bilateral LP constructs were performed using a modified toggle (n = 23) or a standard (n = 21) LP technique. Constructs were tested in an airflow model before and after cyclic loading which was designed to mimic postoperative swallowing. The cross-sectional area (CSA), peak translaryngeal airflow (L/s), and impedance (cmH 0/L/s) were deter...
Gündemir O, Szara T, Pazvant G, Erdikmen DO, Duro S, Perez W.In this study, it was aimed to determine the statistical differences between Arabian horses and Thoroughbred horses based on X-ray images of forelimb digital bones. Latero-medial X-ray images of digital bones of thoracic limbs were taken of 25 Arabian horses and 50 Thoroughbred healthy horses. The difference between males and females within the breed was statistically analyzed as well. Nine measurements and three indexes taken from phalanges of thoracic limbs were used. Thoroughbred horses did not differ significantly between sexes, as indicated by the ANOVA. For the Arabian horses, the length...
Cunneen A, Pratt S, Perkins N, McEwen M, Truchetti G, Rainger J, Farry T, Kidd L, Goodwin W.To evaluate the use of ketamine-medetomidine-midazolam total intravenous infusion as part of a balanced anaesthetic technique for surgical castration in horses. Five healthy Standardbred cross colts were premedicated with IV acepromazine (0.01-0.02 mg/kg), medetomidine (7 µg/kg) and methadone (0.1 mg/kg) and anaesthesia induced with IV ketamine (2.2 mg/kg) and midazolam (0.06 mg/kg). Horses were anaesthetised for 40 min with an IV infusion of ketamine (3 mg/kg/h), medetomidine (5 µg/kg/h) and midazolam (0.1 mg/kg/h) while routine surgical castration was performed. Cardiorespiratory variables...
Reinecke B, Klöhn M, Brüggemann Y, Kinast V, Todt D, Stang A, Badenhorst M, Koeppel K, Guthrie A, Groner U, Puff C, de le Roi M, Baumgärtner W....Since its first discovery by Arnold Theiler in 1918, serum hepatitis also known as Theiler's disease has been reported worldwide, causing idiopathic acute hepatitis and liver failure in horses. Recent studies have suggested a novel parvovirus, named equine parvovirus hepatitis (EqPV-H), to be associated with Theiler's disease. Despite the severity and potential fatality of EqPV-H infection, little is known about the possibility of developing chronic infections and putative cross-species infection of equine sister species. In the present longitudinal study, we employed qPCR analysis, serology, ...
Olvera-Maneu S, Carbajal A, Gardela J, Lopez-Bejar M.The monitoring of stress physiology includes studying a wide range of endocrinological mechanisms, which can be assessed using multiple tissue samples. This study aimed to evaluate the seasonal variations of hair C, T and DHEA-S in horses for a whole year, as well as to assess the variations between seasons of C/DHEA-S and T/C ratios as a retrospective measure of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis activity. Ten pure-breed Menorca stallions were included in the study. The hair samples were collected approximately every two months following the shave-resha...
von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Thompson RA, Krücken J, Grant W, Bowman DD, Schnyder M, Deplazes P.Anthelmintic resistance (AR) has thus far only rarely been reported for intestinal helminths of dogs and cats, in contrast to parasites of livestock and horses. We highlight possible reasons for this striking and important discrepancy, including ecological, biological and genetic factors and/or intervention regimens of key intestinal helminths concerning both host groups. In view of the current knowledge related to the genetics, mechanisms and principles of AR development, we point at issues which in our view contribute to a comparatively lower risk of AR development in intestinal helminths of...
Temple-Wong MM, Raleigh AR, Frisbie DD, Sah RL, McIlwraith CW.To assess whether the combination of hyaluronan, sodium chondroitin sulfate, and -acetyl-d-glucosamine (HCSG) lubricates articular cartilage in vitro and modulates joint lubrication in vivo. Methods: 16 healthy adult horses. Methods: The effects of HCSG injections on SF lubricant properties and joint health, immediately after injury and 2 weeks later, were analyzed by use an equine osteochondral fracture model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (OA). Middle carpal joints of adult horses were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 surgical treatment groups as follows: normal nonsurgical group (n = 8), norma...
Rocchigiani G, Ricci E, Navarro MA, Samol MA, Uzal FA.Healthy horses and other animals have large numbers of resident leukocytes in the intestinal wall, but there is scant information regarding which and how many leukocytes are normally present in the equine intestinal wall. Our aim was to provide a reference range of leukocytes in the intestinal mucosal and submucosal propria of normal horses. We included in our study intestinal tissues from 22 Thoroughbred racehorses with no clinical intestinal disease, which had been euthanized because of catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries. Neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, macrophages, and plasma cell...
Drolet BS, Reeves WK, Bennett KE, Pauszek SJ, Bertram MR, Rodriguez LL.In 2006, vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus (VSNJV) caused outbreaks in Wyoming (WY) horses and cattle after overwintering in 2004 and 2005. Within two weeks of the outbreak onset, 12,203 biting flies and 194 grasshoppers were collected near three equine-positive premises in Natrona County, WY. Insects were identified to the species level and tested by RT-qPCR for VSNJV polymerase (L) and phosphoprotein (P) gene RNA. Collected dipterans known to be competent for VSV transmission included Simulium black flies and Culicoides biting midges. VSNJV L and P RNA was detected in two pools of female...
Leventhal HR, Hassebroek AM, Carvallo F, McKenzie HC.A 14-y-old pony mare was referred after 30-d duration of intermittent pyrexia, anorexia, weight loss, and change in manure consistency. Physical examination revealed a palpable but reducible ventral abdominal mass. Transabdominal ultrasonography revealed multiple distended, hypomotile, and thickened small intestinal loops in close approximation with numerous, well-defined, hyperechoic masses. There was a large amount of echogenic peritoneal fluid; abdominocentesis revealed a neutrophilic and macrophagic inflammatory exudate, and a mixed bacterial population was cultured. Given the poor prognos...
Filippo PAD, Duarte BR, Albernaz AP, Quirino CR.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of feed restriction on some physical and blood parameters in horses kept outdoors under natural conditions. Twenty horses were deprived of food for 48 h. They were closely monitored and examined, and blood samples were taken at the beginning (0) of the experiment and 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42 and 48 hours afterward. During the experimental period, the control group (12 animals) had free access to water and hay, while the restricted group had free access to water only. Data were submitted to two-way analysis of variance with repeated measur...
Walmsley JP.The accuracy of the diagnosis of ligamentous and meniscal injuries in the equine stifle has improved significantly in the last 20 years. There are, however, significant limitations in the diagnosis of stifle injuries because of the size and anatomy of the equine stifle. Treatment of soft tissue injuries to the equine stifle has been empirical,with only a few large case studies for specific conditions of stifle ligaments and menisci and only retrospective case studies of the outcome of treatment. This article describes the diagnosis and treatment of ligamentous and meniscal injuries in the equi...
Galuppi R, Piva S, Castagnetti C, Iacono E, Tanel S, Pallaver F, Fioravanti ML, Zanoni RG, Tampieri MP, Caffara M.The present study aims to evaluate the prevalence, pattern of spread and risk factors for the transmission of cryptosporidiosis in foals and mares hospitalized in a University Equine Perinatology Unit, where a new subtype family of Cryptosporidium horse genotype was described by Caffara et al. (2013). Mares (36) and foals (37) hospitalized during the 2012 foaling season were included. Multiple sampling from each animal was performed (a total of 305 stool samples were collected). One hundred and eleven environmental samples (gauze swabs) were also collected before and after the breeding season....
Höglund J, Ljungström BL, Nilsson O, Uggla A.A scolex antigen of the horse tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata containing at least 14 different proteins was employed in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of antibodies to A. perfoliata in equine sera. The assay was applied to sera from 426 slaughtered horses with different numbers of worms and with varying degrees of intestinal lesions. As measured by the ELISA, there was a very strong effect on the antibody levels both from the number of tapeworms present and from the intestinal lesion score. However, considerable individual variation was observed between horses wit...
Finno CJ, Gianino G, Perumbakkam S, Williams ZJ, Bordbari MH, Gardner KL, Burns E, Peng S, Durward-Akhurst SA, Valberg SJ.The cause of immune-mediated myositis (IMM), characterized by recurrent, rapid-onset muscle atrophy in Quarter Horses (QH), is unknown. The histopathologic hallmark of IMM is lymphocytic infiltration of myofibers. The purpose of this study was to identify putative functional variants associated with equine IMM. A genome-wide association (GWA) study was performed on 36 IMM QHs and 54 breed matched unaffected QHs from the same environment using the Equine SNP50 and SNP70 genotyping arrays. A mixed model analysis identified nine SNPs within a ~ 2.87 Mb region on chr11 that were significantly (...
Rivero JL, Talmadge RJ, Edgerton VR.The aim of this study was to characterize the myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms present in equine skeletal muscle. Methods: Muscle biopsies were removed from the superficial region of the gluteus medius muscle of five mature horses and analyzed by immunohistochemistry (using a battery of monoclonal antibodies specific for rat MyHC isoforms) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results: Immunohistochemistry allowed subdivision of three different muscle fiber populations containing a single MyHC, one slow and two fast, and two hybrid populations, one containing slow an...
Back W, Schamhardt HC, Savelberg HH, van den Bogert AJ, Bruin G, Hartman W, Barneveld A.Kinematic data of the equine hind limb are presented graphically and related to functional aspects of the hind limb in locomotion. The trot of 24 two-year-old Dutch Warmblood horses was recorded at 4 m/s on a high-speed treadmill using kinematic analysis equipment. Joint angle-time, angle-angle, stick and marker diagrams were used to present graphically the data following standardised procedures. As the kinematic data were expressed with reference to the joint angles of the horse standing squarely and were time-standardised to the duration of the stride cycle, mean joint curves for the total g...
Jackson CA, Berney C, Jefcoat AM, Robinson NE.Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) or heaves is a manifestation of a hypersensitivity to dust, moulds, and spores in the environment of a susceptible horse. Although in the majority of RAO-affected horses, clinical remission can be achieved by keeping horses at pasture to reduce their allergen exposure, this often is not practicable. For this reason, we investigated if changing the environment of a single stall in a 4 stall stable was sufficient to improve lung function and reduce inflammation in RAO-affected horses. In addition, we determined if addition of oral prednisone provided additional...
Timoney PJ.Contagious equine metritis (CEM) has given rise to international concern since it was first recognized as a novel venereal disease of equids in 1977 and the etiologic agent was identified as a previously undescribed bacterium, Taylorella equigenitalis. Horse industry concerns over CEM centered on the ease with which this bacterium could be disseminated, the significance of T. equigenitalis as a cause of short-term infertility in the mare, and the existence of the carrier state in the stallion and the mare. The first known outbreak of CEM in the United States was in Kentucky in 1978. The econom...
Hobbs GD, Yealy DM, Rivas J.A retrospective chart review was conducted to define the demographic and injury patterns of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). The setting is a rural/small urban tertiary care center with approximately 40,000 visits per year. All patients presenting to the ED from January 1986 through December 1990 with equestrian-related injuries were enrolled in the study. Measurements included age, sex, mechanism of injury, injury or injuries diagnosed, admission to the hospital, morbidity, and mortality. A total of 142 patients met the inclusion criteria. The majority of injuries occurre...
Keenan DM, Alexander S, Irvine C, Veldhuis JD.Cortisol is an important mediator of physiological stress responses. Hypothalamic CRH and arginine vasopressin (AVP) and pituitary ACTH, in addition to hypothalamic and pituitary cortisol feedback, regulate cortisol secretion. Importantly, joint interactions among the four, rather than the signal of any one hormone, govern this life-preserving axis. Quantifying in vivo strength of such joint interactions has been difficult, especially without direct injection of cortisol, CRH, AVP, or ACTH. The goal of the present research was to estimate these joint feedback and feedforward interactions in vi...
Dhakal P, Tsunoda N, Nakai R, Kitaura T, Harada T, Ito M, Nagaoka K, Toishi Y, Taniyama H, Gen W, Taya K.Changes in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin, immunoreactive(ir)-inhibin, testosterone, estradiol-17β, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I in Thoroughbred stallions along with changes in prolactin secretion in geldings were studied. The correlations of day-length with changes in the concentrations of these hormones were also studied. Five stallions and thirteen geldings were employed to draw blood samples in monthly basis and radioimmunoassay was performed to measure these hormones. All hormones showed a seasonal pattern, the levels being highest durin...
Zoonoses and public healthMarch 12, 2008
Volume 55, Issue 3 149-155 doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2008.01106.x
Vedovello Filho D, Jorge FA, Lonardoni MV, Teodoro U, Silveira TG.American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is an endemic disease in the north-west of Paraná state, Brazil, where it occurs in humans and dogs. Few studies have been undertaken on the occurrence of the disease in other domestic animals and horses. In this study we investigated the infection of horses by Leishmania in ACL-endemic rural areas. Direct agglutination test (DAT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were employed. Fifty-five horses from rural areas in the municipalities of Doutor Camargo, Ourizona, São Jorge do Ivaí, Ivatuba and Santa Fé (Agua do O) were analysed. DAT-detected antibod...
Willoughby R, Ecker G, McKee S, Riddolls L, Vernaillen C, Dubovi E, Lein D, Mahony JB, Chernesky M, Nagy E.The response of horses exposed to three common respiratory viruses was studied by measuring tracheal mucociliary clearance rates in the trachea. Tracheal clearance rates (TCR) were determined before, during illness and following recovery in horses exposed to equine rhinovirus (ERhV-2), equine influenza virus (EIV) and equine herpesvirus (EHV-4) by means of lateral scintigraphs made following an injection of technetium-99m sulphide colloid into the tracheal lumen. In six horses exposed to ERhV-2, TCR remained within normal limits. Exposure to EIV resulted in reduced TCR in six of seven horses, ...
Trotz-Williams L, Physick-Sheard P, McFarlane H, Pearl DL, Martin SW, Peregrine AS.Infection with the tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata has been found to be associated with equine colic in horses in the United Kingdom. Using a matched case-control study design, data collected from 117 pairs of horses in Ontario were examined for evidence of associations between risk of colic and A. perfoliata infection, and between seropositivity to infection and management practices. Cases were horses in southern Ontario diagnosed with colic by local veterinarians, and control horses were from the same stables as cases and were matched by age, breed and gender where possible. Infection stat...
Schubert S, Brehm W, Hillmann A, Burk J.For clinical applications of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), serum-free culture is preferable to standardize cell products and prevent contamination with pathogens. In contrast to human MSCs, knowledge on serum-free culture of large animal MSCs is limited, despite its relevance for preclinical studies and development of veterinary cellular therapeutics. This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of a commercially available serum-free human MSC medium for culturing equine adipose-derived MSCs in comparison with human adipose MSCs. Enzyme-free isolation by explant technique and e...
Van Den Top JG, Ensink JM, Gröne A, Klein WR, Barneveld A, Van Weeren PR.Penile and preputial tumours are not uncommon in the horse, but can cause discomfort and lead to serious complications. Several types of tumour of the male external genitalia have been described. The most common type is the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which is found mainly in older horses. Reports of a breed predilection for penile tumour formation are equivocal, but castration, coat colour, poor hygiene and various infectious agents have all been suggested to predispose to the development of some types of tumour (e.g. SCC, papilloma and melanoma). Careful assessment of the primary tumour i...
Cherry NA, Jones SL, Maggi RG, Davis JL, Breitschwerdt EB.Bartonella species bacteremia has been identified in numerous animal species. These bacteria cause, or have been associated with, a spectrum of clinical manifestations in dogs and human patients. The frequency of exposure to or infection with Bartonella spp. among healthy and sick horses has not been reported. Objective: To test healthy and sick horses and sick foals from the southeastern United States for serological, microbiological, and molecular evidence of Bartonella infection. Methods: Forty-seven healthy horses, 15 sick foals, 22 horses with musculoskeletal manifestations, and 8 horses ...
Szabó C, Vizesi Z, Vincze A.Heart rate is one of the gold standards used to assess the workload level and fitness of horses. However, when slight differences need to be detected, it is not sensitive enough. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the effect of competition level and phase of exercise on the heart rate and heart rate variability parameters in show jumpers. Fourteen horses were examined competing on three different levels: 100 cm (n = 4), 120 cm (n = 6), and 130 cm (n = 4). The length of work (min); average and maximum heart rate; average, maximum and minimum RR intervals (ms); SD1 and SD2 (ms); RMSSD ...
Zucca E, Corsini E, Galbiati V, Lange-Consiglio A, Ferrucci F.Data obtained in both animal models and clinical trials suggest that cell-based therapies represent a potential therapeutic strategy for lung repair and remodeling. Recently, new therapeutic approaches based on the use of stem cell derivatives (e.g., conditioned medium (CM) and microvesicles (MVs)) to regenerate tissues and improve their functions were proposed. The aim of this study was to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of equine amniotic mesenchymal cell derivatives on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine production in equine alveolar macrophages, which may be beneficial in lu...
Collins JA, Hanlon A, More SJ, Wall PG, Kennedy J, Duggan V.Significant potential threats to the health and welfare of horses exist in Ireland when supply exceeds demand and the identification system for horses is not yet robust. Objective: To secure engagement with stakeholder groups and determine their perception of equine welfare in Ireland and encourage the development of inclusive, rather than imposed, policy solutions. Methods: A 3 round, web-based Policy Delphi incorporating novel vignette methodology was conducted from November 2007-March 2008 to canvass opinion (in both quantitative and qualitative forms) on the perceived most significant equi...
Wilsterman S, Soboll-Hussey G, Lunn DP, Ashton LV, Callan RJ, Hussey SB, Rao S, Goehring LS.Infection with equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) causes respiratory disease, late term abortions and equine herpesvirus myeloencephalitis (EHM) and remains an important problem in horses worldwide. Despite increasing outbreaks of EHM in recent years, our understanding of EHM pathogenesis is still limited except for the knowledge that a cell-associated viremia in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) is a critical link between primary respiratory EHV-1 infection and secondary complications such as late-term abortion or EHM. To address this question our objective was to identify which PBMC subpo...
Azuolas JK, Wishart E, Bibby S, Ainsworth C.To report clinical and clinicopathological findings in horses naturally infected with Ross River virus (RRV) and identify likely mosquito arbovirus vector species. Methods: Veterinarians submitted serum samples from 750 horses because they suspected Ross River virus (RRV) infection. The samples were tested for the presence of IgM and IgG antibody to RRV and for the presence of virus. Mosquitoes were trapped, differentiated to species level and tested for the presence of RRV by virus isolation. Results: RRV was isolated from six species of mosquitoes (Ochlerotatus camptorhyncus, Culex globocoxi...
Powers BE, Stashak TS, Nixon AJ, Yovich JV, Norrdin RW.Specimens of ligamentum flavum, joint capsule, and dorsal lamina were collected at surgery or necropsy from 25 horses with cervical static stenosis. All horses had myelographic evidence of dorsal compression of the spinal cord caused by soft tissue and/or bone in the caudal cervical area, primarily at C6-7. Most horses also had radiographic evidence of degenerative joint disease of articular facets. Histologically 19 horses had osteosclerosis and cartilage retention in the dorsal lamina, and 24 horses had increased fibrocartilage at the ligamentum flavum attachment to dorsal lamina. The ligame...
Zaneb H, Kaufmann V, Stanek C, Peham C, Licka TF.To assess differences in activities of back and pelvic limb muscles by use of surface electromyography (SEMG) in chronically lame and nonlame horses during walking and trotting. Methods: 12 nonlame horses and 12 horses with unilateral chronic mild to moderate pelvic limb lameness. Methods: On each horse, bipolar electrodes were attached to the skin over the midpoints of the right and left longissimus thoracis (Lot), semitendinosus (Set), biceps femoris (Bif), gluteus medius (Glm), and extensor digitorum longus (Edl) muscles. For each muscle, synchronous kinematic and SEMG recordings were made ...
de Solis CN, Althaus F, Basieux N, Burger D.Sudden death affects the health of horses, the safety of riders and the public perception of animal welfare during equestrian events. Objective: To describe the signalment, clinical history, sudden death episode, rider injuries and causes of sudden death during exercise or closely thereafter in sport and pleasure riding horses. Methods: Retrospective case series based on an online questionnaire. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to the veterinary and equestrian community. Connections of animals reported in the press to have died suddenly were sent the survey. Responses were anal...
Ekman L, Nilsson G, Persson L, Lumsden JH.A method of determining the volumes of synovia in certain articular cavities in the horse is described. The method is based on the degree of dilution of human serum albumin labelled with I that is injected into the joint. It is shown that uniform distribution of the injected substance is attained within 20 min post injection. The elimination of the labelled substance was found to follow the pattern of a single exponential function. The following volumes of synovia were determined (mean ± s) : hock, 39.8 ± 2.1 ml; radio-carpal, 12.6 ±1.5 ml; intercarpal, 14.9 ± 0.6 ml; foreleg fetlock joint...
Hoane JS, Yeargan MR, Stamper S, Saville WJ, Morrow JK, Lindsay DS, Howe DK.Neospora hughesi is a recently identified cause of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. However, the significance of this parasite is poorly understood. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with a recombinant form of the N. hughesi 29-kDa surface antigen (rNhSAG1) was developed for serodiagnosis of equine N. hughesi infections. Parallel ELISA analysis showed that animals immunized or infected with N. hughesi exhibited greater antibody reactivity with rNhSAG1 than with the Neospora caninum homolog, rNcSAG1. The rNhSAG1 ELISA showed 94.4% sensitivity and 95.0% specificity when compared wi...
Evans KE, McGreevy PD.There is a lack of an established method for quantifying equine skull morphology. This study proposes a method that is valid for use on both live and deceased horses. A total of nine head measurements (skull length, cranial length, nasal length, ratio of cranial:nasal length, cranial width, zygomatic width, mandibular depth, nasal profile area, cranial profile area) and six indices (skull index, cranial index, nasal index, mandibular index, nasal profile index, cranial profile index) were recorded from 30 horses from a variety of breeds whilst the soft tissues of the head were intact. A line w...
Bogaert L, Martens A, De Baere C, Gasthuys F.The purpose of the present study was to examine whether bovine papillomavirus (BPV) DNA can be detected on the normal skin and in the habitual surroundings of horses with and without equine sarcoids by means of superficially taken swabs. In affected horses, no significant difference in presence of BPV-DNA could be observed between samples obtained from the equine sarcoid surface, from normal skin close to the tumour and from a normal skin site in direct contact with the tumour. From the group of healthy horses living in contact with affected horses, 44% were BPV-DNA positive. The surroundings ...
Bacon SJ, Ellis SA, Antczak DF.In most mammals, the fetus limits its presentation of paternal antigens to the mother by suppressing the cell-surface expression of proteins of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on trophoblast. In the horse, however, functional, polymorphic MHC class I antigens are expressed at high levels on the invasive trophoblast cells of the chorionic girdle between Days 32 and 36 of pregnancy, although not on the adjacent noninvasive trophoblast of the chorion and allantochorion membranes. In this study, the control of MHC class I gene expression was investigated in invasive and noninvasive hors...
