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.
Delgado OBD, Louro LF, Rocchigiani G, Verin R, Humphreys W, Senior M, Campagna I.To describe dye distribution and spinal nerve involvement after a simulated erector spinae plane (ESP) block performed on fresh equine cadavers. Methods: Experimental cadaver study. Methods: A group of 11 adult equine cadavers. Methods: The spinal region surrounding the sixteenth thoracic vertebra (Th16) of one cadaver was removed and underwent magnetic resonance imaging. In 10 adult equine cadavers [body weight, 549 ± 58 kg (mean ± standard deviation)], 0.2 mL kg of a 50:1 2% lidocaine/dye solution was injected bilaterally (n = 20 injections) into the fascial plane between the transverse p...
Al-Kass Z, Brown A, Johannisson A, Ntallaris T, Morrell JM.Although single layer centrifugation (SLC) selects robust spermatozoa from stallion semen, the effect of individual variation has not been studied in detail. The objective of this study was to determine the variation among stallions in the effects of SLC on sperm quality during cooled storage for up to 48 hr. Semen samples from seven stallions (18 ejaculates) were split, with one portion being used for SLC and the other serving as a control (CON). Sperm quality (kinematics, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, membrane integrity (MI) and chromatin integrity) were analysed at 0, 24 and 48...
Dufour P, Courtois J, Seynaeve Y, Peeters S, Le Goff C, Cavalier E, Ponthier J.Steroid concentrations in serum are fluctuating during pregnancy of many mammal species. The current knowledge about endocrinology of gestation is mainly based on immunoassays. However, the lack of specificity of these assays hampers the reliability of the results. In the present work, we developed and validated a methodology associating liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) to simultaneously quantify, with high specificity and accuracy, estrone-3-sulfate (E3S), progesterone (PRO), estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2) in serum of two different mammal species. The sample preparation ...
Boyle AG, Mitchell C, Stefanovski D, Waller AS.The dual antigen iELISA uses two Streptococcus equi subsp equi surface protein antigens composed of N-terminal portions of SEQ2190 (Antigen A) and SeM (Antigen C). It is currently used to identify animals exposed to S. equi which have developed an immune response to the target antigens. Objective: To determine the usefulness of the dual antigen iELISA in a population of horses vaccinated with Pinnacle IN. We hypothesised that horses vaccinated for strangles with a live attenuated, non-encapsulated SeM-2 strain of S. equi, would seroconvert when tested 5 weeks later by the dual antigen iELIS...
Townsend KS, Johnson PJ, LaCarrubba AM, Martin LM, Ericsson AC.Bacteremia resulting from dental surgery is increasingly recognized as a health risk, especially in older and immunocompromised patients. Dentistry-associated bacteremia can lead to remote infections, as exemplified by valvular endocarditis. Emerging evidence points to a novel role played by oral cavity commensals in the pathogenesis of diabetes, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Whether dental extraction, a commonly undertaken procedure in old horses, causes bacteremia has not been reported extensively. In a prospective clinical study using next gene...
Ireland JL, McGowan CM.Research demonstrating insulin's causal role in endocrinopathic laminitis has greatly advanced understanding of equine laminitis. However, the degree to which this knowledge has been translated into clinical practice has not been assessed. This two-part study aimed to investigate veterinary surgeons' current diagnostic approach to laminitis, whether this had changed over time, and the impact of diagnosing an endocrinopathy on laminitis case management and outcome. Two cross-sectional online surveys of equine veterinary surgeons working within the UK were undertaken. The first study population ...
Rasche A, Lehmann F, Goldmann N, Nagel M, Moreira-Soto A, Nobach D, de Oliveira Carneiro I, Osterrieder N, Greenwood AD, Steinmann E, Lukashev AN....Preclinical testing of novel therapeutics for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) requires suitable animal models. Equids host homologs of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Because coinfections of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HCV occur in humans, we screened 2,917 specimens from equids from five continents for HBV. We discovered a distinct HBV species (Equid HBV, EqHBV) in 3.2% of donkeys and zebras by PCR and antibodies against EqHBV in 5.4% of donkeys and zebras. Molecular, histopathological, and biochemical analyses revealed that infection patterns of EqHBV resembled those of HBV in humans, including hepatotro...
Auer U, Kelemen Z, Engl V, Jenner F.Horses' behavior can provide valuable insight into their subjective state and is thus a good indicator of welfare. However, its complexity requires objective, quantifiable, and unambiguous evidence-based assessment criteria. As healthy, stress-free horses exhibit a highly repetitive daily routine, temporal quantification of their behavioral activities (time budget analysis) can assist in equine welfare assessment. Therefore, the present systematic review aimed to provide an up-to-date analysis of equine time budget studies. A review of the literature yielded 12 papers that fulfilled the inclus...
Boyle AG, Rankin SC, O'Shea K, Stefanovski D, Peng J, Song J, Bau HH.Rapid point-of-care (POC) detection of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi (S. equi) would theoretically reduce the spread of strangles by identifying index and carrier horses. Objective: That the eqbE isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, and the same eqbE LAMP assay tested in a microfluidic device format, are comparable to a triplex real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay that is commonly used in diagnostic labs. Methods: Sixty-eight guttural pouch lavage (GPL) specimens from horses recovering from strangles. Methods: Guttural pouch lavage specimens were tested for S. equi ...
Yuen KY, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H.Ross River virus (RRV) has recently been suggested to be a potential emerging infectious disease worldwide. RRV infection remains the most common human arboviral disease in Australia, with a yearly estimated economic cost of $4.3 billion. Infection in humans and horses can cause chronic, long-term debilitating arthritogenic illnesses. However, current knowledge of immunopathogenesis remains to be elucidated and is mainly inferred from a murine model that only partially resembles clinical signs and pathology in human and horses. The epidemiology of RRV transmission is complex and multifactorial...
Klier J, Lindner D, Reese S, Mueller RS, Gehlen H.Potential triggers for equine asthma are allergens from hay and straw dusts, mold spores and storage mites. The contribution of these environmental trigger factors to equine asthma is still largely uncertain. The aim of this study was to compare results of four allergy tests from healthy and asthma-affected horses, and to evaluate the clinical relevance of allergens tested positive via specific inhalation provocation test. Fifteen horses were classified using a clinical scoring system as asthmatic (n = 9) or control (n = 6). Four different allergy tests (functional in vitro test, intraderm...
Scilimati N, Pepe M, Pressanto MC, Angeli G, Beccati F.A 4-month-old Thoroughbred filly was referred for evaluation of severe left forelimb lameness of 24 hours duration. Radiographic projections of the shoulder revealed mild irregularity and sclerosis of the proximal humeral apophysis. Ultrasonographic examination showed a moderate increase in the amount of anechogenic synovial fluid within the intertubercular bursa and scapulohumeral joint, and irregularity of the ossifying bone surface of the intermediate tubercle of the humerus. Computed tomographic (CT) examination revealed a circular hypoattenuating area at the level of the proximal apophysi...
Bugno-Poniewierska M, Raudsepp T.Clinical cytogenetic studies in horses have been ongoing for over half a century and clearly demonstrate that chromosomal disorders are among the most common non-infectious causes of decreased fertility, infertility, and congenital defects. Large-scale cytogenetic surveys show that almost 30% of horses with reproductive or developmental problems have chromosome aberrations, whereas abnormal karyotypes are found in only 2-5% of the general population. Among the many chromosome abnormalities reported in the horse, most are unique or rare. However, all surveys agree that there are two recurrent c...
Kakoi H, Kikuchi M, Ishige T, Nagata SI, Hirosawa Y, Tanaka S, Kishinami T.Erythrocyte alloantigen frequencies of draft horses in Japan were investigated to assess blood donor suitability for transfusion. Here, 148 Japanese draft, 69 Percheron, and 65 Breton horses were blood-typed and subjected to an indirect antiglobulin test. Regarding the major immunogenic factors, the rates of Aa- and Qa-negative horses ranged from 0.35 to 0.49 and from 0.82 to 1.00, respectively. The rate of alloantibody-positive horses ranged from 0.12 to 0.35. Although the prevalence of alloantibodies in these horses was higher than that expected naturally, the rates of Aa- and Qa-negative ho...
Glycogen in skeletal muscle is a major source of energy during exercise and an important determinant of endurance capacity, so that its measurement may provide a meaningful marker of athletes' preparation and a possible predictor of performance, both in humans and in equines. Gold standard of glycogen concentration measurement is the histochemical and biochemical analysis of biopsy-derived muscle tissue, an invasive and potentially injuring procedure. Recently, high-frequency ultrasound (US) technology is being exploited in human sports medicine to estimate muscle glycogen content. Therefore, ...
Minamijima Y, Niwa H, Uchida E, Yamamoto K.In the past decade, mass spectrometry has become an important technology for protein identification. Recent developments in mass spectrometry allow a large number of identifications in samples; therefore, mass-spectrometry-based techniques have been applied to the discovery of biomarkers. Here, we conducted a proteomic study to compare the proteomes in sera between healthy Thoroughbreds and Thoroughbreds with respiratory disease associated with transport (RDT). We found that four proteins, apolipoprotein F, lipopolysaccharide binding protein, lysozyme and protein S100-A8, were upregulated, whi...
Ono T, Inoue Y, Hisaeda K, Yamada Y, Hata A, Miyama TS, Shibano K, Kitagawa H, Ohzawa E, Iwata E.This study aimed to evaluate the influence of seasons and sex on body size and hematological and biochemistry parameters of Noma horses, a native Japanese breed. Body size was larger in winter than in summer. Laboratory testing variables, including erythrocytic parameters and urea nitrogen, total cholesterol, and creatinine kinase levels, were higher in winter, while the eosinophil count was higher in summer. These seasonal differences may be related to increased energy consumption of horses due to heat stress. The higher eosinophil counts may have been related to the dermatitis observed in su...
Loschelder-Ostrowski J, Winter JC, Merle R, Klopfleisch R, Gehlen H.Interleukin (IL)-2 stimulates antitumour immunity and is successfully used for the treatment of different neoplasias. Objective: Canarypox virus locally expressing feline IL-2 is safe and can be used to treat equine sarcoids. Methods: Twenty horses of different breeds with a median age of eight years (interquartile range 6.0-13.3 years) and a total number of 59 sarcoids were included in the study. Methods: In this prospective clinical trial, sarcoids were injected twice seven days apart, with a recombinant canarypox virus expressing feline IL-2. Complete blood counts (CBC) and fibrinogen level...
Lapjit C, Charoenchanikran P, Petchkaew P, Sukpipattanamongkol S, Yodsheewan R, Theerapan W, Chanda M.The fetlock joint is a high mobility structure that accommodates enormous loading during locomotion. An injury of the superficial constituent such as subtendinous bursitis may occur due to repeated trauma. An 8-year old school riding horse was presented with dorsomedial distension in the left hindlimb fetlock region. The lesion was noted following routine exercise. The horse demonstrated no lameness and a negative response to the fetlock flexion test. Radiographic findings revealed a smooth surface cortical thickening on the medial aspect of the distal third metatarsal bone. Furthermore, the u...
Martin de Bustamante M, Plummer C, MacNicol J, Gomez D.Sample storage conditions are an important factor in fecal microbiota analyses in general. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sample storage at room temperature on the equine fecal microbiota composition. Fecal samples were collected from 11 healthy horses. Each sample was divided into 7 sealed aliquots. One aliquot was immediately frozen at -80 °C; the remaining aliquots were stored at room temperature (21 to 22 °C) with one transferred to the freezer at each of the following time points: 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. The Illumina MiSeq sequencer was used for high-th...
Lawson A, Pinchbeck G.When planning to conduct research, thorough consideration of the study design is essential to enable valid results and purposeful conclusions. A good study design will provide a strong basis for robust conclusions that can contribute to the evidence base. Conversely, a poor study design may unintentionally lead to invalid conclusions with inappropriate claims of the clinical importance. The purpose of this article is to review important aspects of observational study design, with an emphasis on observational clinical research. The value of an observational study can be manifold and the benefit...
Leventhal HR, McKenzie HC, Estell K, Council-Troche M, Davis JL.The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics and tolerability of tulathromycin (Draxxin ; 2.5 mg/kg once) after intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous (SC), and slow intravenous (IV) administration to six adult horses. A three-phase design and 4-week washout period were used. Drug concentrations in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and pharmacokinetic parameters calculated using noncompartmental analysis. Following SC and IM administration, all horses exhibited sweating, discomfort,...
Olave CJ, Ivester KM, Couetil LL, Kritchevsky JE, Tinkler SH, Mukhopadhyay A.Respirable dust exposure is linked to airway inflammation in racehorses. Feeding haylage may reduce dust exposure by 60-70%. The objective of this study was to compare dust exposure, airway cytology, and inflammatory cytokine concentrations between horses fed haylage or hay over 6 weeks while in training. Seven healthy Standardbred horses were randomly assigned to be fed alfalfa hay (n = 3) or grass-alfalfa mix haylage (n = 4) for six weeks while training on a treadmill. Dust exposure was measured gravimetrically at the breathing zone. Endotoxin and β-glucan concentrations in respirable dust ...
Vitale V, Laurberg M, van Galen G.Aortic valve malformation is a common congenital abnormality reported in human medicine. The malformation is characterised by an increased or decreased number of cusps. Anatomical variations of the aortic valve that have been documented in humans include unicuspid, bicuspid, quadricuspid and quinticuspid valves. Two reports described a quadricuspid aortic valve in horses associated with either a ventricular septal defect (VSD) or tetralogy of Fallot. In this case report we describe the clinical and echocardiographic findings of a horse with a quadricuspid aortic valve as single congenital abno...
Mirror self-recognition (MSR), investigated in primates and recently in non-primate species, is considered a measure of self-awareness. Nowadays, the only reliable test for investigating MSR potential skills consists in the untrained response to a visual body mark detected using a reflective surface. Here, we report the first evidence of MSR at group level in horses, by facing the weaknesses of methodology present in a previous pilot study. Fourteen horses were used in a 4-phases mirror test (covered mirror, open mirror, invisible mark, visible colored mark). After engaging in a series of cont...
Secchi V, Masala G, Corda A, Corda F, Potop E, Barbero Fernandez A, Pinna Parpaglia ML, Sanna Passino E.Early diagnosis of tendon injuries and accurate long-term monitoring of the healing process are key for equine veterinarians that use conventional ultrasonography. The development of strain elastography could improve the management of clinical cases. The aim of the study was to assess the intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reproducibility of manual measurements of the colored areas of the tendons within elastograms and to standardize this manual modality by comparing the analysis of the images with ImageJ. Twenty elastograms of the injured superficial digital flexor tendons (SDFTs) ...
Montano C, Auletta L, Greco A, Costanza D, Coluccia P, Del Prete C, Meomartino L, Pasolini MP.The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to enhance tenodesmic lesion healing has been questioned over the years. The aim of this study was to evaluate current literature to establish the effectiveness of PRP for treating tenodesmic lesions through a systematic review, in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, and a meta-analysis. Studies comparing PRP with placebo or other treatments for horses with tenodesmic injuries or evaluated PRP effect on tendon and ligament explants were included. Outcomes were clinical, ultrasound, histologic, molecular evaluation, and adverse effects. Two authors indep...
Osborn ML, Cornille JL, Blas-Machado U, Uhl EW.Navicular syndrome has been traditionally characterized by progressive lameness with chronic degeneration of the navicular bone. Advances in imaging techniques have revealed that its associated soft tissue structures are also affected. This distribution of lesions is explained by conceptualizing the equine navicular apparatus as an enthesis organ that facilitates the dissemination of mechanical stress throughout the tissues of the foot. The navicular apparatus has the same structural adaptations to mechanical stress as the human Achilles tendon complex. These adaptations efficiently dissipate ...
Karam B, Wilson WD, Chambers TM, Reedy S, Pusterla N.The use of a hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay to assess humoral immune response to equine influenza virus (EIV) vaccines from various manufacturers administered to previously immunized adult horses was investigated. Subjects were allocated into one of 3 groups and vaccinated with various commercially available vaccines. Groups were subdivided into subjects that received 1 dose of a particular vaccine and those that received a second dose, 30 d later. Serum was collected at various times to assess antibody responses to contemporary EIV Florida sub-lineage strains. Statistical significance...
Dubey JP, Venturini MC, Venturini L, McKinney J, Pecoraro M.Sera from 76 horses from Argentina were examined for antibodies to Sarcocystis neurona, Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum. Antibodies to S. neurona were found in 27 (35.5%) of 76 horses using immunoblots with culture derived merozoites as antigen. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 10 (13.1%) of 76 horses by using the modified agglutination test with formalin-fixed tachyzoites and mercaptoethanol; titers were 1:25 (two horses), 1:50 (six horses), 1:100 (two horses), and 1:200 (one horse). Antibodies to N. caninum were not found in any of the 76 horses by the use of N. caninum agglutina...
Grinberg A, Pomroy WE, Carslake HB, Shi Y, Gibson IR, Drayton BM.To assess the occurrence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in faecal specimens from foals, and investigate an outbreak of neonatal cryptosporidiosis in foals revealed in the course of the study. Methods: Faecal specimens from foals received by a diagnostic veterinary laboratory in New Zealand between 2006 and 2007 were submitted to Massey University and tested microscopically for the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts. The Cryptosporidium isolates in the oocyst-positive specimens were genetically identified to species level. In addition, specimen submission data from the participating laboratory for...
Anstey S, Lizárraga D, Nyari S, Chalmers G, Carrick J, Chicken C, Jenkins C, Perkins N, Timms P, Jelocnik M.Late-term foal loss due to the traditional avian pathogen Chlamydia psittaci recently emerged as a threat to the Australian Thoroughbred industry. A longitudinal study of 14 stud farms was undertaken to better understand C. psittaci infection in pregnant mares and their foals by evaluating C. psittaci prevalence, equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) co-infection, avian reservoirs, and potential risk factors. Mucosal swabs taken from 228 healthy pregnant mares and their foals were tested for C. psittaci and EHV-1 using species-specific qPCR assays. No foal loss was recorded due to either pathogen, and ...
McBrearty KA, Murray A, Dunowska M.To determine which viruses circulate among selected populations of New Zealand horses and whether or not viral infections were associated with development of respiratory disease. Methods: Nasal swabs were collected from 33 healthy horses and 52 horses with respiratory disease and tested by virus isolation and/or PCR for the presence of equine herpesviruses (EHV) and equine rhinitis viruses. Results: Herpesviruses were the only viruses detected in nasal swab samples. When both the results of nasal swab PCR and virus isolation were considered together, a total of 41/52 (79%) horses with respirat...
Cohen ND, Smith KE, Ficht TA, Takai S, Libal MC, West BR, DelRosario LS, Becu T, Leadon DP, Buckley T, Chaffin MK, Martens RJ.To compare isolates of Rhodococcus equi on the basis of geographic source and virulence status by use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Methods: 290 isolates of R equi (218 virulent isolates from foals and 72 avirulent isolates from feces, soil, and respiratory tract samples) obtained between 1985 and 2000 from horses and horse farms from 4 countries. Methods: DNA from isolates was digested with the restriction enzyme Asel and tested by use of PFGE. Products were analyzed for similarities in banding patterns by use of dendrograms. A similarity matrix was constructed for isolates, and...
McEwan Jenkinson D, Elder HY, Bovell DL.Sweating has a variety of functions in mammals including pheromone action, excretion of waste products and maintenance of the skin surface ecosystem. In a small number of mammalian species, which includes humans and the Equidae, it also has an important role in thermoregulation. This review is focused specifically on the thermoregulatory role of sweat in Equidae and the causes of sweating failure (anhidrosis). The first part describes the glandular appearance, sweat composition, and output rates; and considers the latest theories on the glandular control and secretory mechanisms. It is conclud...
Yuan Z, Gallagher A, Gault EA, Campo MS, Nasir L.Bovine papillomavirus (BPV) type 2 is involved in carcinogenesis of the urinary bladder in cattle, while BPV-1 is commonly associated with equine sarcoid tumours. In both cases the early viral proteins are expressed, but virion is not produced. Given the similarities in BPV biology between the tumours in cattle and horses, bovine bladder cancers and equine sarcoids were compared with respect to physical status, load of viral DNA and variability of the E5 open reading frame (ORF). Rolling circle amplification demonstrated that BPV-1 and BPV-2 genomes exist as double stranded, episomal, circular...
Carossino M, Barrandeguy ME, Erol E, Li Y, Balasuriya UBR.Equine rotavirus A (ERVA) is the leading cause of diarrhea in neonatal foals and has a negative impact on equine breeding enterprises worldwide. Among ERVA strains infecting foals, the genotypes G3P[12] and G14P[12] are the most prevalent, while infections by strains with other genomic arrangements are infrequent. The identification of circulating strains of ERVA is critical for diagnostic and surveillance purposes, as well as to understand their molecular epidemiology. Current genotyping methods available for ERVA and rotaviruses affecting other animal species rely on Sanger sequencing and ar...
Hill EW, McGivney BA, Rooney MF, Katz LM, Parnell A, MacHugh DE.Race distance aptitude in Thoroughbred horses is highly heritable and is influenced largely by variation at the myostatin gene (MSTN). Objective: In addition to MSTN, we hypothesised that other modifying loci contribute to best race distance. Methods: Using 3006 Thoroughbreds, including 835 'elite' horses, which were >3 years old, had race records and were sampled from Europe/Middle-East, Australia/New Zealand, North America and South Africa, we performed genome-wide association (GWA) tests and separately developed a genomic prediction algorithm to comprehensively catalogue additive geneti...
Hobson-Peters J, Toye P, Sánchez MD, Bossart KN, Wang LF, Clark DC, Cheah WY, Hall RA.Using a monoclonal antibody directed to domain I of the West Nile virus (WNV) envelope (E) protein, we identified a continuous (linear) epitope that was immunogenic during WNV infection of horses. Using synthetic peptides, this epitope was mapped to a 19 aa sequence (WN19: E147-165) encompassing the WNV NY99 E protein glycosylation site at position 154. The inability of WNV-positive horse and mouse sera to bind the synthetic peptides indicated that glycosylation was required for recognition of peptide WN19 by WNV-specific antibodies in sera. N-linked glycosylation of WN19 was achieved through ...
Hollis AR, Dallap Schaer BL, Boston RC, Wilkins PA.More information is needed regarding accuracy of commonly used methods of glucose measurement in the critically ill horse. Objective: Glucometry will have good agreement with a laboratory standard. Glucometry with plasma will have better agreement than when performed with whole blood. Methods: Fifty sequentially admitted equine emergency patients, aged >1year. Methods: Venous blood was collected at admission and immediately analyzed by point-of-care glucometry on both whole blood (POC/WB) and plasma (POC/PL), a multielectrode blood gas analyzer with whole blood (BLG), and a standard laborat...
Larsen ML, Ritz C, Petersen SL, Nielsen MK.Ivermectin resistance has recently been described in Parascaris equorum and there have been reports from several countries of a shortened egg reappearance period (ERP) following ivermectin treatment for cyathostomins. This study was aimed at determining the efficacy of ivermectin in treating cyathostomins and P. equorum in Danish horses. A total of 196 animals were selected from 52 farms, all of which were using a selective anthelmintic treatment strategy. ERP was investigated with weekly samples from 96 horses from nine farms. Horses were treated with ivermectin oral paste by their owners at ...
McHorse BK, Biewener AA, Pierce SE.Digit reduction is a major trend that characterizes horse evolution, but its causes and consequences have rarely been quantitatively tested. Using beam analysis on fossilized centre metapodials, we tested how locomotor bone stresses changed with digit reduction and increasing body size across the horse lineage. Internal bone geometry was captured from 13 fossil horse genera that covered the breadth of the equid phylogeny and the spectrum of digit reduction and body sizes, from to To account for the load-bearing role of side digits, a novel, continuous measure of digit reduction was also esta...
Stull CL, Morrow J, Aldridge BA, Stott JL, McGlone JJ.Thirty-eight mature horses were assigned to one of two equal groups to evaluate two treatments consisting of either 24 hours of continuous road transport (24T) or two 12-hour periods of transport separated by off-loading, resting and feeding the horses for 12 hours (12/12T). A subset of six horses from each group served as controls for the other group. The horses were loaded into a commercial straight-deck trailer and travelled loose in one of two standard-sized compartments. After the journeys the horses were put back into their paddocks for a 24-hour recovery period. Venous blood samples wer...
Kindig CA, Gallatin LL, Erickson HH, Fedde MR, Poole DC.To investigate the role of nitric oxide, NO, in facilitating cardiorespiratory function during exercise, five horses ran on a treadmill at speeds that yielded 50, 80 and 100% of peak pulmonary oxygen uptake (V(O(2)) peak) as determined on a maximal incremental test. Each horse underwent one control (C) and one (NO-synthase inhibitor; N(G)-L-nitro-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), 20 mg/kg) trial in randomized order. Pulmonary gas exchange (open flow system), arterial and mixed-venous blood gases, cardiac output (Fick Principle), and pulmonary and systemic conductances were determined. L-NAME red...
Cirak VY, Hermosilla C, Bauer C.Quantitative faecal and post-mortem examinations of 16 ponies, 1 to 2 1/2 years of age, originating from 3 farms in northern Germany were performed in February 1995 to determine the prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal parasites in these animals. A total of 33 species of metazoan parasites was recovered: three tapeworm species (Anoplocephala perfoliata, A. magna, Paranoplocephala mamillana), Strongylus vulgaris, S. edentatus, small strongyles (including four Triodontophorus spp., Craterostomum acuticaudatum and 19 cyathostome species), Oxyuris equi, Parascaris equorum, Habronema majus ...
Parker RA, Yeates JW.Assessing patients' quality of life (QOL) is a core part of clinical decision making. Various methodologies for assessing patients' QOL have been developed in human medicine and small animal veterinary disciplines. In contrast, the lack of aids for QOL assessment in equine veterinary practice leaves practitioners reliant on subjective assessments of QOL, which may be prone to avoidable errors. Objective: This paper suggests pragmatic ways in which QOL may be enhanced, while remaining appropriate for the time, financial and owner-based constraints within equine practice. Methods: Through interd...
Hess TM, Rexford JK, Hansen DK, Harris M, Schauermann N, Ross T, Engle TE, Allen KG, Mulligan CM.The objective of this study was to examine the effects of different sources of dietary omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid supplementation on plasma, red blood cell, and skeletal muscle fatty acid compositions in horses. Twenty-one mares were blocked by age, BW, and BCS and assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments with 7 mares per treatment. Dietary treatments were: 1) control or no fatty acid supplement (CON), 2) 38 g of n-3 long chain, highly unsaturated fatty acid (LCHUFA) supplement/d provided by algae and fish oil (MARINE) containing alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaen...
Jeffcott LB, Henson FM.The importance of osteochondrosis (dyschondroplasia) to the horse industry has been well documented since it was first recorded 50 years ago. The condition is known to be multifactorial in origin, arising from focal failure of endochondral ossification at predilection sites in articular/epiphyseal growth cartilage, but specific information on its aetiopathogenesis is sparse. This paper reviews the current knowledge of growth cartilage metabolism and the process of normal endochondral ossification in the horse. It highlights the localization of various protein products of chondrocytes and the d...
Dakin SG, Jespers K, Warner S, O'Hara LK, Dudhia J, Goodship AE, Wilson AM, Smith RK.Highly prevalent superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) injury results in compromised tendon function through fibrosis and high frequency of re-injury due to altered biomechanical function. This study investigated the consequences of SDF tendinopathy on limb mechanics in relation to the mechanical properties of injured tendon. Objective: To develop and validate a noninvasive in vivo assessment of tendon mechanics to investigate the effect of recent SDFT injury on limb stiffness index, providing an objective method to assess quality of healing. Objective: Limb stiffness index would reduce as ...
Crouch CF, Daly J, Hannant D, Wilkins J, Francis MJ.Protective responses generated by vaccination with an immuno-stimulating complex (ISCOM)-based vaccine for equine influenza (EQUIP F), containing a new 'American lineage' H3N8 virus, were studied. Seven ponies in the vaccine group received two intramuscular injections of EQUIP F given 6 weeks apart. Aerosol challenge with an A/eq/Newmarket/1/93 reference strain 4 weeks after booster vaccination resulted in clinical signs of infection and viral shedding in 7 influenza-naive control animals whereas the vaccinated ponies were significantly protected from both clinical signs and virus excretion. I...
Kirkpatrick JF, Turner A.Contraceptive management of publicly valued wildlife species requires safeguards to ensure that these populations are preserved in a healthy state. In addition, reversibility of contraceptive effects and safety in pregnant animals are major concerns. A population of wild horses has been immunized against porcine zona pellucida (PZP) over a 12 year period on Assateague Island National Seashore, MD (ASIS). Mares initially received one or two 65 microg inoculations and once a year 65 microg booster inoculations, all delivered by dart. All young mares aged > 2 years were treated with PZP for 3 ...
Nasisse MP, Nelms S.Ulcerative keratitis is one of the most common vision-threatening diseases of the horse. Successful therapy, however, can be achieved in the majority of cases provided the diagnosis is made early and the treatment is specific for the disease. This article reviews the pathophysiology, clinical signs, and contemporary medical and surgical approaches to bacterial and fungal ulcerative keratitis in the horse.
Robert C, Goachet AG, Fraipont A, Votion DM, Van Erck E, Leclerc JL.Limited information exists about the physiological training-induced changes in electrolyte balance of horses competing in long distance endurance races. Objective: To determine the effects of endurance training and racing on hydration and electrolyte balance in horses. Methods: Blood and urine were sampled at rest in 8 endurance horses before training and after two 11 week training periods (T1 and T2). Each training was followed by a 120 km endurance ride and horses were sampled before, during and 2 h after the rides. Blood was analysed for packed cell volume (PCV), total protein (TP), urea, c...
Rohrbach BW, Buchanan BR, Drake JM, Andrews FM, Bain FT, Byars DT, Bernard WV, Furr MO, Paradis MR, Lawler J, Giguère S, Dunkel B.To create a mathematical model to assist in early prediction of the probability of discharge in hospitalized foals < or= 7 days old. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 1,073 foals. Methods: Medical records from 910 hospitalized foals < or = 7 days old for which outcome was recorded as died or discharged alive were reviewed. Thirty-four variables including historical information, physical examination findings, and laboratory results were examined for association with survival. Variables associated with being discharged alive were entered into a multivariable logistic regression model. A...
Valverde A, Giguère S, Sanchez LC, Shih A, Ryan C.To determine the effects of dobutamine, norepinephrine, and vasopressin on cardiovascular function and gastric mucosal perfusion in anesthetized foals during isoflurane-induced hypotension. Methods: 6 foals that were 1 to 5 days of age. Methods: 6 foals received 3 vasoactive drugs with at least 24 hours between treatments. Treatments consisted of dobutamine (4 and 8 Sang/kg/min), norepinephrine (0.3 and 1.0 Sang/kg/min), and vasopressin (0.3 and 1.0 mU/kg/min) administered IV. Foals were maintained at a steady hypotensive state induced by a deep level of isoflurane anesthesia for 30 minutes, a...
Moraes CR, Runcan EE, Blawut B, Coutinho da Silva MA.The iSperm is a newly released semen analysis tool from Aidmics Biotechnology Co. LTD, which allows an iPad Mini to be transformed into a handheld microscope with objective semen analysis software for equine available through the Apple Store (version 4.5.2). The aim of this study was to compare iSperm values for sperm motility and sperm concentration to current acceptable methods for semen analysis and to determine the agreement with these methods using statistical methods. Two ejaculates from each of five Standardbred stallions were used to compare sperm motility (computer-assisted semen anal...
Muñoz-Prieto A, Contreras-Aguilar MD, Cerón JJ, Ayala I, Martin-Cuervo M, Gonzalez-Sanchez JC, Jacobsen S, Kuleš J, Beletić A, Rubić I, Mrljak V....Changes in the salivary proteome in 12 horses with the two diseases included in equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS), equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) (n = 6) and equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) (n = 6), were evaluated using a high-resolution LC-MS/MS analysis of TMT-labelled peptides and compared to 10 healthy control horses. Serum was also analysed for comparative purposes. The comparison between the horses with EGGD and controls showed significant changes in 10 salivary proteins, whereas 36 salivary proteins were differently abundant between ESGD and control groups. The most u...
Guillaume-Vasselin V, Lemaitre L, Dhondt KP, Tedeschi L, Poulard A, Charreyre C, Horvat B.Hendra virus (HeV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen, which causes severe respiratory illness and encephalitis in humans and horses. Since its first appearance in 1994, spillovers of HeV from its natural reservoir fruit bats occur on almost an annual basis. The high mortality rate in both humans and horses and the wide-ranging reservoir distribution are making HeV a serious public health problem, especially for people exposed to sick horses. This study has aimed to develop an efficient low-cost HeV vaccine for horses based on Canarypox recombinant vector expressing HeV glycoproteins, attachment...
Pagamjav O, Kobayashi K, Murakami H, Tabata Y, Miura Y, Boldbaatar B, Sentsui H.Three hundred sera were collected from horses in various parts of Mongolia in 2007 and seroepidemiological surveys for several equine viruses performed on them. Equid herpesvirus 1 and equine rhinitis A virus were prevalent, and equine arteritis virus and equid herpesvirus 3 were detected over a wide area though their rates of antibody-positivity were not high. Equine infectious anemia was distributed locally. The rates of horses antibody-positive for Japanese encephalitis virus and equine influenza virus were low, but these were detected. Bovine coronavirus antibodies were detected at a high ...
