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.
Seery R, Graham-Wisener L, Wells DL.Equine-Assisted Services (EAS), which incorporate horses in a variety of ways in an effort to improve human wellbeing, have grown in popularity in recent years. Although much research has been conducted regarding the benefits that horses may provide for human health and wellbeing, little attention has been paid to practitioners' experiences and perspectives of the field, despite the fact they are uniquely positioned to advance our understanding of this area. This study aimed to explore practitioners' lived experiences of EAS, focusing on the benefits they observed, possible underlying mechanis...
Agrícola R, Ribeiro G, Borges J, Carvalho L, Roquet I, Carvalho LM, Prazeres J.Duodenal pathologies are underreported in equine medicine, probably not due to little occurrence, but due to the limitations of current diagnostic techniques. The aim of this report is to describe a novel duodenoscopic approach, that allows a complete visualization of a region inaccessible via standard techniques. Gastroduodenoscopy was performed in a clinical setting in 60 adult horses referred to us due to complaints suspected to be related to gastroduodenal diseases. The initial steps of the procedure were performed using previously published techniques. Once the video-endoscope reached the...
Loncar KD, Ortis HA, Foss RR.Production of embryos via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a common clinical procedure in equine practice. A recent study indicates that treatment of mares with phenylbutazone paste significantly lowers blastocyst production after ICSI of recovered oocytes. The current study was conducted to determine the effect of different methods of phenylbutazone administration on in vitro embryo production of recovered oocytes in mares. Unassigned: In study 1 (July 29 through September 18, 2024), 14 mares received either oral liquid phenylbutazone once daily for 10 days or no treatment. On the l...
Iduu NV, Raiford D, Cohen ND, Landrock KK, Wang C.We developed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based real-time PCR (qPCR) assay coupled with high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis to differentiate subsp. (SEE) from subsp. (SEZ), two closely related equine pathogens with distinct clinical implications. The assay targets a region of the 23S rRNA gene containing single-nucleotide polymorphisms that differentiate the subspecies. By combining subspecies-specific probes with melting temperature () analysis, the assay accurately distinguished SEE, SEZ, and mixed infections without the need for post-PCR processing. The entire work...
Geiger T, Lindenhahn L, Delarocque J, Geburek F.Data about efficacy of different training modalities during rehabilitation of horses with back pain is scarce. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of water treadmill training, lunging and dry treadmill training in horses with back pain. Methods: Eighteen warmblood riding horses referred with confirmed clinical signs of back pain including abnormal responses to passive mobilisation were randomized into three groups to participate in a 6-week water treadmill training, lunging or dry treadmill program under otherwise identical conditions. Two clinicians, one blinded to the program, pe...
Huguet A-S, Gourbeyre O, Bousquet-Mélou A, Ferran AA, Lallemand EA. is an opportunistic intracellular pathogen responsible for severe respiratory infections in foals, requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment. Despite its susceptibility to multiple antibiotics, the eradication of intracellular remains challenging due to its ability to persist and survive within alveolar macrophages. This study aimed to assess the extracellular and intracellular activity of rifampicin, doxycycline, and four macrolides against while assessing current methodologies used to differentiate intracellular and extracellular bacteria. We found that the removal of extracellular wit...
McGuire CJ, Knowles EJ, Harris PA, Menzies-Gow NJ.Circulating insulin concentrations are used to quantify risk of laminitis in currently non-laminitic ponies. Basal serum activin A (AA) concentration has previously been positively correlated with serum insulin concentrations 60 minutes (T60) following an oral sugar test (OST) in ponies with equine metabolic syndrome. Therefore, circulating AA might be a useful marker for insulin dysregulation (ID) and laminitis risk. Objective: To explore the relationship between circulating AA concentrations at baseline (T0) and T60 in ponies that developed laminitis within six months and non-laminitic ponie...
Segabinazzi L, Lisboa FP, Zutter B.Limited response to conventional therapies and rising antibiotic resistance emphasize the need for alternative treatments for infectious endometritis. A recent in vitro study showed promising antimicrobial activity of a commercial uterine cleaning sanitizer (UCS) against endometritis pathogens. However, its safety and efficacy in mares remain untested. Objective: This study aimed to assess the clinical safety of intrauterine infusion of UCS in reproductively sound mares. Methods: Exp. 1. Six healthy mares with endometrial biopsies classified as I or IIA had two intrauterine infusions of UCS pe...
Imandar M, Javadi A, Abdollahpour G, Mahale PRS, Qanbari A, Mirzaalimohammadi M, Taherkhani E, Olfatifar M, Nikkhahi F, Eslahi AV, Badri M.Leptospirosis, a global zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp., poses significant health risks to both animals and humans. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of antibodies against Leptospira interrogans serovars in stabled horses in Qazvin province, Northwest Iran. From January 2023 to April 2024, a total of 83 blood samples were collected from asymptomatic horses using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Results indicated a seroprevalence of 40.96% (95% CI: 31-52), with notable variations among regions: 38.89% (95% CI: 27-52) in Qazvin, 38.46% (95% CI: 18-64) i...
Kurras S, Knottenbelt D, Schmelz U, Schaal T, Tischendorf T, Fuchs R, Schorling T, Koene MHW.Dermatophytosis is a common fungal skin infection in horses, particularly affecting young and immunocompromised animals. Traditional treatments often involve antifungal medications with potential side effects. Here, we present a case report that evaluated the efficacy of cold atmospheric plasma-aerosol (CAP-A) as a standalone treatment for equine dermatophytosis. Unassigned: A 2-year-old Westphalian warmblood stallion presented with confirmed dermatophyte lesions restricted to the left side of the mouth which were treated with CAP-A. Treatment was administered 2 times daily for 12 consecutive ...
Ramírez-Agámez L, Crowley JB, Love CC, Hernández-Avilés C.Currently, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) on in vitro-matured equine oocytes obtained by transvaginal oocyte aspiration (TVA) is the method of choice for in vitro production of equine blastocysts in a clinical setting. A protocol for conventional in vitro fertilization (cIVF) using either fresh or frozen/thawed stallion sperm incubated under capacitating conditions (Tyrode's Albumin Lactate Pyruvate medium + penicillamine, hypotaurine, epinephrine; FERT-PHE) has been recently reported. Several factors that may impact the clinical applicability of this cIVF protocol have yet to be st...
Smith R, Perkins E, Pinchbeck G, Ireland J.Poor pain management in horses is a welfare concern. The 'diagnosis' of pain cannot be separated from the broader set of interactions through which it emerges. The interactions that take place during veterinary consultations shape the ways in which, or whether, pain management is discussed. Objective: To understand owners' and veterinarians' decision making in relation to chronic pain and its management. Methods: Qualitative ethnographic study. Methods: Data were collected from four veterinary practices in Great Britain between May 2023 and April 2024. Around 200 h of ethnographic observatio...
Calatayud-Bonilla M, Carmona JU, Prades M.Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is caused by trigger points (TrPs): hypersensitive spots in taut muscle bands that impair function and cause pain. Dry needling (DN) is a common treatment in humans, but evidence in horses is limited. This prospective, controlled study evaluated the effectiveness of DN in reducing TrP-related pain in the brachiocephalic muscle of horses. Of the 98 horses enrolled, 66 were allocated to a treatment group receiving weekly DN sessions for three weeks, while 32 were assigned to a control group with no intervention. Pain and function were assessed using pressure algome...
Ennsmann LH, Licka TF.Most horses are used with horseshoes additionally supported by either dorsoabaxial or dorsal clips. The effects of such clips on bone density and shape of the distal phalanx are currently unclear. The aim of this study was to identify correlations between density and shape of the distal phalanx, comparing front hooves unshod or shod with standard shoes either with two dorsoabaxial clips or with a single dorsal clip. Researchers analyzed Oxspring radiographs of either the left or right front hoof from warmblood horses ( = 137) and ponies ( = 43) aged 3-28 years. The evaluation focused...
Ryu SH, Forbes E, Kim BS, Park KT.Five previously healthy horses in Korea, including a 19-year-old mixed-breed gelding, a 16-year-old mixed-breed mare, a 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, a 12-year-old Belgian warmblood mare, and a 12-year-old Andalusian mare, developed subcutaneous abscesses in the left neck after receiving intramuscular vaccination without prior skin disinfection. The vaccination used was Equivac® 2 in1, containing toxoid and cell-free extract. Within one week, the horses developed localised swelling and/or abscessation at the injection site. One case involved a ruptured abscess, while the others presente...
Fletcher KA, Benedetti B, Limon G, Grist A, Padalino B, Hernández-Gil M, Gibson TJ.There has been limited research into the effectiveness of penetrating captive bolt (PCB) for stunning horses () at slaughter. This study observed 100 horses at a commercial abattoir in Mexico, stunned using pneumatic PCB. Animals were assessed at the time of stunning and immediately after for signs of effective/ineffective stunning and shot positioning, with macroscopic gross brain pathology conducted to determine brain trauma. Twenty-five percent (25/100) received more than one shot and 28% (28/100) displayed behavioural signs of ineffective stunning. Of these 28 animals, all had deviations o...
Neira-Egea P, Alamar Malvoisin C, de la Cuesta-Torrado M, Bautista-Erler C, Vitale V, Jolly S, Cesarini C. spp. are ubiquitous yeasts that are part of most mammals' microbiota and can become opportunistic pathogens under predisposing conditions. Interestingly, recent studies in human medicine report an increased abundance of spp. in association with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Gastrointestinal candidiasis has been primarily reported in neonatal foals, but not in adult horses. The aim of this study is to describe the morphological, histopathological, and microbiological features of gastric lesions associated with infiltration in five horses referred to two tertiary hospitals for different r...
Smith RKW, Schramme MC.Superficial digital flexor tendinopathy is one of the most common orthopedic soft tissue injuries in horses. The veterinary challenge for this condition is less related to identifying the presence of the injury (as it is usually readily evident clinically) but more related to improving the healing process so that the healed tendon is more like normal tendon in biology and function in order to reduce reinjury, which is the key adverse consequence of the injury. Diagnostic imaging has improved in recent years to aid with treatment choices and monitoring the healing process.
Croll TP, Swanson BZ.Early in the 1900s, a Philadelphia Horse Dentist apparently had a jolly sense of humor. A business card with a fun reverse is evidence of that. In 1876 Peter J. Haley, Sr. founded a veterinary horse parlor business in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his sons Peter Jr. Haley and James Raymond Haley carried their father's work forward, after his death.
Campana S, Dittmann M, Kircher P, Donati B.The distribution pattern of central tarsal bone (CTB) changes has not been described, except for slab- and dorsomedial-plantarolateral fractures. Objective: To describe CTB changes in CT and document their distribution and associations. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Standing and recumbent tarsal CT studies from 94 clinical cases were retrospectively evaluated. General case information, degree of sclerosis (none-severe), lesions (demineralisation, cystoid, fissure/fracture) and their location were recorded, dividing CTBs into 8 regions. Results: Eighty five of 94 tarsi showed at ...
Drespling J, Berwanger L, Kühn H, Schwarz B, Doherr M, Mundhenk L.Mucus parameters are hallmark diagnostic features of equine asthma (EA). Objective: To investigate the relationship between mucus quantity score and mucus viscosity score with signalment, history, clinical findings and cytological parameters. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Methods: Mucus quantity and viscosity scores, signalment, history and clinical findings recorded for diagnostic purposes from up to 1599 samples, and cytological values of the corresponding bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and tracheobronchial secretions were analysed. The cut-off value of a mucus quantity ...
de Souza AF, Pereira CAM, Gialain IO, Meira JBC, Ballester RY, De Zoppa ALDV.This study aimed to compare the stress distribution in proximal interphalangeal joint arthrodesis with locking compression plate in horses based on the type and method of screw implantation in the proximal hole and partial or total removal of implants after fusion.Finite element analysis.Proximal interphalangeal joint arthrodesis was simulated using a 3-hole, 4.5-mm narrow locking compression plate combined with two 5.5-mm transarticular screws. Models were created according to the type (cortex or locking) and method of implantation (uni- or bicortical) of the screw in the proximal hole of the...
Legg KA, Gibson MJ, Gee EK, Rogers CW.Injury modelling based on changes in speed and stride characteristics of racehorses has become a primary industry focus for the Thoroughbred racing industry. However, speed and stride characteristics are strongly associated with track condition; therefore, reliable quantification of surface variables for use in future models is imperative. Objective: This study aimed to understand the interaction of objective turf track condition score (TCS) measurement with racing speed and injury in flat racing Thoroughbred horses. Methods: Retrospective time series analysis. Methods: Race-day data from 16 f...
Haase L, Winter J, Grummt S, Sedlmayr M, Sedlmayr B.Many people seek health-related information online, not only for themselves but also on behalf of others who cannot articulate their symptoms. This proxy information-seeking behavior is particularly relevant for animal owners, who must interpret their animals' symptoms without direct verbal feedback. While online health information-seeking in the context of one's own health is well-studied, the specific challenges of searching by proxy, especially for animal health information, remain largely unexplored. Unassigned: This study aimed to determine the specific information needs and search behavi...
Schild CO, Nyaoke A, Asin J, Henderson EE, Blea JA, Stover SM, Uzal FA.Radial fractures are relatively uncommon (0-1%) injuries in postmortem studies of racehorses, and few cases have been published. We describe here a series of 42 cases of radial fractures observed in California racehorses. Autopsy findings from all racehorses submitted for postmortem examination between 2006 July 1 and 2022 June 30 that had a recorded radial fracture were evaluated. We included 42 horses (30 Thoroughbreds, 12 Quarter Horses), most of which were 3-5-y-old. Catastrophic radial fracture was observed in 30 (71%) horses; in the remaining 12 (29%) horses, the fracture of the radius w...
Bertone AL, Reinemeyer C, Tsaprailis G, Ragland D, Leise B.The use of micro-particulate allografts is rising, but knowledge about the protein characterization and biocompatibility of umbilical cord-derived allografts (UC) in vivo is limited. Methods: Proteomic analyses using mass spectrometry (MS) determined equine UC protein relative quantification and functions using total spectral counts (TSC). UC cytokines were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Three in vivo studies assessed recipient clinical and tissue biocompatibility in joints and ligaments. Results: Proteomics revealed 2645 annotated TSCs. Proteins of > 89 TSC we...
Busquets N, Gardela J, José-Cunilleras E, Solé A, Salvador MJ, Obón E, Molina-López R, Aranda C, Montalvo T, Corbella I, Bou-Monclús MA....West Nile virus (WNV), mainly transmitted by mosquitoes, poses significant health risks to humans and horses, particularly in endemic regions. The first detection of WNV lineage 2 in Spain was in 2017 in Catalonia (northeastern Spain). In 2023, WNV was confirmed in a young yellow-legged gull and a probable human case was notified within the urban settings. We aimed to define the zone of WNV circulation in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area where these infections occurred and the effectiveness of the One Health approach for early WNV detection. The Catalan WNV surveillance and control programs in...
Miles S, McCauley C, Carossino M, Del Piero F, Liu CC, Gaschen L.Manica flexoria tears are increasingly recognized as a cause of lameness in horses resulting in a need for improved pre-operative diagnosis. Partial tears are difficult to pre-operatively diagnose and thus research for diagnostics of manica flexoria tears has been seen in increasing frequency over the past decade, though a deficit of information exists for the features of this structure on MRI, which is best suited for evaluation of soft tissues. The goal is to perform an observational study on the morphometry of the normal manica flexoria prospectively and describe it retrospectively on MRI. ...
Gomes C, Coheur L, Tilley P.Equine asthma is a prevalent respiratory disease that negatively impacts horses' health and athletic performance. Traditional diagnostic methods are invasive and require specialised equipment. There is a need for a non-invasive, cost-effective screening tool that can be used by veterinarians and horse handlers in ambulatory settings. Objective: To assess the willingness of veterinarians and horse handlers to adopt such a tool (Questionnaire 1) and the challenges associated with visually recognising equine asthma (Questionnaire 2) and to develop EquiBreathe, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powe...
Helmer A, Delore E, Bart O.This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Attention Skill Training (ASTride) protocol-an Equine-Assisted Occupational Therapy (EAOT) intervention-in improving participation, performance skills, and daily function among children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Unassigned: A prospective cohort study with an Interrupted Time-Series design was conducted with 50 children (mean age = 9.51 years, Standard Deviation = 1.52) diagnosed with ADHD. Assessments were conducted at baseline (Time 1), pre-intervention (Time 2), post-intervention (Time 3), and three-month follow-up (...
Scepek S, Lindau M.We have investigated the granule fusion events during exocytosis in horse eosinophils by time-resolved patch-clamp capacitance measurements. Stimulation with intracellular GTP gamma S leads to a stepwise capacitance increase by 4.0 +/- 0.9 pF. At GTP gamma S concentrations < 20 microM the step size distribution is in agreement with the granule size distribution in resting cells. Above 80 microM the number of steps is reduced and very large steps occur. The total capacitance increase, however, is unaffected. These results show that at high GTP gamma S concentrations granule--granule fusion o...
Stewart HL, Pitta D, Indugu N, Vecchiarelli B, Engiles JB, Southwood LL.OBJECTIVE To characterize the fecal microbiota of horses and to investigate alterations in that microbiota on the basis of sample collection site (rectum vs stall floor), sample location within the fecal ball (center vs surface), and duration of environmental exposure (collection time). ANIMALS 6 healthy adult mixed-breed mares. PROCEDURES From each horse, feces were collected from the rectum and placed on a straw-bedded stall floor. A fecal ball was selected for analysis immediately after removal from the rectum and at 0 (immediately), 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours after placement on the stall floor...
Basinska K, Marycz K, Śieszek A, Nicpoń J.A main symptom of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) in ponies is pathological obesity characterized by abnormal accumulation of fat deposits and inflammation. In this study, we analyzed the expression of two pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), in subcutaneous adipose tissue and the correlation with serum concentrations in peripheral blood of Welsh ponies. Based on clinical examination findings, the animals were divided into two groups: ponies affected with EMS (n = 8) and obese ponies (n = 8). The adipose tissue was examined using immunohist...
Blitvich BJ, Fernandez-Salas I, Contreras-Cordero JF, Marlenee NL, Gonzalez-Rojas JI, Komar N, Gubler DJ, Calisher CH, Beaty BJ.Serum samples were obtained from 24 horses in the State of Coahuila, Mexico, in December 2002. Antibodies to West Nile virus were detected by epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmed by plaque reduction neutralization test in 15 (62.5%) horses. We report the first West Nile virus activity in northern Mexico.
Frisbie DD, Kawcak CE, Trotter GW, Powers BE, Walton RM, McIlwraith CW.The objective of this study was to determine the effects of intra-articularly administered triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in exercised equine athletes with carpal osteochondral fragmentation. Eighteen horses were randomly assigned to each of 3 groups. An osteochondral chip fragment was created in one randomly chosen intercarpal joint of each horse. Both intercarpal joints in the placebo control group (CNT) horses were injected with intra-articular administration (IA) of polyionic fluid. Both joints in the TA control group (TA CNT) horses were treated with 12 mg of TA in the intercarpal joint wit...
Bailey SR, Habershon-Butcher JL, Ransom KJ, Elliott J, Menzies-Gow NJ.To determine the metabolic phenotype of a group of laminitis-prone ponies when at pasture in summer, compared with when at pasture in winter. Methods: 40 ponies of various breeds predisposed to recurrent pasture-associated laminitis and 40 unaffected control ponies. Methods: Body condition score and size of the crest of the neck were assessed, blood samples obtained, and blood pressure measured by use of an indirect oscillometric technique, while ponies were kept on winter pasture (last week of November or beginning of December) and again on summer pasture (June). Serum insulin concentration a...
Threadgill DS, Steagall WK, Flaherty MT, Fuller FJ, Perry ST, Rushlow KE, Le Grice SF, Payne SL.The putative dUTPase domain was deleted from the polymerase (pol) gene of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) to produce a recombinant delta DUpol Escherichia coli expression cassette and a delta DU proviral clone. Expression of the recombinant delta DUpol polyprotein yielded a properly processed and enzymatically active reverse transcriptase, as determined by immunoblot analysis and DNA polymerase activity gels. Transfection of delta DU provirus into feline (FEA) cells resulted in production of virus that replicated to wild-type levels in both FEA cells and fetal equine kidney cells. In con...
Torina A, Vicente J, Alongi A, Scimeca S, Turlá R, Nicosia S, Di Marco V, Caracappa S, de la Fuente J.The objective of this study was to characterize the observed prevalence of tick-borne pathogens (TBP) in domestic animals in Sicily, Italy during 2003-2005. Serological (competitive ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence antibody, n = 3299) and DNA tests (polymerase chain reaction and reverse line blot, n = 2565) were conducted on horse, donkey, cattle, sheep, goat, pig and dog samples. Pathogens analysed included Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, Babesia and Theileria species, and Coxiella burnetii. The most prevalent TBP were Anaplasma and Babesia species. The results reported herein suggeste...
Imam M, Alrashid B, Patel F, Dowah ASA, Brown N, Millard A, Clokie MRJ, Galyov EE.Phages are the most abundant biological entity on Earth. There are many variants in phage virion sizes, morphology, and genome sizes. Large virion sized phages, with genome sizes greater than 200 kbp have been identified and termed as Jumbo phages. These phages exhibit certain characteristics that have not been reported in phages with smaller genomes. In this work, a jumbo phage named MIJ3 (vB_PaeM_MIJ3) that infects PAO1 was isolated from an equine livery yard in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. The genome and biological characteristics of this phage have been investigated. MIJ3 is a Myovirus...
Kampen H, Holicki CM, Ziegler U, Groschup MH, Tews BA, Werner D.In 2018, West Nile virus (WNV) broke out for the first time in Germany, with continuation of the epidemic in 2019, involving birds, horses and humans. To identify vectors and characterize the virus, mosquitoes were collected in both years in zoological gardens and on a horse meadow immediately following the diagnosis of disease cases in birds and horses. Mosquitoes were identified and screened for WNV by qRT-PCR, with virus-positive samples being sequenced for the viral envelope protein gene. While no positive mosquitoes were found in 2018, seven mosquito pools tested positive for WNV in 2019 ...
van Maanen C, Cullinane A.Equine influenza is one of the most economically important contagious respiratory diseases of horses. In this paper the current state of knowledge of equine influenza virus and the most important aspects of these virus infections, e.g. epidemiology, clinical aspects, pathogenesis and pathology, immunity, diagnosis, treatment, management and vaccination, are reviewed with an emphasis on epidemiology, diagnosis and vaccinology. Many questions have remained and with the advent of improved technology new questions have arisen. Consequently, research priorities should be set in an attempt to answer...
Greene IP, Paessler S, Austgen L, Anishchenko M, Brault AC, Bowen RA, Weaver SC.Epidemics of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) result from high-titer equine viremia of IAB and IC subtype viruses that mediate increased mosquito transmission and spillover to humans. Previous genetic studies suggest that mutations in the E2 envelope glycoprotein allow relatively viremia-incompetent, enzootic subtype ID strains to adapt for equine replication, leading to VEE emergence. To test this hypothesis directly, chimeric VEEV strains containing the genetic backbone of enzootic subtype ID strains and the partial envelope glycoprotein genes of epizootic subtype IC and IAB strains, as ...
Langan RC, Gotsch PB, Krafczyk MA, Skillinge DD.Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease with recurrent symptoms and significant morbidity. The precise etiology is still unknown. As many as 25 percent of patients with ulcerative colitis have extraintestinal manifestations. The diagnosis is made endoscopically. Tests such as perinuclear antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies are promising, but not yet recommended for routine use. Treatment is based on the extent and severity of the disease. Rectal therapy with 5-aminosalicylic acid compounds is used for proctitis. More extensive disease requires t...
Sedykh SE, Purvinish LV, Monogarov AS, Burkova EE, Grigor'eva AE, Bulgakov DV, Dmitrenok PS, Vlassov VV, Ryabchikova EI, Nevinsky GA.Exosomes are 40-100 nm nanovesicles containing RNA and different proteins. Exosomes containing proteins, lipids, mRNAs, and microRNAs are important in intracellular communication and immune function. Exosomes from different sources are usually obtained by combination of centrifugation and ultracentrifugation and according to published data can contain from a few dozens to thousands of different proteins. Crude exosome preparations from milk of eighteen horses were obtained for the first time using several standard centrifugations. Exosome preparations were additionally purified by FPLC gel fi...
Traub-Dargatz JL, Kopral CA, Seitzinger AH, Garber LP, Forde K, White NA.To estimate the national incidence of, operation-level risk factors for, and annual economic impact of colic among horses in the United States during 1998 and 1999. Methods: Epidemiologic survey. Methods: 21,820 horses on 1,026 horse operations in 28 states. Methods: Horses were monitored for colic for 1 year, and results were recorded in a log that was collected quarterly. Operation-level data were collected via 4 on-site personal interviews. Associations between colic and independent variables adjusted for size of operation were determined. Results: Annual national incidence of colic in the ...
Owens SD, Kol A, Walker NJ, Borjesson DL.Background. It is unknown whether horses that receive allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) injections develop specific humoral immune response. Our goal was to develop and validate a flow cytometric MSC crossmatch procedure and to determine if horses that received allogeneic MSCs in a clinical setting developed measurable antibodies following MSC administration. Methods. Serum was collected from a total of 19 horses enrolled in 3 different research projects. Horses in the 3 studies all received unmatched allogeneic MSCs. Bone marrow (BM) or adipose tissue derived MSCs (ad-MSCs) were admini...
Breathnach CC, Sturgill-Wright T, Stiltner JL, Adams AA, Lunn DP, Horohov DW.The increased vulnerability of foals to specific pathogens such as Rhodococcus equi is believed to reflect an innate immunodeficiency, the nature of which remains poorly understood. Previous studies have demonstrated that neonates of many species fail to mount potent Th1 responses. The current research investigates the ability of circulating and pulmonary lymphocytes of developing foals to produce interferon gamma (IFNgamma). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were prepared from up to 10 horse foals at regular intervals throughout the first 6 months of life. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)...
Thompson K, McGreevy P, McManus P.While the importance of improving horse-related safety seems self-evident, no comprehensive study into understanding or reducing horse-related risk has been undertaken. In this paper, we discuss four dimensions of horse-related risk: the risk itself, the horse, the rider and the culture in which equestrian activities takes place. We identify how the ways in which risk is constructed in each dimension affects the applicability of four basic risk management options of avoidance, transference, mitigation and acceptance. We find the acceptance and avoidance of horse-related risk is generally high,...
Traub-Dargatz JL, Pelzel-McCluskey AM, Creekmore LH, Geiser-Novotny S, Kasari TR, Wiedenheft AM, Bush EJ, Bjork KE.A large multistate outbreak of equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) occurred in May 2011 among horses that participated in a competitive event. Objective: To identify EHM risk factors among horses with a common exposure venue. Methods: A total of 123 horses: 19 horses with EHM, 14 equine herpesvirus-1 cases with no reported neurologic signs, and 90 control horses. Methods: EHM case survey data were compared with data from EHV-1 cases with no neurologic signs and healthy controls using univariable and multivariable methods. Results: Significant factors associated with higher risk for EH...
Loux SC, Crawford KR, Ing NH, González-Fernández L, Macías-García B, Love CC, Varner DD, Velez IC, Choi YH, Hinrichs K.In vitro fertilization does not occur readily in the horse. This may be related to failure of equine sperm to initiate hyperactivated motility, as treating with procaine to induce hyperactivation increases fertilization rates. In mice, hyperactivated motility requires a sperm-specific pH-gated calcium channel (CatSper); therefore, we investigated this channel in equine sperm. Motility was assessed by computer-assisted sperm motility analysis and changes in intracellular pH and calcium were assessed using fluorescent probes. Increasing intracellular pH induced a rise in intracellular calcium, w...
Perkins GA, Goodman LB, Tsujimura K, Van de Walle GR, Kim SG, Dubovi EJ, Osterrieder N.A single nucleotide polymorphism in the equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) DNA polymerase gene (ORF30 A(2254) to G) has been associated with clinical signs of equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM). The purpose of our study was to determine the odds ratio for this genetic marker and EHM using a panel of field isolates from North America collected over the past twenty-three years. EHV-1 isolates cultured at the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory from 1984 to 2007 were retrieved along with their clinical histories. DNA was extracted from these EHV-1 cultures and allelic discrimina...
Valentine BA.A study of 57 cutaneous melanocytic tumors from 53 horses revealed 4 distinct clinical syndromes: melanocytic nevus, dermal melanoma, dermal melanomatosis, and anaplastic malignant melanoma. Melanocytic nevus and anaplastic melanoma each had histopathologic features that distinguished them from dermal melanoma and dermal melanomatosis. Dermal melanoma and dermal melanomatosis were histologically similar but could be differentiated by their clinical features. Melanocytic nevi were diagnosed in 29 horses with an average age of 5 years; they were solitary, superficial masses that occurred in both...
Angelini P, Tamba M, Finarelli AC, Bellini R, Albieri A, Bonilauri P, Cavrini F, Dottori M, Gaibani P, Martini E, Mattivi A, Pierro AM, Rugna G....Following a large West Nile virus (WNV) epidemic in northeastern Italy in 2008, human and animal surveillance activities were implemented in Emilia Romagna. Human surveillance was performed by serology or genome detection on blood and cerebrospinal fluid for all suspected cases suffering from acute meningoencephalitis in the regional territory. Animal surveillance consisted of passive and active surveillance of horses and active surveillance of wild birds and mosquitoes. Between 15 June and 31 October 2009, nine of 78 possible cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease were confirmed (three fata...
Horseman SV, Buller H, Mullan S, Whay HR.Despite growing concerns about the welfare of horses in Great Britain (GB) there has been little surveillance of the welfare status of the horse population. Consequently we have limited knowledge of the range of welfare problems experienced by horses in GB and the situations in which poor welfare occurs. Thirty-one in-depth interviews were conducted with a cross -section of equine stakeholders, in order to explore their perceptions of the welfare problems faced by horses in GB. Welfare problems relating to health, management and riding and training were identified, including horses being under...
Witte TH, Hirst CV, Wilson AM.Stride duration, stance duration and protraction duration are key variables when describing the gaits of terrestrial animals. Together, they determine the duty factor (the fraction of the stride for which the limb maintains contact with the ground surface), from which the peak vertical force can be estimated. When an animal changes speed, these variables change at different proportions. Limited measurements of these variables and predictions of peak limb force have been undertaken for large mammals performing high-speed over-ground exercise. This study set out to make such measurements, employ...
Binns MM, Boehler DA, Lambert DH.One hundred and eighty-nine Thoroughbred horses that had won Graded Stakes races in North America were genotyped with the Illumina Equine SNP50 bead chip. Association tests using PLINK to determine whether any SNPs were associated with optimum racing distance (7 furlongs and under compared to 8-10 furlongs) identified a locus on ECA18 that was statistically significant (-log 10 EMP2=1.63) at the genome-wide level following permutation analysis (10,000 permutations). Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the two ECA18 SNPs with the highest statistical significance spanned the MSTN (myostatin) lo...
Loeffler A, Pfeiffer DU, Lindsay JA, Soares Magalhães RJ, Lloyd DH.We investigated the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage in a convenience sample of purposely selected populations of dogs, cats and horses in the Greater London area. Swabs from carriage sites were pooled, enriched and processed by standard bacteriological methods. The presence of nuc and mecA was confirmed for MRSA. Risk factors were investigated among veterinary treatment group animals using exact logistic regression analysis. Twenty-six (1.53%) MRSA carriers were identified in the 1692 animals (15/704 dogs, 8/540 cats, 3/152 horses). Animals presenting ...
Davidson AH, Traub-Dargatz JL, Rodeheaver RM, Ostlund EN, Pedersen DD, Moorhead RG, Stricklin JB, Dewell RD, Roach SD, Long RE, Albers SJ, Callan RJ....To compare neutralizing antibody response between horses vaccinated against West Nile virus (WNV) and horses that survived naturally occurring infection. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study. Methods: 187 horses vaccinated with a killed WNV vaccine and 37 horses with confirmed clinical WNV infection. Methods: Serum was collected from vaccinated horses prior to and 4 to 6 weeks after completion of an initial vaccination series (2 doses) and 5 to 7 months later. Serum was collected from affected horses 4 to 6 weeks after laboratory diagnosis of infection and 5 to 7 months after the first...
