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.
Graubner C, Bergmann W, Gerber V, Veraa S, Oevermann A, Wijnberg I.Aims: To determine the relation between quantitative electromyography (QEMG) of the cervical ventral serratus muscle, radiographic findings and post-mortem gross and histopathological examination in order to calculate the ability of QEMG to localize the region of cervical compressive neuropathy and myelopathy in horses. Methods: In this clinical, non-randomised, partially blinded study (QEMG and histology), 36 warmblood horses with clinical suspicion of cervical spine disease were examined with QEMG in different segments of the ventral serratus muscle. Results were compared to normative data. ...
Scheurer L, Bachofen C, Herteman N, Hilbe M, Wolfer N, Schoster A.This case series describes three cases of equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF) diagnosed at the Clinic for Equine Internal Medicine at the University of Zurich between 2012 and 2017. Current information on etiology and treatment options are presented. Two horses showed mild signs of chronic lower respiratory tract disease and one horse was presented with acute signs of disease including recurrent fever spikes and tachypnea. Diagnosis was achieved by physical examination, radiographic findings, and PCR testing for equine herpesviruses (EHV) of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid or lung...
We found a male Hyalomma rufipes Koch, 1844 tick feeding on a horse grazing near Valtice, south Moravia, Czech Republic on October 24, 2019. The horse was born in Czechland and did not leave the country at least during the last five years. Relevant findings of Hyalomma ticks in other parts of central Europe are reviewed, including also records of pre-imaginal Hyalomma marginatum complex ticks on migrating birds all over Europe.
Lhermie G, La Ragione RM, Weese JS, Olsen JE, Christensen JP, Guardabassi L.Among the measures taken to preserve the clinical efficacy of highest priority critically important antimicrobials (HP-CIAs), the WHO has recommended avoiding their use in food-producing animals. Little is known regarding the indications for which different antimicrobial classes are used in animals, even in countries where data on antimicrobial use are available. To outline, in a narrative review, the diseases for which HP-CIAs are used in veterinary medicine, highlighting incongruences with international guidelines and disease conditions where effective alternatives to HP-CIAs are missing. Sc...
Bengtsson RJ, Wee BA, Yebra G, Bacigalupe R, Watson E, Guedes RMC, Jacobson M, Stadejek T, Archibald AL, Fitzgerald JR, Ait-Ali T.Lawsonia intracellularis is a Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium that is the aetiological agent of proliferative enteropathy (PE), a common intestinal disease of major economic importance in pigs and other animal species. To date, progress in understanding the biology of L. intracellularis for improved disease control has been hampered by the inability to culture the organism in vitro. In particular, our understanding of the genomic diversity and population structure of clinical L. intercellularis is very limited. Here, we utilized a metagenomic shotgun approach to directly sequenc...
Godbout M, Vargas A, Hélie P, Bullone M, Lavoie JP.To use a biopolymer delivery system to investigate the ability of interleukin (IL)-4 to recruit neutrophils into subcutaneous tissues of equids. Methods: 16 horses and 2 ponies. Methods: Animals were assigned to 3 experiments (6/experiment). Effects of recombinant equine (Req) IL-4 (100, 250, or 500 ng/site) versus a positive control (ReqIL-8; 100 ng, 250 ng, or 1 μg/site) and a negative control (Dulbecco PBSS or culture medium) on neutrophil chemotaxis were assessed after SC injection into the neck with an injectable biopolymer used as the vehicle. Tissue samples including the biopolymer plu...
Quigley A, Sekiya M, Garcia-Campos A, Paz-Silva A, Howell A, Williams DJL, Mulcahy G.Fasciola hepatica is a common parasite of livestock in Ireland, causing significant economic losses and affecting animal welfare. A previous abattoir study of 200 horses led to an estimated 9.5 % prevalence of infection in horses slaughtered in Ireland. However, the epidemiology and pathogenic significance of this infection in this species is not well-described. The objectives of this study were to determine the susceptibility of horses to oral challenge infection with F. hepatica metacercariae, and to document the course of the infection along with serological and biochemical response. We att...
Elkhawagah AR, Nervo T, Poletto M, Martino NA, Gallo D, Bertero A, Vincenti L.The aim of the study was to ascertain effects of different concentrations of relaxin added to extender medium during the pre-freezing incubation periods on quality variables of stallion frozen-thawed spermatozoa. Semen samples collected from three stallions were filtered, diluted with skim milk, and centrifuged at 600g for 10 min. Sperm pellets were suspended in BotuCrio freezing medium to a final concentration of 50 × 10 sperm/mL. The diluted semen was divided into five experimental groups supplemented with 0 (control), 12.5, 25, 50, or 100 ng/mL of relaxin. The semen samples were transferre...
Journal of proteomicsApril 2, 2020
Volume 221 103765 doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103765
Martín-Cano FE, Gaitskell-Phillips G, Ortiz-Rodríguez JM, Silva-Rodríguez A, Román Á, Rojo-Domínguez P, Alonso-Rodríguez E, Tapia JA, Gil MC....Proteomic technologies allow the detection of thousands of proteins at the same time, being a powerful technique to reveal molecular regulatory mechanisms in spermatozoa and also sperm damage linked to low fertility or specific biotechnologies. Modifications induced by the cryopreservation in the stallion sperm proteome were studied using UHPLC/MS/MS. Ejaculates from fertile stallions were collected and split in two subsamples, one was investigated as fresh (control) samples, and the other aliquot frozen and thawed using standard procedures and investigated as frozen thawed subsamples. UHPLC/M...
van Proosdij R, Mulder C, Reijm M, Bontkes H, von Blomberg M, van der Kolk H.It has been suggested that gluten may play a role in equine inflammatory small bowel disease (ISBD). Previous work showed an association between equine gluten-sensitive enteropathy and IgA antibodies to tissue transglutaminase (TGA) in serum. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of IgA antibodies to TGA in a group of healthy non-gluten-free sport ponies and to present a case of tentative gluten-sensitive enteropathy and dermatitis in a horse. Blood samples were obtained from 40 healthy jumping ponies. The ponies comprised 12 mares, 8 stallions, and 20 geldings with an ave...
Ishii H, Obara T, Kijima-Suda I.Paracetamol is used widely as an over-the-counter analgesic and antipyretic medication for humans, but not for Japanese racehorses. Paracetamol can be an environmental substance, and is found together with its two isomers, metacetamol and orthocetamol, in equine urine. However, the sources and routes of paracetamol exposure remain unclear. To control the misuse of paracetamol, it is appropriate to establish residue limits for paracetamol to differentiate the administration of paracetamol from its environmental levels. In this study, we developed and validated a quantitative method for paraceta...
Hordijk J, Farmakioti E, Smit LAM, Duim B, Graveland H, Theelen MJP, Wagenaar JA.A nationwide study on the occurrence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)/AmpC in nonhospitalized horses in the Netherlands was performed. Molecular characterization was done, and questionnaires were analyzed to identify factors associated with carriage. In total, 796 horse owners were approached; 281 of these submitted a fecal sample from their horse(s), resulting in 362 samples. All samples were cultured qualitatively in Luria-Bertani (LB) broth and subsequently on MacConkey agar, both supplemented with 1 mg/liter cefotaxime (LB+ and MC+). Positive samples were subsequently cultured qu...
Liu Q, Yu YY, Wang HY.Increasing evidence suggests that DNA methylation has key roles in the replication of retroviruses, including lentiviruses, and pathogenesis of diseases. However, the precise characteristics of CpG islands are not known for many retroviruses. In this study, we compared the distribution of CpG islands among strains of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), a lentivirus in the family Retroviridae and a model for HIV research. We identified CpG islands in 32 full-length EIAV genomic sequences obtained from the GenBank database using MethPrimer. Only one CpG island, from 100 to 120 bp, was identi...
Kilcoyne I, Nieto JE, Dechant JE.To assess the diagnostic value of plasma and peritoneal fluid procalcitonin concentrations for identification of horses with strangulating intestinal lesions. Methods: 65 horses with signs of colic of intestinal origin and 10 healthy (control) horses. Methods: For each horse, plasma and peritoneal fluid samples were obtained for a CBC and determination of total protein, procalcitonin, and lactate concentrations. Signalment and clinicopathologic findings were compared among control horses and horses with strangulating and nonstrangulating intestinal lesions. Results: Mean ± SD plasma (274.9 ±...
Stout TAE.The first reports of in vitro embryo production (IVEP) by conventional in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection in horses date respectively from approximately 30 and 25 years ago. However, IVEP has only become established in clinical practice during the last decade. The initial slow uptake of IVEP was largely because the likelihood of success was too low to make it an economically viable means of breeding horses. During the last decade, the balance has shifted, primarily because of significant improvements in the efficiency of recovering immature oocytes from live donor m...
Fitzgerald DM, Spence RJ, Stewart ZK, Prentis PJ, Sillence MN, de Laat MA.The equine microbiome can change in response to dietary alteration and may play a role in insulin dysregulation. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of adding pasture to a hay diet on the faecal bacterial microbiome of both healthy and insulin-dysregulated ponies. Faecal samples were collected from 16 ponies before and after dietary change to enable bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing of the V3-V4 region. The dominant phyla in all samples were the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. The evenness of the bacterial populations decreased after grazing pasture, and when a pony was moderately insu...
Bragança FMS, Brommer H, van den Belt AJM, Maree JTM, van Weeren PR, van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MMS.At Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) competitions, horses undergo veterinary inspection for judgement of 'fit-to-compete'. However, FEI Veterinary Delegates (VDs) often differ in opinion. The aim of the present study was to evaluate intra- and inter-observer agreements of fit-to-compete judgement and compare these with objective gait analysis measurements. Twelve horses were evaluated by three experienced VDs and one veterinary specialist and video-recorded for re-evaluation later. Simultaneously, quantitative gait analysis measurements were acquired. Inter-observer agreement during l...
Wormstrand BH, Fjordbakk CT, Griffiths DJ, Lykkjen S, Olstad K.Growth cartilage is found in the articular-epiphyseal cartilage complex (AECC) and the physis. It has a temporary blood supply organised as end arteries. Vascular failure is associated with osteochondrosis, but infection can also obstruct vessels. The location of bacteria was recently compared to arterial perfusion, and the results indicated that they were located in the distal tips of AECC end arteries. Systematic perfusion studies were not available for comparison to the infected physes. Further studies may improve our understanding of infections and other pathologies. Objective: To describe...
van Loon JPAM, Visser EMS, de Mik-van Mourik M, Kerbert P, Huppes T, Menke ES.Colic surgery in horses impacts both short-term well-being of horses due to possible surgical and anesthetic complications and also long-term return to a sporting career. In this retrospective study, survival and complication rates, as well as functional outcome and behavioral problems in horses that underwent colic surgery were studied. Data from 283 horses that underwent colic surgery at a veterinary teaching hospital were analyzed. Furthermore, owners were contacted and requested to fill out a questionnaire concerning the first year of rehabilitation. Of 283 horses that underwent colic surg...
Van Cleemput J, Poelaert KCK, Laval K, Vanderheijden N, Dhaenens M, Daled S, Boyen F, Pasmans F, Nauwynck HJ.β-Defensins protect the respiratory tract against the myriad of microbial pathogens entering the airways with each breath. However, this potentially hostile environment is known to serve as a portal of entry for herpesviruses. The lack of suitable respiratory model systems has precluded understanding of how herpesvirus virions overcome the abundant mucosal β-defensins during host invasion. We demonstrate how a central alphaherpesvirus, equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV1), actually exploits β-defensins to invade its host and initiate viral spread. The equine β-defensins (eBDs) eBD1, -2, and -3...
Alonso JM, Rosa GDS, Santos B, Guerra S, Ribeiro M, Watanabe MJ, Alves A, Rodrigues C, Takahira RK, Hussni CA.Intraperitoneal administration of ceftriaxone maintains therapeutic abdominal concentrations for 24 hours in healthy horses. Therefore, it is a possible treatment for septic peritonitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of ceftriaxone as an adjuvant treatment in horses with septic peritonitis. Methods: Twenty-six horses with clinical signs, sonography and/or laboratory findings of septic peritonitis were included. Peritoneal fluid was collected for microbiological culture and in vitro microbial sensitivity profile assessment. Daily intraperitoneal administration of ceftriax...
Lambertini C, Bombardi C, Zannoni A, Bernardini C, Dondi F, Morini M, Rinnovati R, Spadari A, Romagnoli N.Proteinase activated receptor 4 (PAR) in the gastrointestinal tract is involved in the regulation of inflammation and pain pathways. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the distribution and expression of PAR in the jejunum of healthy horses and in the pathologic tracts from horses undergoing surgery for herniation of the small intestine through the epiploic foramen. Eight healthy horses (Group H) and eight horses with epiploic hernia (Group EH) were included; the jejunum samples were collected at the slaughter or intraoperatively after enterectomy, respectively. To evaluate PAR expres...
Küls N, Trujanovic R, Otero PE, Larenza-Menzies MP.Colic surgery is one of the most painful procedures carried out in horses. Common strategies to alleviate immediate postsurgical abdominal pain include the administration of potent systemic analgesics; however, these may cause unwanted adverse effects such as cardiovascular depression, ileus, and ataxia. The administration of local anesthetics at the incision site in form of an ultrasound-guided subcostal transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block may therefore be preferred to provide adequate analgesia without significant side effects. To date, no technique for a TAP block in horses undergoing m...
Freeman DE, Mooney A, Giguère S, Claire J, Evetts C, Diskant P.Measurements of water consumed by fed healthy horses might not apply to horses that are unwilling or unable to drink or are not fed for any reason. Objective: To examine the effects of feed deprivation on voluntary water consumption compared with fed conditions. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Eight healthy adult Thoroughbred geldings were used in a randomised crossover design so that each horse served as its own control for fed vs feed-deprived conditions. Water intake, bodyweight, physical findings and vital signs were measured during 4 days of feeding and 4 days of feed deprivation....
Schulze V, Große R, Fürstenau J, Forth LF, Ebinger A, Richter MT, Tappe D, Mertsch T, Klose K, Schlottau K, Hoffmann B, Höper D, Mundhenk L....Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) is the causative agent of Borna disease, an often fatal neurologic condition of domestic mammals, including New World camelids, in endemic areas in Central Europe. Recently, BoDV-1 gained further attention by the confirmation of fatal zoonotic infections in humans. Although Borna disease and BoDV-1 have been described already over the past decades, comprehensive reports of Borna disease outbreaks in domestic animals employing state-of-the-art diagnostic methods are missing. Here, we report a series of BoDV-1 infections in a herd of 27 alpacas (Vicugna pacos) in t...
Mellor DJ.A proposition addressed here is that, although bitted horses are viewed by many equestrians as being largely free of bit-related mouth pain, it seems likely that most behavioural signs of such pain are simply not recognised. Background information is provided on the following: the major features of pain generation and experience; cerebrocortical involvement in the conscious experience of pain by mammals; the numerous other subjective experiences mammals can have; adjunct physiological responses to pain; some general feature of behavioural responses to pain; and the neural bases of sensations g...
Maia MPM, Weber SH, Bastos LFC, Michelotto PV.This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of juvenile osteochondral conditions (JOCCs) in yearling Thoroughbred (TB) racehorses in Southern Brazil, as well as to examine the same animals studied as weanlings by Bastos et al. (2017) and compare the radiographic findings for the two ages. Radiographs of 76 male and female TB yearlings from Paraná State, Southern Brazil, were investigated. The proximal interphalangeal, metacarpophalangeal/metatarsophalangeal (MC/MT), tarsal, and femorotibial (FT) joints were evaluated using 24 radiographic projections. The evaluation consisted of a severit...
Day P, Collins L, Horan K, Weller R, Pfau T.Tungsten road nails are commonly used by farriers to increase grip between the hoof and the ground surface. There is limited evidence relating the use of road nails to the fundamental mechanics of movement. Grip is important for efficient deceleration on landing and subsequent propulsion, but this must be balanced against an amount of slip to divide the landing force into horizontal as well as vertical subcomponents. Here, we conducted an intervention study to quantify the effect of lateral heel road nail placement on weight bearing and propulsion in 10 horses trotting on tarmac. Wireless iner...
Parsons Aubone AM, Bisiau CM, McCue PM, Bouma GJ.Mammals have a circadian rhythm that is synchronized by a master clock located in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN regulates additional clocks located in peripheral tissues, including some involved in endocrine or reproductive functions. Studies in humans and mice report that molecular clocks also exist in the placenta. However, little is known about the presence of "Clock genes," namely Circadian Locomotor Output Cycles Kaput (CLOCK), Brain and Muscle Arnt-Like 1 (BMAL1), Period 1 (PER1), Period 2 (PER2), Cryptochrome 1 (CRY1), and Cryptochrome 2 (CRY2), in equine place...
Spears JW, Lloyd KE, Siciliano P, Pratt-Phillips S, Goertzen EW, McLeod SJ, Moore J, Krafka K, Hyda J, Rounds W.Forty-eight Quarter Horse geldings (3 to 8 yr of age) were used to determine the effects of dietary chromium (Cr), in the form of Cr propionate (Cr Prop) on insulin sensitivity. Horses were blocked by age, body condition score, and glucose response to concentrate feeding on day 0 and randomly assigned to treatments. Treatments consisted of 0, 2, 4, or 8 mg Cr/d from Cr Prop. Horses were fed daily a concentrate mix at a rate of 0.2 kg/100 kg body weight (BW) and grass hay at 1.75 to 2.0 kg/100 kg BW. All horses were fed the control diet for 7 d prior to the initiation of the study. After an ove...
Miskovic M, Couëtil LL, Thompson CA.The effects of long-term environmental management on airway obstruction and inflammation in horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) are unknown. Objective: Horses with RAO maintained in low-dust environments have persistent airway obstruction and neutrophilic inflammation. Methods: Study horses were treated for RAO and then maintained in low-dust environments with no medical management. Horses were classified into 3 groups by years after diagnosis: 1 year (time 1, n = 9), 2-3 years (time 2, n = 7), and 5-6 years (time 3, n = 8). The comparison groups were age-matched healthy horses. Met...
Freeman DE.Although earlier reports describe a poor prognosis for small intestinal surgery in the horse, there is growing evidence that the short-term survival rate can exceed 80%. In addition to advancements in surgery and aftercare, early referral contributes considerably to the improved prognosis. Surgical procedures that restore anatomic and physiologic continuity to close to normal can minimize postoperative complications. Jejunojejunostomy carries a better prognosis than jejunocecostomy, probably because the latter involves anastomosis between two intestinal segments with dissimilar functions. Care...
Seo MS, Park SB, Kim HS, Kang JG, Chae JS, Kang KS.Recent studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are able to differentiate into multi-lineage cells such as adipocytes, chondroblasts, and osteoblasts. Amniotic membrane from whole placenta is a good source of stem cells in humans. This membrane can potentially be used for wound healing and corneal surface reconstruction. Moreover, it can be easily obtained after delivery and is usually discarded as classified waste. In the present study, we successfully isolated and characterized equine amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cells (eAM-MSCs) that were cultured and maintained i...
Sisó S, Ferrer I, Pumarola M.Numerous swollen neurons and multiple dystrophic axons were observed in the gracillis and cuneatus nuclei of two male Arabian horses, aged six and 12 months of age, with equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy. Swollen neurons and dystrophic axons showed synaptophysin, synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa, syntaxin-1 and alpha-synuclein immunoreactivity. Moreover, dystrophic axons were strongly immunopositive against the ubiquitin protein and against the anti-phosphorylated 200 kDa neurofilament protein. Abnormal expression of integral synaptic vesicle, synaptic vesicle-associated presyna...
Hisey EA, Hermans H, Lounsberry ZT, Avila F, Grahn RA, Knickelbein KE, Duward-Akhurst SA, McCue ME, Kalbfleisch TS, Lassaline ME, Back W, Bellone RR.Distichiasis, an ocular disorder in which aberrant cilia (eyelashes) grow from the opening of the Meibomian glands of the eyelid, has been reported in Friesian horses. These misplaced cilia can cause discomfort, chronic keratitis, and corneal ulceration, potentially impacting vision due to corneal fibrosis, or, if secondary infection occurs, may lead to loss of the eye. Friesian horses represent the vast majority of reported cases of equine distichiasis, and as the breed is known to be affected with inherited monogenic disorders, this condition was hypothesized to be a simply inherited Mendeli...
HOLT JP, RHODE EA, PEOPLES SA, KINES H.Studies of left ventricular volume and pressure have been carried out in the control state in four classes of intact anesthetized mammals (horses, cattle, swine, and dogs), body weights of which varied 54-fold. On the basis of these studies of both large and small hearts, extending over a wide range, a pattern of function for the left ventricle of all mammals has been described. Mathematical equations are given describing the interrelationships between left ventricular end-diastolic volume and end-systolic volume, stroke volume, cardiac output, stroke-work, heart rate, and total peripheral res...
Ameni G, Terefe W.A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of epizootic lymphangitis (EL) in 309 cart-mules (cart-pulling mules) in Bako and Ejaji towns, Western Ethiopia using clinical and microbiological examinations, between November 2002 and April 2003. The overall prevalence was 21% (CI=16.6-26%). The clinical, histological and mycological characteristics of EL in a cart-mule were similar with those in a horse. There was significant (chi2=133.5, P=0.001) association between tick infestation and EL lesions in study cart-mules. Amblyoma coherence and Boophilus genera were the ticks c...
Malo A, Cluzel C, Labrecque O, Beauchamp G, Lavoie JP, Leclere M.This study identified antimicrobial resistance patterns of commonly isolated bacteria at the Equine Hospital of the Université de Montréal between 2007 and 2013, and compared the results with the resistance patterns observed in tests performed in previous decades in the same hospital. A total of 396 antimicrobial susceptibility tests were analyzed by the Kirby-Bauer method during the period 2007 to 2013 and compared to 233 and 255 tests completed in 1986 to 1988 and 1996 to 1998, respectively. The most common bacteria were Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) and Escher...
Jacobsen S, Vinther AM, Kjelgaard-Hansen M, Nielsen LN.Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a major equine acute phase protein and of great value in detection and monitoring of inflammation. A new immunoturbidometric assay based on monoclonal antibodies (VET-SAA, Eiken Chemical Co., Japan) may be useful for SAA measurements in routine diagnostic laboratories. The aim of the study was to validate the VET-SAA immunoturbidometric assay and use it to measure serum SAA concentrations in a variety of clinical cases. Precision was assessed by intra- and interassay coefficients of variation of repeated measurements of serum pools (low, intermediate, high concentratio...
Schott HC, Hodgson DR, Bayly WM.The effects of exercise on urinary excretion of red blood cells, pigments (haemoglobin and myoglobin) and protein were studied in 8 mares performing treadmill exercise at speeds eliciting 40, 60 and 95% of the maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). Gross haematuria and pigmenturia were observed in all horses during exercise at the 2 higher intensities, while these findings were detected in only one of 8 mares during exercise at 40% of the VO2max. For the remaining 7 mares exercised at 40% of the VO2max, increased urinary excretion of red blood cells (RBCs) and pigments was evident after centrifu...
Winton CL, Hegarty MJ, McMahon R, Slavov GT, McEwan NR, Davies-Morel MC, Morgan CM, Powell W, Nash DM.The conservation of unique populations of animals is critical in order to preserve valuable genetic diversity and, where populations are free-living, maintain their irreplaceable influence upon habitat ecology. An accurate assessment of genetic diversity and structure within and between populations is crucial in order to design and implement conservation strategies in natural and domesticated species. Moreover, where it is possible to identify relic populations that are related to a structured breed an ideal opportunity presents itself to model processes that reveal historical factors that hav...
Dimsoski P.To describe the development and performance of the new horse genotyping kit. Methods: Highly discriminatory 17-Plex horse genotyping kit was designed by adding the fifth dye to the StockMarks kit for genotyping horses and taking advantage of the new instrument platforms. This was accomplished by using a new set of five fluorescent dyes developed by Applied Biosystems (DS-31), with four of the dyes used to label the forward amplification primers (6-FAM, VIC, NED, and PET) in each primer set. Results: The new equine kit contained five extra loci (ASB17, LEX3, HMS1, CA425, and ASB23) in addition ...
Hewetson M, Tallon R.This narrative review explores the etiopathogenesis, clinical signs, diagnosis and treatment of ESGD (equine squamous gastric disease) and discusses the impact of this commonly encountered condition on the equine industry. ESGD refers specifically to peptic injury of the squamous mucosa of the stomach. Prevalence is highest in performance horses, but the disease has been documented across many breeds and ages, including in feral horses and foals. The pathogenesis of ESGD is well understood. Intensive management and exercise are important factors that contribute to a disruption of the normal st...
Moore EH, Shelton DK, Wisner ER, Richardson ML, Bishop DM, Brock JM.To reexamine the blood patch technique in a laboratory model of lung biopsy free of confounding clinical variables. Methods: An equine model of lung biopsy was developed with an excised lobe connected to an insufflation bulb and pressure monitor. Patched and control unpatched punctures were made in the lung surface, and the pressure within the lung was raised to the maximum achievable. Whether air leakage from the puncture sites could be induced was determined and, if so, at what pressure it occurred. Results: At statistical analysis with the Kaplan-Meier test and the Cox proportional hazards ...
Sweeney CR, Maxson AD, Soma LR.The frequency of upper respiratory tract abnormalities was determined in a selected population of racing Thoroughbreds. The prevalence of pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia was 34.2%; left laryngeal hemiplegia was 1.8%; and epiglottic entrapment was 0.74%. Excluding pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia and tracheal exudate, 3.7% of the population examined had upper respiratory tract abnormalities.
Smith BP, Robinson RC.Five out of 6 foals between 2 and 4 months old, on a ranch in northern California, developed pneumonia within a 3 week period in June and July 1978. Corynebacterium equi was recovered from each of the 5 foals by transtracheal aspiration. Clinical signs were variable but included increased respiratory rate, fever, cough, nasal discharge, harsh airway sounds over middle sized airways and wheezing over small airways. Cyanosis was present in the most severely affected foal. Radiographic findings included diffusely increased interstitial and peribronchial densities, areas of consolidation and, in 3...
Traub-Dargatz JL, Jones RL.A review of the literature describing clostridia-associated enterocolitis is presented. The bacteria, their toxins, and possible factors that interact to contribute to the pathogenesis of enterocolitis are described. Clinical signs associated with clostridia-associated enterocolitis, methods of diagnosis, treatments, and preventive strategies are discussed.
Hackett CH, Flaminio MJ, Fortier LA.A long-term goal of mesenchymal progenitor cell (MPC) research is to identify cell-surface markers to facilitate MPC isolation. One reported MPC feature in humans and other species is lack of CD14 (lipopolysaccharide receptor) expression. The aim of this study was to evaluate CD14 as an MPC sorting marker. Our hypothesis was that cells negatively selected by CD14 expression would enrich MPC colony formation compared with unsorted and CD14-positive fractions. After validation of reagents, bone marrow aspirate was obtained from 12 horses. Fresh and cultured cells were analyzed by flow cytometry ...
Gambini A, De Stefano A, Bevacqua RJ, Karlanian F, Salamone DF.Embryo aggregation has been demonstrated to improve cloning efficiency in mammals. However, since no more than three embryos have been used for aggregation, the effect of using a larger number of cloned zygotes is unknown. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to determine whether increased numbers of cloned aggregated zygotes results in improved in vitro and in vivo embryo development in the equine. Zona-free reconstructed embryos (ZFRE's) were cultured in the well of the well system in four different experimental groups: I. 1x, only one ZFRE per microwell; II. 3x, three per microwell;...
Penny J, Harris P, Shakesheff KM, Mobasheri A.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells that can give rise to a range of connective tissue cells including osteoblasts, chondrocytes and adipocytes. MSCs have been isolated from humans and a variety of animal species including rodents, dogs, horses and rabbits. There is currently no consensus on how these cells are identified and characterized. This is partly due to the lack of standardized specific cell surface markers for MSCs. The aim of this review is to examine the literature on equine MSCs and establish whether there is a well-defined phenotype for these cells. Equine MS...
Howell AK, Malalana F, Beesley NJ, Hodgkinson JE, Rhodes H, Sekiya M, Archer D, Clough HE, Gilmore P, Williams DJL.Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke) affects grazing animals including horses but the extent to which it affects UK horses is unknown. Objective: To define how liver fluke affects the UK horse population. Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional, observational study. Methods: An F. hepatica excretory-secretory antibody detection ELISA with a diagnostic sensitivity of 71% and specificity of 97% was validated and used to analyse serum samples. An abattoir study was performed to determine prevalence. A case-control study of 269 horses compared fluke exposure between horses with liver disease and control...
King JN, Gerring EL.Post operative ileus (POI) is a common and serious complication of colic surgery in the horse. There is a high correlation between the incidence of POI and the presence of ischaemic bowel, suggesting a role for endotoxin. 0.1 micrograms/kg endotoxin was administered intravenously to six ponies with chronically implanted gastrointestinal electromechanical recording devices. It produced profound disruption of normal fasting bowel motility patterns, with an inhibition of gastric contraction amplitude and rate, left dorsal colon contraction product and small colon spike rate. In the small intestin...
Olstad K, Ytrehus B, Ekman S, Carlson CS, Dolvik NI.It is presently unknown whether cartilage ischaemia plays any part in the pathogenesis of osteochondral fragmentation within the equine metatarsophalangeal joint, as no detailed studies on microcirculation in the area have been reported. Objective: To describe the developmental pattern of the blood supply to the epiphyseal growth cartilage in the metatarsophalangeal joint of foals. Methods: Eight Standardbred foals were sacrificed between birth and age 7 weeks to undergo a barium perfusion procedure to demonstrate vessels within growth cartilage canals of one hindlimb. The metatarso-phalangeal...
Adams GP, Kastelic JP, Bergfelt DR, Ginther OJ.The incidence of intrauterine fluid collections during dioestrus (12/43, 28%) and uterine cysts throughout the oestrous cycle (11/73, 15%) found in this study indicates that these ultrasonically detectable abnormalities are prevalent in mares. The hypothesis that uterine cysts do not affect pregnancy was not supported. Intrauterine fluid collections at dioestrus represented the presence of an inflammatory process as indicated by a high biopsy score, reduced progesterone concentrations, and a shorter interovulatory interval. Mares with fluid collections at dioestrus had a lower pregnancy rate a...
Gómez Alvarez CB, Wennerstrand J, Bobbert MF, Lamers L, Johnston C, Back W, van Weeren PR.Lameness has often been suggested to result in altered movement of the back, but there are no detailed studies describing such a relationship in quantitative terms. Objective: To quantify the effect of induced subtle forelimb lameness on thoracolumbar kinematics in the horse. Methods: Kinematics of 6 riding horses was measured at walk and at trot on a treadmill before and after the induction of reversible forelimb lameness grade 2 (AAEP scale 1-5). Ground reaction forces (GRF) for individual limbs were calculated from kinematics. Results: The horses significantly unloaded the painful limb by 1...
Aharonson-Raz K, Baneth G, Lopes AP, Brancal H, Schallig H, Cardoso L, Steinman A.A cross-sectional investigation was done on the seroprevalence of Leishmania infantum and Toxoplasma gondii infection among apparently healthy horses in Israel. This survey included 383 horses distributed in 22 farms throughout Israel during the years 2011-2013. Serum samples were tested for the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using the direct agglutination test (DAT) specific to Leishmania and by the modified agglutination test (MAT) for the presence of IgG antibodies to T. gondii. Low seroprevalences were detected for both L. infantum and T. gondii in the horse population in Is...
Tremaine WH, Clarke CJ, Dixon PM.Biopsies collected from 79 referred cases of equine sinonasal disease, including 27 horses with primary sinusitis, 10 with secondary dental sinusitis, 19 with sinus cysts, 11 with progressive ethmoid haematomata (PEH), 4 with false nostril epidermal inclusion cysts, 4 with sinonasal polyps, 3 with sinonasal mycosis and from 2 control animals were examined histologically. Observations were made on epithelial type and integrity, cellular inflammatory response, fibroplasia and presence of potential pathogens. Chronic inflammatory changes including mucosal thickening, ulceration and significant fi...
Dixon PM, Tremaine WH, Pickles K, Kuhns L, Hawe C, McCann J, McGorum B, Railton DI, Brammer S.A review of 400 horses referred because of dental disorders showed 44 cases to suffer from primary disorders of their incisors and 11 from canine or 1st premolar teeth disorders. The remaining 345 horses suffered from primary disorders of the cheek teeth. Disorders of incisors included traumatic damage to teeth and their supporting bones, retained deciduous, displaced and supernumerary incisors; brachygnathia and abnormalities of wear, with most of the latter disorders being secondary to primary disorders of the cheek teeth Only 3 cases of apical infection of incisors were recognised. Most cas...
Wiśniewska M, Janczarek I, Wilk I, Wnuk-Pawlak E.The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of music therapy on changes in the level of parameters describing heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) as excitability indicators in geriatric horses. The study involved 20 warmblood geriatric horses, aged 20 years or more. Animals were kept in two identical stables in one facility. Horses from stable No. 1 were considered the experimental group, whereas horses from stable No. 2 constituted a control group. The experiment consisted in playing relaxation new age music to the horses in the experimental group for 28 days use special so...
