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.
Bosco-Lauth AM, Bowen RA.West Nile virus (WNV) (Flaviviridae: Flavivirus) was discovered in Africa more than 80 yr ago and became recognized as an avian pathogen and a cause of neurologic disease in horses largely during periodic incursions into Europe. Introduction of WNV into North America stimulated great anxiety, particularly in the equine industry, but also for pet owners and livestock producers concerned about the effect of WNV on other domestic animals. Numerous subsequent studies of naturally occurring and experimentally induced disease greatly expanded our understanding of the host range and clinical conseque...
Bengtsdotter EA, Ekman S, Andersen PH.Inguinal pain, unexplained hind limb lameness, back pain or behavioural problems in geldings could be attributable to painful neuromas that develop as a consequence of crushing and severing the testicular nerves during castration. The presence of neuroma in this anatomical location has never been reported, hence the knowledge of possible clinical relevance is limited. The aim of this study was to histologically investigate the testicular nerves at the castration site in geldings for the presence of neuromas. Proximal spermatic cord remnants were collected from 20 geldings admitted to routine p...
Legere RM, Taylor DR, Davis JL, Bello K, Parker C, Judd RL, Wooldridge AA.Chronic insulin dysregulation is challenging to manage with pharmaceuticals in horses. Pioglitazone improves insulin sensitivity in humans, and the pharmacokinetics of pioglitazone have been evaluated in horses. The objectives of this study were to assess the pharmacodynamic effects of oral pioglitazone on morphometric parameters, hepatic enzyme activity and function, adipokines, and enteroinsular response to oral sugar. A prospective pilot study was performed using fifteen adult equids (8 ponies, 7 horses) to evaluate the effects of short-term pioglitazone administration (2 mg/kg PO q 24 hou...
Verkade ME, Back W, Birch HL.Throughout the ages, human subjects have selected horse breeds for their locomotor capacities. Concurrently, tissue properties may have diversified because of specific requirements of different disciplines. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical properties of tendons with different functions between equine breeds traditionally selected for racing or sport. Methods: This study used ex vivo tendons and compared the mechanical properties of the common digital extensor tendon (CDET) and superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) between racehorses (Thoroughbred [TB]) and s...
Imani-Baran A, Abdollahi J, Akbari H, Jafarirad S, Moharramnejad S.Trachyspermum ammi has been used traditionally as a popular ethnobotanical plant in human and animal parasitic infestations. Few scientific studies have been conducted on in vitro anthelmintic activity of T. ammi against various helminths and there is no study on its in vivo/in vitro anthelmintic properties against equine helminths. Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate in vivo anthelmintic activity of crude powder (CP) and crude aqueous extract (CAE) of T. ammi seeds against gastrointestinal nematodes in the donkey. Methods: Thirty donkeys, naturally and severely infected with Stro...
Egenvall A, Clayton HM, Eisersiö M, Roepstorff L, Byström A.In dressage, the performance of transitions between gaits and halts is an integral part of riding sessions. The study aimed to evaluate rein tension before, during and after the transitions between different gaits and the transitions into halts. The kinematic (inertial measurement units) data for the head and croup, and rein tension data, were collected (128 Hz) from six professional riders each riding three of their own horses, training levels varying from basic to advanced, during normal training sessions. The activities were categorised into gaits, halts and transitions based on video evalu...
Whitesell K, Stefanovski D, McDonnell S, Turner R.The stallion Breeding Soundness Examination (BSE), as proposed by the Society for Theriogenology, recommends that a stallion produce a minimum of one billion progressively motile, morphologically normal sperm (PMMNS) in the second of two ejaculates collected 1 h apart to be classified as a Satisfactory Prospective Breeder. With this in mind, the first objective of this study was to determine if the classification outcome of the traditional BSE differs depending on the methods used to evaluate sperm motility, morphology and concentration. We hypothesized that application of Computer Assisted ...
Velie BD, Smith PM, Fjordbakk CT, Solé M, Jäderkvist Fegraeus K, Rosengren MK, Røed KH, Ihler CF, Lindgren G, Strand E.Dynamic laryngeal collapse (DLC) associated with poll flexion is the most common disorder of the upper respiratory tract (URT) in the Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded Trotter (NSCT). The disorder, which has also been diagnosed in other breeds of trotters and gaited horses, appears to be related to anatomic phenotypes and only occurs during poll flexion when the horse is exercised 'on the bit'. Objective: Identify genomic regions associated with DLC in the NSCT by combining a rigorous phenotyping protocol with genomic data from a high-density equine genotyping array. Methods: Prospective case/cont...
Kent AV, Chesworth MJ, Wells G, Gerdes C, Bladon BM, Smith RKW, Fiske-Jackson AR.Pathology of the digital flexor tendon sheath is a significant cause of lameness in the horse. Imaging is important to identify lesions and inform on prognosis prior to tenoscopic surgery. Objective: To use a large population to evaluate 1) the sensitivity and specificity of digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) contrast radiographs in diagnosing manica flexoria (MF) tears, deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) tears and constriction of the palmar/plantar annular ligament (PAL) using novel criteria; 2) predisposition to pathology in signalment and limb affected. Methods: Multicentre retrospective co...
Roberts VLH, Bailey M, Patel NK.Early results from the use of neuromodulation by percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for the management of trigeminal-mediated headshaking in horses were promising but lacked sufficient case numbers and long-term follow-up. The neuromodulatory procedure has since been established as EquiPENS™. Objective: The aim of this study was to report long-term results from a larger number of cases and to investigate for predictors of outcome. Methods: Prospective case series using international, multi-centre data. Methods: Eligible cases were horses with a veterinary diagnosis of trigeminal-media...
Del Prete C, Stout T, Montagnaro S, Pagnini U, Uccello M, Florio P, Ciani F, Tafuri S, Palumbo V, Pasolini MP, Cocchia N, Henning H.During cold storage stallion spermatozoa experience undergo oxidative stress, which can impair sperm function and fertilizing capacity. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) are the main endogenous enzymatic antioxidants in stallion seminal plasma, and counteract reactive oxygen species. Semen dilution reduces the endogenous antioxidant concentrations. The aim of this study was to investigate whether addition of 15 IU/mL each of SOD, CAT, and GPX to diluted stallion semen would ameliorate a reactive oxygen-mediated decrease in semen quality during 72 h o...
Bowden A, Burford JH, Brennan ML, England GCW, Freeman SL.Colic is the most common emergency problem in the horse. An owner's ability to recognise colic and seek assistance is a critical first step in determining case outcome. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess horse owners' knowledge and opinions on recognising colic. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to horse owners with open and closed questions on their knowledge of normal clinical parameters in the horse, confidence and approach to recognising colic (including assessment through case scenarios), and their demographics. Descriptive and ch...
Slenter IJM, Hermans H, Ensink JM, Willems DS, Veraa S, Grinwis GCM, Boevé MH.To describe ultrasonography as a diagnostic method of in vivo Descemet's membrane detachment (DMD) in horses. Methods: Seven horses (three Icelandic horses, two Dutch Warmblood horses, one Appaloosa, and one Welsh Pony), presenting with moderate-to-severe focal or diffuse corneal edema, in whom DMD was suspected on ultrasonographic examination and confirmed with histopathology, were studied. Methods: A retrospective analysis of case records of horses with suspected DMD was performed. Results: Median age at presentation was 14 years (range 11-24). Clinical signs in eyes with DMD were unilatera...
Pre-clinical studies on human isolated bronchi have relevant translational value in human in vivo, conversely no investigation has been performed to assess whether data resulting from equine isolated airways can have any translational application in asthmatic horses. Thus, a meta-regression analysis via random-effect method was carried out to correlate the pharmacological characteristics of bronchodilators resulting from experiments performed in equine isolated bronchi with their impact on the lung function outcomes in asthmatic horses. Data on the potency of different bronchodilators were ext...
To evaluate the etiology of skeletal changes noted in equid vertebrae from a 19- century context near Belgrade, Serbia. A vertebral column consisting of 15 fused thoracic vertebrae (T2-T16), with right ribs fused to T4 and T5 and small remnants of ribs articulating with T4, T5 and T6 on the left side were accidentally recovered during industrial exploitation of sand. The specimen was subjected to morphological analysis and collagen fingerprinting by mass spectrometry for species identification. In order to determine the absolute temporal context, radiocarbon dating was employed. Pathological c...
Diez Bernal S, Studer N, Thormann W, Spadavecchia C, Levionnois O.To evaluate the effect of a romifidine infusion on antinociception and sedation, and to investigate its relationship with plasma concentration. Methods: Prospective, experimental, nonrandomized trial. Methods: A total of 10 healthy adult warmblood horses. Methods: Romifidine (loading dose: 0.08 mg kg, infusion: 0.03 mg kg hour) was administered intravenously over 120 minutes. Romifidine plasma concentrations were determined by capillary electrophoresis. Sedation quality and nociceptive thresholds were evaluated at regular time points before, during and after romifidine administration. The noci...
Norris JK, Slusarewicz P, Nielsen MK.The efficacy of anthelmintic treatments against populations of endoparasites infecting livestock throughout the world is decreasing. To mitigate this, the use of fecal egg counts is recommended to determine both the necessity, and to ensure the appropriate choice, of anthelmintic treatment. Traditionally, and in order to facilitate easier identification and/or enumeration, samples are analysed after separating eggs from other fecal particulates by exposing them to a solution with a density higher than that of the eggs, but lower than the remaining fecal contents. While many parasite egg flotat...
Camino E, Dorrego A, Carvajal KA, Buendia-Andres A, de Juan L, Dominguez L, Cruz-Lopez F.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne protozoan disease caused by Theileria equi and/or Babesia caballi. Clinical signs (fever, pale mucosal membranes, jaundice), anemia and hyperbilirubinemia have been associated with the disease. EP is widespread, has a significant economic impact on the equine industry and remains endemic in Spain. This study was carried out with samples belonging to 140 horses residing in Spain and showing common clinical signs of EP. A blood smear microscopic examination and a comparison between the different results obtained by competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent...
Manso-Díaz G, Bolt DM, López-Sanromán J.Ultrasonographic visualisation of the mesenteric vasculature of the large colon (LC) from the right side of the abdomen in cases of displacement and volvulus has been described. However, the LC can move freely within the abdomen and its mesentery can potentially contact both sides of the abdominal wall. Methods: Thirty-four horses presented with LC-related colic that had visible LC mesenteric vasculature visible on abdominal ultrasound were included. A control group was made including horses with confirmed small intestinal-related colic. The objective of this study was to evaluate the visibili...
Tzelos T, Morgan ER, Easton S, Hodgkinson JE, Matthews JB.Interval treatment control programmes used widely in equine helminth control have favoured the development of anthelmintic resistance worldwide. Best practice guidelines have been designed to address resistance and include the requirement for improved pasture hygiene to break helminth transmission cycles, along with anthelmintic application informed by the results of diagnostic tests to reduce selection pressure for resistance. Using an online questionnaire, this study examined uptake of measures recommended in these guidelines by UK horse owners. The survey comprised 58 questions spanning gra...
Greiser T, Sieme H, Martinsson G, Distl O.The objectives of the present study were to analyze systematic effects on semen quality traits from fresh and frozen-thawed semen collected in and outside season. A total of 4,681 reports on semen traits of 121 stallions representing Arabian, Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse and four warmblood breeds used for artificial insemination at the Lower Saxon National stud Celle were edited for analysis of gel-free volume, sperm concentration, total number of sperm and total number of motile sperm in fresh semen and in frozen-thawed semen progressive motility, DNA fragmentation index and non-viable sperm. ...
Willingham-Lane JM, Berghaus LJ, Berghaus RD, Hart KA, Giguère S.The soil-dwelling, saprophytic actinomycete is a facultative intracellular pathogen of macrophages and causes severe bronchopneumonia when inhaled by susceptible foals. Standard treatment for disease is dual-antimicrobial therapy with a macrolide and rifampin. Thoracic ultrasonography and early treatment with antimicrobials prior to the development of clinical signs are used as means of controlling endemic infection on many farms. Concurrently with the increased use of macrolides and rifampin for chemoprophylaxis and the treatment of subclinically affected foals, a significant increase in t...
Nemoto M, Tamura N, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Kokado H, Ohta M, Yamanaka T.Baloxavir marboxil (BXM), an inhibitor of the cap-dependent endonuclease of the influenza virus polymerase acidic protein (PA), exerts an antiviral effect against influenza A virus. It has been available in Japan since March 2018. This study evaluated the antiviral efficacy of BXM against equine influenza A virus (EIV) by an experimental challenge study using horses. Six horses were experimentally inoculated with EIV, and BXM was administered to the three horses at 2 days post inoculation. Horses treated with BXM showed milder clinical signs than horses without treatment and shed less virus. T...
Pechacek D, Hwangbo M, Moreland R, Liu M, Ramsey J. 4s is a Gram-negative bacterium found in the equine intestinal ecosystem alongside diverse other coliform bacteria and bacteriophages. This announcement describes the complete genome of the T7-like 4s podophage Penshu1. From its 39,263-bp genome, 54 protein-encoding genes and a 179-bp terminal repeat were predicted.
Martig S, Hitchens PL, Lee PVS, Whitton RC.Subchondral bone injuries often precede articular cartilage damage in osteoarthritis and are common in thoroughbred racehorses due to the accumulation of fatigue damage from high speed racing and training. Thus, racehorses provide a model to investigate the role of subchondral bone in joint disease. We assessed the association of horse and racing related factors and micro-CT based micromorphology of three separate subchondral bone layers with the initial stiffness and compressive fatigue life of bone plugs. Furthermore, we investigated three different definitions of fatigue failure of subchond...
Nikvand AA, Jalali SM, Ghadrdan Mashhadi A, Razi Jalali M, Hassanpour Amirabadi S.The efficacy of clinical examinations, and hematologic, hemostatic, and serum biochemical assessments to determine appropriate early medical or surgical therapy in Arabian horses with colic have not been well-described. Objective: We aimed to evaluate clinical and hematologic findings, coagulation-fibrinolytic parameters, and organ dysfunction markers in association with survival in horses with colic. Methods: Seventeen Arabian horses with colic and ten healthy horses were enrolled. After clinical examinations, including heart rates (HRs), capillary refill times (CRTs), abdominal sounds, recta...
Podico G, Canisso IF, Ellerbrock RE, Dias NW, Mercadante VRG, Lima FS.The present study aimed to compare two methods of prostaglandin-induced abortion in mares by determining blood markers (progesterone, estradiol-17β, alpha-fetoprotein, 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin-F2α (PGFM)), B-mode ultrasonographic parameters, and time until loss of fetal heartbeat. It was hypothesized that intrauterine infusion of cloprostenol results in earlier fetal compromise than intramuscular administration. Ovarian structures (number and sizes of follicles and corpora lutea area), fetal heartbeat, and fetal mobility of thirteen singleton pregnancies were assessed daily by tra...
Bull J, Bas F, Silva-Guzmán M, Wentzel HH, Keim JP, Gandarillas M.The aim of this study was to characterize the routine care, training, feeding, and nutritional management of Chilean corralero horses that participated in the rodeos of the Chilean Rodeo Federation. Forty-nine horse farms between the Metropolitan (33°26'16″ south (S) 70°39'01″ west (W)) and Los Lagos Regions (41°28'18″ S 72°56'12″ W), were visited and a survey was conducted on the management and feeding of the Chilean horse. Of the horses which participated in at least one official rodeo in the 2014-2015 season, 275 horses were included in the study. The survey consisted of five qu...
Bernauer K, Kollross H, Schuetz A, Farmer K, Krueger K.A previous study demonstrated that horses can learn socially from observing humans, but could not draw any conclusions about the social learning mechanisms. Here we develop this by showing horses four different human action sequences as demonstrations of how to press a button to open a feed box. We tested 68 horses aged between 3 and 12 years. 63 horses passed the habituation phase and were assigned either to the group Hand Demo (N = 13) for which a kneeling person used a hand to press the button, Head Demo (N = 13) for which a kneeling person used the head, Mixed Demo (N = 12) fo...
Sumner SM, Naskou MC, Thoresen M, Copland I, Peroni JF.Platelet preparations containing growth factors, attachment factors, and enzymes are appealing to enhance healing of injured tissues and as an alternative to xenogenic serum in cell culture media. Plateletpheresis is commonly used to collect platelets in human medicine but has not been validated in horses. Plateletpheresis to collect platelet concentrate was performed on six female, mixed breed, chemically restrained horses using commercially available apheresis equipment. Before and immediately after plateletpheresis, we performed physical examinations and collected blood for chemistry and co...
Siwinska N, Zak A, Slowikowska M, Niedzwiedz A, Paslawska U.There are limited options to diagnose acute kidney injury (AKI) in horses. Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is routinely used in human and small animal medicine. The aim of this study was to assess serum SDMA concentrations in healthy horses and horses with AKI. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of: 1) age, 2) sex, 3) body weight and 4) serum creatinine and urea levels on serum SDMA concentrations. Fifty-three healthy horses, including 17 foals (2-6 months of age) and 36 adult horses (3-29 years of age), and 23 horses with AKI were included in the study based on ...
Hatz LA, Hartnack S, Kümmerle J, Hässig M, Bettschart-Wolfensberger R.To assess accuracy of noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) measured by oscillometric device Sentinel compared to invasive blood pressure (IBP) in anaesthetized horses undergoing surgery. To assess if differences between the NIBP measured by the Sentinel and IBP are associated with recumbency, cuff placement, weight of the horse or acepromazine premedication and to describe usefulness of the Sentinel. Methods: Prospective study examining replicates of simultaneous NIBP and IBP measurements. Methods: Twenty-nine horses. Methods: Invasive blood pressure was measured via a catheter in the facial arte...
Bucci D, Giaretta E, Spinaci M, Rizzato G, Isani G, Mislei B, Mari G, Tamanini C, Galeati G.Alkaline phosphatase (AP) has been studied in several situations to elucidate its role in reproductive biology of the male from different mammalian species; at present, its role in horse sperm physiology is not clear. The aim of the present work was to measure AP activity in seminal plasma and sperm extracts from freshly ejaculated as well as in frozen-thawed stallion spermatozoa and to verify whether relationship exists between AP activity and sperm quality parameters. Our data on 40 freshly ejaculated samples from 10 different stallions demonstrate that the main source of AP activity is semi...
Gibson KE, Pastenkos G, Moesta S, Rikihisa Y.Neorickettsia risticii is the Gram-negative, obligate, and intracellular bacterial pathogen responsible for Potomac horse fever (PHF): an important acute systemic disease of horses. N. risticii surface proteins, critical for immune recognition, have not been thoroughly characterized. In this paper, we identified the 51-kDa antigen (P51) as a major surface-exposed outer membrane protein of older and contemporary strains of N. risticii through mass spectrometry of streptavidin-purified biotinylated surface-labeled proteins. Western blot analysis of sera from naturally-infected horses demonstrate...
Chunekamrai S, Krook LP, Lust G, Maylin GA.Eight mature horses with no prior signs of joint disease or history of intra-articular therapy were treated with 8 weekly intra-articular injections of methylprednisolone acetate. Treatments were given at a dose of 120 mg/joint into the right radiocarpal and intercarpal joints, with the left joints as untreated controls. Articular cartilage samples were obtained at necropsy 1, 4, and 8 weeks after the last injection. Compared with controls, cartilage from injected joints had a loss of hematoxylin basophilia and decreased intensity of staining in safranin O fast green dye. Chondrocyte necrosis ...
Bottagisio M, Pellegata AF, Boschetti F, Ferroni M, Moretti M, Lovati AB.Tendon ruptures and/or large losses remain to be a great clinical challenge and often require full replacement of the damaged tissue. The use of auto- and allografts or engineered scaffolds is an established approach to restore severe tendon injuries. However, these grafts are commonly related to scarce biocompatibility, site morbidity, chronic inflammation and poor biomechanical properties. Recently, the decellularisation techniques of allo- or xenografts using specific detergents have been studied and have been found to generate biocompatible substitutes that resemble the native tissue. This...
Clayton HM.The central body axis or core is a key component in controlling body posture and providing a stable platform for limb movements and generation of locomotor forces. Persistent dysfunction of the deep stabilizing muscles seems to be common in horses indicating a need for core training exercises to restore normal function. Core training should be performed throughout the horse's athletic career to maintain a healthy back and used therapeutically when back pain is identified. This article reviews the structure and function of the equine thoracolumbar spine with special reference to function, dysfu...
Sutton GA, Ertzman-Ginsburg R, Steinman A, Milgram J.Initial assessment of the mortality rates and prognostic indicators in horses with colic presented to a referral hospital in Israel. Objective: To determine mortality rates and to identify potential prognostic indicators in horses undergoing treatment for colic. Methods: The medical records of 208 colic cases were reviewed and mortality rates calculated including 95% confidence intervals. Mortality rates in surgical cases were calculated separately for strangulating and nonstrangulating lesions as well as for lesions of the large and small intestines. Potential prognostic indicators were ident...
Mead DG, Ramberg FB, Maré CJ.In previous experiments we have demonstrated that colonized and wild black flies are competent laboratory vectors of different Mexican and Western USA isolates of vesicular stomatitis virus, serotype New Jersey (VSV-NJ). We have recently demonstrated biological VSV-NJ transmission by black flies using animal models. In the study described here, we tested the vector competence of colonized and wild black flies for the vesicular stomatitis virus, serotype Indiana (VSV-IN). A 1998 equine isolate was used. After a 10 day incubation period, saliva from experimentally infected Simulium vittatum and ...
Fukushi H, Yamaguchi T, Yamada S.Equine herpesvirus type 9 (EHV-9), which we isolated from a case of epizootic encephalitis in a herd of Thomson's gazelles (Gazella thomsoni) in 1993, has been known to cause fatal encephalitis in Thomson's gazelle, giraffe, and polar bear in natural infections. Our previous report indicated that EHV-9 was similar to the equine pathogen equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1), which mainly causes abortion, respiratory infection, and equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy. We determined the genome sequence of EHV-9. The genome has a length of 148,371 bp and all 80 of the open reading frames (ORFs) fo...
Hemida MG, Perera RAPM, Chu DKW, Ko RLW, Alnaeem AA, Peiris M.West Nile virus (WNV) is an important emerging zoonotic arbovirus giving rise to clinical syndromes of varying severity in humans and horses. Culex mosquitoes are the main vector. Although WNV has been reported in many countries in the Middle East and Asia, little is known about its prevalence in equine populations in the Arabian Peninsula. We have carried out a serological study on 200 horses to assess WNV infection in the Eastern and Central regions of Saudi Arabia in 2013-2015. Sera were tested for the presence of WNV antibodies in parallel using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent ass...
Chahan B, Zhang S, Seo JY, Nakamura C, Zhang G, Bannai H, Jian Z, Inokuma H, Tuchiya K, Sato Y, Kabeya H, Maruyama S, Mikami T, Xuan X.The prevalence of Babesia (Theileria) equi and B. caballi infections in donkeys in western Xinjiang China was investigated. In total, 93 serum samples were randomly taken from donkeys in the Kashi and Ili areas, and examined for B. equi and B. caballi infections by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using recombinant antigens. Of the 93 samples, 9 (9.6%) and 36 (38.7%) samples were positive for B. equi infection and B. caballi infection, respectively. In addition, 2 (2.2%) samples were positive for both B. equi and B. caballi infections. These results indicate that equine babesiosis might be e...
Corletto F, Raisis AA, Brearley JC.The aim of this study was to compare two different alpha2 agonist-opioid combinations in ponies undergoing field castration. Methods: Prospective double-blind randomized clinical trial. Methods: Fifty-four ponies undergoing field castration. Methods: The ponies were randomly allocated to receive one of three different pre-anaesthetic medications [intravenous (IV) romifidine 100 microg kg(-1) and butorphanol 50 micro kg(-1); romifidine 100 microg kg(-1) and morphine 0.1 mg kg(-1) IV, or romifidine 100 microg kg(-1) and saline IV] before induction of anaesthesia with ketamine 2.2 mg kg(-1) IV. F...
Bisgaard M, Piechulla K, Ying YT, Frederiksen W, Mannheim W.Evidence was obtained to indicate that equine strains of organisms previously described as Actinobacillus suis or hemolytic variants of Actinobacillus equuli might constitute a separate group of organisms provisionally designated taxon 11. Four biovars were noticed within taxon 11. Selected DNA:DNA hybridizations support the classification of the mannitol positive biovar 2 of taxon 11 distinct from porcine A. suis. The final taxonomical position of taxon 11, however, has to await more detailed genetic studies including all biovars of taxon 11. A species name has not been suggested for the same...
Hall BG, Faunce W.The genes for utilization of cellobiose are normally cryptic in both laboratory strains and natural isolates of Escherichia coli. A survey of natural isolates of E. coli reveals that functional genes for cellobiose utilization, while rare, are present. The fraction of E. coli that utilized cellobiose ranged from less than 0.01% in human fecal samples to 7% in fecal samples obtained from horses. Samples obtained from sheep, cows, dogs, and pigs contained 0.1 to 0.5% cellobiose-positive E. coli. Neither the previously identified cel genes nor the bgl genes from E. coli K-12 were expressed during...
de Moraes MVDS, Salgado CRS, Godoi TLOS, de Almeida FQ, Chalhoub FLL, de Filippis AMB, de Souza AM, de Oliveira JM, Figueiredo AS.The equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H), recently identified in association with serum hepatitis in horses (also known as Theiler's disease), has been so far described in horses from North America, Asia and Europe. There is no information regarding its circulation in South America. Our retrospective study (2013-2016) screened by EqPV-H nested-PCR a total of 96 Brazilian horses grouped according to previous status of infection: Known to be positive for one or more horse "hepatitis viruses" (equine hepacivirus, equine pegivirus-EPgV and Theiler's disease-associated virus) and known to be negati...
Murray MJ.Ulceration of the gastric squamous epithelial mucosa was induced in 10 horses using a feeding protocol previously shown to expose the gastric mucosa to repeated periods of high acidity. The feeding protocol consisted of alternating feed deprivation with free access to hay. Over a period of seven days, each horse was provided hay for 84 hr and deprived of hay for 84 hr. Hay was never withheld for longer than 24 hr at a time. Gastroscopy was performed on each horse at the beginning of the protocol after 12 hr of feed deprivation, and after a total of 36 hr, 60 hr, and 84 hr of feed deprivation. ...
Leroux AA, Detilleux J, Sandersen CF, Borde L, Houben RM, Al Haidar A, Art T, Amory H.Risk factors for cardiac diseases in horses have not been explored in a large population of animals. Objective: To describe risk factors for various cardiac diseases in a hospital-based population of horses. Methods: Files of 3,434 horses admitted at the Internal Medicine Department of the Liege Equine Teaching Hospital between 1994 and 2011 were reviewed and of those, 284 were categorized as having moderate-to-severe cardiac disease. Methods: Observational study. After calculating prevalence for each cardiac disease, we tested whether breed (chi-square test) or sex, age, body weight (BW), and...
Unger L, Fouché N, Leeb T, Gerber V, Pacholewska A.Circulating miRNAs in body fluids, particularly serum, are promising candidates for future routine biomarker profiling in various pathologic conditions in human and veterinary medicine. However, reliable standardized methods for miRNA extraction from equine serum and fresh or archived whole blood are sorely lacking. We systematically compared various miRNA extraction methods from serum and whole blood after short and long-term storage without addition of RNA stabilizing additives prior to freezing. Time of storage at room temperature prior to freezing did not affect miRNA quality in serum. Fur...
Rosiles MR, Bautista J, Fuentes VO, Ross F.Equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM), swine pulmonary oedema and human oesophageal cancer have been associated with fumonisine B1 (FB1) ingestion. For the first time in this study it is reported that FB1 was identified as being associated with an outbreak of ELEM at Oaxaca, Mexico. Symptoms of ELEM and Equine Venezuelan Encephalitis (EVE) are similar and a different diagnosis is obligatory. In the geographical area (Oaxaca, Mexico) where donkeys died showing a neurological syndrome, 14 corn samples were collected. With the use of TLC (Thin layer chromatography) and HPLC (High performance liquid...
Takai S, Fujimori T, Katsuzaki K, Tsubaki S.Quantitative culture of R. equi in the feces of dams and foals, in the air of the stalls and in the soil of the paddocks was carried out on three horse-breeding farms during the foaling season. The isolation rates of R. equi from the feces of dams from the 3 farms suddenly increased to approximately 80% at the end of March, when the snow in the paddocks finished melting, and remained at that level during April and May. The mean number of R. equi and the isolation rate of R. equi from the feces of dams on the farms were investigated for 5 weeks before and 5 weeks after delivery. During the 10 w...
Mullaney T, Murphy AJ, Kiupel M, Bell JA, Rossano MG, Mansfield LS.Opossums (Didelphis spp.) are the definitive host for the protozoan parasite Sarcocystis neurona, the causative agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Opossums shed sporocysts in feces that can be ingested by true intermediate hosts (cats, raccoons, skunks, armadillos and sea otters). Horses acquire the parasite by ingestion of feed or water contaminated by opossum feces. However, horses have been classified as aberrant intermediate hosts because the terminal asexual sarcocyst stage that is required for transmission to the definitive host has not been found in their tissues despite...
Cárdenas NC, Galvis JOA, Farinati AA, Grisi-Filho JHH, Diehl GN, Machado G.Glanders is a highly infectious zoonotic disease caused by Burkholderia mallei. The transmission of B. mallei occurs mainly by direct contact, and horses are the natural reservoir. Therefore, the identification of infection sources within horse populations and animal movements is critical to enhance disease control. Here, we analysed the dynamics of horse movements from 2014 to 2016 using network analysis in order to understand the flow of animals in two hierarchical levels, municipalities and farms. The municipality-level network was used to investigate both community clustering and the bala...
Peters J, Block W, Oswald S, Freyer J, Grube M, Kroemer HK, Lämmer M, Lütjohann D, Venner M, Siegmund W.The delivery of clarithromycin (CRL) to its site of action in bronchial/alveolar epithelial cells (EC), bronchial epithelial lining fluid (ELF), and bronchoalveolar lavage cells (BALC) may be influenced by CYP3A4 and the drug transporters, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) B1 and ABCC2 and organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs), which can be modulated and/or up-regulated via the nuclear pregnane X receptor (PXR) by rifampicin (RIF). Therefore, we evaluated the disposition and pulmonary distribution of CLR (7.5 mg/kg b.i.d., 21 days) and expression of ABCB1, ABCC2, OATP1A2, and OATP2B1 in EC ...
Ali OJ, Comerford EJ, Clegg PD, Canty-Laird EG.BiTendons are constructed from collagenous fascicles separated by endotenon/interfascicular matrix (IFM). Tendons may be specialised for precision movement or to store energy during locomotion and for the latter the elasticity of the endotenon/IFM is particularly important. The equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is a dedicated energy-storing tendon with a similar function to the human Achilles tendon. Classical anatomical descriptions portray fascicles as longitudinally arranged distinct anatomical structures. In the present study, using three-dimensional reconstruction from whole...
Steelman SM, Johnson P, Jackson A, Schulze J, Chowdhary BP.Acute laminitis is an inflammatory disease of the equine foot that often occurs secondarily to sepsis or systemic inflammation associated with gastrointestinal disease. It has been suggested that laminitis is similar to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in humans, although in horses the weight-bearing laminar epithelium of the foot appears to be the tissue most sensitive to insult and the first "organ" to fail. Metabolomics performed on serum samples collected before (Con) and after (Lmn) experimental induction of gastrointestinal-associated sepsis in six horses detected 1,177 metabolites of...
Ven S, Decloedt A, Van Der Vekens N, De Clercq D, van Loon G.Aortic regurgitation (AR) in horses can lead to left ventricular (LV) eccentric hypertrophy, ventricular arrhythmia and heart failure. Objective quantification of the severity of regurgitation is difficult. The aim of this study was to evaluate dimensional measurements, systolic time intervals and blood flow velocities, acquired by standard 2D, M-mode and pulsed wave Doppler echocardiography, for quantification of AR. Echocardiography was performed in 32 healthy horses and 35 horses with AR that were subdivided in three groups (mild, moderate or severe AR). From the recorded images LV, left at...
DuBois C, Hambly Odame H, Haley DB, Merkies K.The diversity of sectors that comprise the equine industry makes reaching a consensus regarding welfare issues a challenge. To allow for productive discussion, equine professionals (n = 34) chosen to represent the diverse specializations from across Canada were surveyed using the Delphi technique-a survey technique employing multiple, iterative "rounds" to consolidate viewpoints-to gather and consolidate information regarding areas of welfare concern in the Canadian equine industry. Only participants who completed the prior round could participate in subsequent rounds. In the first round, resp...
