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.
Lee G, Jung H, Yoon M.The molecular markers for specific germ cell stages can be utilized for identifying, monitoring, and separating a particular stage of germ cells. The RNA-binding protein Lin28 is expressed in gonocytes of human fetal testes. The Lin28 expression is restricted to a very small population of spermatogonial cells in human, mice, and monkey. The main objective of this study was to investigate the expression pattern of Lin28 in stallion testes at different reproductive stages. Based on the presence or absence of full spermatogenesis and lumina in seminiferous tubules, the testicular samples were cat...
of surveillance testing, April to June 2016Continuing reports of abortion due to equine herpesvirus type 1 infectionInternational disease occurrence in the second quarter of 2016These are among matters discussed in the most recent quarterly equine disease surveillance report, prepared by Defra, the Animal Health Trust and the British Equine Veterinary Association.
Genangeli M, Caprioli G, Cortese M, Laus F, Matteucci M, Petrelli R, Ricciutelli M, Sagratini G, Sartori S, Vittori S.A new, fast and simple analytical method that is able to identify and quantify simultaneously 17 steroid hormones and metabolites (pregnenolone, 17-OH-pregnenolone, progesterone, 17-OH-progesterone, androsterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, testosterone, cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, 11-deoxycorticosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrone and estradiol) has been developed in equine serum using the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique. A total of 400 µl of sample was deproteinized ...
Evans CH, Chevalier X, Wehling P.Autologous conditioned serum was developed in the mid 1990s as an expeditious, practical, and relatively inexpensive means of generating the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, a naturally occurring inhibitor of the cytokine interleukin-1. The latter is thought to be an important mediator of inflammation, pain, and tissue destruction in musculoskeletal conditions. ACS has been widely and successfully used in the local treatment of human and equine osteoarthritis and radicular compression; it has also shown promise in treating tendinopathies, muscle injuries, and tunnel widening after reconstruc...
Scarlet D, Ille N, Ertl R, Alves BG, Gastal GDA, Paiva SO, Gastal MO, Gastal EL, Aurich C.The objective of this study was to determine whether (1) systemic and intrafollicular cortisol concentrations in horses are directly related and (2) supraphysiological levels of glucocorticoids affect in vitro maturation (IVM) rates of oocytes. Specifically, we studied the (1) changes in the intrafollicular cortisol and progesterone in context with granulosa cell gene expression during maturation of equine follicles (from 5-9 mm, 10-14 mm, 15-19 mm, 20-24 mm, and ≥25 mm in diameter) and (2) effects of cortisol supplementation on IVM rates and gene expression of equine cumulus-oocyte comple...
Potter SJ, Bamford NJ, Harris PA, Bailey SR.To determine the prevalence of obesity within a population of pleasure horses and ponies in Victoria, Australia, and to compare owners' perceptions of their animals' body condition with researchers' assessments. Methods: An observational study plus owner questionnaire. Methods: Ten Pony Club rallies in different regions of Victoria were attended. Information regarding 229 horses and ponies were obtained from owner questionnaires, and owners' perceptions of the current body condition of their animals were assessed using a visual analogue scale. Body condition score (BCS) was assessed by the res...
Leegwater PA, Vos-Loohuis M, Ducro BJ, Boegheim IJ, van Steenbeek FG, Nijman IJ, Monroe GR, Bastiaansen JW, Dibbits BW, van de Goor LH, Hellinga I....Inbreeding and population bottlenecks in the ancestry of Friesian horses has led to health issues such as dwarfism. The limbs of dwarfs are short and the ribs are protruding inwards at the costochondral junction, while the head and back appear normal. A striking feature of the condition is the flexor tendon laxity that leads to hyperextension of the fetlock joints. The growth plates of dwarfs display disorganized and thickened chondrocyte columns. The aim of this study was to identify the gene defect that causes the recessively inherited trait in Friesian horses to understand the disease proce...
Seo MG, Lee SH, Ouh IO, Lee GH, Goo YK, Kim S, Kwon OD, Kwak D.Members of the genus Coxiella can be transmitted from ticks to humans during contact with animals; Coxiella may thus spread from the infected horses or ticks to humans. In this study, the presence of Coxiella burnetii and Coxiella-like endosymbionts (CLE) in ticks found on infested horses was determined using PCR and genotyping. A total of 213 ticks were randomly collected from 51 horses (4-5 ticks per horse) raised on Jeju Island, Korea, between 2009 and 2013. All ticks were morphologically identified as adult Haemaphysalis longicornis, a predominant tick species widespread in Korea. Based on...
Tofflemire K, Whitley EM, Allbaugh R, Ben-Shlomo G, Griggs A, Strong T, Whitley RD.To evaluate the effect of topical ophthalmic 0.005% latanoprost alone and in combination with 0.1% diclofenac on healthy horses. Methods: Twelve healthy adult horses. Methods: A randomized, masked crossover design was used with horses divided into three groups for once daily treatment in one randomly selected eye. For arm 1 of the study, Group D (n = 3) received 0.1% diclofenac, Group L (n = 3) received 0.005% latanoprost, and Group DL (n = 6) received 0.005% latanoprost and 0.2 ml of 0.1% diclofenac. For arm 2 of the study, horses from Group D and L were placed into Group DL and horses from G...
Pacholewska A, Mach N, Mata X, Vaiman A, Schibler L, Barrey E, Gerber V.MiRNAs regulate multiple genes at the post-transcriptional level and therefore play an important role in many biological processes. It has been suggested that miRNA exported outside the cells contribute to inter-cellular communication. Consequently, circulating miRNAs are of particular interest and are promising biomarkers for many diseases. The number of miRNAs annotated in the horse genome is much lower compared to model organisms like human and mouse. We therefore aimed to identify novel equine miRNAs for tissue types and breed in serum. We analysed 71 small RNA-seq libraries derived from n...
Pinyopummin A, Mahasawangkul S, Kornkaewrat K, Rattanapirom S, Leartsang W, Kitkha S.The effects of seminal plasma (SP), derived from autologous, homologous and heterologous species (stallion, boar and dog) on chilled Asian elephant sperm quality, were determined. Semen was collected from eight males and samples with ≥30% motile spermatozoa were used in the study. Semen was diluted with Tris-glucose-egg yolk extender, supplemented with different SP types and preserved at 4°C for 48 hr. Experiment 1 (n = 31), showed that the presence of SP (autologous) helped to preserve sperm quality in terms of sperm motility and acrosome integrity (p < .05). Homologous SP did not ...
Adler DM, Cornett C, Damborg P, Verwilghen DR.Local anaesthetics (LAs) are frequently used for diagnostic procedures in equine veterinary practice. The objective of this study was to investigate the physico-chemical stability and bacterial contamination of bupivacaine, lidocaine and mepivacaine used for lameness examinations in horses. The LAs were stored in 12 different groups at different temperatures (-18 °C to 70 °C), light intensities and in common veterinary field conditions for up to 16 months. The pH, presence of bacterial contamination and concentrations of LAs and methylparaben (a preservative present in lidocaine) were de...
Semik E, Gurgul A, Ząbek T, Ropka-Molik K, Koch C, Mählmann K, Bugno-Poniewierska M.Equine sarcoids are the most commonly detected skin tumours in Equidae. In the present research, a comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed which aimed at looking inside a tumour biology and identification of the expression profile as a potential source of cancer specific genes useful as biomarkers. We have used Horse Gene Expression Microarray data from matched equine sarcoids and tumour-distant skin samples. In total, 901 significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between lesional and healthy skin samples have been identified (fold change ≥ 2; P < 0.05). The la...
Deng L, Li W, Zhong Z, Gong C, Liu X, Huang X, Xiao L, Zhao R, Wang W, Feng F, Zhang Y, Hu Y, Fu H, He M, Zhang Y, Wu K, Peng G.Enterocytozoon bieneusi is one of the most prevalent causative species of diarrhea and enteric diseases in various hosts. E. bieneusi has been identified in humans, mammals, birds, rodents and reptiles in China, but few studies have reported E. bieneusi in horses. Therefore, the present study was conducted to assess the prevalence, molecular characteristics and zoonotic potential of E. bieneusi among horses in southwestern China. Three hundred and thirty-three fecal specimens were collected from horses on five farms in the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces of southwestern China. The prevalence of E...
Riley CB, Noble BR, Bridges J, Hazel SJ, Thompson K.Equine transportation research has largely focused on the commercial land movement of horses. Data on the incidence and factors associated with horse injuries during non-commercial transportation (privately owned horse trucks and trailers) is scant. This study surveyed 223 drivers transporting horses to 12 equestrian events in southeastern Australia. Data collected encompassed driver demographics, travel practice, vehicle characteristics, and incidents involving horse injury. Approximately 25% (55/223) of participants reported that their horses were injured during transportation. Of these 72% ...
Rosales C, Krekeler N, Tennent-Brown B, Stevenson MA, Hanlon D.To describe selected periparturient variables in a sample of Thoroughbred mares and their foals on a commercial stud farm in New Zealand. Methods: Data were collected for 969 foaling records, from 592 mares, by foaling attendants from one Thoroughbred stud farm in the Waikato region of New Zealand for the breeding seasons 2008-2013, inclusive, and collated retrospectively. The associations between mare- and foal-level variables and gestation length, time of birth (expressed as the number of hours after midday), fetal membrane retention time, time for the foal to stand and suckle after birth, a...
This year's BEVA congress saw the launch of MumsVet, an online support network for working parents. Set up by four working vet mums, including the new BEVA president, Vicki Nicholls, the network - for dads as well - aims to help vets balance work and parenthood. Gill Harris reports.
Luethy D, Owens SD, Stefanovski D, Nolen-Walston R, Giger U.Assessment of blood compatibility, typically by tube agglutination (TUBE) and hemolysis crossmatch or, less commonly, by blood typing and alloantibody screening, often is performed before blood transfusion in horses. In contrast, gel column (GEL) and immunochromatographic strip (STRIP) techniques are preferred for compatibility testing in dogs and cats. Objective: To determine the accuracy of novel and standard crossmatch and typing methods. Methods: Thirty-eight healthy horses, previously blood typed and alloantibody screened. Methods: TUBE and GEL crossmatches were performed on 146 different...
Efforts to detect West Nile virus (WNV) in the Vojvodina province, northern Serbia, commenced with human and mosquito surveillance in 2005, followed by horse (2009) and wild bird (2012) surveillance. The knowledge obtained regarding WNV circulation, combined with the need for timely detection of virus activity and risk assessment resulted in the implementation of a national surveillance programme integrating mosquito, horse and bird surveillance in 2014. From 2013, the system showed highly satisfactory results in terms of area specificity (the capacity to indicate the spatial distribution of t...
Silva SR, Payan-Carreira R, Quaresma M, Guedes CM, Santos AS.In equids, health and welfare depend on body composition. A growing number of equids are now used as leisure and companion animals, and often found overfeed. The need for a close monitoring of body fatness led to the search for tools allowing a rapid and non-invasive estimation of fatness. This study intends to assess real-time ultrasonography (RTU) usefulness in establishing a relationship between ultrasound measures of subcutaneous fat-plus-skin thickness (SF-Skin) and body condition score (BCS) in horses and donkeys. Forty-three healthy animals (16 donkeys and 27 horses) were used in this s...
Hitchens PL, Hultgren J, Frössling J, Emanuelson U, Keeling LJ.There are Swedish animal welfare regulations concerning the body condition of horses and general advice on keeping horses including that horses should be fed so that they do not become over- or underweight relative to their use. Compliance is assessed by official animal welfare inspectors. The objective of this study was to determine whether the national animal welfare control database could be used to estimate the prevalence and risk factors for overweight horses in Sweden. The official animal welfare control checklist for horses contains 45 checkpoints (CP) of which CP-8 pertains to the acce...
Te Moller NCR, Pitkänen M, Sarin JK, Väänänen S, Liukkonen J, Afara IO, Puhakka PH, Brommer H, Niemelä T, Tulamo RM, Argüelles Capilla D....Arthroscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a promising tool for the detailed evaluation of articular cartilage injuries. However, OCT-based articular cartilage scoring still relies on the operator's visual estimation. Objective: To test the hypothesis that semi-automated International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) scoring of chondral lesions seen in OCT images could enhance intra- and interobserver agreement of scoring and its accuracy. Methods: Validation study using equine cadaver tissue. Methods: Osteochondral samples (n = 99) were prepared from 18 equine metacarpophalangeal joint...
Nostell KE, Lindåse SS, Bröjer JT.Insulin resistance (IR) in humans is related to hypertension and impaired vasodilation. Insulin administration has been shown to lower blood pressure both in insulin resistant as well as in insulin sensitive individuals. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between insulin sensitivity and alterations in blood pressure in healthy horses before and after a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp (EHC). A 3-h EHC was performed in 13 healthy horses (11 mares, 2 geldings). Blood samples for measurement of plasma glucose and insulin were collected before the start of the EHC, every 10 ...
Partlow JL, Lustgarten M, Redding WR.To the authors' knowledge, the ultrasonographic appearance of hair shafts within a synovial structure of the horse has not been described previously. The purpose of this descriptive study was to illustrate the clinical, ultrasonographic, and arthroscopic characteristics of confirmed hair shafts within synovial structures of seven horses. A review of medical records of the Farm and Equine Veterinary Medical Center at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine identified seven horses with clinical signs suspicious for inflammatory or septic synovitis/tenosynovitis that had ha...
Lindåse S, Nostell K, Bröjer J.An oral sugar test (OST) using Karo® Light Corn Syrup has been developed in the USA as a field test for the assessment of insulin dysregulation in horses but the syrup is not available in Scandinavian grocery stores. The aim of the study was to compare the results of a modified OST between horses with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and healthy horses using a Scandinavian commercially available glucose syrup (Dansukker glykossirap). In addition, the effect of breed and the repeatability of the test were evaluated. In the present study, clinically healthy horses (7 Shetland ponies, 8 Icelandic...
Gottschalk M, Sieme H, Martinsson G, Distl O.A high quality of stallion semen is of particular importance for maximum reproductive efficiency. In the present study, we estimated the relationships among estimated breeding values (EBVs) of semen traits and EBVs for the paternal component of the pregnancy rate per estrus cycle (EBV-PAT) for 100 German Warmblood stallions using correlation and general linear model analyses. The most highly correlated sperm quality trait was total number of progressively motile sperm (r = 0.36). EBV-PAT was considered in three classes with stallions 1 SD below (<80), around (80-120), and above (>120) the popu...
Lia RP, Mutafchiev Y, Veneziano V, Giannelli A, Abramo F, Santoro M, Latrofa MS, Cantacessi C, Martin C, Otranto D, Bertuglia A, Riccio B.Equids can be infected by a range of skin-dwelling filarial nematodes, including four species of the genus Onchocerca. Current literature on equine onchocercosis is fragmentary and often limited to isolated case reports. The present study aimed to describe a clinical case of equine onchocercosis caused by Onchocerca boehmi (Supperer, 1953) (syn. Elaeophora boehmi) in an 8-year-old gelding Belgian show jumper from northern Italy. The horse was presented with a firm and painless mass on the proximal third of the right metacarpal region. Ultrasound examination showed a peritendinous enlargement a...
Brosnahan MM, Silvela EJ, Crumb J, Miller DC, Erb HN, Antczak DF.Invasive trophoblast from Day 34 horse conceptuses survives in extrauterine sites in allogeneic recipients that are immunologically naive to donor major histocompatibility complex class I antigens. The ectopic trophoblast retains its in utero characteristics, including similar lifespan, physiologic effect of its secreted product (equine chorionic gonadotropin) upon the recipient's ovaries, and induction of host immune responses. Immunologic memory has not been considered previously in this experimental system. We hypothesized that primary exposure to ectopic trophoblast would affect the recipi...
Hill EW, McGivney BA, MacHugh DE.The proportion of the genome containing runs of homozygosity (ROH) affects production traits in livestock populations. In European and Australasian Thoroughbreds inbreeding, quantified using ROH (F ), is associated with the probability of ever racing. Here, we measured F using 333 K SNP genotypes from 768 Thoroughbred horses born in North America to evaluate the effect of inbreeding on racing traits in that region. Among North American horses, F was not associated (p = 0.518) with the probability of ever racing but was significantly associated with the number of race starts (p = 0.002). ...
Hue ES, Richard EA, Fortier CI, Fortier GD, Paillot R, Raue R, Pronost SL.Equine herpesviruses (EHV) infect horses early during life and the persistence of these viruses through establishment of latency represents a real risk. A better understanding of the immune response to EHV infection is necessary to improve our methods of prevention and decrease the risk of transmission. The objectives of this study were to characterise the cytokine gene expression profile of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after in vitro EHV-1, EHV-4, and EHV-2 infection and to determine the efficacy of inactivated (iPPVO) against these 3 viruses. PBMC were isolated from 3 horses an...
Plummer CE, Ramsey DT, Hauptman JG.To determine corneal thickness, intraocular pressure (IOP), and horizontal and vertical corneal diameter (HCD and VCD) and to obtain axial measurements of the anterior chamber depth (ACD), crystalline lens thickness (CLT), vitreous chamber depth (VtCD), and axial globe length (AGL) in eyes of Miniature Horses. Methods: 41 healthy Miniature Horses. Methods: Ocular component measurements were obtained via ultrasonic pachymetry, applanation tonometry, ultrasound, and by use of a Jameson caliper. Results: Mean IOP and corneal thickness for all eyes were 26.0 mm Hg and 785.6 microm, respectively. T...
Stock KF, Hamann H, Distl O.The prevalence of osseous fragments in different limb joints was analysed in 3749 young Warmblood riding horses, which were pre-selected for sale at auction from 1991 to 1998 by the Association of Hanoverian Warmblood Breeders (Verband hannoverscher Warmblutzüchter e.V.) in Verden (Aller), Germany. The evaluation of these horses was based on a standardized radiological examination, including the distal interphalangeal (DIJ), the proximal interphalangeal (PIJ), the metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal (MC/MTJ) and the tarsocrural joints (TCJ). In 32% of all horses at least one osseous fragment w...
Krueger CR, Mitchell CF, Leise BS, Knych HK.Clodronate is a non-nitrogenated bisphosphonate approved for use in horses. There are no peer-reviewed published reports describing the pharmacokinetics or evaluating renal health indices and urinary excretion patterns in conjunction with plasma and synovial fluid concentration following the systemic administration of clodronate to horses. Objective: Describe clodronate concentrations in plasma, urine and synovial fluid and evaluate the effects on renal indices after intramuscular administration to healthy horses. Methods: Experimental study with repeated measures. Methods: Six healthy adult h...
Masko M, Borowska M, Domino M, Jasinski T, Zdrojkowski L, Gajewski Z.The horses' backs are particularly exposed to overload and injuries due to direct contact with the saddle and the influence of e.g. the rider's body weight. The maximal load for a horse's back during riding has been suggested not to exceed 20% of the horses' body weight. The common prevalence of back problems in riding horses prompted the popularization of thermography of the thoracolumbar region. However, the analysis methods of thermographic images used so far do not distinguish loaded horses with body weight varying between 10 and 20%. Results: The superficial body temperature (SBT) of the ...
Roby KA, Beech J, Bloom JC, Black M.A yearling Arabian-type filly with a history of poor growth, erythrocytosis, hypoglycemia, and high liver enzyme activities was admitted to the hospital for evaluation. Three days after admission, the filly collapsed, deteriorated rapidly despite treatment, and was euthanatized. A metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma with capsular rupture and hemoperitoneum were found at necropsy. Primary liver tumors are rare in horses, and hepatocellular carcinoma has been reported in only 1 other horse. The systemic manifestations of the tumor in this filly included weakness, weight loss, inappetence, erythr...
Murray MJ, Grodinsky C.The pH of the gastric mucosal surface and gastric content was measured in 18 foals (mean age: 20 days) and 27 horses (mean age: 2.9 years) with a pH electrode passed through an endoscope biopsy channel. A reference electrode was attached to a shaved area on the neck. pH Measurements of the gastric mucosal surface at the dorsal squamous fundus (SF), squamous mucosa adjacent to the margo plicatus (MP), glandular fundus (GF) and the fluid or feed contents of the stomach were recorded in duplicate for each animal. In adult horses, the SF pH was greatest (5.46 +/- 1.82), with a decreasing pH ventra...
Begg AP, Reece RL, Hum S, Townsend W, Gordon A, Carrick J.Analysis of pathology results from the 2007 equine influenza (EI) outbreak in Australia indicate that young foals in naïve horse populations are prone to developing broncho-interstitial pneumonia, and that this can be a rare manifestation of EI virus infection in mature horses. All horses may develop secondary bacterial bronchopneumonia, with mature horses more likely to die. EI outbreaks among heavily pregnant mares can result in increased neonatal losses because of premature placental separation and dystocia causing fetal hypoxia.
Leemans B, Gadella BM, Stout TA, Sostaric E, De Schauwer C, Nelis H, Hoogewijs M, Van Soom A.In many species, sperm binding to oviduct epithelium is believed to be an essential step in generating a highly fertile capacitated sperm population primed for fertilization. In several mammalian species, this interaction is based on carbohydrate-lectin recognition. D-galactose has previously been characterized as a key molecule that facilitates sperm-oviduct binding in the horse. We used oviduct explant and oviduct apical plasma membrane (APM) assays to investigate the effects of various carbohydrates; glycosaminoglycans; lectins; S-S reductants; and the capacitating factors albumin, Ca(2+) a...
Dyson S.Thirty cases of peritonitis, in which the diagnosis was based on a peritoneal fluid white blood cell count in excess of 10 x 10(9)/litre, are described. Colic, ileus, pyrexia, weight loss and diarrhoea were common presenting signs. Treatments included intravenous fluids, anti-inflammatory analgesics, broad spectrum antibiotics and anthelmintics. Duration of treatment was determined by the clinical condition of the horse and sequential analyses of the peritoneal fluid and the haemogram. In the majority of cases the primary cause of peritonitis was not accurately determined, but 21 horses (70 pe...
Kopper JJ, Alexander TL, Kogan CJ, Berreta AR, Burbick CR.Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), a technique used to restore normal intestinal microbial communities, has been successful in treating humans with Clostridioides difficile colitis. Subsequently, FMT is being used in veterinary patients with suspected intestinal dysbiosis. Unfortunately, little data are available regarding best practices for FMT in horses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of storing manure prepared for equine FMT (MP-FMT) at -20°C for up to 4 weeks and passage through a simulated proximal gastrointestinal (GI) tract on the viability of MP-FMT. The resu...
Robinson NE, Sorenson PR.We studied collateral flow resistance in exsanguinated, excised lower lobes and accessory lobes of dog and horse lungs, respectively. A double lumen catheter obstructed a peripheral airway isolating a segment of the lobe. Oxygen flowed into the segment via a rotameter which measured flow (Vcoll) while the inner catheter recorded segment pressure (Ps). Gas delivered into the segment flowed out via collateral channels. Collateral flow resistance was calculated as (Ps - PL)/Vcoll, where PL = static transpulmonary pressure. Rcoll at PL = 20, 10, and 5 cm H2O averaged 0.24, 1.25, and 2.65 cmH2O.ml-...
Dockalova H, Zeman L, Horky P.Veterinarians can recommend milk thistle for the treatment of equine liver disease and laminitis. Milk thistle seed cakes were fed in the range of normal feed doses in this study. The milk thistle seed cakes were fed (twice a day) to the experimental group of the horses ( = 5) and biochemical blood markers (TP, Albumin, ALT (alanine transaminase), AST (aspartate transaminase), ALP (alkaline phosphatase), GGT (gamma-glutamyltransferase), Bilirubin, Cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein), LDL (low-density lipoprotein), TAG (triacylglycerol), BHB (beta-hydroxybutyric acid), NEFA (non-esterif...
Johnson PJ, Scotty NC, Wiedmeyer C, Messer NT, Kreeger JM.An 18-year-old Spanish Mustang mare was referred for evaluation of progressive weight loss and persistent hyperglycemia. Clinicopathologic abnormalities included marked hyperglycemia and glycosuria. Serum cortisol concentration was appropriately decreased following administration of dexamethasone, indicating that the horse did not have pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. Serum insulin and plasma C-peptide concentrations were low, suggesting that hyperglycemia was a result of decreased secretion of insulin by pancreatic beta cells. In addition, glucose concentration did not return to the bas...
McKenzie HC, Murray MJ.To assess gentamicin concentrations in serum and bronchial lavage fluid (BLF) of horses during a 24-hour period after once-daily aerosol administration of gentamicin (GAER) for 7 days and the pattern and degree of bronchial tree inflammation associated with repeated GAER. Methods: 13 healthy adult horses (9 geldings and 4 mares). Methods: The treatment group comprised 8 horses, and 5 horses were untreated control animals. Gentamicin (20 mL of gentamicin [50 mg/mL]) was administered via aerosol once daily for 7 days. Samples of serum and BLF were obtained from all horses before GAER and 0.5, 4,...
Holdstock NB, Ousey JC, Rossdale PD.The aim of this study was to determine glomerular filtration rate (GFR), effective renal plasma flow (RPF) and filtration fraction (FF) values in Pony foals during the first 10 days post partum in order to assess any age-related changes and the reliability of the single injection inulin/p-aminohippurate (PAH) method. Arterial blood pressure and pulse rate were determined in Pony and Thoroughbred (TB) foals during the first 10 days post partum to establish age-related changes, differences between breeds and possible interrelationships with GFR and RPF. Inulin and PAH were injected intravenously...
Giancola F, Rambaldi AM, Bianco F, Iusco S, Romagnoli N, Tagliavia C, Bombardi C, Clavenzani P, De Giorgio R, Chiocchetti R.Serotonin plays a pivotal role in regulating gut motility, visceral sensitivity, and fluid secretion via specific receptors. Among these receptors, 5-HT exerts a prominent control on gut motor function. Although the prokinetic effect exerted by 5-HT agonists is well known, the cellular sites of 5-HT expression remain poorly understood in large mammals, e.g., horses. In this study, we evaluated the distribution of 5-HT in the horse intestine and in foals with enteric aganglionosis, reminiscent of human Hirschsprung's disease. Methods: The intestine and spinal ganglia were obtained from three he...
Rikihisa Y, Johnson GC, Wang YZ, Reed SM, Fertel R, Cooke HJ.Ehrlichia risticii, an obligate intracellular bacterium in the family Rickettsiaceae, causes Potomac horse fever which is often associated with severe watery diarrhoea. The mechanism of the diarrhoea is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether sodium and chloride transport, morphology and cyclic adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) content of colonic mucosa was altered in E risticii-infected horses. Mucosa-submucosa sheets from the large and small colon of nine infected and seven to nine uninfected horses were set up in Ussing chambers for measurement of short-circuit cur...
Ewing PJ, Cowell RL, Tyler RD, MacAllister CG, Meinkoth JH.Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was diagnosed in 3 foals. In 2 foals (No. 1 and 2), diagnosis was by histologic evaluation of pulmonary tissue. On retrospective evaluation, P carinii cysts were found on sediment smears of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in 1 foal (No. 1). A different foal (No. 3) was diagnosed as having pneumocytosis by finding P carinii cysts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and was treated successfully. Definitive diagnosis of pneumocytosis in animals is usually made at necropsy. However, careful cytologic evaluation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid sediment can provide a diagnos...
Lange-Consiglio A, Lazzari B, Pizzi F, Stella A, Girani A, Quintè A, Cremonesi F, Capra E.Conditioned medium (CM) and microvesicles (MVs) are produced using different protocols: CM is collected following 12-96 h of cell culture without renewal of tissue culture medium, while MVs are collected after overnight cell culture. For future comparative studies in regenerative medicine looking at the efficacy of CM and MVs, it is important to understand how the quality of cell secretions is affected by culture. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the duration of culturing influences the micro-RNAs (miRNAs) cargo of equine amniotic mesenchymal cells (AMCs) and their MVs. The anal...
Studer S, Gerber V, Straub R, Brehm W, Gaillard C, Lüth A, Burger D.The objective of this study was to investigate clinical signs indicating hereditary diseases like equine sarcoid, osteochondrosis (OC) and the idiopathic laryngeal hemiplegia (ILH), and to demonstrate relationships between environment, feeding habits and conformation ("exterieur" evaluation) of the horses. For this purpose, we analyzed veterinary examinations of 403 stallions at the approvals since 1994 examined 493 three-year-old Swiss Warmblood horses, which were shown at the Swiss-Field-Tests in 2005. With the help of the owners a questionnaire on health, environment and feeding habits of t...
Hewetson M, Venner M, Volquardsen J, Sykes BW, Hallowell GD, Vervuert I, Fosgate GT, Tulamo RM.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome is an important cause of morbidity in weanling foals. Many foals are asymptomatic, and the development of an inexpensive screening test to ensure an early diagnosis is desirable. The objective of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of blood sucrose for diagnosis of EGUS in weanling foals. Results: 45 foals were studied 7Â days before and 14Â days after weaning. The diagnostic accuracy of blood sucrose for diagnosis of gastric lesions (GL); glandular lesions (GDL); squamous lesions (SQL) and clinically significant gastric lesions (CSL) at 45 and 90Â...
Hurcombe SD, Welch BR, Williams JM, Cooper ES, Russell D, Mudge MC.Intraoperative assessment of colonic viability can be challenging and largely subjective. Objective methods are often impractical. Viability is related to re-establishment of colonic perfusion; particularly microvascular perfusion. This study evaluated the utility of dark-field microscopy (DFM) of the colonic serosa as an objective method of assessing microperfusion. Objective: To measure microvascular perfusion indices (MPI) of the pelvic flexure serosa in horses with surgical colonic lesions and correlate these with macroperfusion indices (MaPI) and histomorphometry. Methods: Prospective, cl...
Jasko DJ.This article outlines a basic method for conducting a stallion semen evaluation. After the removal of the gel fraction of the ejaculate, semen gel-free volume is determined, and any abnormality in appearance is noted. Concentration of sperm cells in semen can be determined with the use of either a hemacytometer or spectrophotometer after appropriate dilution of raw semen. The percentage of progressively motile sperm is evaluated promptly after collection of semen with the use of a phase-contrast microscope. The total numbers of sperm and progressively motile sperm in the ejaculate are calculat...
Tong L, Stewart M, Johnson I, Appleyard R, Wilson B, James O, Johnson C, McGreevy P.The current project aims to build on knowledge of the nociceptive capability of equine skin to detect superficial acute pain, particularly in comparison to human skin. Post-mortem samples of gluteal skin were taken from men ( = 5) and women ( = 5), thoroughbreds and thoroughbred types (mares, = 11; geldings, = 9). Only sections that contained epidermis and dermis through to the hypodermis were analysed. Epidermal depth, dermal depth and epidermal nerve counts were conducted by a veterinary pathologist. The results revealed no significant difference between the epidermal nerve counts of human...
Schlusselhuber M, Torelli R, Martini C, Leippe M, Cattoir V, Leclercq R, Laugier C, Grötzinger J, Sanguinetti M, Cauchard J.Rhodococcus equi, the causal agent of rhodococcosis, is a major pathogen of foals and is also responsible for severe infections in immunocompromised humans. Of great concern, strains resistant to currently used antibiotics have emerged. As the number of drugs that are efficient in vivo is limited because of the intracellular localization of the bacterium inside macrophages, new active but cell-permeant drugs will be needed in the near future. In the present study, we evaluated, by in vitro and ex vivo experiments, the ability of the alpha-helical equine antimicrobial peptide eCATH1 to kill int...
