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.
Harbowy RM, Nielsen BD, Colbath AC, Robison CI, Buskirk DD, Logan AA.Though circular exercise is commonly used in equestrian disciplines, it may be at the detriment of horses' musculoskeletal system. To investigate the effects of circular exercise on bone and joint health, 42 lambs were randomly assigned to a non-exercised control, straight-line, small circle, or large circle exercise regime at a slow (1.3 m/s) or fast (2.0 m/s) speed for 12 wk. Blood samples were taken biweekly. Animals were humanely euthanized upon study completion, and the fused third and fourth metacarpals were collected for biomechanical testing and bone density analysis. Fast groups were ...
Talib MT, Nasir A, Kashif M, Rahman A, Rehman AU, Akbar H, Nadeem A, Howe DK, Azam MN.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anti-Neospora (N.) caninum and anti-N. hughesi antibodies in horses and to appraise the associated risk factors in the two central districts (Jhang and Toba Tek Singh) of Punjab Province, Pakistan. A total of 300 horse sera were analyzed for the presence of antibodies to Neospora spp. using a competitive ELISA. The overall prevalence of antibodies against Neospora species in horses was 25 % (75/300; 95 % CI 20.1-29.9). The prevalence of antibodies to N. caninum and N. hughesi species was 12.3 % (37/300; 95 % CI 8.6-16) and 19.3 % (5...
Ulaangerel T, Mu S, Sodyelalt J, Yi M, Zhao B, Hao A, Wen X, Han B, Bou G.The success or failure of embryo fixation is crucial for embryo attachment and later development. As an epithelial chorioallantoic placenta-type animal, the horse has a special process of embryo implantation, and the mechanism of embryo fixation in horses is still unclear. Methods: In this study, the structural and transcriptomic characteristics of endometrial tissue from the fixed and nonfixed sides of 20-day gestation embryos in Mongolian horses were investigated to search for important genes and potential molecular markers associated with the fixation phase of equine embryos. Results: A com...
Attia MM, Omar HM.This study aimed to collect data on the most common parasites of the family equidae which is spp. During this study we focused on the prevalence rate in the world; the distribution of the six known species: life cycle and the pathogenesis of the larvae inside the hosts were investigated around the world. Molecular as well as serological diagnoses were analyzed. Possible treatment strategies which were fully studied; are also, included. () and larvae are the main present larvae in equine; other species, such as , , and may be present. Although the female flies' egg-laying behavior can annoy...
Whitaker B, Barnhard JA, Webb KR, Levine D, Green MM, Vieira MR.This study assessed the safety and tolerability of concurrent intra-articular (IA) injection of 2.5% polyacrylamide hydrogel (2.5% iPAAG) and betamethasone sodium phosphate and betamethasone acetate esters (BME) in the metacarpophalangeal joints (MCPJs) of healthy horses. Methods: 10 healthy therapeutic riding horses were enrolled in this open-label safety study from August 1 to September 14, 2023. Inclusion criteria required normal physical examinations, insulin level, hematology, biochemistry, soundness at all gaits, and negative forelimb flexion tests. Screening occurred from days -14 to -0...
Vitoria A, Barrachina L, Romero A, Fuente S, de Blas I, Gil L, Vázquez FJ.A new surgical technique using a polyether ether ketone (PEEK) anchoring device for testicle-sparing laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty in stallions was described in 2023 and is known as the PEEK harpoon technique (PHT). In breeding stallions, it is essential that the surgery is effective in preventing inguinal hernia but also that it does not impair the testicular function. This study aims to evaluate whether the PHT may affect testicular function. To achieve that, changes in the testicular blood flow, sperm production and motility characteristics were assessed 28 days after use of the PHT. S...
Płoneczka-Janeczko K, Armstrong E, Siemieniuch-Tartanus M, Magdziarz M.The aim of the study was to explore and characterise healthy foals' eye microbiomes in the first two months of life. Unassigned: Conjunctival swabs were collected three times, not later than 12 h after delivery and again at the end of the first and the second months of life from six clinically healthy foals of the Polish Konik breed. The average interval between the first and second samplings was 33.3 days and between the second and third was 35.6 days. Next-generation sequencing performed on a MiSeq sequencer in paired-end technology was used to analyse the composition of the conjunctival mic...
O'Connell E, Dyson S, McLean A, McGreevy P.Euphemisms, anthropomorphisms, and equivocation are established characteristics of traditional equestrian language. 'Evasion', 'resistance', and 'disobedience' are common labels assigned to unwelcome equine behaviours, implying that the horse is at fault for not complying with the human's cues and expectations. These terms appear to overlook multiple motivations that may directly result in the horse offering unwelcome responses, which may then inadvertently be reinforced. This article revisits some of the anthropocentric inferences in these terms and explores the harmful consequences of such c...
Boger BL, Kinsley MA, Yob CJ, Knott LE, Manfredi JM.To determine if equine platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) and, if so, to quantify the amount of Dkk-1 in bovine thrombin (BT)-activated PRP and a control platelet lysate created using a freeze-thaw (FT) method. Unassigned: 10 adult horses were used in this experimental study. Blood was collected and processed in November 2019 and stored at -80 °C until the ELISAs were performed in October of 2023. Blood was collected from each horse, and PRP was created using a commercially available kit. Known concentrations of platelets were activated using BT or by an FT cycle to create...
Barot D, Usimaki A, Linardi RL, Arensberg CM, Ortved KF.Quantify the concentration of α2-macroglobulin (A2M), immunomodulatory cytokines, and TGF-β1 factors in 4 commercially available autologous blood-based products including conditioned A2M (CA2M; Alpha2EQ; Astaria Global), autologous protein solution (APS; Pro-Stride; Zoetis), platelet-rich plasma (PRP; Restigen; Zoetis), and autologous conditioned plasma (ACP; Arthrex ACP). We hypothesized that CA2M would have higher concentrations of A2M and lower concentrations of cytokines and growth factors compared to APS, PRP, and ACP. Unassigned: Blood was obtained from 6 healthy, adult horses and proc...
van Loon JPAM, Trindade PHE, da Silva GV, Keus J, Huberts C, de Grauw JC, Lanci A.Pain assessment based on facial expressions has been described in foals. Objective: To extend previous pilot findings of the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Facial Assessment of Pain in Foals (EQUUS-FAP FOAL). Methods: Prospective blinded case-control study (known groups analysis). Methods: Video recordings (30-60 s) of n = 100 foals (38 patients and 62 controls) were collected. Videos were randomised and scored by two observers, blinded for the condition of the animals. Inter- and intra-observer agreement was tested by Intra Class Correlation (ICC) analysis. Differences between pati...
Lindqvist A, Nyman G, Rydén A, Wattle O.This study aimed to assess and compare the recovery of ponies and horses following general anesthesia in two different settings: a recovery box with an inflexible, adjustable ceiling, and free recovery without restraints. Our primary objective was to evaluate the effect of adjustable ceilings on the prevention of premature attempts to rise during recovery. The secondary aim was to compare the physiological stress indicators during recovery. Methods: Prospective, randomized, experimental study. Methods: Six healthy ponies and 10 healthy horses. Methods: This study used a crossover design with t...
Helbig H, Berghaus LJ, Venner M, Berghaus R, Hart KA.Adequate vitamin availability is vital for cellular and immune function and for normal growth. Available data on age-related changes in serum concentrations of vitamins in foals are limited. In addition, associations between circulating vitamin concentrations and the development of bronchopneumonia in foals are not described. Objective: (1) To quantify circulating concentrations of vitamins C, D and E from birth to weaning in foals; (2) to determine associations between vitamin concentrations and the development of bronchopneumonia during this period. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Methods...
Kozak S, Merda D, Chesnais V, Breuil MF, Harrison M, Zdovc I, Golob M, Petry S, Duquesne F.Taylorella equigenitalis is the causative agent of contagious equine metritis, an internationally regulated sexually-transmitted infection in horses, which is of great concern as it usually results in temporary infertility. Taylorella asinigenitalis, the second member of the genus, is mainly found in donkeys and is considered non-pathogenic, although a first natural outbreak was reported in 2019 in the United Arab Emirates. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is currently used to study the epidemiology of Taylorella spp. but, while highly transposable and reproducible, it only focuses on < 0.5...
McKenzie E.The equine muscle system is complex and prone to a large range of hereditary and acquired diseases that often have overlapping clinical signs with orthopedic, neurologic, and other disorders. Obtaining a clinical history that fully outlines the client concerns and any known information about the disorder and following with a comprehensive physical examination and screening clinical pathology tests are fundamental to achieve definitive diagnosis. A methodical and comprehensive approach aids accurate diagnosis and development of an optimal treatment and management plan. This article describes th...
Knych HK.Pharmacokinetics is the study of the movement of drug in the body and includes the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Pharmacodynamics is the pharmacologic effect of the drug on the body. The pharmacokinetics of a drug determines its pharmacologic effect. Pharmacokinetic studies describe drug concentrations while pharmacodynamics allow for assessment of drug effects. Combined pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies allow for integration of drug concentrations with pharmacologic effect. Data generated from pharmacokinetic studies can be especially useful in establ...
Petano-Duque JM, Urueña-Martinez E, Cabezas-Callejas LL, Perilla-Amaya J, Rueda-García V, Rondón-Barragán IS, Lopera-Vásquez R.EHV-1 is one of the most prevalent viral pathogens in horses; however, its prevalence is not well defined by cross-reactions of serological tests. Thus, this study aims to determine EHV-1/-4 prevalence in Colombian creole horses from Ibagué, Tolima, using molecular techniques, as well as to determine possible risk factors associated with viral infection. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 110 equines blood, serum, and semen samples from Ibagué, Tolima. Antibodies against EHV-1/-4 were determined through indirect ELISA. EHV-1 was detected by amplifying the glycoprotein H gene through ...
McGowan C.Traumatic muscle injuries are likely to be frequent in athletic horses yet are often overlooked. These injuries usually involve internal (intrinsic) trauma, and particularly occur in athletic horses exercising at higher intensities, at unaccustomed workloads, or performing work requiring sudden acceleration, deceleration, and/or direction changes. These injuries can present with signs ranging from acute pain and lameness in a localized region to unexplained elevations of muscle enzymes on routine blood tests with or without poor performance. They include exercise-induced muscle damage such as ...
Rivera Maza S, Bishop RC, Austin SM, Foreman JH, Wilkins PA.Meconium impaction/retention is a significant cause of colic in foals. Historically, limitations of both medical and surgical treatment are noted. Outcomes of meconium impaction/retention have not recently been reported. Unassigned: To describe case characteristics and outcomes in foals with meconium impaction/retention. Unassigned: Retrospective, single referral hospital. Unassigned: Medical records from 2006 to 2024 were searched for foals ≤3 days old with a history of straining to defecate, abdominal distention, colic, weakness and/or tail flagging. Signalment, presenting complaint, treat...
Barbazanges P, Couroucé A, Le Digarcher G, Cardwell JM, Schmitt E, Toquet MP, Lemonnier LC, Richard EA.Fungi are ubiquitous in horses' environment. Their contribution to the pathophysiology of severe asthma (SA) is acknowledged, while controversies remain for mild-moderate asthma (MA). Objective: We hypothesised that fungi are a risk factor for asthma. Our objective was to compare different combinations of analytical methods (cytology, culture) and sampling sites (tracheal wash (TW), bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF)) in relation to clinical status (control, MA, SA). Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study. Methods: The study population included asymptomatic racing horses in the field and ...
Flood JA, Collins NM, Russell CM, Cuming RS, Carrick JB, Cudmore LA.Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal foals. Administration of appropriate antimicrobials and early aggressive supportive treatment is central to the efficacious treatment of neonatal sepsis and has proven to positively influence outcomes. The primary aim of our study was to evaluate microorganism results and antimicrobial sensitivities of neonatal foals with a positive blood culture submitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) during 2005-2022. The secondary aim was to compare the results to those of a similar previous study performed at the same ICU during 1999-2004....
Nielsen SS, Alvarez J, Boklund A, Dippel S, Dorea F, Figuerola J, Herskin M, Miranda Chueca MA, Nannoni E, Nonno R, Riber A, Stahl K, Stegeman JA....Horses of different ages may have to be killed on-farm for purposes other than slaughter (where slaughter is defined as killing for human consumption) either individually (i.e. on-farm killing of unproductive, injured or terminally ill animals) or on a large-scale (i.e. depopulation for disease control purposes and other situations, such as environmental contamination, disaster management, etc.). The purpose of this opinion is to assess the hazards and welfare consequences associated with the on-farm killing of horses. The killing procedure is divided into Phase 1 (pre-killing), which includes...
Valberg SJ.Horses are particularly susceptible to developing exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) characterized by muscle stiffness, pain, and reluctance to move. Diagnosis requires establishing abnormal increases in serum creatine kinase activity when horses exhibit clinical signs. The 2 main categories of ER include sporadic ER arising from extrinsic causes and chronic ER that arises from intrinsic continuous or episodic abnormalities in muscle function. This article focuses on treatment of acute ER and causes and management of sporadic ER. Differential diagnoses for chronic ER as well as the pathophysiology...
Nielsen SS, Alvarez J, Boklund A, Dippel S, Dorea F, Figuerola J, Herskin M, Miranda Chueca MA, Nannoni E, Nonno R, Riber A, Stahl K, Stegeman JA....The objective of this Scientific Opinion is to assess the hazards and welfare consequences associated with the slaughter of horses for human consumption. The entire slaughter procedure, from arrival at the slaughterhouse until death, is divided into three phases: Phase 1 - pre-stunning, Phase 2 - stunning and Phase 3 - bleeding. Phase 1 includes the following processes (in chronological order): (a) arrival, (b) unloading of the animals from the vehicle, (c) lairage, (d) handling and moving to the stunning area and (e) restraint before application of the stunning method. Phase 2 encompasses the...
Valberg SJ, Williams ZJ.Myofibrillar myopathy (MFM) is characterized by segmental disarray of myofibrils and ectopic accumulation of a protein called desmin. Previously thought to be a glycogen storage disease, MFM is now recognized as a stand-alone myopathy. Endurance Arabians with MFM usually present with exertional rhabdomyolysis (MFM-ER) at the end of races, elevated serum muscle enzymes, and myoglobinuria. Warmblood horses with MFM (MFM-WB) usually present with pain-associated behaviors such as exercise intolerance, reluctance to engage hind quarter muscles, shifting lameness and normal serum muscle enzymes. Bot...
Durward-Akhurst SA, Valberg SJ.Several inflammatory myopathies have an infectious or immune-mediated basis in the horse. Myosin heavy chain myopathy is caused by a codominant missense variant in MYH1 and has 3 clinical presentations: immune-mediated myositis, calciphylaxis, and nonexertional rhabdomyolysis in Quarter Horse-related breeds. An infarctive form of purpura hemorrhagica affects numerous breeds, presenting with focal firm, painful muscle swelling, and subsequent infarction of multiple tissues. While Streptococcus equi equi is often the inciting cause, anaplasmosis, sarcocystis, piroplasmosis, viruses, and vaccines...
Aleman M.Muscle disease has various clinical manifestations that range from exertional and non-exertional rhabdomyolysis, fasciculations, weakness, rigidity, stiffness, gait abnormalities, poor performance, and alterations in muscle mass and tone. Neurogenic disorders and non-neurogenic disorders such as primary muscle disease can cause muscle atrophy and changes in muscle tone. Myotonic disorders can have a genetic (eg, inherited channelopathies) or acquired (eg, electrolyte derangements) origin. Normal muscle enzyme activities do not rule out a myopathic disorder as the underlying cause of muscle atr...
Zhang B, Jin S, Jin J, Li F, Montelaro RC.Characterization of cellular receptors for human, simian, and feline immunodeficiency viruses that are tropic for lymphocytes and macrophages have revealed a common theme of a sequential binding of viral envelope proteins with two coreceptors to mediate virus infection of target cells. In contrast to these dual tropic immunodeficiency viruses, the ungulate lentiviruses, including equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), exclusively infect cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage to cause progressive degenerative diseases without clinical immunodeficiency. EIAV causes a uniquely dynamic disease t...
Block JA, Oegema TR, Sandy JD, Plaas A.Oral glucosamine (GlcN) has been widely studied for its potential therapeutic benefits in alleviating the pain and disability of osteoarthritis (OA). Its popularity has grown despite ongoing controversy regarding its effectiveness vs placebo in clinical trials, and lack of information regarding possible mechanisms of action. Here, we review the state of knowledge concerning the biology of GlcN as it relates to OA, and discuss a framework for future research directions. Methods: An editorial "narrative" review of peer-reviewed publications is organized into four topics (1) Chemistry and pharmac...
Ranera B, Ordovás L, Lyahyai J, Bernal ML, Fernandes F, Remacha AR, Romero A, Vázquez FJ, Osta R, Cons C, Varona L, Zaragoza P, Martín-Burriel I....Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represent an attractive source for regenerative medicine. However, prior to their application, fundamental questions regarding molecular characterisation, growth and differentiation of MSCs must be resolved. Objective: To compare and better understand the behaviour of equine MSCs obtained from bone marrow (BM) and adipose tissue (AT) in culture. Methods: Five horses were included in this study. Proliferation rate was measured using MTT assay and cell viability; apoptosis, necrosis and late apoptosis and necrosis were evaluated by flow cytometry. The mRNA expres...
Agabou A, Ouchenane Z, Ngba Essebe C, Khemissi S, Chehboub MTE, Chehboub IB, Sotto A, Dunyach-Remy C, Lavigne JP.The spread of toxinogenic Staphylococcus aureus is a public health problem in Africa. The objectives of the study were to investigate the rate of S. aureus nasal carriage and molecular characteristics of these strains in livestock and humans in three Algerian provinces. Nasal samples were collected from camels, horses, cattle, sheep and monkeys, as well as humans in contact with them. S. aureus isolates were genotyped using DNA microarray. The rate of S. aureus nasal carriage varied between species: camels (53%), humans and monkeys (50%), sheep (44.2%), horses (15.2%) and cattle (15%). Nine me...
Wang SZ, Rushlow KE, Issel CJ, Cook RF, Cook SJ, Raabe ML, Chong YH, Costa L, Montelaro RC.The potential for antibody-dependent enhancement of replication of macrophage/monocyte tropic viruses has posed a significant problem in the development of vaccines for several animal and human viruses and has raised significant concern in the design of potential AIDS vaccines. Using the previously described equine infectious anemia virus/Shetland pony system as a model for HIV-1 vaccine development, we have evaluated the efficacy of a recombinant subunit vaccine containing a baculovirus-expressed envelope surface glycoprotein (gp90) of EIAV. The results of these trials demonstrate not only th...
Erol E, Locke SJ, Donahoe JK, Mackin MA, Carter CN.The goal of this retrospective study was to have a comprehensive picture of the β-hemolytic streptococci of horses including tissue/organ distributions and susceptibility patterns against specific antimicrobials between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2010. A total of 2,497 β-hemolytic streptococci were isolated from 2,391 cases, of which Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus was the most frequent isolate (72.0%). Other species isolated were Streptococcus dysgalactia subsp. equisimilis (21.3%), Streptococcus equi subsp. equi (5.8%), and unidentified β-hemolytic streptococci (0.9%). As ex...
Hamilton A, Robinson C, Sutcliffe IC, Slater J, Maskell DJ, Davis-Poynter N, Smith K, Waller A, Harrington DJ.Streptococcus equi is the causative agent of strangles, a prevalent and highly contagious disease of horses. Despite the animal suffering and economic burden associated with strangles, little is known about the molecular basis of S. equi virulence. Here we have investigated the contributions of a specific lipoprotein and the general lipoprotein processing pathway to the abilities of S. equi to colonize equine epithelial tissues in vitro and to cause disease in both a mouse model and the natural host in vivo. Colonization of air interface organ cultures after they were inoculated with a mutant ...
Troedsson MH, Loset K, Alghamdi AM, Dahms B, Crabo BG.Insemination of mares with bacteria-free equine spermatozoa results in an influx of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) into the uterine lumen. In vitro studies have demonstrated that equine spermatozoa activate complement, resulting in cleavage of factors C5a and C3b. Since uterine secretion is rich in complement, it is likely that an interaction between spermatozoa and uterine secretion results in C5a-mediated chemotaxis and migration of PMNs into the uterine lumen. Once in the uterine lumen, the PMNs phagocytize bacteria and spermatozoa, which is an important part of sperm elimination from...
Yin H, Lu W, Luo J.The importance of babesiosis in livestock in China is discussed and mainly focused on bovine and equine babesiosis. Babesiosis is still one of the most important diseases affecting livestock and has caused great economic loss. Nine species of Babesia have been recognized in livestock: B. bigemina, B. bovis, B. major, B. motasi, B. ovis, B. perroncitoi, B. trautmanni, B. equi (Theileria equi), B. caballi. The distribution of Babesia follows the distribution of the tick vectors. The main vectors of bovine babesiosis are the one-host tick Boophilus microplus and the three-host ticks Rhipicephalus...
Dunnett M, Harris RC.The aim of this work was to test the hypothesis that in vivo carnosine biosynthesis is dependent upon endogenous beta-alanine availability, by studying the effect of sustained dietary beta-alanine supplementation in the horse on the carnosine concentration in types I, IIA and IIB skeletal muscle fibres. The diets of 6 Thoroughbred horses were supplemented 3 times/day with beta-alanine (100 mg/kg bwt) and L-histidine (12.5 mg/kg bwt) for a period of 30 days. Percutaneous biopsies of the m. gluteus medius from a depth of 6 cm were taken on the days immediately before and after the supplementatio...
Pfaender S, Walter S, Grabski E, Todt D, Bruening J, Romero-Brey I, Gather T, Brown RJ, Hahn K, Puff C, Pfankuche VM, Hansmann F, Postel A, Becher P....Hepatitis C virus (HCV) displays a restricted host species tropism and only humans and chimpanzees are susceptible to infection. A robust immunocompetent animal model is still lacking, hampering mechanistic analysis of virus pathogenesis, immune control, and prophylactic vaccine development. The closest homolog of HCV is the equine nonprimate hepacivirus (NPHV), which shares similar features with HCV and thus represents an animal model to study hepacivirus infections in their natural hosts. We aimed to dissect equine immune responses after experimental NPHV infection and conducted challenge ex...
Berglund AK, Fisher MB, Cameron KA, Poole EJ, Schnabel LV.Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising cell source for treating musculoskeletal injuries in horses. Effective and safe allogeneic therapy may be hindered, however, by recipient immune recognition and rejection of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched MSCs. Development of strategies to prevent immune rejection of MHC-mismatched MSCs in vivo is necessary to enhance cell survival and potentially increase the efficacy and safety of allogeneic MSC therapy. The purposes of this study were to evaluate if transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) downregulated MHC expressi...
Chambers TM.Horses are the third major mammalian species, along with humans and swine, long known to be subject to acute upper respiratory disease from influenza A virus infection. The viruses responsible are subtype H7N7, which is believed extinct, and H3N8, which circulates worldwide. The equine influenza lineages are clearly divergent from avian influenza lineages of the same subtypes. Their genetic evolution and potential for interspecies transmission, as well as clinical features and epidemiology, are discussed. Equine influenza is spread internationally and vaccination is central to control efforts....
Kuzmina TA, Dzeverin I, Kharchenko VA.An extensive analysis of the relationships between strongylid egg shedding in domestic horses and the strongylid community structure in regard to the age of the horses, their breeds and different strategies of horse management, particularly with anthelmintic treatment programs was performed. Domestic horses (n=197) of different ages (5 months to 22 years) and of various breeds from 15 farms with different types of deworming programs were included in this study. Strongylids (totally, 82,767 specimens) were collected in vivo after deworming of the horses with the macrocyclic lactone anthelmintic...
Harrington DJ, Sutcliffe IC, Chanter N.Streptococcus equi is the aetiological agent of strangles, one of the most prevalent diseases of the horse. The animal suffering and economic burden associated with this disease necessitate effective treatment. Current antibiotic therapy is often ineffective and thus recent attention has focused on vaccine development. A systematic understanding of S. equi virulence, leading to the identification of targets to which protective immunity can be directed, is a prerequisite of the development of such a vaccine. Here, the virulence factors of S. equi are reviewed.
Henderson AJ.This article posits that stereotypical behavior patterns and the overall psychological well being of today's performance horse could be substantially enhanced with care that acknowledges the relationship between domesticated horses and their forerunners. Feral horses typically roam in stable, social groups over large grazing territories, spending 16-20 hr per day foraging on mid- to poor-quality roughage. In contrast, today's elite show horses live in relatively small stalls, eat a limited-but rich-diet at specific feedings, and typically live in social isolation. Although the horse has been d...
Dubey JP, Howe DK, Furr M, Saville WJ, Marsh AE, Reed SM, Grigg ME.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a serious disease of horses, and its management continues to be a challenge for veterinarians. The protozoan Sarcocystis neurona is most commonly associated with EPM. S. neurona has emerged as a common cause of mortality in marine mammals, especially sea otters (Enhydra lutris). EPM-like illness has also been recorded in several other mammals, including domestic dogs and cats. This paper updates S. neurona and EPM information from the last 15 years on the advances regarding life cycle, molecular biology, epidemiology, clinical signs, diagnosis, treat...
Sales KG, Costa PL, de Morais RC, Otranto D, Brandão-Filho SP, Cavalcanti Mde P, Dantas-Torres F.Phlebotomine sand flies are blood-feeding insects of great medical and veterinary significance acting as vectors of Leishmania parasites. Studying the blood-feeding pattern of these insects may help in the understanding of their interactions with potential reservoir hosts of Leishmania parasites. In this study, we developed real time PCR assays for the identification of sand fly blood meal. Methods: Six pairs of primers were designed based on cytochrome b gene sequences available in GenBank of the following potential hosts: dog, cat, horse, chicken, black rat, and human. Firstly, SYBR Green-ba...
McGreevy PD, Oddie C, Burton FL, McLean AN.This article examines the recently completed equid ethogram and shows how analogues of social interactions between horses may occur in various human-horse interactions. It discusses how some specific horse-horse interactions have a corresponding horse-human interaction - some of which may be directly beneficial for the horse while others may be unusual or even abnormal. It also shows how correspondent behaviours sometimes become inappropriate because of their duration, consistency or context. One analogue is unlikely to hold true for all horse-human contexts, so when applying any model from ho...
Oladunni FS, Oseni SO, Martinez-Sobrido L, Chambers TM.Equine influenza virus (EIV) is a constantly evolving viral pathogen that is responsible for yearly outbreaks of respiratory disease in horses termed equine influenza (EI). There is currently no evidence of circulation of the original H7N7 strain of EIV worldwide; however, the EIV H3N8 strain, which was first isolated in the early 1960s, remains a major threat to most of the world's horse populations. It can also infect dogs. The ability of EIV to constantly accumulate mutations in its antibody-binding sites enables it to evade host protective immunity, making it a successful viral pathogen. C...
Chinikar S, Shah-Hosseini N, Mostafavi E, Moradi M, Khakifirouz S, Jalali T, Goya MM, Shirzadi MR, Zainali M, Fooks AR.This study was undertaken to determine the seroprevalence of West Nile virus (WNV) in human and equine sera in Iran. Blood samples were tested from 300 human samples and 315 equine samples in five geographic zones of north and central parts of Iran between 2010 and 2012. All samples were tested for the immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody to WNV by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Of all samples, 4 (1.3%) human and 9 (2.8%) equines were considered to be seropositive for WNV. These results suggest circulation and exposure of the human and equine populations to WNV in Iran.
Leemans B, Stout TAE, De Schauwer C, Heras S, Nelis H, Hoogewijs M, Van Soom A, Gadella BM.In contrast to various other mammalian species, conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) with horse gametes is not reliably successful. In particular, stallion spermatozoa fails to penetrate the zona pellucida, most likely due to incomplete activation of stallion spermatozoa (capacitation) under in vitro conditions. In other mammalian species, specific capacitation triggers have been described; unfortunately, none of these is able to induce full capacitation in stallion spermatozoa. Nevertheless, knowledge of capacitation pathways and their molecular triggers might improve our understanding o...
Zielonka J, Bravo IG, Marino D, Conrad E, Perković M, Battenberg M, Cichutek K, Münk C.The mammalian APOBEC3 (A3) proteins comprise a multigene family of cytidine deaminases that act as potent inhibitors of retroviruses and retrotransposons. The A3 locus on the chromosome 28 of the horse genome contains multiple A3 genes: two copies of A3Z1, five copies of A3Z2, and a single copy of A3Z3, indicating a complex evolution of multiple gene duplications. We have cloned and analyzed for expression the different equine A3 genes and examined as well the subcellular distribution of the corresponding proteins. Additionally, we have tested the functional antiretroviral activity of the equi...
Peroni JF, Borjesson DL.The recent interest in equine stem cell biology and the rapid increase in experimental data highlight the growing attention that this topic has been receiving over the past few years. Within the field of stem cell biology, the relevance of immunobiology is of particular intrigue. It appears that optimal and effective stem cell therapy for equine patients will require a thorough analysis of the immune properties of stem cells as well as their response to immune mediators. The main goal of this review is to discuss the biology of adult mesenchymal stem cells in the context of immunology.
Greay TL, Oskam CL, Gofton AW, Rees RL, Ryan UM, Irwin PJ.Ticks are among the most important vectors of pathogens affecting companion animals, and also cause health problems such as tick paralysis, anaemia, dermatitis, and secondary infections. Twenty ixodid species have previously been recorded on dogs, cats, and horses in Australia, including Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Ixodes holocyclus and Haemaphysalis longicornis, which transmit tick-borne diseases. A survey of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) was conducted during 2012-2015 to investigate tick species that infest dogs, cats, and horses in Australia. Individual tick specimens were collected from dogs,...
Venner M, Rödiger A, Laemmer M, Giguère S.Mass antimicrobial treatment of foals with small ultrasonographic pulmonary lesions is common on farms with endemic disease caused by Rhodococcus equi. The objectives of this study were to compare the relative efficacy of three antimicrobial protocols for the treatment of pulmonary abscesses on a farm with endemic infections caused by R. equi and to determine the frequency of spontaneous resolution of subclinical pulmonary lesions. Foals with ultrasonographic evidence of pulmonary abscesses ≥ 1.0 cm in diameter (n=128) were randomly allocated to one of four equal treatment groups. Animals wi...
Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Prow NA, Wang W, Tan CS, Coyle M, Douma A, Hobson-Peters J, Kidd L, Hall RA, Petrovsky N.In 2011, following severe flooding in Eastern Australia, an unprecedented epidemic of equine encephalitis occurred in South-Eastern Australia, caused by Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) and a new variant strain of Kunjin virus, a subtype of West Nile virus (WNVKUN). This prompted us to assess whether a delta inulin-adjuvanted, inactivated cell culture-derived Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccine (JE-ADVAX™) could be used in horses, including pregnant mares and foals, to not only induce immunity to JEV, but also elicit cross-protective antibodies against MVEV and WNVKUN. Foals, 74...
Chu CR, Fortier LA, Williams A, Payne KA, McCarrel TM, Bowers ME, Jaramillo D.Microfracture is commonly performed for cartilage repair but usually results in fibrocartilage. Microfracture augmented by autologous bone marrow concentrate (BMC) was previously shown to yield structurally superior cartilage repairs in an equine model compared with microfracture alone. The current study was performed to test the hypothesis that autologous BMC without concomitant microfracture improves cartilage repair compared with microfracture alone. Methods: Autologous sternal bone marrow aspirate (BMA) was concentrated using a commercial system. Cells from BMC were evaluated for chondroge...
Ashour J, Hondalus MK.Rhodococcus equi is a facultative intracellular opportunistic pathogen of immunocompromised people and a major cause of pneumonia in young horses. An effective live attenuated vaccine would be extremely useful in the prevention of R. equi disease in horses. Toward that end, we have developed an efficient transposon mutagenesis system that makes use of a Himar1 minitransposon delivered by a conditionally replicating plasmid for construction of R. equi mutants. We show that Himar1 transposition in R. equi is random and needs no apparent consensus sequence beyond the required TA dinucleotide. The...
