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.
Pfau T, Weller R.Equine inertial measurement unit (IMU) gait analysis has gained in popularity for use in horses. Similar transducers are now found in consumer grade smartphones. However, to date there are no scientific data evaluating their use for assessment of movement (a)symmetry in the horse. Objective: To establish limits of agreement (LoA, mean difference ±2 s.d.) between a validated specialist IMU system and IMU data collected with a consumer grade smartphone for quantification of movement symmetry and range of motion (ROM) of pelvic movement in the trotting horse. Methods: Method comparison study bas...
Omar MA, Salama A, Elsify A, Rizk MA, Al-Aboody MS, AbouLaila M, El-Sayed SA, Igarashi I.Enoxacin is a broad-spectrum 6-fluoronaphthyridinone antibacterial agent (fluoroquinolones) structurally related to nalidixic acid used mainly in the treatment of urinary tract infections and gonorrhea. Also it has been shown recently that it may have cancer inhibiting effect. The primary antibabesial effect of Enoxacin is due to inhibition of DNA gyrase subunit A, and DNA topoisomerase. In the present study, enoxacin was tested as a potent inhibitor against the in vitro growth of bovine and equine Piroplasms. The in vitro growth of five Babesia species that were tested was significantly inh...
Rose BV, Cabrera-Sharp V, Firth MJ, Barrelet FE, Bate S, Cameron IJ, Crabtree JR, Crowhurst J, McGladdery AJ, Neal H, Pynn J, Pynn OD, Smith C....Early pregnancy loss occurs in 6-10% of equine pregnancies making it the main cause of reproductive wastage. Despite this, reasons for the losses are known in only 16% of cases. Lack of viable conceptus material has inhibited investigations of many potential genetic and pathological causes. We present a method for isolating and culturing placental cells from failed early equine pregnancies. Trophoblast cells from 18/30 (60%) failed equine pregnancies of gestational ages 14-65 days were successfully cultured in three different media, with the greatest growth achieved for cells cultured in Amnio...
Saqib M, Hussain MH, Sajid MS, Mansoor MK, Asi MN, Fadya AA, Zohaib A, Sial AU, Muhammad G, Ullah I.Toxoplasmosis is a serious threat for livestock in addition to being of zoonotic significance. In this study, serodiagnosis of equine toxoplasmosis was conducted in a randomly selected population from the 3 metropolises of Punjab, Pakistan. To this end, 272 draught equines were screened using a commercial latex agglutination assay kit. Association of probable risk factors of equine toxoplasmosis was also documented. A total of 91 (33.5%) equines were found sero-positive for Toxoplama (T.) gondii having antibody titers ranging between 1:32 to 1:612. The highest rates of seropositive cases were ...
Dominguez M, Münstermann S, de Guindos I, Timoney P.An analysis of the factors leading to equine disease events was used to support the development of international recommendations for mitigating the risk of disease dissemination through sport horse movements (high health, high performance - 'HHP' horses). Objective: A review was undertaken to identify the factors resulting in equine disease events following international movement of horses to draw lessons in support of the development of international recommendations for the safe movements of a specific subpopulation of horses: the HHP sport horses. Methods: Systematic review carried out in ac...
Cohen ND, Giguère S, Burton AJ, Rocha JN, Berghaus LJ, Brake CN, Bordin AI, Coleman MC.Adverse effects of, and bacterial resistance to, macrolides used to treat Rhodococcus equi infections have prompted search for clinically effective alternative antimicrobials. Liposomal gentamicin (LG) is effective against R. equi in vitro and decreases tissue concentrations of R. equi in experimentally infected mice. Effectiveness of LG treatment of foals with R. equi pneumonia, however, has not been described. Objective: Liposomal gentamicin is safe and effective for treating foals with R. equi pneumonia. Methods: Ten foals with experimentally induced R. equi pneumonia. Methods: Pilot treatm...
Back H, Berndtsson LT, Gröndahl G, Ståhl K, Pringle J, Zohari S.Equine Influenza Virus (EIV) is a major cause of respiratory disease in horses and the virus constantly undergoes antigenic drift. Here we characterize and describe the HA1 and the NA genes of H3N8 within samples obtained from outbreaks in Sweden during November-December 2011. Both clade 1 and clade 2 viruses of the Florida sublineage were identified. The index case of clade 2 was transported to Sweden from Spain through the Netherlands, whereas the clade 1 had its origin from a Swedish stud farm. The clade 1 virus was efficiently spread between training yards by unvaccinated young horses, but...
Vaz PK, Horsington J, Hartley CA, Browning GF, Ficorilli NP, Studdert MJ, Gilkerson JR, Devlin JM.Recombination in alphaherpesviruses allows evolution to occur in viruses that have an otherwise stable DNA genome with a low rate of nucleotide substitution. High-throughput sequencing of complete viral genomes has recently allowed natural (field) recombination to be studied in a number of different alphaherpesviruses, however, such studies have not been applied to equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) or equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4). These two equine alphaherpesviruses are genetically similar, but differ in their pathogenesis and epidemiology. Both cause economically significant disease in horse popul...
McKenzie RK, Hill FI, Habyarimana JA, Boemer F, Votion DM.During April and May 2014 four horses aged between 5 months and 9 years, located in the Canterbury, Marlborough and Southland regions, presented with a variety of clinical signs including recumbency, stiffness, lethargy, dehydration, depression, and myoglobinuria suggestive of acute muscle damage. Two horses were subjected to euthanasia and two recovered. In all cases seeds of sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) or box elder (A. negundo) were present in the area where the horse had been grazing. Unassigned: The samaras (seeds) of some Acer spp. may contain hypoglycin A, that has been associat...
Sarkar S, Balasuriya UB, Horohov DW, Chambers TM.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infects equine endothelial cells (EECs) lining the small blood vessels in the central nervous system. However, the effect of type I IFN on EHV-1 replication in the EECs is not well studied. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the effect of type-I IFN on the replication of the neuropathogenic T953 strain of EHV-1 in vitro in EECs. The initial data showed that the EHV-1 was partly resistant to the biological effect of exogenously supplied recombinant equine IFN-α. Subsequent investigation into the mechanism of resistance showed that EHV-1 in...
Simons V.After her final year studying veterinary medicine at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and before starting an internship, Vicky Simons took on the job of creating a life-size equine anatomical model 'anatohorse' (also known as Geoff).
Bauquier JR, Forbes G, Nath L, Tudor E, Bailey SR.Acute gastrointestinal disease occurs commonly in horses. Novel biomarkers might improve the understanding of SIRS and aid diagnosis and determination of prognosis. Objective: Increased plasma concentrations of the biomarkers HMGB-1 and nucleosomes are associated with severity of gastrointestinal lesions in horses; concentrations of these biomarkers will be greater in horses with lesions more likely to cause SIRS; and will provide additional information compared with standard biomarkers fibrinogen and SAA. Methods: Thirty horses with gastrointestinal disease, 22 healthy horses. Methods: Prospe...
Woodman J, Wagg CR, Boysen SR, Leguillette R, Mizen K, Roy MF.Dexamethasone was administered to healthy horses daily for 7 days. Blood samples were collected at 3 time points from both treatment and non-treatment groups, and analyzed via thromboelastography (TEG). There were no significant differences in TEG parameters between treated and untreated horses, or within treatment groups over time. La dexaméthasone a été administrée à des chevaux en santé pendant 7 jours. Des échantillons de sang ont été prélevés à trois moments auprès des groupes de traitement et des groupes sans traitement et ensuite analysés par thrombo-élastographie (TEG)....
Sengupta ME, Thapa S, Thamsborg SM, Mejer H.Strongyle eggs of helminths of livestock usually hatch within a few hours or days after deposition with faeces. This poses a problem when faecal sampling is performed in the field. As oxygen is needed for embryonic development, it is recommended to reduce air supply during transport and refrigerate. The present study therefore investigated the combined effect of vacuum packing and temperature on survival of strongyle eggs and their subsequent ability to hatch and develop into L3. Fresh faecal samples were collected from calves infected with Cooperia oncophora, pigs infected with Oesophagostomu...
Shikh Alsook MK, Gabriel A, Piret J, Waroux O, Tonus C, Connan D, Baise E, Antoine N.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) harvested from cadaveric tissues represent a promising approach for regenerative medicine. To date, no study has investigated whether viable MSCs could survive in cadaveric tissues from tendon or ligament up to 72 hours of post-mortem. The purpose of the present work was to find out if viable MSCs could survive in cadaveric tissues from adult equine ligaments up to 72 hours of post-mortem, and to assess their ability (i) to remain in an undifferentiated state and (ii) to divide and proliferate in the absence of any specific stimulus. Methods: MSCs were isolated ...
Bełżecki G, Miltko R, Michałowski T, McEwan NR.This paper describes cultivation methods for ciliates from the digestive tract of horses. Members of three different genera were successfully grown in vitro for short periods of time. However, only cells belonging to the genus Blepharocorys, which resides in the horse's large intestine, were maintained for longer periods. This Blepharocorys culture was successfully grown in vitro after inoculation of freshly excreted horse faeces in culture medium containing a population of bacteria. The ciliates survived for over six months, and the density of their population varied between 1.7 × 10(3) and ...
Ellerbrock R, Canisso I, Feijo L, Lima F, Shipley C, Kline K.Urospermia is known to affect semen quality in many mammals, including stallions. Determinations of semen pH and creatinine and urea concentrations have been used to diagnose urine contamination in raw stallion semen. Unfortunately, practitioners suspecting urine contamination in cooled-shipped samples have no proven means to confirm the presence of urine. Therefore, the objectives of this study were (1) to assess the effects of urine contamination on sperm motility of extended fresh and cooled-stored stallion semen, (2) to evaluate the usefulness of semen color, odor, pH, and creatinine and u...
Scully CM, Lee RL, Pielstick L, Medlock J, Patton KM, Collins GH, Kutzler MA.Free-roaming horse (Equus caballus) management is a complex issue incorporating social, economic, emotional, political, and environmental factors. Currently, few proven field techniques exist for managing free-roaming horse population growth, which can reach 20-25% annually. Although there are several strategies available for sterilizing mares when managing free-roaming horse populations, surgical vasectomy is the only method used in the field for stallions. Some managers believe that surgically vasectomizing dominant stallions would have significant effects on reducing horse populations. Howe...
Boyle AG, Rankin SC, D￮ L, Boston RC, Wheeler-Aceto H.Bacterial culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for the detection of Streptococcus equi in nasopharyngeal washes (NPW) and guttural pouch lavage (GPL) samples have low sensitivity. In human diagnostics, processing of samples with flocked swabs has improved recovery rates of bacterial agents because of improved surface area and elution factors. Objective: For S. equi subsp. equi (S. equi) detection in NPW and GPL samples we hypothesized that: direct-PCR would be more reliable than flocked swab culture (FS culture); flocked swab PCR (FS-PCR) would be equivalent to direct-PCR; and FS...
Kinobe RT.Cobalt is an essential trace element for many vital physiological functions. Cobalt is also known to stabilise hypoxia-inducible transcription factors leading to increased expression of erythropoietin which activates production of red blood cells. This implies that cobalt can be used to enhance aerobic performance in racing horses. If this becomes a pervasive practice, the welfare of racing animals would be at risk because cobalt is associated with cardiovascular, haematological, thyroid gland and reproductive toxicity as observed in laboratory animals and humans. It is expected that similar e...
Carlson N, Eastman T, Winfield L.This study evaluated outcomes of surgical treatment of equine sialolithiasis, highlighting cases involving the proximal parotid salivary duct. Sialoliths in the proximal parotid duct were difficult to identify radiographically and more frequently associated with draining tracts and sialadenitis compared with sialoliths in the distal parotid duct. Ultrasonography confirmed the diagnosis of sialolithiasis in all cases in which there was no radiographic evidence of a sialolith. All cases of proximal parotid duct sialolithiasis required transcutaneous removal. A longer duration of illness was obse...
Chan GH, Ho EN, Leung DK, Wong KS, Wan TS.The use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) is prohibited in both human and equine sports. The conventional approach in doping control testing for AAS (as well as other prohibited substances) is accomplished by the direct detection of target AAS or their characteristic metabolites in biological samples using hyphenated techniques such as gas chromatography or liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Such an approach, however, falls short when dealing with unknown designer steroids where reference materials and their pharmacokinetics are not available. In addition, AASs with fast...
Yamanaka T, Bannai H, Nemoto M, Tsujimura K, Kondo T, Muranaka M, Hobo S, Minamijima YH, Yamada M, Matsumura T.Equine influenza A virus (EIV) of the H3N8 subtype is an important pathogen causing acute respiratory disease in horses. Peramivir is a selective inhibitor of the influenza virus neuraminidase (NA). The characteristics of peramivir are not only its capacity for parenteral administration, but also its strong affinity for NA and slow off-rate from the NA-peramivir complex, suggesting that it could lead to a prolonged inhibitory effect and thus allow a lower dosing frequency. The aims of this study were to evaluate the inhibitory efficacy of peramivir against the NA activities of EIV in vitro and...
Lévéille R, Hardy J, Robertson JT, Willis AM, Beard WL, Weisbrode SE, Lepage OM.To develop a transarterial coil embolization technique for occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA), external carotid artery (ECA), and maxillary arteries (MA) in normal horses and to evaluate this technique for prevention of hemorrhage in horses affected with guttural pouch mycosis. Methods: Ten adult, normal horses and 4 horses with guttural pouch mycosis. Methods: All horses had transarterial coil embolization of the rostral and caudal ICA, caudal MA, and rostral ECA. In 1 affected horse, an aberrant actively bleeding branch of the ECA was also occluded. Normal horses had a premortem ...
Love EJ, Lane JG, Murison PJ.To determine the effect of morphine administration on commonly monitored cardio-respiratory variables and recovery quality in horses undergoing anaesthesia and surgery. Methods: Prospective, randomized clinical study. Methods: Thirty-eight thoroughbred horses, 32 geldings and six mares, 3-13 years old, weighing 411-600 kg. Methods: A standard anaesthetic technique was used. Twenty minutes after induction of anaesthesia horses received 0.1 mg kg(-1) (0.1 m) or 0.2 mg kg(-1) (0.2 m) morphine by intravenous injection. A control group did not receive morphine. Heart rate, respiratory rate (fr), me...
Asa N, Newton A, Sullivan L, Shi J, Wheeler K, Smith GA, Yang J.Despite inherit dangers of horseback riding (HBR), research on HBR-related injuries is sparse. This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods to (1) examine HBR-related injuries treated in emergency departments (EDs) and associated risk factors and (2) explore HBR-related injury experiences and recommendations for prevention strategies from the perspective of riders. We retrospectively analyzed data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS), identifying HBR-related ED visits between 2010 and 2014. Additionally, we conducted 10 phone interviews with active horseback ride...
Easton S, Bartley DJ, Hotchkiss E, Hodgkinson JE, Pinchbeck GL, Matthews JB.Grazing livestock and equines are at risk of infection from a variety of helminths, for which the primary method of control has long been the use of anthelmintics. Anthelmintic resistance is now widespread in a number of helminth species across the globe so it is imperative that best practice control principles be adopted to delay the further spread of resistance. It is the responsibility of all who prescribe anthelmintics (in the UK, this being veterinarians, suitably qualified persons (SQPs) and pharmacists) to provide adequate information on best practice approaches to parasite control at t...
Gummery L, Jallow S, Raftery AG, Bennet E, Rodgers J, Sutton DGM.Infection of equids with Trypanosoma brucei (T. brucei) ssp. is of socioeconomic importance across sub-Saharan Africa as the disease often progresses to cause fatal meningoencephalitis. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has been developed as a cost-effective molecular diagnostic test and is potentially applicable for use in field-based laboratories. Threshold levels for T. brucei ssp. detection by LAMP were determined using whole equine blood specimens spiked with known concentrations of parasites. Results were compared to OIE antemortem gold standard of T. brucei-PCR (TBR-PCR). Th...
Egenvall A, Penell JC, Bonnett BN, Olson P, Pringle J.The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential usefulness of the database maintained by the Swedish insurance company Agria for providing disease statistics on Swedish horses. The demography of the horses insured for veterinary care during the period 1997 to 2000 was recorded and the incidence of morbidity, defined as horses that required veterinary care that cost more than the policy excess, was calculated. Yearly incidences were calculated for horses that required veterinary care at least once, first overall, and then for horses with complete insurance, by sex, age, breed group, breed, ...
Elliott S, Cheetham J.Resting endoscopy has commonly been used as a method to predict laryngeal function at exercise. Objective: To perform a meta-analysis to determine the sensitivity and specificity of resting laryngeal endoscopy to predict clinical recurrent laryngeal neuropathy at exercise. Methods: Meta-analysis. Methods: Manuscripts were included if data were available for both resting and exercising airway function on all or a subset of horses. Normal resting endoscopy was defined as laryngeal grades 1 or 2 on a 4-/7-point scale or 1, 2 or 3 on a 5-point scale and normal dynamic endoscopy as a dynamic laryng...
Sparks WO, Dorman KS, Liu S, Carpenter S.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) exhibits a high rate of genetic variation in vivo, and results in a clinically variable disease in infected horses. In vivo populations of EIAV have been characterized by the presence of distinct, genetic subpopulations of Rev that differ in phenotype and fluctuate in dominance in a manner coincident with each clinical stage of disease. This study examined the specific mutations that arose in vivo and altered the phenotype. The Rev protein was found to be highly conserved, and only 10 aa mutations were observed at a frequency greater than 10 % in the sampl...
Rossdale PD, Ousey JC, Silver M, Fowden A.This paper describes criteria used to assess maturity of the newborn foal and their clinical application to field cases of prematurity and dysmaturity. Premature and mature foals may be clearly distinguished by their behavioural and physical characteristics. Measurement of haematological parameters (mean cell volume, total white cell and differential counts), pancreatic beta cell activity (plasma glucose and insulin levels), adrenocortical-medullary function (plasma cortisol, adrenocorticotrophic hormone and catecholamines) and the renin-angiotensin system (plasma renin substrate concentration...
Berxholi K, Ziegler U, Rexhepi A, Schmidt K, Mertens M, Korro K, Cuko A, Angenvoort J, Groschup MH.Serum samples collected from 167 equines of 12 districts in Albania were tested for West Nile virus-specific antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and virus neutralization assay, using WNV lineage 1 and 2. In addition, 95 bird serum samples from Albania and 29 horse samples from Kosovo were tested in ELISA. An overall seroprevalence rate of 22% was found in horses from Albania, whereas no specific antibodies were found in the equine samples from Kosovo and the bird samples. This is the first report indicating WNV infections in animals in Albania, and the first reported seroprevalence...
Timonin ME, Poissant J, McLoughlin PD, Hedlin CE, Rubin JE.The feral horses of Sable Island are a geographically isolated population located ∼160 km off the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Because these horses have no contact with domestic animals, have minimal contact with people, and have never received antimicrobials, they offer a unique opportunity to study the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in unmanaged populations. As part of an ongoing multidisciplinary and individual-based monitoring program, we collected feces from 508 geolocalized horses (92% of the total population) between July and September 2014. We selectively cultured Es...
Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Stancari G, Zucca E, Ferrucci F.Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is a highly prevalent disorder in horses, which can be classified, based on the localization of the lesions, as Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD) or Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD). Although EGUS is recognized as a common cause of poor performance in racehorses, objective investigations about its relation with athletic capacity are lacking. Therefore, the present retrospective study aims to evaluate the associations between EGUS severity and some fitness parameters measured during an incremental treadmill test in Standardbred racehorses in trai...
Max MC, Bizarro-Silva C, Búfalo I, González SM, Lindquist AG, Gomes RG, Barreiros TRR, Lisboa LA, Morotti F, Seneda MM.Folliculogenesis is a process of development and maturation of the ovarian follicles, being essential for the maintenance of fertility. In in vivo conditions, 99.9% of the follicles of an ovary do not ovulate and undergo atresia. In order to minimize this loss and to clarify the existing mechanisms, a technique was developed that allows for the in vitro follicular development. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different epidermal growth factor (EGF) concentrations on the in vitro culturing of equine preantral follicles. Ovaries (n = 10) were collected from a local ...
Berg AL, Dörries R, Berg M.Borna disease virus (BDV) is a neurotropic agent with capacity to infect and cause neurological disease in a broad range of warmblooded hosts including horses, sheep, cattle, cats, and possibly also humans. The epidemiology of BDV is largely unknown. However, it is likely that subclinically infected animals may represent potential virus reservoirs. In two groups of Swedish racing horses, one clinically healthy and one consisting of horses with diffuse neurological signs, the BDV seroprevalence was 24.5% and 57.7%, respectively. BDV RNA was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 8 ou...
Breuhaus BA.The purpose of this study was to validate a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) assay in a model of equine hypothyroidism. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation tests were performed in 12 healthy adult mares and geldings, aged 4 to greater than 20 years. before and during administration of the antithyroid drug propylthiouracil (PTU) for 6 weeks. Serum concentrations of equine TSH, total and free thyroxine (T4), and total and free triiodothyronine (T3) were measured. Before PTU administration, mean +/- standard deviation baseline concentrations of TSH were 0.40 +/- 0.29 ng/mL. TSH incre...
Lindahl J, Dalin AM, Stuhtmann G, Morrell JM.One of the challenges faced by equine breeders is ensuring delivery of good quality semen doses for artificial insemination when the mare is due to ovulate. Single Layer Centrifugation (SLC) has been shown to select morphologically normal spermatozoa with intact chromatin and good progressive motility from the rest of the ejaculate, and to prolong the life of these selected spermatozoa in vitro. The objective of the present study was a proof of concept, to determine whether fertilizing ability was retained in SLC-selected spermatozoa during prolonged storage. Results: Sixteen mares were insemi...
Lording PM.In this article, the normal kinetics, morphology and other unique characteristics of equine erythrocytes are reviewed, the influence of the spleen on erythrocyte values is discussed, and selected normal reference intervals are presented. In addition, the classification and causes of anemia and polycythemia are reviewed and the appropriate laboratory tests for accurate diagnosis are presented.
Campoy L, Morris TB, Ducharme NG, Gleed RD, Martin-Flores M.Locoregional anaesthetic techniques can facilitate certain surgeries being performed under standing procedural sedation. The second and third spinal cervical nerves (C2, C3) are part of the cervical plexus and provide sensory innervation to the peri-laryngeal structures in people; block of these nerves might permit laryngeal lateralisation surgery in horses. Objective: To describe the anatomical basis for an ultrasound-guided cervical plexus block in horses. To compare this block with conventional local anaesthetic tissue infiltration in horses undergoing standing prosthetic laryngoplasty. Met...
Shnaiderman-Torban A, Marchaim D, Navon-Venezia S, Lubrani O, Paitan Y, Arielly H, Steinman A.In human medicine, infections caused by third-generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GCRE) are associated with detrimental outcomes. In veterinary medicine, controlled epidemiological analyses are lacking. A matched case-case-control investigation (1:1:1 ratio) was conducted in a large veterinary hospital (2017-2019). In total, 29 infected horses and donkeys were matched to 29 animals with third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible (3GCSE) infections, and 29 uninfected controls (overall = 87). Despite multiple significant associations per bivariable analyses, the only independent predictor fo...
Nolan A, Reid J, Welsh E, Flaherty D, McCormack R, Monteiro AM.The pharmacokinetics of propofol and ketamine administered together by infusion were investigated in four ponies. Blood propofol and plasma ketamine and norketamine concentrations were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. After premedication with detomidine (20 micrograms kg-1) anaesthesia was induced with ketamine (2.2 mg kg-1 intravenously). The trachea was intubated and the ponies were allowed to breathe 100 per cent oxygen. A bolus dose of propofol (0.5 mg kg-1) was then administered intravenously and propofol and ketamine were infused for 60 and 45 minutes, respectively. Th...
Son WG, Lee DS, Yamatoda N, Hatori F, Shimizu N, Kakuda T, Sasaki Y, Tsubaki S, Takai S.We recently demonstrated the presence of virulence-associated protein antigen (VapA)-positive Rhodococcus equi in Jeju Island, Korea. These bacteria contained one of two distinct plasmid types, a 90-kb type II plasmid, which has been found in isolates from the native Kiso horses of Japan, and a new variant, a 90-kb type V plasmid. However, the genotypic characters of the VapA-positive R. equi from Jeju native horses and their environments are poorly understood. Ninety-eight isolates from soil samples and 89 isolates from fecal samples were collected from five farms that breed or have bred Jeju...
Misdorp W.The literature on congenital tumours and tumour-like lesions in horses was reviewed. Included were embryonic tumours and teratomas. Special attention was paid to the ubiquitous adenomatous hyperplasia of the placenta. It appears that temporal teratomas, interstitial hamartomas and placental adenomatous hyperplasia are unique in the horse. Benign teratoma of the undescended testis is far more frequent in the horse than in other species. In horses, as in calves and pigs, congenital skin tumours were of papillomatous, vascular and melanocytic types. The sporadic occurrence of congenital tumours i...
Burnheim K, Hughes KJ, Evans DL, Raidal SL.Respiratory problems are common in horses, and are often diagnosed as a cause of poor athletic performance. Reliable, accurate and sensitive spirometric tests of airway function in resting horses would assist with the diagnosis of limitations to breathing and facilitate investigations of the effects of various treatments on breathing capacity. The evaluation of respiratory function in horses is challenging and suitable procedures are not widely available to equine practitioners. The determination of relative flow or flow-time measures is used in paediatric patients where compliance may limit c...
Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM.African horse sickness (AHS) is an infectious but no-contagious viral disease of equidae with high mortality in horses. The disease is caused by an arthropod-borne double-stranded RNA virus within the genus Orbivirus of the family Reoviridae transmitted by at least two species of Culicoides. Nine different serotypes have been described. The nine serotypes of AHS have been described in eastern and southern Africa. Only AHS serotypes 9 and 4 have been found in West Africa from where they occasionally spread into countries surrounding the Mediterranean. Examples of outbreaks that have occurred ou...
Schoenbaum MA, Hall SM, Glock RD, Grant K, Jenny AL, Schiefer TJ, Sciglibaglio P, Whitlock RH.A USDA Early Response Team investigated deaths of several horses and a mule in northern Arizona at the request of local animal health officials. Thirteen animals (12 horses and 1 mule) housed at 5 facilities in a 7.4 square mile area died between August 1998 and January 1999. Clinical signs consisted of muscular weakness that rapidly progressed to lateral recumbency. Ten animals had paresis of the tongue, throat, or lips. Affected animals appeared alert and were interested in eating and drinking, even while recumbent. All 13 animals were euthanatized. Clostridium botulinum type C was isolated ...
Passler NH, Chan HM, Stewart AJ, Duran SH, Welles EG, Lin HC, Ravis WR.The purpose of this study was to assess safety and alterations in body fluid concentrations of voriconazole in normal horses on days 7 and 14 following once daily dose of 4 mg/kg of voriconazole orally for 14 days. Body fluid drug concentrations were determined by the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). On day 7, mean voriconazole concentrations of plasma, peritoneal, synovial and cerebrospinal fluids, aqueous humor, epithelial lining fluid (ELF), and urine were 1.47 +/- 0.63, 0.61 +/- 0.22, 0.70 +/- 0.20, 0.62 +/- 0.26, 0.55 +/- 0.32, 79.45 +/- 69.4, and 1.83 +/- 0.44 microg...
Wilsher S, Allen WR.Eight day 10 horse embryos were transferred non-surgically to recipient mares that had ovulated 7 days after the donors. The embryonic vesicle was seen ultrasonographically in all eight recipients, and three out of eight (38%) of the vesicles developed an embryo proper with a beating heart. Conceptus expansion was initially slower than that in control mares but continued until day 22 (recipient day 15). Time of fixation of the vesicle was related to its diameter, rather than uterine stage. Although the embryo proper first appeared ultrasonographically on day 22, as normal, it grew more slowly ...
Ostrowska J, Lindström L, Tóth T, Hansson K, Uhlhorn M, Ley CJ.Computed tomography (CT) is commonly used to investigate equine paranasal sinus disease, however, only limited information is available in the literature about the detailed CT appearance of equine paranasal sinus cysts. Objective: To investigate if paranasal sinus cysts have specific characteristics in CT images that allow differentiation from other sinus diseases. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Methods: Evaluation and comparison of CT studies of eight horses with surgically and/or histopathologically confirmed paranasal sinus cysts and 10 horses with other confirmed paranasal sin...
