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.
Go YY, Li Y, Chen Z, Han M, Yoo D, Fang Y, Balasuriya UB.The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of equine arteritis virus (EAV) on type I interferon (IFN) production. Equine endothelial cells (EECs) were infected with the virulent Bucyrus strain (VBS) of EAV and expression of IFN-β was measured at mRNA and protein levels by quantitative real-time RT-PCR and IFN bioassay using vesicular stomatitis virus expressing the green fluorescence protein (VSV-GFP), respectively. Quantitative RT-PCR results showed that IFN-β mRNA levels in EECs infected with EAV VBS were not increased compared to those in mock-infected cells. Consistent wit...
Erol E, Jackson CB, Steinman M, Meares K, Donahoe J, Kelly N, Locke S, Smith JL, Carter CN.A comprehensive evaluation of the real-time PCR assay for leptospirosis in comparison with other diagnostic assays on a large-scale basis is fundamental in validating the assay and determining the causes of equine abortions. Objective: To compare and evaluate the diagnostic value of real-time PCR assay for leptospirosis with traditional methods in equine leptospiral abortions. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study. Methods: A Leptospira spp. fluorescent antibody test (FAT), microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and real-time PCR (targeting the LipL32 gene) were compared and evaluated in ...
Go LM, Barton AK, Ohnesorge B.Various head and neck positions in sport horses are significant as they can interfere with upper airway flow mechanics during exercise. Until now, research has focused on subjectively described head and neck positions. The objective of this study was to develop an objective, reproducible method for quantifying head and neck positions accurately. Results: Determining the angle between the ridge of the nose and the horizontal plane (ground angle) together with the angle between the ridge of nose and the line connecting the neck and the withers (withers angle) has provided values that allow preci...
Duell JR, Carmichael R, Herrin BH, Holbrook TC, Talley J, Little SE.Ticks are common on horses, but there is a dearth of contemporary data on infestation prevalence, predominant species, and tick-borne disease agents important in this host. To determine the species of ticks most common on horses and the prevalence of equine exposure to and infection with tick-borne disease agents, ticks and blood samples were collected from 73 horses during May, June, and July of 2010. Adult ticks were identified to species, and antibodies to Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., and Borrelia burgdorferi were identified using indirect fluorescence antibody assay, a commercial point-...
Go LM, Barton AK, Ohnesorge B.In equine athletes, dynamic stenotic disorders of the upper airways are often the cause for abnormal respiratory noises and/or poor performance. There are hypotheses, that head and neck flexion may influence the morphology and function of the upper airway and thus could even induce or deteriorate disorders of the upper respiratory tract. Especially the pharynx, without osseous or cartilaginous support is prone to changes in pressure and airflow during exercise. The objective of this study was to develop a method for measuring the pharyngeal diameter in horses during exercise, in order to analy...
Fischer NM, Favrot C, Birkmann K, Jackson M, Schwarzwald CC, Müller M, Tobler K, Geisseler M, Lange CE.The DNA of equine papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV2) is consistently found in equine papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas, indicating a causal association of EcPV2 in the pathogenesis of these tumours; however, little is known about the prevalence of this virus. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the geno- and seroprevalence of EcPV2 in clinically healthy horses in Switzerland. Methods: Fifty horses presented to the equine department of the university clinic, displaying no skin or mucous membrane lesions or severe signs of other diseases, were sampled. Methods: Cytobrush samples ...
Vackova I, Czernekova V, Tomanek M, Navratil J, Mosko T, Novakova Z.This study aimed to determine whether maternal cell contamination exists in cells derived from equine umbilical cord tissue, a perspective material for cell-based therapies in veterinary medicine. Potential maternal cell contamination was analyzed at DNA level via a set of 16 microsatellite markers in cells originating from the cord tissue of 22 foals. In these cells no maternal cell contamination was detected at a sensitivity level of 0.01%. Our results suggest that equine umbilical cord tissue-derived cells are entirely of fetal origin.
Physick-Sheard P, Kraus M, Basrur P, McGurrin K, Kenney D, Schenkel F.To assess evidence for genetic contributions to atrial fibrillation (AF) in the Standardbred horse. Methods: Equine referrals to the Ontario Veterinary College Health Sciences Centre (OVCHSC) for 1985-2009, and age and gait matched breed registry controls. Methods: Breeds presenting ≥ 5 times annually were tabulated (admission year and diagnosis; total 40,039; AF 396; no AF 39,643), and breed and year effects examined. Heritability and inbreeding coefficients were determined for Standardbred AF cases and racing contemporaries, and odds ratios for AF were calculated for frequently occurring s...
Wilberger MS, McKenzie EC, Payton ME, Rigas JD, Valberg SJ.Exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) is a reported syndrome in competing endurance horses; however, the prevalence and cause of ER in this population have not been defined. Objective: To determine the prevalence of ER in a sample of endurance racing horses and investigate factors, including relevant genetic defects, contributing to the occurrence of rhabdomyolysis in this group. Methods: Prospective clinical study. Methods: Riders of 101 horses participating in one of four 50-mile (80.5 km) distance races completed a comprehensive questionnaire regarding the medical history, management and perform...
Allbaugh RA, Keil SM, Ou Z, Bello NM.To assess intraocular pressure (IOP) in conditioned equine athletes and document changes with exercise. A secondary objective was to assess associations between IOP and heart rate, as well as with other subjective physical parameters. Methods: Horses were evaluated during 50 mile endurance ride competitions. Data were collected on 69 horses during five different competitions at three different locations with 59 horses ridden once, nine horses ridden in two competitions, and one horse ridden in three competitions for a total of 80 horse-ride combinations. Methods: Intraocular pressure was measu...
Marzok MA, El-Khodery SA, Oheida AH.To evaluate the effect of intravenous administration of romifidine on the intraocular pressure (IOP) in horses. Methods: Twenty-four horses with no ocular abnormalities. Methods: Horses were randomly assigned into two equal groups (treatment and control). All horses in the treatment group received an intravenous (IV) injection of romifidine (40 μg/kg). The horses in the control group were administrated an intravenous injection of 0.9% saline (0.4 mL/100 kg). In both groups, the IOP values were measured immediately (T0 ) pre-administration and at 5 (T5 ), 15 (T15 ), 30 (T30 ), 45 (T45 ), 60 (T...
Santschi EM, Williams JM, Morgan JW, Johnson CR, Bertone AL, Juzwiak JS.To determine if medial femoral condylar (MFC) subchondral cystic lesions (SCL) causing lameness will demonstrate radiographic evidence of healing and lameness reduction after placement of a transcondylar screw in lag fashion. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Horses (n = 20) with lameness attributed to a MFC SCL. Methods: A 4.5 mm screw was inserted in lag fashion across MFC SCL in horses with hindlimb lameness. Post-operative radiography and lameness examinations were performed at 30-60 day intervals after surgery for 120 days, and SCL radiographic area and lameness were graded. Tr...
Kydd JH, Case R, Minke J, Audonnet JC, Wagner B, Antczak DF.Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) are associated with protective immunity against disease caused by equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1). However, the EHV-1 target proteins for CTLs are poorly defined. This limits the development of vaccine candidates designed to stimulate strong CTL immunity. Here, classical CTL assays using lymphocytes from horses of three defined MHC class I types that experienced natural infection with EHV-1 and a modified vaccinia virus construct containing an EHV-1 gene encoding the immediate-early (IE) protein are reported. Horses homozygous for the equine leukocyte antigen (E...
Sanchez LC, Robertson SA.Currently, approaches to pain control in horses are a mixture of art and science. Recognition of overt pain behaviours, such as rolling, kicking at the abdomen, flank watching, lameness or blepharospasm, may be obvious; subtle signs of pain can include changes in facial expression or head position, location in the stall and response to palpation or human interaction. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (i.e. phenylbutazone, flunixin meglumine and firocoxib), opioids (i.e. butorphanol, morphine and buprenorphine) and α2 -adrenergic agonists (i.e. xylazine, detomidine, romifidine and medetomid...
Na W, Hong M, Yeom M, Kim S, Kim JK, Song D.We analyzed the complete genome sequence containing the 3' and 5' noncoding regions (NCRs) of the Korean H3N8 equine influenza virus (EIV), which will provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis, transmission, and evolution of EIV.
Tappenbeck K, Hoppe S, Geburek F, Feige K, Huber K.By blocking the enteric nervous system (ENS) using tetrodotoxin (TTX), previous studies have documented the contractility-enhancing (CE) effects of lidocaine in equine intestinal smooth muscle (SM) at the level of SM cells and/or interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). The present study examined the impact of ENS deactivation on CE lidocaine effects, and investigated the effects of lidocaine on ENS activity. TTX application did not affect the CE effects of lidocaine, indicating that these were not mediated by TTX-sensitive sodium channels. Application of TTX or ≥100 mg/L lidocaine reduced ENS a...
Harlow BE, Lawrence LM, Kagan IA, Flythe MD.The goals of this study were to determine if β-acid from hops (Humulus lupulus L.) could be used to control fructan fermentation by equine hindgut micro-organisms, and to verify the antimicrobial mode of action on Streptococcus bovis, which has been implicated in fructan fermentation, hindgut acidosis and pasture-associated laminitis (PAL) in the horse. Results: Suspensions of uncultivated equine faecal micro-organisms produced fermentation acids when inulin (model fructan) was the substrate, but β-acid (i.e. lupulone) concentrations ≥9 ppm inhibited lactate production and mitigated the d...
Pinto NI, Gilger BC.To determine the feasibility of using a handheld spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) instrument to characterize normal corneal, retinal, and optic nerve head anatomy in vivo in standing horses. Methods: Clinically normal horses under sedation, palpebral nerve blockage, and pharmacologically induced mydriasis were imaged with a SD-OCT instrument (Envisu SD-OCT, Bioptigen, Inc., Morrisville, NC). Radial volumes from the cornea (axial, superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal), and rectangular volumes from the retina (dorsal, ventral, nasal, and temporal) and optic nerve head wer...
Norman TE, Batista M, Lawhon SD, Zhang S, Kuskie KR, Swinford AK, Bernstein LR, Cohen ND.This study's objective was to determine the in vitro antimicrobial activities of gallium maltolate (GaM) and 20 other antimicrobial agents against clinical equine isolates of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. The growth of cultured isolates was not inhibited by any concentration of GaM. MIC data revealed susceptibility to commonly used antimicrobials.
Gutierrez-Nibeyro SD, Werpy NM, White NA, Mitchell MA, Edwards RB, Mitchell RD, Gold SJ, Allen AK.There is limited knowledge of the foot lesions that influence the outcome of palmar/plantar digital neurectomy (PDN). Objective: 1) To report the short- and long-term outcomes of horses that underwent PDN to alleviate chronic foot pain due to lesions diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 2) factors that may influence the outcome of PDN. Methods: Multicentre retrospective study. Methods: Medical records of 50 horses subjected to PDN due to chronic foot pain were reviewed. Age, breed, sex, athletic activity, duration of lameness, affected limb(s), response to anaesthesia of the palma...
Begg AP, Todhunter K, Donahoe SL, Krockenberger M, Slapeta J.A case of amoebic placentitis in a mare from eastern Australia was diagnosed postpartum by histopathological examination of the placenta. The identity of the etiological agent was confirmed as Acanthamoeba hatchetti by use of diversity profiling based on a next-generation sequencing approach.
Alberca B, Bachanek-Bankowska K, Cabana M, Calvo-Pinilla E, Viaplana E, Frost L, Gubbins S, Urniza A, Mertens P, Castillo-Olivares J.African horse sickness virus (AHSV) is an arthropod-borne pathogen that infects all species of equidae and causes high mortality in horses. Previously, a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus expressing the protein VP2 of AHSV serotype 4 was shown to induce virus neutralising antibodies in horses and protected interferon alpha receptor gene knock-out mice (IFNAR -/-) against virulent AHSV challenge. This study builds on the previous work, examining the protective efficacy of MVA-VP2 vaccination in the natural host of AHSV infection. A study group of 4 horses was vaccinated twice wit...
Bockenstedt MM, Fales-Williams A, Haynes JS.The placenta from an embryo transfer-recipient mare and live foal was examined. The placenta was effaced by multifocal masses, which ranged from less than 1 cm to 14 cm in diameter. The foal represented at 52 days for lethargy, ataxia, and urine dribbling; due to a poor prognosis, the foal was euthanized. At necropsy, the liver was effaced by multifocal, pale, irregular nodules. The lumbar vertebrae and other skeletal sites had multifocal lytic lesions. The placenta had 4 populations of neoplastic cells, including a spindle cell population, tall columnar and transitional epithelial cell popula...
Gallagher LM, Crane J, Fitzharris P, Bates MN.To confirm that working with horses is an occupational respiratory hazard and observed associations are not attributable to confounding. Methods: A postal survey of the respiratory health of 659 horse trainers and a comparison group of 506 vegetable growers was conducted. Data were analysed using logistic regression. Results: Relative to vegetable growers, horse trainers reported higher rates of chronic bronchitis [odds ratio (OR) = 6.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.2-21.4] and organic dust toxic syndrome/farmers' lung (ODTS/FL) (OR = 3.5, 95% CI: 1.8-6.8). Grinding oats, spreading hay, and...
Brown JA, Derksen FJ, Stick JA, Hartmann WM, Robinson NE.Show and performance horse with laryngeal hemiplegia (LH) often present for excessive respiratory noise rather than significant exercise intolerance. Therefore, the goal of surgery in these horses is to reduce respiratory noise but there are no quantitative studies evaluating the effect of any upper-airway surgery in LH-affected horses. Objective: To determine whether bilateral ventriculocordectomy (VC) reduces respiratory noise in exercising horses with laryngeal hemiplegia. Methods: Six Standardbred horses with normal upper airways were used in this study. Respiratory sounds and inspiratory ...
Norvall A, Spriet M, Espinosa P, Ariño-Estrada G, Murphy BG, Katzman SA, Galuppo LD.Increased 18 F-Sodium Fluoride (18 F-NaF) uptake at the chondrosesamoidean ligament (ChSL) attachment on the distal phalanx was identified in an exploratory positron emission tomography (PET) study. The prevalence and significance of this lesion has not been previously investigated. Objective: The goal of this study was to assess the prevalence of this lesion, its association with other imaging findings and with clinical signs. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional analytical study. Methods: All horses with 18 F-NaF PET and computed tomography (CT) imaging of the feet performed between Octobe...
Pollard CL, Gibb Z, Clulow J, Ruiz A, Sheridan A, Bahrami M, Swegen A, Grupen CG.A deficiency in NAD has previously been linked with increased occurrences of congenital abnormalities and embryonic death in humans and mice. Early embryonic death is a major factor involved in pregnancy loss in mares, and very little is known regarding the NAD requirements for optimum reproductive function in horses. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of supplementing the diet of mares with nicotinic acid (NA) on the composition of NAD metabolites in the blood and follicular fluid. Vehicle alone or NA (3 g per os) were administered to seven mares over a minimum of 3 consecutive...
Acosta-González RI, González-Reyes I, Flores-Gutiérrez GH.A cross-sectional study was conducted to determinate the seroprevalence rate of equine brucellosis in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Serum samples from 420 equines were analyzed with the Rose Bengal test at cell concentrations of 3% (RBT-3%) and 8% (RBT-8%), and positive results were confirmed with the Rivanol test (RT). Risk factors were determined with the prevalence ratio (PR) and the use of variables generated from a questionnaire administered to the animals' owners. Serum from 1 stallion had positive results with both the RBT-8% and the RT, for a seroprevalence rate of 0.238%. Drinking ...
Hayes HM.Data from 16 North American veterinary university teaching facilities, 5009 cryptorchid horses, were analysed using relative risk methodology. In five breeds (Thoroughbred, Standardbred, Morgan, Tennessee Walking horse and Arabian), cryptorchism was diagnosed significantly (P less than 0.05) less frequently than expected by their representation in the hospital population. Three breeds, (Percheron, American Saddle horse and American Quarterhorse), plus ponies (as a group) and crossbred horses were significantly over-represented within the series. The over-representation of Quarter-horses was ev...
Bohórquez A, Meana A, Pato NF, Luzón M.Current copro-diagnostic tests for Anoplocephala perfoliata show high variation in their sensitivity and given the morphological similarity of Anoplocephala spp. eggs, this could be related to the presence of Anoplocephala magna alone or co-existing with A. perfoliata. In the present study, coprology was significantly more sensitive (p<0.01) at detecting A. magna than A. perfoliata. This difference was independent of the parasite burden and was greater when testing was limited to horses with mature or gravid tapeworms. A. magna infection was strongly linked to young horses (≤ 2 years). The e...
Cui JQ, Liu WH, Zang YX, Zhang C, Zou L, Sun HZ, Pan Q, Ren HY.A lytic bacteriophage vB_EcoM_DE7 (hereafter designated DE7) that could infect donkey-derived Escherichia coli was isolated. The bacteriophage was examined by transmission electron microscopy, and the result showed that DE7 belonged to the family Myoviridae. The microbiological characterization revealed that DE7 was stable over a broad range of pHs (3 ∼10) at 40-50 °C. The latent period was 10 min, and the burst size was 43 PFUs/infected cell. The whole-genome sequencing showed that DE7 was a dsDNA virus and had a genome of 86,130 bp. The genome contained 124 predicted open reading frames...
Tessier C, Holcombe SJ, Derksen FJ, Berney C, Boruta D.Nasopharyngeal collapse has been observed in horses as a potential cause of exercise intolerance and upper respiratory noise. No treatment is currently available and affected horses are often retired from performance. Objective: To determine the effect of bilateral glossopharyngeal nerve block and stylopharyngeus muscle dysfunction on nasopharyngeal function and airway pressures in exercising horses. Methods: Endoscopic examinations were performed on horses at rest and while running on a treadmill at speeds corresponding to HRmax50, HRmax75 and HRmax, with upper airway pressures measured with ...
Brindley MA, Zhang B, Montelaro RC, Maury W.Wild-type strains of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) prevent superinfection of previously infected cells. A variant strain of virus that spontaneously arose during passage, EIAV(vMA-1c), can circumvent this mechanism in some cells, such as equine dermis (ED) cells, but not in others, such as equine endothelial cells. EIAV(vMA-1c) superinfection of ED cells results in a buildup of unintegrated viral DNA and rapid killing of the cell monolayer. Here, we examined the mechanism of resistance that is used by EIAV to prevent superinfection and explored the means by which EIAV(vMA-1c) overcomes...
Keen B, Cawley A, Reedy B, Fu S.Metabolomics is a multidisciplinary field providing workflows for complementary approaches to conventional analytical determinations. It allows for the study of metabolically related groups of compounds or even the study of novel pathways within the biological system. The procedural stages of metabolomics; experimental design, sample preparation, analytical determinations, data processing and statistical analysis, compound identification and validation strategies are explored in this review. The selected approach will depend on the type of study being conducted. Experimental design influences ...
Cutler TJ, MacKay RJ, Ginn PE, Gillis K, Tanhauser SM, LeRay EV, Dame JB, Greiner EC.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis is a common neurologic disease of horses in the Americas usually caused by Sarcocystis neurona. To date, the disease has not been induced in horses using characterized sporocysts from Didelphis virginiana, the definitive host. S. neurona sporocysts from 15 naturally infected opossums were fed to horses seronegative for antibodies against S. neurona. Eight horses were given 5x10(5) sporocysts daily for 7 days. Horses were examined for abnormal clinical signs, and blood and cerebrospinal fluid were harvested at intervals for 90 days after the first day of chall...
Portier KG, Séna A, Senior M, Clutton RE.To examine the association between objective and subjective descriptors used for assessing recovery quality in horses after anaesthesia. Methods: Prospective clinical study. Methods: Two hundred and seventy-six equids (110 mares, 85 entire males and 81 geldings), ASA 1-5, weighing 50-850 kg and aged 1 month - 25 years. Methods: Recoveries after general anaesthesia were assisted with head and tail ropes by two anaesthetists. One scored dichotomous objective descriptors (DOD) of recovery. Two dichotomous objective scales (DOS) were then generated from those descriptors. The same individual also ...
Wijnberg ID, Franssen H.This review discusses the scope of using (quantitative) electromyography (EMG) in diagnosing myopathies and neuropathies in equine patients. In human medicine, many EMG methods are available for the diagnosis, pathophysiological description and evaluation, monitoring, or rehabilitation of patients, and some of these techniques have also been applied to horses. EMG results are usually combined with other neurophysiological data, ultrasound, histochemistry, biochemistry of muscle biopsies, and clinical signs in order to provide a complete picture of the condition and its clinical course. EMG tec...
Abad-Cobo A, Llorente F, Barbero MDC, Cruz-López F, Forés P, Jiménez-Clavero MÁ.West Nile fever/encephalitis (WNF) is an infectious disease affecting horses, birds and humans, with a cycle involving birds as natural reservoirs and mosquitoes as transmission vectors. It is a notifiable disease, re-emerging in Europe. In Spain, it first appeared in horses in the south (Andalusia) in 2010, where outbreaks occur every year since. However, in 2014, an outbreak was declared in horses in central Spain, approximately 200 km away from the closest foci in Andalusia. Before that, evidence of West Nile virus (WNV) circulation in central Spain had been obtained only from wildlife, bu...
House JA.AHS is a noncontagious vector-borne disease of Equidae caused by Orbiviruses. Species susceptibility in decreasing order is horses, mules, donkeys, and zebras. The main vectors of AHS are culicoides. The disease is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, but epizootics have occurred outside of this area on several occasions. The most recent outbreaks outside of the endemic area were in Spain, Morocco, and Portugal between 1987 and 1990. AHS causes mortality up to 95% and is classically divided into four clinical forms: the pulmonary, cardiac, mixed, and horse fever forms. Pathologic changes are subcuta...
Oku K, Ohta M, Katoh T, Moriyama H, Kusano K, Fujinaga T.We examined the influence of propofol infusion on cardiovascular system at the rate of 0.14, 0.20 and 0.30 mg/kg/min in six adult Thoroughbred horses. The cardiovascular parameters were heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), mean right atrial pressure (MRAP), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), systemic vascular resistance (SVR), pre-ejection period (PEP) and ejection time (ET). In order to keep the ventilation conditions constantly, intermittent positive pressure ventilation was performed, and the partial arterial CO(2) pressure was maintained at 45 to 55 mmHg during maintenance ...
Onyiche TE, Sivakumar T, Tuvshintulga B, Nugraha AB, Ahedor B, Mofokeng L, Luka J, Mohammed A, Mbaya AW, Biu AA, Yokoyama N, Thekisoe O.Equine piroplasmosis is caused by apicomplexan parasites, namely, and , which are transmitted to equids principally through ticks. To ascertain the exposure of equines to agents of equine piroplasms, we tested serum samples collected from horses (n = 272) and donkeys (n = 170) in North-Western Nigeria for the presence of antibodies against and using IFAT and ELISA. The seroprevalence of in the horses determined using IFAT and ELISA was 48.89% and 45.96%, respectively, while for , it was 6.3% and 0.4%, respectively. For , the seroprevalence based on IFAT and ELISA results in donkeys was...
Parks AH, Doran RE, White NA, Allen D, Baxter GM.Records of 75 horses with ileal impactions were examined retrospectively. There was a sex predilection towards mares. Arabians were over-represented compared to the hospital population. The average age was 8.3 years. Abdominal pain was observed in 96% of horses. Nasogastric reflux was present in 56% of horses, small intestinal distention was found on rectal palpation in 96% and an ileal impaction in 25%. Exploratory celiotomy was performed in 69 horses, the mass was reduced by extramural massage in 67 horses, and ingesta was removed via enterotomy in 2. Jejunocecostomies were performed in 47 h...
Persistent post-breeding induced endometritis (PPBIE) is considered a major cause of subfertility in mares. It consists of persistent or delayed uterine inflammation in susceptible mares. There are many options for the treatment of PPBIE, but in this study, a novel approach aimed at preventing the onset of PPBIE was investigated. Stallion semen was supplemented with extracellular vesicles derived from amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells (AMSC-EVs) at the time of insemination to prevent or limit the development of PPBIE. Before use in mares, a dose-response curve was produced to evaluate the eff...
McGorum BC, Pirie RS.Equine dysautonomia (ED; also known as equine grass sickness) is a neurological disease of unknown cause, which primarily affects grazing adult horses. The clinical signs reflect degeneration of specific neuronal populations, predominantly within the autonomic and enteric nervous systems, with disease severity and prognosis determined by the extent of neuronal loss. This review is primarily focused on the major clinical decision-making processes in relation to ED, namely, (1) clinical diagnosis, (2) selection of appropriate ancillary diagnostic tests, (3) obtaining diagnostic confirmation, (4)...
Sheoran AS, Timoney JF, Tinge SA, Sundaram P, Curtiss R.The aim of this study was to investigate the intranasal immunogenicity for the horse of a Deltacya Deltacrp-pabA mutant (MGN-707) of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (S. typhimurium). MGN-707 caused no sign of disease, was not detected in feces and a single administration induced strong Salmonella-specific serum and nasal mucosal antibody responses. All ponies had made strong salmonella specific serum IgGa, IgGb, IgA and IgM antibody responses by day 25 after the first immunization. IgM responses to salmonella lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were short lived whereas salmonella specific serum ...
Wilmink S, Warren-Smith CM, Roberts VL.Diagnostic local anaesthesia of the maxillary nerve is a valuable aid in the diagnosis of trigeminally mediated headshaking in horses. Our objective is to validate the accuracy of needle placement in this procedure and to identify any correlation between accuracy of the technique and operator experience. Using a small volume of contrast medium, the procedure was performed bilaterally on 30 horse cadaver heads by three groups with different levels of experience with the technique. The location of deposition was then identified using computed tomography (CT). Contrast medium was deposited around...
Durán-Ferrer M, Villalba R, Fernández-Pacheco P, Tena-Tomás C, Jiménez-Clavero MÁ, Bouzada JA, Ruano MJ, Fernández-Pinero J, Arias M....This study described the clinical, virological, and serological responses of immunologically naïve and vaccinated horses to African horse sickness virus (AHSV) serotype 9. Naïve horses developed a clinical picture resembling the cardiac form of African horse sickness. This was characterized by inappetence, reduced activity, and hyperthermia leading to lethargy and immobility-recumbency by days 9-10 post-infection, an end-point criteria for euthanasia. After challenge, unvaccinated horses were viremic from days 3 or 4 post-infection till euthanasia, as detected by serogroup-specific (GS) real...
Giguère S, Sanchez LC, Shih A, Szabo NJ, Womble AY, Robertson SA.To determine and compare the effects of caffeine and doxapram on cardiorespiratory variables in foals during isoflurane-induced respiratory acidosis. Methods: 6 clinically normal foals (1 to 3 days old). Methods: At intervals of > or = 24 hours, foals received each of 3 IV treatments while in a steady state of hypercapnia induced by isoflurane anesthesia (mean +/- SD, 1.4 +/- 0.3% endtidal isoflurane concentration). After assessment of baseline cardiorespiratory variables, a low dose of the treatment was administered and variables were reassessed; a high dose was then administered, and vari...