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.
Macpherson ML, Giguère S, Hatzel JN, Pozor M, Benson S, Diaw M, Sanchez LC, Vickroy TW, Tell L, Wetzlich S, Sims J.The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of CCFA in mares with placentitis and evaluate the disposition of the drug in fetal fluids, fetal membranes, colostrum, and serum of foals. A secondary objective was to obtain pilot data regarding the efficacy of CCFA for improving foal survival in mares with placentitis. Twelve pregnant pony mares were enrolled in the study, inoculated with Streptococcus zooepidemicus, intracervically and assigned to one of three groups: CEFT (n = 3; administered CCFA only; 6.6 mg/kg, i.m., q96h); COMBO (n = 6; administered combination therapy ...
Virén T, Huang YP, Saarakkala S, Pulkkinen H, Tiitu V, Linjama A, Kiviranta I, Lammi MJ, Brünott A, Brommer H, Van Weeren R, Brama PA, Zheng YP....The aim of this study was to compare sensitivity of ultrasound and optical coherence tomography (OCT) techniques for the evaluation of the integrity of spontaneously repaired horse cartilage. Articular surfaces of horse intercarpal joints, featuring both intact tissue and spontaneously healed chondral or osteochondral defects, were imaged ex vivo with arthroscopic ultrasound and laboratory OCT devices. Quantitative ultrasound (integrated reflection coefficient (IRC), apparent integrated backscattering coefficient (AIB) and ultrasound roughness index (URI)) and optical parameters (optical refle...
Fritz KL, McCue ME, Valberg SJ, Rendahl AK, Mickelson JR.Recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis is a heritable disorder that results in painful skeletal muscle cramping with exercise in up to 10% of all Thoroughbred racehorses. Here, we report a genome-wide association study with 48 282 SNPs analyzed among 48 case and 37 control Thoroughbreds. The most significant SNPs spanned approximately 13 Mb on ECA16, and the P-value of the most significant SNP after correcting for population structure was 8.0 × 10(-6) . This region on ECA16 was further evaluated by genotyping 247 SNPs in both the initial population and a second population of 34 case and 98 contr...
Mori E, Borges AS, Delfiol DJ, Oliveira Filho JP, Gonçalves RC, Cagnini DQ, Lara MC, Cunha EM, Villalobos EM, Nassar AF, Castro AM, Brandao PE....This report describes the first detection of an equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) neuropathogenic variant (G2254/D752) in Brazil from a case of fatal equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) in a mare. The results of nucleotide sequencing of the EHV-1 ORF30 gene showed that two other Brazilian EHV-1 isolates from EHM cases are representatives of the non-neuropathogenic variant (A2254/N752), suggesting that other unidentified factors are probably also involved in the neuropathogenicity of EHV-1 in horses. These findings will contribute to the epidemiological knowledge of EHV-1 infection in Brazi...
de Andrade AF, Zaffalon FG, Celeghini EC, Nascimento J, Bressan FF, Martins SM, de Arruda RP.The objective was to verify the relationship between equine semen cryopreservation and changes related to increased lipid peroxidation. Also, addition of autologous or homologous seminal plasma from a stallion with a good freezing response to post-thawed sperm was tested to determine whether it would confer protection. Frozen-thawed sperm were evaluated and allocated into three groups: without plasma addition, and supplemented with either homologous or autologous seminal plasma. All groups were evaluated at 0, 60 and 120 min after incubation at 37 °C. Cryopreservation did not increase plasma ...
Moraveji M, Hosseini MH, Amrabadi O, Rahimian A, Namazi F, Namavari M.Neospora caninum, an apicomplexan protozoan parasite, is recognized as a major cause of abortion in cattle. However, limited information is presently available on the seroprevalence of Neospora antibodies in horses worldwide. The aim of the present study is to determine serological prevalence of Neospora infection in horses in Iran. Blood samples were obtained from 200 horses and tested for serum antibodies against Neospora spp. by the Neospora modified direct agglutination test (N-MAT). Antibodies were found in 64 (32%) horses being tested with titers of 1:80. This is the first serological su...
Knox J, Cowan RU, Doyle JS, Ligtermoet MK, Archer JS, Burrow JN, Tong SY, Currie BJ, Mackenzie JS, Smith DW, Catton M, Moran RJ, Aboltins CA....Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) is a mosquito-borne virus that is found across Australia, Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya. MVEV is endemic to northern Australia and causes occasional outbreaks across south-eastern Australia. 2011 saw a dramatic increase in MVEV activity in endemic regions and the re-emergence of MVEV in south-eastern Australia. This followed significant regional flooding and increased numbers of the main mosquito vector, Culex annulirostris, and was evident from the widespread seroconversion of sentinel chickens, fatalities among horses and several cases in humans, res...
Nicholson CL, Firth EC, Waterland MR, Jones G, Ganesh S, Stewart RB.Although bone fracture has become a serious global health issue, current clinical assessments of fracture risk based on bone mineral density are unable to accurately predict whether an individual is likely to suffer a fracture. There is increasing recognition that the chemical structure and composition, or microstructure, of mineralized tissues has an important role to play in determining the fracture resistance of bone. The objective of this preliminary study was to evaluate the use of specular reflectance Fourier transform infrared (SR FT-IR) microspectroscopy in conjunction with discriminan...
Smith MA, Dyson SJ, Murray RC.To determine the reliability of 2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems for detection of cartilage and bone lesions of the equine fetlock. Objective: To test the hypotheses that lesions in cartilage, subchondral and trabecular bone of the equine fetlock verified using histopathology can be detected on high- and low-field MR images with a low incidence of false positive or negative results; that low-field images are less reliable than high-field images for detection of cartilage lesions; and that combining results of interpretation from different pulse sequences increases detection of cartil...
Sommerauer S, Muelling CK, Seeger J, Schusser GF.Anaesthesia of the external ear canal (external acoustic meatus) is usually performed by blocking both the great and internal auricular nerves by regional infiltration. However, exact landmarks for blocking the internal auricular nerve to accomplish effective anaesthesia have not been described yet. In this study, detailed anatomical dissection of the equine external ear canal and its nerve supply was carried out on fifteen cadaver heads. Tissue samples of the dissected nerves were taken from two cadaver heads processed and were evaluated microscopically. Prior to the dissection, the region of...
Priest DT, Cheetham J, Regner AL, Mitchell L, Soderholm LV, Tamzali Y, Ducharme NG.Examination of the equine upper airway during racing has not previously been documented. Objective: To describe the feasibility and appearance of the upper airways by overground respiratory endoscopic examination during racing conditions. Methods: Overground videoendoscopic examinations were performed on 46 Standardbred racehorses during qualifying races. Examined horses' speeds were recorded throughout the race with a portable GPS device. Results: The procedure did not interfere with performance as there were no significant differences in race times between races in which horses were examined...
Zipplies JK, Hauck SM, Eberhardt C, Hirmer S, Amann B, Stangassinger M, Ueffing M, Deeg CA.In equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), immune reactions are directed toward known antigens like S-antigen, interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein, and cellular retinalaldehyde-binding protein, and anti-retinal antibodies were detected in vitreous samples. The aim of this study was the investigation of intraocular immunoglobulin M (IgM) reactivities to retinal proteome. Methods: Retina was separated by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and blotted semidry on PVDF membranes. To identify intraocular IgM antibody responses to retinal tissue, blots were incubated with vitreous samples o...
Fuchs S, Klier J, May A, Winter G, Coester C, Gehlen H.Delivering active ingredients using biocompatible and biodegradable carriers such as gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) to the lung constitutes a promising non-invasive route of administration. However, the pulmonary delivery of nanoparticle-based immunotherapy is still a field that requires more clarification. In this study, GNPs loaded with cytosine-phosphate-guanine oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODN)-loaded and plain GNPs were aerosolised either by a conventional pressured metered dose inhaler (pMDI) or by active or passive vibrating-mesh (VM) nebulisers. GNP sizes after nebulisation by active and p...
Piskoty G, Jäggin S, Michel SA, Weisse B, Terrasi GP, Fürst A.There are no detailed studies describing the resistance of equine tibiae and radii to side impact loads, such as a horse kick and a better understanding of the general long bone impact behavioural model is required. Objective: To quantify the typical impact energy required to fracture or fissure an equine long bone, as well as to determine the range and time course of the impact force under conditions similar to that of a horse kick. Methods: Seventy-two equine tibiae and radii were investigated using a drop impact tester. The prepared bones were preloaded with an axial force of 2.5 kN and wer...
Kraus MS, Kaufer BB, Damiani A, Osterrieder N, Rishniw M, Schwark W, Gelzer AR, Divers TJ.To date, no information is available on the true biological elimination half-life (T(1/2) ) of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in the equine species. Such data are required to better evaluate the optimal time to acquire the cTnI sample following acute myocardial injury. Objective: To determine the T(1/2) of equine cTnI. Methods: Four healthy ponies received i.v. injections of recombinant equine cTnI. Plasma cTnI concentrations were measured with a point-of-care cTnI analyser at multiple time points after injection. Standard pharmacokinetic analysis was performed to establish the T(1/2) of cTnI. Resu...
Finno CJ, Aleman M, Ofri R, Hollingsworth SR, Madigan JE, Winfield L, Bannasch DL.Neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD) is a disease characterized by the sudden onset of neurologic signs in horses ranging from 4 to 36 months of age. Equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM), a disease that has been associated with low vitamin E concentrations, is considered a more advanced form of NAD. The objective of this report is to describe the electrophysiological features of NAD/EDM in American Quarter horses (QHs). HORSES: Six NAD/EDM-affected QHs and six unaffected QHs were evaluated by ophthalmic examination and electroretinography. Five of the NAD/EDM-affected QH and five unaffected QH...
Ellse L, Burden F, Wall R.Equine pediculosis is a significant health and welfare issue, particularly in elderly and chronically debilitated animals. Currently infestation is controlled predominantly using topically applied pyrethroid insecticides, allowing limited scope for the rotation of drugs and increasing the risk of selection for resistance. Here the insecticidal efficacies of two pyrethroid-based products against the louse Bovicola (Werneckiella) ocellatus collected from donkeys were examined in vitro. The products were cypermethrin (Deosect™, Pfizer Ltd., 5% (w/v) cypermethrin, cutaneous spray) and permethrin...
da Silveira JC, Veeramachaneni DN, Winger QA, Carnevale EM, Bouma GJ.Proper cell communication within the ovarian follicle is critical for the growth and maturation of a healthy oocyte that can be fertilized and develop into an embryo. Cell communication within the follicle involves many signaling molecules and is affected by maternal age. Recent studies indicate that cell communication can be mediated through secretion and uptake of small membrane-enclosed vesicles. The goals of this study were to 1) identify cell-secreted vesicles (microvesicles and exosomes) containing miRNAs and proteins within ovarian follicular fluid and 2) determine if miRNA level differ...
Khodadadi K, Sumer H, Pashaiasl M, Lim S, Williamson M, Verma PJ.Despite tremendous efforts on isolation of pluripotent equine embryonic stem (ES) cells, to date there are few reports about successful isolation of ESCs and no report of in vivo differentiation of this important companion species. We report the induction of pluripotency in adult equine fibroblasts via retroviral transduction with three transcription factors using OCT4, SOX2, and KLF4 in the absence of c-MYC. The cell lines were maintained beyond 27 passages (more than 11 months) and characterized. The equine iPS (EiPS) cells stained positive for alkaline phosphatase by histochemical staining ...
McGreevy PD, Corken RA, Salvin H, Black CM.The use of whips by jockeys is an issue. The current study viewed opportunistic high-speed footage of 15 race finishes frame-by-frame to examine the outcomes of arm and wrist actions (n = 350) on 40 horses viewed from the left of the field. Any actions fully or partially obscured by infrastructure or other horses were removed from the database, leaving a total of 104 non-contact sweeps and 134 strikes. For all instances of arm actions that resulted in fully visible whip strikes behind the saddle (n = 109), the outcomes noted were area struck, percentage of unpadded section making conta...
Linardi RL, Stokes AM, Andrews FM.Methadone is an effective analgesic opioid that may have a place for the treatment of pain in horses. However, its absorption seems to be impaired by the presence of a transmembrane protein, P-glycoprotein, present in different tissues including the small intestine in other species. This study aims to determine the effect of the P-glycoprotein on methadone flux in the equine intestinal mucosa, as an indicator of in vivo drug absorption. Jejunum tissues from five horses were placed into the Ussing chambers and exposed to methadone solution in the presence or absence of Rhodamine 123 or verapami...
Friedman R.The value of providing equine reproductive services in ambulatory setting is well established. Ambulatory practice has been, and will most likely continue to be, the primary provider of equine reproductive veterinary services. The limitations for performing various reproductive procedures in an ambulatory setting are those imposed by the amount of equipment and supplies that must be brought to the patient, as well as those imposed when procedures require additional assistance. This is analogous to human medical care: the ambulance cannot substitute for a hospital but it can certainly provide s...
Gryspeerdt AC, Vandekerckhove AP, Baghi HB, Van de Walle GR, Nauwynck HJ.Equine herpes virus (EHV)-1 replicates in the epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract and reaches the lamina propria and bloodstream in infected mononuclear cells. This study evaluated expression of the late viral proteins gB, gC, gD and gM in respiratory epithelial and mononuclear cells using: (1) epithelial-like rabbit kidney cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells infected with EHV-1 in vitro; (2) an equine ex vivo nasal explant system; and (3) nasal mucosa tissue of ponies infected in vivo. The viral proteins were expressed in all late-infected epithelial cells, whereas expres...
Strazzullo M, Corteggio A, Altamura G, Francioso R, Roperto F, D'Esposito M, Borzacchiello G.Sarcoids are peculiar equine benign tumours. Their onset is associated with Bovine Papillomavirus type -1 or -2 (BPV-1/2) infection. Little is known about the molecular interplay between viral infection and neoplastic transformation. The data regarding papillomavirus infections in human species show the inactivation of a number of tumour suppressor genes as basic mechanism of transformation. In this study the putative role of the tumour suppressor gene Fragile Histidine Triad (FHIT) in sarcoid tumour was investigated in different experimental models. The expression of the oncosuppressor protei...
Seo JP, Tsuzuki N, Haneda S, Yamada K, Furuoka H, Tabata Y, Sasaki N.A three dimensional scaffold is essential in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) delivery in cell-based therapy for facilitating cell adherence, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the possibility of β-tricalcium phosphate incorporated gelatin sponges (Gelatin/β-TCP sponge) as scaffolds for equine MSCs and to examine the effects of seeding density and seeding method on the proliferation of equine MSCs in the Gelatin/β-TCP sponges. Mononuclear cells and MSCs isolated from bone marrow were seeded into Gelatin/β-TCP sponges at different densi...
Schumacher J, Schumacher J, Wilhite R.Clinical experiences indicate that centesis of the lateral compartment of the femorotibial joint is often unsuccessful. Objective: To determine the accuracy of 2 published and 2 unpublished techniques of centesis of the lateral compartment of the femorotibial joint. Objective: It was hypothesised that a drug can be administered into the lateral compartment of the femorotibial joint via a diverticulum of this joint that surrounds the medial aspect of the long digital extensor tendon and that this technique is more accurate than described techniques of centesis of this compartment. Methods: Twen...
Ramey DW.Current economic conditions make the practice of equine medicine challenging, to say the least. The downward trend in the US economy has had a huge impact on horse owners and equine veterinarians alike. Horses are expensive to keep; as such, economics are the driving factor in the problem of the unwanted horse. Under these conditions, efficient equine ambulatory practices are well-suited to weather the economic storm. As contributors to this issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America note, one can practice high-quality medicine and surgery without the overhead and expense of a large clinic. ...
Coutinho da Silva MA, Seidel GE, Squires EL, Graham JK, Carnevale EM.The effects of semen extender components on the ability of stallion sperm to bind to the zona pellucida (ZP) and the suitability of using bovine ZP for a ZP-binding assay for stallion sperm were investigated in a series of experiments. In Experiment I, binding of stallion sperm to both bovine and equine ZP was significantly increased when a skim milk-based extender (EZM) was used. In Experiment II, a threefold increase in sperm binding to ZP was observed when sperm were diluted in EZM compared with diluents, which contained no milk (TALP, LAC, and EmCare). In Experiment III, centrifuging the s...
Smith RK, McGuigan MP, Hyde JT, Daly AS, Pardoe CH, Lock AN, Wilson AM.Metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint extension is primarily resisted by the digital flexor tendons and suspensory ligament. A variety of external support techniques are used to protect these supporting structures from or after injury by resisting MCP joint extension, although not all are effective and/or practical for use in an exercising horse. In this study, 7 forelimbs were loaded in vitro to determine the effect of a simple gamgee bandage, a 3-layered bandage with and without a contoured palmar splint, a neoprene exercise boot, and an innovative carbon fibre composite exercise boot (Dalmar tend...
Shuster R, Traub-Dargatz J, Baxter G.A questionnaire designed to elicit information concerning prevalence, underlying causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and complications of endotoxemia in horses was mailed to diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons who identified themselves as equine practitioners. Gastrointestinal tract compromise, conditions associated with foaling, and grain overload were reported to be the most common clinical conditions that led to endotoxemia. Most of the respondents diagnosed endotoxemia on the basis of the following clinica...
Verwilghen DR, Janssens S, Busoni V, Pille F, Johnston C, Serteyn D.Few reports are available on the relationship between developmental orthopaedic diseases (DOD) and future performances in Warmblood horses. Objective: To investigate the relationship between performance and the presence of DOD lesions. Methods: Records of Warmblood stallions for which radiographic and performance data were available were collected. Showjumping performances were expressed as scores derived from the final ranking of horses in each competition. These scores are available in an established performance database. The relationship between radiographic findings and both performance sc...
Vagnoni KE, Ginther OJ, Lunn DP.Chorionic girdle cells are a highly invasive subpopulation of trophoblast cells of the equine conceptus. By Day 35 (Day 0 = day of ovulation), cells of the chorionic girdle adhere to the uterine epithelium and begin to invade the endometrial wall. Invasive cells must attach to extracellular matrix proteins, secrete proteinases capable of degrading matrix, and migrate through the degraded matrix; invasion is largely dependent on the proteinase activity of the cells. The objective, therefore, was to develop an in vitro system to examine the mechanisms of equine chorionic girdle cell invasion thr...
Anwaar F, Ijaz M, Rasheed H, Shah SFA, Haider SAR, Sabir MJ.The purpose of the current study was to investigate the nasal colonization and drug resistance profile of Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) in donkeys (n =63), mules (n = 42), and horses (n = 98). MRSA and VRSA were confirmed based on phenotypic and molecular methods, followed by phylogenetic analysis. Furthermore, the association of various animal and management-based risk factors with S. aureus colonization was also evaluated. The presence of nuc gene on polymerase chain reaction showed an overall prevalence of 42.86%...
Zhu FX, Zhang XY, Olszewski MA, Robinson NE.The effects of capsaicin and neuropeptides were examined in equine tracheal smooth muscle (TSM). Neither capsaicin nor substance P (SP) contracted TSM. Capsaicin (100 microM) elicited relaxation in TSM contracted with methacholine. This relaxation was not mimicked by SP or calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Relaxation was not attenuated by removal of the epithelium or by pretreatment of tissue with meclofenamate or the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine. Previous exposure of TSM to capsaicin did not eliminate the relaxation responses to subsequent capsaicin. Although...
Kirchhof N, Steinhauer D, Fey K.Large intestinal adenocarcinoma with osseous metaplasia was diagnosed in two horses, a 15-year-old standard bred gelding and a 9-year-old Haflinger mare. Clinically, both animals had displayed weight loss and anaemia. A presumptive diagnosis of abdominal neoplasia was made and the horses were humanely killed. At necropsy, the gelding and the mare were found to have ulcerated tumours growing into the lumen of the caecum and colon, respectively. In the mare, the mass extended through the mesocolon and was evident in the left dorsal and ventral colon. Histopathologically, the tumours consisted of...
Pollard RE, Puchalski SM.The purpose of this report was to evaluate the frequency and type of reactions to intraarterial iodinated contrast medium injection in horses. Ninety-seven received an intraarterial injection of ionic, iodinated contrast medium for computed tomographic assessment of the distal limb. Nine (9.0%) horses developed a reaction attributable to the contrast medium administration. Of those, 4/97 (4.0%) developed a skin response (three with urticaria, one with facial edema) within 20 min. Five (5.0%) developed elevation of heart rate and/or blood pressure immediately upon administration of the contrast...
Szöke MO, Blais D, Cuvelliez SG, Lavoie JP.To evaluate the cardiovascular and respiratory effects of buprenorphine administered intravenously in clinically normal horses and horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: 5 clinically normal horses and 5 horses with COPD that were in partial clinical remission (period A) or were having an acute attack of airway obstruction (period B). Methods: Pulmonary function testing, arterial blood gas analysis, and arterial blood pressure measurements were performed before and after a single intravenous bolus of buprenorphine (3 microg/kg of body weight). Respiratory rate (f), t...
Gómez-Torres F, Ballesteros-Acuña L, Ruíz-Sauri A.Atrioventricular node is responsible for delaying the passage of the electrical impulse to ventricles in order to protect them from fast depolarizations coming from the atria. The importance of this study is to identify the morphological variations of the components of atrioventricular zone that affect the conduction system and its clinical relationship in different species of mammals. We analyzed ten human hearts, nine from horses, eight from pigs, and five from dogs without a clinical history of cardiac pathologies. Histological section thickness of 5 μm were obtained with a microtome and ...
Neto FJ, Luna SP, Massone F, Thomassian A, Vargas JL, Junior JR, D'Utra Vaz BB, Crocci AJ.To evaluate the effect of changing the mode of ventilation from spontaneous to controlled on the arterial-to-end-tidal CO2 difference [P(a-ET)CO2] and physiological dead space (VD(phys)/VT) in laterally and dorsally recumbent halothane-anesthetized horses. STUDY DESIGN; Prospective, experimental, nonrandomized trial. Methods: Seven mixed breed adult horses (1 male and 6 female) weighing 320 +/- 11 kg. Methods: Horses were anesthetized in 2 positions-right lateral and dorsal recumbency-with a minimum interval of 1 month. Anesthesia was maintained with halothane in oxygen for 180 minutes. Sponta...
Barakzai SZ, Dixon PM.Race records were obtained for 31 thoroughbred racehorses that were treated conservatively (rest, improvement of fitness and/or use of a tongue tie) for dorsal displacement of the soft palate, and for 62 matched control horses. Their racing performance, based on prize money won, was compared for three races run before and after the disorder was diagnosed. Nineteen (61 per cent) of the conservatively treated horses had higher earnings after conservative treatment than before treatment, compared with 27 (43.5 per cent) of the controls. There was a significant (P=0.049) increase in the earnings o...
Dunne K, Brereton B, Duggan V, Campion D.Veterinary nurses report an intrinsic desire to work with animals. However, this motivation may be eroded by poor working conditions and low pay, resulting in the exit of experienced veterinary nurses from clinical practice. This study sought to quantify the level of animal-handling experience students possessed at the start of their training and to explore the factors motivating them to enter veterinary nurse training in two Irish third-level institutions. The authors had noted a tendency for veterinary nursing students to possess limited animal-handling skills, despite their obvious motivati...
Jonsdottir S, Torsteinsdottir S, Svansson V, Gudbrandsson J, Stefansdottir SB, Mar Bjornsson J, Runarsdottir A, Marti E.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is an allergic dermatitis of horses, an IgE-mediated reaction to Culicoides midges. Causative Culicoides spp. are not indigenous in Iceland resulting in high prevalence of IBH in horses born in Iceland and exported as compared to Icelandic horses born in a Culicoides rich environment. The aims were (i) to compare IgE levels in sera of IBH-affected horses born in Iceland (n = 47) with horses of the Icelandic breed (n = 23) and of other breeds (n = 27) born in Culicoides infested area; (ii) to investigate if barley could be a useful production system of allerge...
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.
Kolm-Stark G, Wagner R.Icelandic horses in Austria are commonly affected by an allergic inflammatory skin disease recurring during the summer seasons, which shares characteristic features with Culicoides hypersensitivity. However, the causative agents have not yet been identified. Therefore, intradermal skin testing (IDST) with a standardised extract of Culicoides variipennis and 21 other allergens relevant within Austria was performed in 81 Icelandic horses. All horses included into the study were treated regularly with ivermectin and had no history of administration of anti-inflammatory drugs. Forty-three of these...
Barton AK, Pelli A, Rieger M, Gehlen H.Procalcitonin (PCT), a precursor protein of the hormone calcitonin, is a sensitive inflammatory marker in human medicine, which is primarily used for diagnosis of bacterial sepsis, but is also useful in diagnosis of exacerbation of asthma and COPD. In this study, PCT was evaluated as a potential biomarker for different chronic pneumopathies in the horse using an equine specific ELISA in comparison to established clinical markers and different interleukins. Sixty-four horses were classified as free of respiratory disease, recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), inflammatory airway disease (IAD) or ...
Rice MK, Henry TJ.Diseased cheek teeth in horses often require invasive extraction techniques that carry a high rate of complications. Techniques and instrumentation were developed to perform partial crown removal to aid standing intraoral extraction of diseased cheek teeth in horses. Objective: To analyse success rates and post-surgical complications in horses undergoing cheek teeth extraction assisted by partial crown removal. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: This study included 165 horses with 194 diseased cheek teeth that were extracted orally assisted by partial crown removal between 2010 and ...
Lehnhard RA, McKeever KH, Kearns CF, Beekley MD.There are limited data on age-related changes in body composition or skeletal muscle in the horse. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate any differences in muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) and body composition associated with aging. Twenty-three young (4-8 years) and eight old (20+ years) unfit Standardbred mares were evaluated. Rump fat thickness was measured using B-mode ultrasound and per cent body fat (% fat) was calculated. Needle muscle biopsies were obtained from right gluteus medius muscle. MHC composition was determined via sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel e...
Ball MC, Dewberry TD, Freeman PG, Kemsley PD, Poe I.Between 2006 and 2012, there were 11 horses diagnosed with Hendra virus (HeV) on 9 independent premises in New South Wales (NSW). We defined a case of HeV as premises where one or more horses were confirmed to be infected with HeV by PCR. All the cases occurred in the north-eastern region of NSW. In 8 of the 9 cases, infection occurred within 2 months over the winter of 2011. With no exception, the affected horses were kept at pasture on properties visited by flying foxes. Of the 11 horses testing positive for HeV, 5 had an association with a fence, with the horses dead or dying on a fence l...
MacKay RJ.Brain injury after impact to the head is due to both immediate mechanical effects and delayed responses of neural tissues. In horses, traumatic brain injury occurs in three main settings: (1) poll impact in horses that flip over backwards; (2) frontal/parietal impact in horses that run into a fixed object, and (3) injury to the vestibular apparatus secondary to temporohyoid osteoarthropathy. Distinct forebrain, vestibular, midbrain, hindbrain, or multifocal syndromes may be encountered in horses with traumatic brain injury. The most important components of treatment are those consistent with p...
Clark-Price SC, Cox JH, Bartoe JT, Davis EG.A 6-month-old male Quarter Horse was evaluated for chronic respiratory tract disease. Diagnostic investigations revealed pulmonary inflammation; Pneumocystis carinii was detected within macrophages. Lymphocyte subpopulation phenotyping and immunoglobulin concentration analysis were performed and results suggested immune suppression. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole administration was initiated; the colt was discharged but was reexamined 8 days later because of profuse diarrhea and endotoxemia. Bacterial culture of feces recovered Salmonella spp resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and a di...
Schulman ML, Nurton JP, Guthrie AJ.The most useful diagnostic methods in the initial evaluation of horses with colic assess the morphological and functional status of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular status. This evaluation is best achieved using a combination of clinical and laboratory data. Blood lactate concentration (BL) is one of these variables. BL rises mainly due to poor tissue perfusion and anaerobic glycolysis associated with shock, providing an indicator of both the severity of disease and its prognosis. A hand-held lactate meter, Accusport, provides a rapid (60 seconds), inexpensive dry-chemical-based d...
Lowman ME, Tipton CD, Labordère AL, Brown JA.Information regarding the microbiome in sinusitis using genetic sequencing is lacking and more-in-depth understanding of the microbiome could improve antimicrobial selection and treatment outcomes for cases of primary sinusitis. Objective: To describe sinus microbiota in samples from horses with sinusitis and compare microbiota and the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes between primary, dental-related and other secondary causes of sinusitis. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Records of equine sinusitis from 2017 to 2021 were reviewed and historical microbial amplicon sequenc...
Haralambus R, Florczyk A, Sigl E, Gültekin S, Vogl C, Brandt S, Schnierer M, Gamerith C, Jenner F.Synovial sepsis is a commonly occurring, potentially career-ending or even life-threatening orthopaedic emergency. Diagnosis of synovial sepsis is currently primarily based on synovial fluid analysis, which often leaves diagnostic ambiguity due to overlap of clinicopathological parameters between septic and aseptic inflammatory synovitis. Objective: To evaluate the reliability of lysozyme (LYS), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and elastase (ELT) as biomarkers for synovial sepsis in horses using a photometric assay to measure increased enzyme activity. Methods: Prospective, single-blinded, analytical, cl...
Morgante O, Vance HN, Shemanchuk JA, Windsor R.The epizootic of equine encephalomyelitis in 1965 in Alberta was proved to be due to Western Encephalomyelitis virus infection by serological findings and virus isolations.Sixty-three horses of 88 tested, showed a diagnostic rise of CF antibodies to Western Encephalomyelitis virus. Western Encephalomyelitis virus was isolated from 5 brains of horses. Homologous antibodies were shown in 3 of these animals, the only ones from which blood specimens were received. For the first time virological evidence is given that Western Encephalomyelitis virus infection in horses is found in more areas of Alb...
