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.
Becker R, Haenssgen K, Precht C, Khoma OZ, Hlushchuk R, Koch C, Kaessmeyer S, de Preux M.Equine trigeminal-mediated headshaking is a painful neuropathic disorder comparable to trigeminal neuralgia in humans. The selective destruction of pain fibers within the trigeminal ganglion, called rhizotomy, is the surgical treatment of choice for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia refractory to medical treatment in humans. The human trigeminal ganglion is enclosed by a dural recess called the Meckel's or trigeminal cave, in which the ganglion is surrounded by a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-filled subarachnoid space. During glycerol rhizotomy, glycerol is percutaneously injected in this CSF-filled...
Beldeanu S, Tay MCA, Daniel C, Dosi MCM, Hahn CN, James O, Townsend NB, Liuti T, Schwarz T, Parkinson NJ.Fractures of the paracondylar process of the occipital bone may cause headshaking, neck pain and neurologic deficits. The condition is being recognised more frequently with increasing availability of computed tomography. However, to date only limited information is available as to presentation, treatment, surgical approach and outcome. Objective: To describe the clinical signs, imaging findings, treatment, surgical approach and outcome in three horses diagnosed with paracondylar process fracture. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Clinical records and diagnostic images of affected ca...
Molini U, Franzo G, de Villiers L, van Zyl L, de Villiers M, Khaiseb S, Busch F, Knauf S, Dietze K, Eiden M.The present study investigated the seropositivity rate of Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in domestic and working animals in Namibia, which included dogs, cats, horses, and donkeys. HEV poses a growing threat as a significant cause of human hepatitis globally and has several genotypes of varying zoonotic potential. As epidemiological data on the seroprevalence of HEV in Namibia is scarce, a serosurvey was conducted on archived serum samples of 374 dogs, 238 cats, 98 horses, and 60 donkeys collected between 2018 and 2022 from different regions, to assess the potential of these animals as sources of HEV...
Egenvall A, Höglund OV, Hoffman R, Valle PS, Andersen PH, Lönnell C, Byström A, Bonnett BN.In recent years, prices for veterinary care have received considerable attention in mainstream media, yet scientific literature has not delved into actual figures. This study aims to elucidate veterinary care costs for dogs, cats, and horses across five countries [Sweden (SE), Norway (NO), Denmark (DK), United Kingdom (UK), and Ireland (IR, with limited data)] through web searches. Unassigned: Utilising online business directories, we located URLs featuring veterinary care prices in autumn 2022, and repeated tri-monthly five times. Vetpris.se (VP), a price comparison site for SE, NO, and DK, e...
Renaud B, Kruse CJ, François AC, Cesarini C, van Loon G, Palmers K, Boemer F, Luis G, Gustin P, Votion DM.Equine atypical myopathy (AM) is a severe rhabdomyolysis syndrome primarily caused by hypoglycin A (HGA) and methylenecyclopropylglycine protoxins. This study aimed to refine diagnostic and prognostic criteria for AM while exploring apparently healthy cograzers. Blood samples from 263 horses, including AM cases (n= 95), cograzers (n= 73), colic horses (n= 19), and controls (n= 76), were analyzed for HGA, its toxic metabolite, and acylcarnitines profile. Diseased horses exhibited alterations in acylcarnitines that strongly distinguished them from controls and colic horses. Regression analyses i...
Carbonara M, Mendoza-Roldan JA, Bezerra-Santos MA, de Abreu Teles PP, Lia RP, Locantore F, Iatta R, Volf P, Otranto D.Equids may be infected by zoonotic Leishmania spp., including Leishmania infantum, in regions where canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is endemic, and Leishmania martiniquensis, which has been reported in horses from Central Europe. This study was designed to evaluate the occurrence of both Leishmania spp. among equids living in CanL endemic areas of Italy, as well as to identify dipteran vectors from the same habitats. From March to October 2023, blood, serum and tissue samples from skin lesions were collected from equids (n = 98; n = 56 donkeys and n = 42 horses) living in Italy, as well as sand fl...
Son JK, De Paz P, Kim J, Sanaei R, Seungho R, Bailey S, Davies HMS.The risk of carpal injury in racehorses may be related to the morphology, yet whether carpal morphologies are set from birth or change through growth remains unclear. Objective: To quantify carpal bone changes through growth. Methods: Twenty privately owned Thoroughbred foals born between January 2022 and May 2023 were radiographed bimonthly from birth to 10 months of age. Imprint training was used to take radiographs safely without chemical restraints. Fifteen individual and 11 relative angular carpal parameters were measured using ImageJ on dorsopalmar radiographs of the carpus at zero degre...
Weeks RA, McLAUGHLIN PA, Vaughan BR.Equestrians (horse riders) are more susceptible to low back pain than the general population due to loads placed on their bodies during the activity. A specific eight-week exercise intervention program targeting the muscles used during horse riding was implemented for a group of equestrians with low back pain. Methods: Volunteers were invited to participate in the study through social media posts in Melbourne, Australia. The participants were required to complete an exercise screening test prior to enrolment in the study to ensure they were suitable to participate in the iteration program. Par...
Pickles KJ, Marlin DJ, Williams JM, Roberts VLH.Equine trigeminal-mediated (TGM) headshaking (HS) is a neuropathic facial pain syndrome characterised by varying intensity and frequencies of head movements and signs of nasal irritation. An accurate method for quantification and/or characterisation of HS severity is lacking. Objective: To develop and validate an objective measure of TGMHS. Methods: Prospective case control study. Methods: Horses presenting for investigation of HS were recruited alongside those presenting for forelimb lameness (LAME) and pre-purchase examination as well as healthy controls (CONTROL). Head movement data were co...
Chiavaccini L, Gupta A, Chiavaccini G.Facial expressions are essential for communication and emotional expression across species. Despite the improvements brought by tools like the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) in pain recognition in horses, their reliance on human identification of characteristic traits presents drawbacks such as subjectivity, training requirements, costs, and potential bias. Despite these challenges, the development of facial expression pain scales for animals has been making strides. To address these limitations, Automated Pain Recognition (APR) powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers a promising advancement...
Diekmann I, Blazejak K, Krücken J, Strube C, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G.Surveillance of Strongylus vulgaris and other Strongylus spp. in equids is important for targeted intervention in parasite control, requiring reliable routine diagnostic methods. Objective: Comparing morphological examination and PCR analyses of larval cultures to identify Strongylus spp. species based on German diagnostic samples from 2018. Methods: Method comparison. Methods: During the routine diagnostic investigations, in total 712 strongyle-egg positive equine faecal samples were cultured. Third-stage larvae (L3) were morphologically differentiated. For molecular validation, samples were ...
Ing NH, Konganti K, Ghaffar N, Johnson CD, Forrest DW, Love CC, Varner DD.Males of some species, from horses to humans, require medical help for subfertility problems. There is an urgent need for novel molecular assays that reflect spermatozoal function. In the last 25 years, studies examined RNAs in spermatozoa as a window into gene expression during their development and, more recently, for their functions in early embryo development. In clinics, more dense spermatozoa are isolated by density gradient centrifugation before use in artificial insemination to increase pregnancy rates. The objectives of the current study were to discover and quantify the microRNAs i...
Peat FJ, Kawcak CE, McIlwraith CW, Berk JT, Keenan DP, Selberg KT, Ojeda A.Equine suspensory ligament branch (branch) ultrasonography is becoming increasingly commonplace presale. No ultrasonographical branch reference data exists for Thoroughbred sales horses. Objective: To define the prevalence of ultrasonographical findings in the forelimb suspensory branches of yearling and 2-year-old sales Thoroughbreds and to analyse associations with racing performance. To track changes in branch findings between 1 and 2 years of age in horses that present for sale at both ages. Methods: Prospective cohort study using an enrolled sample. Methods: Horses were enrolled from a ...
Costa MVD, Rodrigues GD, Lima HIL, Krolow TK, Krüger RF.Tabanidae (Diptera), popularly known as horse flies, is an important vector group. This is the first study to ascertain the abundance and diversity of horse flies in horses at the cerrado biome of the state of Tocantins, Brazil. Collecting took place in typical Cerrado, and sampling occurred in the dry and rainy seasons. The horseflies were collected from horses using an entomological net. A total of 249 individuals were collected and spread over 25 species. The prevalent species were Stypommisa aripuana (25.8%) and Catachlorops rufescens (6.4%), in the dry period, and Fidena lissorhina (22.5%...
Mita H, Kuroda T, Minamijima Y, Tamura N, Ohta M.Surgical-site infections (SSIs) at implant sites in horses are sometimes difficult to control with systemic antimicrobials. Because one of the likely reasons is insufficient antimicrobial concentrations, there is a need to increase these concentrations in and around the infected tissue. Marbofloxacin (MAR)-encapsulated microparticles (MAR-MPs) made of biodegradable poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid are capable of sustained release in vitro. We examined the concentration of MAR in the subcutaneous tissue fluid at sites where MAR-MPs had been administered. On day 0, six 3- × 4-cm subcutaneous pock...
Kuwano A, Ueno T, Katsurashima Y, Tateno O, Saitoh S.From summer 2018 to summer 2019, several Thoroughbred racehorses held at the Miho Training Centre of the Japan Racing Association inadvertently ingested excessive amounts of sodium selenite, resulting in typical chronic selenium (Se) poisoning - the so-called alkali disease. The typical abnormality was a hoof wall disorder with a circumferentially deep ring and/or transverse hoof wall cracks parallel to the coronet on all feet and appearing after excessive ingestion. One affected Thoroughbred male was unique in that all the hooves had a rough surface with a very fragile hoof wall, but no wall ...
Bernick A, Demattio LS, Wehrend A.Uroperitoneum is a typical disease of the newborn foal, which occurs rarely but regularly. Ultrasonography is considered the most important imaging method for diagnosing this disease. Thus far, only one older case series comprising 31 foals suffering from uroperitoneum has systematically listed results of ultrasound examinations. Objective: This paper presents the findings of an ultrasonographic examination of 34 foals with uroperitoneum in order to inform future interpretation of ultrasonographic data in suspected uroperitoneum cases. Methods: Ultrasonographic data of 34 neonatal foals up to ...
Labelle A.Race is a pseudo-scientific system that was invented to sort people by skin color into different categories. Race has no biologic basis, meaning the phenotype of skin color cannot accurately separate humans into distinct categories. Contemporary Western veterinary medicine was founded by white European men to treat livestock and working horses; 150+ years later, the majority of veterinary graduates are white women working on domesticated family pets. The history of veterinary medicine informs our current reality.
Pihl TH, Engelhart KE, Houen G.Polyclonal antibodies are relatively easy to produce and may supplement monoclonal antibodies for some applications or even have some advantages.The choice of species for production of (peptide) antisera is based on practical considerations, including availability of immunogen (vaccine) and animals. Two major factors govern the production of antisera: the nature of adaptive immune responses, which take place over days/weeks and ethical guidelines for animal welfare.Here, simple procedures for immunization of mice, rabbits, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and chickens are presented.
Kearney MT, Kamm JL.To describe the treatment of subcutaneous lipomas in the horse. Methods: 3 horses. Methods: The horses were aged 1 to 2 years old, with lipoma of the abdomen, prepuce, and tarsus. Results: Recurrence of an invasive thoracic lipoma occurred in case 1 at the exit site of a passive drain. The recurrence was treated unsuccessfully with injectable cisplatin, and a second revision surgery with the use of an active drain resulted in resolution. In case 2, complete resection of an encapsulated lipoma of the lateral prepuce was successful with no recurrence. In case 3, incomplete resection of a tarsal ...
Bacon EK, Donnelly CG, Bellone RR, Haase B, Finno CJ, Velie BD.The pleiotropic effects of the melanocortin system show promise in overcoming limitations associated with large variations in opioid analgesic effectiveness observed in equine practice. Of particular interest is variation in the melanocortin-1-receptor (MC1R) gene, which dictates pigment type expression through its epistatic interaction with the agouti signalling protein (ASIP) gene. MC1R has previously been implicated in opioid efficacy in other species; however, this relationship is yet to be explored in horses. In this study, analgesic effectiveness was scored (1-3) based on noted response...
Campbell MLH, Sykes BW.Prioritising equine welfare, making evidenced-based policy, and consistent decision-making across sports are crucial to maintaining the social licence for equestrian sport. Regulations on the use of omeprazole during competition differ; all regulators argue that their rules prioritise welfare. This discrepancy is a matter of concern to the public and equestrian stakeholders. Objective: To apply Campbell's Ethical Framework for the use of Horses in Sport to the question: 'Should the use of omeprazole be allowed during equestrian competition?' Methods: A desk-based ethico-legal study. Methods: C...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Durjava M, Dusemund B, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of sodium ferrocyanide and potassium ferrocyanide as technological feed additives for all animal species. In its previous opinion on the safety and efficacy of the additives, the FEEDAP Panel concluded that the use of sodium ferrocyanide and potassium ferrocyanide is safe, when added to sodium chloride at a maximum content of 80 mg ferrocyanide anions (anhydrous)/kg for turkeys for fattening and laying hens and other laying/breeding birds, all porcine species and categori...
Rodden EBK, Suthers JM, Busschers E, Burford JH, Freeman SL.Castration is the most common surgical procedure in domesticated equids; surgical techniques used and perioperative management vary considerably. Objective: To identify and chart the current evidence on perioperative complications associated with different methods of surgical castration in domesticated equids. Methods: Joanna Briggs Institute systematic scoping review. Methods: CAB Abstracts, Medline and Embase databases were searched using terms related to equine castration complications. Two authors independently and blindly screened publications against eligibility criteria. Data on study m...
Giraldo A, Koch TG, Madan P, Lepage S, Monteith G, Alizadeh AH, Tran A, Mortagy N, Koenig JB.There is a knowledge gap regarding the effect of extracorporeal shockwave treatment (ESWT) on the stress response and immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties of equine umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stromal cells (CB-MSCs). The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of cellular oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and production of growth factors in CB-MSCs after treatment with ESWT. We hypothesized that CB-MSCs treated with ESWT will experience higher levels of cellular stress and increased production of anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors compared ...
Davidson EJ, Stefanovski D, Slack J, Manzi TJ.Cervical articular process joint (CAPJ) therapy is advocated for horses with neck disorders. Several ultrasound-guided CAPJ techniques have been described in cadaver studies with 72%-89% intra-articular injection accuracy; however, the CAPJ injection accuracy in clinical equine practice has not been extensively reported. Objective: To describe a modified cranial approach for ultrasound-guided caudal CAPJ injections, to investigate the accuracy of this CAPJ injection technique in live horses, and to assess the effect of CAPJ injection location, laterality, operator, and radiographic CAPJ enlarg...
Roberts DM, Gilger BC.Equine fungal keratitis represents a substantial portion of keratitis cases in horses, with fungal involvement identified in approximately half of all infectious keratitis cases. Despite its prevalence, more comprehensive retrospective analyses are needed to better understand this condition. Outcomes vary, with approximately two-thirds of cases achieving complete healing with retained vision, although enucleation is often necessary. Predominant pathogens include Aspergillus and Fusarium, with yeast reported in a minority of cases. Resistance to common antifungal agents among filamentous fungi ...
Kwok WH, Leung EMK, Chan RCM, Ho ENM.The Intelligence and Drug Testing Management (IDTM), a system that can enhance drug testing analytics with related horse information and intelligence in a single platform, can help identify and mitigate potential doping and other threats.
Menzies-Gow NJ, Knowles EJ.Laminitis is a common and painful condition of the equine foot and approximately 90% of cases are associated with insulin dysregulation (ID) that is a central feature of the common endocrine disorder equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and occurs in a subset of animals with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. Additional features of EMS include obesity, altered circulating concentrations of adipokines (particularly adiponectin and leptin) and hypertriglyceridaemia. Obesity, ID, hypoadiponectinaemia, hyperleptinaemia and an altered plasma lipid profile are also features of human metabolic syndrom...
Ebeling-Koning NE, Fowler JT, DelBianco JD, Surmaitis RM.Veterinary medication exposure may result in human toxicity, with approximately 6,000 exposures to veterinary-only medications reported to poison centers in 2022. There is a paucity of literature on the management of poisoned patients secondary to pharmaceuticals intended for equine use. Pergolide is a dopamine and serotonin receptor agonist and is currently approved to treat equine Cushing's disease. It was previously approved in the United States (US) to treat Parkinson's disease in humans; however, it was withdrawn from the market in 2007 due to its association with valvular heart disease....
Bollwein H, Schulze JJ, Miyamoto A, Sieme H.The goal of this study was to investigate for the first time a possible association between plasma concentrations of testosterone and total estrogen and testicular blood flow in the stallion. Correlations between these variables were calculated before and after administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Eight mature warmblood stallions received 5,000 IU hCG intravenously, and four stallions received solvent only. Testicular blood flow in the left and right testicular arteries was assessed using colour Doppler sonography by measuring blood flow volume (BFV) and pulsatility index (PI)...
Peffers MJ, McDermott B, Clegg PD, Riggs CM.The aim of the study was to characterise the protein complement of synovial fluid (SF) in health and osteoarthritis (OA) using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) following peptide-based depletion of high abundance proteins. Methods: SF was used from nine normal and nine OA Thoroughbred horses. Samples were analysed with LC-MS/MS using a NanoAcquity™ LC coupled to an LTQ Orbitrap Velos. In order to enrich the lower-abundance protein fractions protein equalisation was first undertaken using ProteoMiner™. Progenesis-QI™ LC-MS software was used for label-free quantification. ...
Williams LB, Koenig JB, Black B, Gibson TW, Sharif S, Koch TG.Improvement has been reported following intra-articular (i.a.) injection of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in several species. These observations have led to the use of i.a. MSCs in equine practice with little understanding of the mechanisms by which perceived improvement occurs. Objective: To evaluate the effect of i.a. allogeneic umbilical cord blood (CB-) derived MSCs using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced synovitis model. We hypothesised that i.a. CB-MSCs would reduce the inflammatory response associated with LPS injection. Methods: Randomised, blinded experimental study. Methods: Feas...
Guest DJ, Allen WR.Embryonic stem-like (ES-like) cells have now been derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of horse embryos at the blastocyst stage. Because they have been shown to express cell-surface antigens found in both human and mouse ES cells, the present study investigated gene expression patterns in day-7 horse blastocysts from which the horse ES-like cells had been derived originally. The genes studied included Oct-4, stage-specific embryonic antigen-1 (SSEA-1), SSEA-3, SSEA-4, tumor rejection antigen-1-60 (TRA-1-60), TRA-1-81, and alkaline phosphatase activity, and whereas all three of the SSEA antig...
Keegan KG, Wilson DA, Wilson DJ, Smith B, Gaughan EM, Pleasant RS, Lillich JD, Kramer J, Howard RD, Bacon-Miller C, Davis EG, May KA, Cheramie HS....To estimate sensitivity and accuracy of subjective evaluation of mild lameness in horses during treadmill locomotion and to correlate subjective evaluation with kinematic analysis. Methods: 19 lame and 5 clinically normal horses. Methods: Lameness was evaluated by subjective score and kinematic analysis before and after palmar digital nerve block (PDNB). Evaluations were made by 6 clinicians and 7 interns or residents. Within- and between-observer agreement analyses (kappa values) were calculated and compared, using a Student's t-test. Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients were cal...
Minke JM, Siger L, Cupillard L, Powers B, Bakonyi T, Boyum S, Nowotny N, Bowen R.The emergence of lineage 2 strains of WNV in Europe as a cause of clinical disease and mortality in horses raised the question whether the existing WNV vaccines, all based on lineage 1 strains, protect against circulating lineage 2 strains of WNV. In the present paper we have determined the level of cross protection provided by the recombinant ALVAC(®)-WNV vaccine in a severe challenge model that produces clinical signs of WNV type 2 disease. Ten horses were vaccinated twice at 4 weeks interval with one dose of the ALVAC-WNV vaccine formulated at the minimum protective dose. A further 10 hors...
Verheyen KL, Wood JL.Musculoskeletal injury is the major cause of days lost from training and wastage in Thoroughbred racehorses. Little scientific information is available on the majority of injuries occurring in training. Objective: To estimate the incidence of fractures in British racehorses in training and describe the occurrence of different fracture types and bones involved. Methods: Thirteen UK racehorse trainers participated in a prospective study, providing data on horses in their care for 2 years. Details on horses, their daily exercise and fracture occurrence were recorded. Results: A total of 1178 hors...
Plaas A, Sandy JD, Liu H, Diaz MA, Schenkman D, Magnus RP, Bolam-Bretl C, Kopesky PW, Wang VM, Galante JO.We describe analysis of suspensory ligaments from horses with advanced degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis (DSLD) to identify the major proteoglycans (PGs), ADAMTS-aggrecanases and inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor (IαI) components associated with ligament degeneration. Specific anatomical regions of suspensory ligaments from two normal horses and four diagnosed with DSLD were analyzed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry for the following: aggrecan, aggrecan fragments, decorin, ADAMTS4, ADAMTS5, and IαI components. When compared to normal, DSLD ligaments showed about a 15-fold increas...
Vo AT, van Duijkeren E, Fluit AC, Gaastra W.The aim of the present study was to contribute to the knowledge on extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL's), AmpC beta-lactamases and integrons in Enterobacteriaceae isolated from horses, which is still limited. The susceptibility of 1581 clinical isolates from animals to ceftiofur was tested. Most of these isolates (n=1347) originated from horses. Seven ceftiofur-resistant equine isolates (four Escherichia coli and three Klebsiella pneumoniae) were identified and all seven were multidrug-resistant. These isolates were further studied for the presence of ESBL's, AmpC beta-lactamases and clas...
Gibb Z, Aitken RJ.In vitro sperm storage is a necessary part of many artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization regimes for many species, including the human and the horse. In many situations spermatozoa are chilled to temperatures between 4 and 10°C for the purpose of restricting the metabolic rate during storage, in turn, reducing the depletion of ATP and the production of detrimental by-products such as reactive oxygen species (ROS). Another result of lowering the temperature is that spermatozoa may be "cold shocked" due to lipid membrane phase separation, resulting in reduced fertility. To overcome ...
Nielsen MK, Wang J, Davis R, Bellaw JL, Lyons ET, Lear TL, Goday C.The equine ascarid parasite Parascaris equorum is well known as a ubiquitous parasite infecting foals. A sibling species, Parascaris univalens, was first described over 130 years ago, but very little attention has been given to its existence and possible implications for anthelmintic resistance, clinical disease, or host age spectrum. P. univalens only possesses one germ line chromosome pair as opposed to two for P. equorum, but the two species are otherwise considered morphologically identical. For the present study, live worms obtained from the University of Kentucky parasitology horse herd ...
Geburek F, Lietzau M, Beineke A, Rohn K, Stadler PM.Autologous blood-derived biologicals, including autologous conditioned serum (ACS), are frequently used to treat tendinopathies in horses despite limited evidence for their efficacy. The purpose of this study was to describe the effect of a single intralesional injection of ACS in naturally occurring tendinopathies of the equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) on clinical, ultrasonographic, and histological parameters. Methods: Fifteen horses with 17 naturally occurring tendinopathies of forelimb SDFTs were examined clinically and ultrasonographically (day 0). Injured tendons were ran...
Allen WR.The equine embryo takes 6 days to traverse the oviduct and, when it finally enters the uterus, it remains spherical in shape and moves continually throughout the uterine lumen until day 17 after ovulation to deliver its maternal recognition of pregnancy signal to the entire endometrium. Between day 25 and day 35 after ovulation, the trophoblast cells of a discrete annulate portion of the chorion multiply rapidly and acquire an invasive phenotype and, between day 36 and day 38, migrate deeply into the maternal endometrium to form the equine-unique endometrial protuberances known as endometrial ...
Hall SJ.Accurate measures of effective population sizes (Ne ) in livestock require good quality data and specialized skills for their computation and analysis. Ne can be estimated by Wright's equation Ne =4MF/(M+ F) (M, F being sires and dams, respectively), but this requires assumptions which are often not met. Total census sizes Nc of livestock breeds are collated globally. This paper investigates whether estimates of Ne can be made from Nc ; this would facilitate conservation monitoring. Some Ne methodologies avoid the assumptions of Wright's equation and permit measurement, rather than estimation,...
Albihn A, Båverud V, Magnusson U.Uterine microbiology and antimicrobial susceptibility was investigated in 239 mares with fertility problems in a prospective study in Sweden. Uterine swab samples were collected with double guarded swabs and transported overnight before being cultured. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) was determined for a panel of antimicrobials. From 152 of the 239 mares at least one bacterial species was isolated, most frequently E. coli (104 isolates), beta-haemolytic streptococci (31) and fungi (16). beta-haemolytic streptococci were more frequently (p < 0.01) associated with clinical endomet...
Botton SA, Pereira DI, Costa MM, Azevedo MI, Argenta JS, Jesus FP, Alves SH, Santurio JM.Pythium insidiosum is a fungus-like organism present in subtropical and tropical areas, such as Brazil, known to infect humans and various animal species. P. insidiosum is the etiological agent of pythiosis, an emerging and granulomatous disease characterized mainly by cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions in horses, the principal species affected. Accurate diagnosis of pythiosis and identification of its causal agent by microbiological and serological tests can be often difficult and inconclusive principally for horses and humans. The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of the prev...
Hartmann FA, Trostle SS, Klohnen AA.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated from a postoperative wound infection in a horse. Methicillin-resistant S aureus infections in animals have been reported. In human beings, MRSA is an important cause of hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections. Infections caused by MRSA respond poorly to beta-lactam treatment, and resistance of MRSA to multiple antimicrobials, including aminoglycosides, macrolides, clindamycin, and tetracyclines, is common. Identification of MRSA by routine susceptibility testing may be difficult; therefore, techniques for MRSA detection should b...
Conley AJ.Analytical advancements, especially methods using gas or liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, have allowed more specific and reliable measurement of multiple steroid hormones in the plasma of mares throughout gestation and the periparturient period. Data such as these will form the central focus of this review. The comprehensive analyses possible with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry illuminate the key physiological and developmental transitions that make equine gestation unique. Weeks 6 to 20 encompass endometrial cup formation and equine chorionic gonadotropic secret...
Gabryś J, Kij-Mitka B, Sawicki S, Kochan J, Nowak A, Łojko J, Karnas E, Bugno-Poniewierska M.The in vitro maturation (IVM) of equine oocytes is still not efficient and does not yield consistent results. The specific requirements of equine oocytes during this process are still largely unknown, which hinders the development of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) in this species. Because the ovarian follicle microenvironment supports oocytes in their acquisition of developmental competence, follicular fluid seems to be a substantial source of bioactive factors that could support the IVM process. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-secreted molecules in body fluids that are able to ...
Tuntasuvan D, Jarabrum W, Viseshakul N, Mohkaew K, Borisutsuwan S, Theeraphan A, Kongkanjana N.During June-July 2000, an outbreak of surra occurred on an equine breeding farm in Khonkaen Province, Thailand. Forty-two percent of pregnant mares aborted or gave stillbirth and 40% (19/47) of horses and 10% (1/10) of mules died from surra. In August 2000 Trypanosoma evansi were detected in the remaining animals (28 horses and nine mules) on the farm by blood smear and/or the haematocrit centrifuge technique. All animals were treated with diminazene aceturate at 3.5 mg/kg body weight by intramuscular injection on days 0 and 41 of the study. Blood samples of eight randomly selected horses and ...
Lazary S, Antczak DF, Bailey E, Bell TK, Bernoco D, Byrns G, McClure JJ.Six laboratories participated in the Fifth International Workshop on Lymphocyte Alloantigens of the Horse, testing 132 alloantisera against lymphocytes of 880 horses chosen to represent different families and breeds. Most of the alloantisera were produced by lymphocyte immunization between horses matched at the ELA-A locus. All horses were also tested with antisera contributed to the workshop by participating laboratories which identified ELA specificities A1-A10 and W12-W21. Previously identified workshop specificities ELA-W14, W15 and W19 were accepted as products of the ELA-A locus based on...
Barba M, Martínez-Boví R, Quereda JJ, Mocé ML, Plaza-Dávila M, Jiménez-Trigos E, Gómez-Martín Á, González-Torres P, Carbonetto B....Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) dominate human vaginal microbiota and inhibit pathogen proliferation. In other mammals, LAB do not dominate vaginal microbiota, however shifts of dominant microorganisms occur during ovarian cycle. The study objectives were to characterize equine vaginal microbiota in mares by culture-dependent and independent methods and to describe its variation in estrus and diestrus. Vaginal swabs from 8 healthy adult Arabian mares were obtained in estrus and diestrus. For culture-dependent processing, bacteria were isolated on Columbia blood agar (BA) and Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS)...
Heldens JG, Hannant D, Cullinane AA, Prendergast MJ, Mumford JA, Nelly M, Kydd JH, Weststrate MW, van den Hoven R.Pregnant mares and young foals were vaccinated with Duvaxyn EHV1,4, an inactivated and adjuvanted vaccine containing both the EHV-1 and 4 antigens. SN and CF antibody titres were induced two weeks after first vaccination. Antibody levels were boosted after second vaccination, however they never reached the levels induced after virus challenge. Young foals were challenged with virulent EHV-1 and EHV-4 field viruses. Pregnant mares were challenged with the highly abortigenic EHV-1 strain Ab4. Vaccinated animals showed a clear reduction in clinical signs and virus excretion compared to unvaccinat...
Shin SH, Yoon JH, Yahng SA, Lee SE, Cho BS, Eom KS, Kim YJ, Lee S, Min CK, Kim HJ, Cho SG, Kim DW, Min WS, Park CW, Lee JW.Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) is the drug of choice for immunosuppressive therapy (IST) in patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) ineligible for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Recently, rabbit ATG with cyclosporine A has been used as a first-line IST regimen in patients with SAA because of unavailability of horse ATG. We retrospectively analyzed adult SAA patients who were treated with horse ATG (n=46) or rabbit ATG (n=53) between Feb 2001 and May 2010 to compare hematologic response and survival. Overall response rates at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months were similar in both the horse and ra...
Hausberger M, Stomp M, Sankey C, Brajon S, Lunel C, Henry S.Research in cognitive psychology has repeatedly shown how much cognition and emotions are mutually related to one another. Psychological disorders are associated with cognitive (attention, memory and judgment) biases and chronic pain may affect attention, learning or memory. Laboratory studies have provided useful insights about the processes involved but observations about spontaneous animal models, living in different stress/welfare conditions may help understand further how cognition and welfare are interrelated in the « real world ». Domestic horses constitute such a model as they live i...
Muscatello G, Anderson GA, Gilkerson JR, Browning GF.The ecology of virulent strains of Rhodococcus equi on horse farms is likely to influence the prevalence and severity of R. equi pneumonia in foals. This study examined the association between the ecology of virulent R. equi and the epidemiology of R. equi pneumonia by collecting air and soil samples over two breeding seasons (28 farm-year combinations) on Thoroughbred breeding farms with different reported prevalences of R. equi pneumonia. Colony blotting and DNA hybridization were used to detect and measure concentrations of virulent R. equi. The prevalence of R. equi pneumonia was associate...
Carter AM, Enders AC.Epitheliochorial placentation is a derived condition and has evolved separately in strepsirrhine primates and laurasiatherians (pangolins, whales, and hoofed mammals). Usually it is associated with a long gestation period, small litters, and precocial young. Oxygen transfer is facilitated by indenting of the uterine and trophoblast epithelia by maternal and fetal capillaries, respectively. Histotrophic nutrition is important, and adaptations include areolas and hemophagous regions. In pigs and horses, for example, iron is transported as uteroferrin secreted from the uterine glands and taken up...
Diallo IS, Hewitson G, Wright LL, Kelly MA, Rodwell BJ, Corney BG.A multiplex real-time PCR was designed to detect and differentiate equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) and equid herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4). The PCR targets the glycoprotein B gene of EHV-1 and EHV-4. Primers and probes were specific to each equine herpesvirus type and can be used in monoplex or multiplex PCRs, allowing the differentiation of these two closely related members of the Alphaherpesvirinae. The two probes were minor-groove binding probes (MGB) labelled with 6-carboxy-fluorescein (FAM) and VIC for detection of EHV-1 and EHV-4, respectively. Ten EHV-1 isolates, six EHV-1 positive clinical samples...
Pereira RCDF, De La Côrte FD, Brass KE, da Silva Azevedo M, Gallio M, Cantarelli C, Dau SL, Cezar AS, Inkelmann MA.Wounds localized on the distal limbs in horses are difficulty healing. No studies have been conducted to evaluate homologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in horses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect upon applying autologous PRP, homologous PRP, and autologous PRP gel on the wound healing process of wounds on the distal limb of horses. To study a possible correlation between the platelet count and wound healing time, four skin wounds of 4 cm2 were surgically created on the dorsolateral aspect of the third metacarpus in eight healthy adult horses. Each skin wound was randomly treate...
Townsend HG, Leach DH, Fretz PB.At least three types of movement take place in the joint complexes of the equine thoracolumbar spine: dorsoventral flexion and extension, axial rotation and lateral bending. Using the standard right-handed Cartesian coordinate system, these movements may be defined as rotation about the x, y and z axes respectively. Except in cases of intervertebral fusion, all three types of movement occur in each joint complex of the equine back. The greatest amount of dorsoventral movement takes place at the lumbosacral and the first thoracic intervertebral joints. The greatest amount of axial rotation and ...
