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.
Rodríguez-Lázaro D, Lewis DA, Ocampo-Sosa AA, Fogarty U, Makrai L, Navas J, Scortti M, Hernández M, Vázquez-Boland JA.We developed a novel quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR) method for the soil actinomycete Rhodococcus equi, an important horse pathogen and emerging human pathogen. Species-specific quantification was achieved by targeting the chromosomal monocopy gene choE, universally conserved in R. equi. The choE Q-PCR included an internal amplification control (IAC) for identification of false negatives. A second Q-PCR targeted the virulence plasmid gene vapA, carried by most horse isolates but infrequently found in isolates from other sources. The choE-IAC and vapA assays were 100% sensitive and specific ...
Brinsko SP.This manuscript presents a brief historical review of investigations related to equine artificial insemination. The origin of recommended insemination doses for use fresh, cooled and frozen semen will be reviewed. Over 30 years ago, an insemination dose of 500 x 10(6) progressively motile sperm (PMS) was recommended to maximize pregnancy rates when mares were bred with fresh semen under less than ideal conditions. Since that time, 500 x 10(6) progressively motile sperm has been almost universally accepted as a standard insemination dose, regardless of a stallion's fertility or the refinements ...
Couëtil LL, Art T, de Moffarts B, Becker M, Mélotte D, Jaspar F, Bureau F, Lekeux P.Horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) present many similarities with human asthmatics including airway inflammation, hyperresponsiveness, reversible obstruction, and increased NF-kappaB expression. Studies in experimental asthma models have shown that transcriptions factors such as activator protein-1 (AP-1), GATA-3, cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) and CAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) may also play an important role in airway inflammation. The purpose of this study was to measure DNA binding activity of these transcription factors in the airways of horses with ...
Davis JL, Salmon JH, Papich MG.To characterize pharmacokinetics of voriconazole in horses after oral and IV administration and determine the in vitro physicochemical characteristics of the drug that may affect oral absorption and tissue distribution. Methods: 6 adult horses. Methods: Horses were administered voriconazole (1 mg/kg, IV, or 4 mg/kg, PO), and plasma concentrations were measured by use of high-performance liquid chromatography. In vitro plasma protein binding and the octanol:water partition coefficient were also assessed. Results: Voriconazole was adequately absorbed after oral administration in horses, with a s...
Fernández-Varón E, Cárceles CM, Marín P, Martos N, Escudero E, Ayala I.To study the pharmacokinetics of difloxacin (5 mg/kg) following IV, IM, and intragastric (IG) administration to healthy horses. Methods: 6 healthy mature horses. Methods: A crossover study design with 3 phases was used (15-day washout periods between treatments). An injectable formulation of difloxacin (5%) was administered IV and IM in single doses (5 mg/kg); for IG administration, an oral solution was prepared and administered via nasogastric tube. Blood samples were collected before and at intervals after each administration. A high-performance liquid chromatography assay with fluorescence ...
Sinclair MD, Mealey KL, Matthews NS, Peck KE, Taylor TS, Bennett BS.To determine the disposition of a bolus of meloxicam (administered IV) in horses and donkeys (Equus asinus) and compare the relative pharmacokinetic variables between the species. Methods: 5 clinically normal horses and 5 clinically normal donkeys. Methods: Blood samples were collected before and after IV administration of a bolus of meloxicam (0.6 mg/kg). Serum meloxicam concentrations were determined in triplicate via high-performance liquid chromatography. The serum concentration-time curve for each horse and donkey was analyzed separately to estimate standard noncompartmental pharmacokinet...
Stock KF, Distl O.To evaluate whether additive genetic correlations existed between certain aspects of the radiographic appearance of the distal sesamoid (navicular) bones (RNB) or between RNB and other types of radiographic changes in the limbs of Hanoverian Warmblood horses. Methods: 5,157 horses. Methods: Quasi-linear and binary traits were defined by the appearance of canales sesamoidales (CSs) and the structure and contour of the forelimb navicular bones (NBs). Prevalences of osseous fragments in the metacarphophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal (fetlock) and tarsocrural joints and deforming arthropathy in ...
Boscan P, Van Hoogmoed LM, Farver TB, Snyder JR.To evaluate the effects of morphine administration for 6 days on gastrointestinal tract function in healthy adult horses. Methods: 5 horses. Methods: Horses were randomly allocated into 2 groups in a crossover study. Horses in the treatment group received morphine sulfate at a dosage of 0.5 mg/kg, IV, every 12 hours for 6 days. Horses in the control group received saline (0.9% NaCl) solution at a dosage of 10 mL, IV, every 12 hours for 6 days. Variables assessed included defecation frequency, weight of feces produced, intestinal transit time (evaluated by use of barium-filled spheres and radio...
Pusterla N, Magdesian KG, Mapes S, Leutenegger CM.To determine gene expression of selected molecular markers (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-alpha, interleukin [IL]-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, procalcitonin [PCT], and transforming growth factor [TGF]-beta) in the blood of healthy and sick foals. Methods: 28 sick foals without sepsis, 21 foals with sepsis, and 21 healthy foals. Methods: Total RNA was extracted from blood samples and converted into complementary DNA (cDNA). Gene expression was measured for the molecular markers by use of real-time PCR assay, and final quantitation was performed with the comparative threshold cycle method. Results: S...
Boscan P, Van Hoogmoed LM, Pypendop BH, Farver TB, Snyder JR.To determine the pharmacokinetics and effects of the morphine antagonist N-methylnaltrexone (MNTX) on gastrointestinal tract function in horses when administered alone and in combination with morphine. Methods: 5 healthy adult horses. Methods: Horses were treated with MNTX (1 mg/kg, IV), and serial blood samples were collected for determination of drug pharmacokinetics. For evaluation of effects on the gastrointestinal tract when administered alone, MNTX was administered at a dosage of 0.75 mg/kg, IV, twice daily for 4 days. For evaluation of effects when administered concurrently with morphin...
Natalini CC, Polydoro Ada S, Linardi RL.To evaluate the effects of subarachnoidally administered hyperbaric morphine, buprenorphine, and methadone on avoidance threshold to noxious electrical stimulation of the perineal, sacral, lumbar, and thoracic regions in horses. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: Horses were assigned to receive subarachnoid administration of hyperbaric morphine (0.01 mg/kg), buprenorphine (0.001 mg/kg), methadone (0.01 mg/kg), or 10% dextrose solution in equal volumes (5 mL). Electrical stimulation was applied every 10 minutes for 60 minutes and every 30 minutes for 120 minutes after subarachnoid inject...
Rohrbach BW, Buchanan BR, Drake JM, Andrews FM, Bain FT, Byars DT, Bernard WV, Furr MO, Paradis MR, Lawler J, Giguère S, Dunkel B.To create a mathematical model to assist in early prediction of the probability of discharge in hospitalized foals < or= 7 days old. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 1,073 foals. Methods: Medical records from 910 hospitalized foals < or = 7 days old for which outcome was recorded as died or discharged alive were reviewed. Thirty-four variables including historical information, physical examination findings, and laboratory results were examined for association with survival. Variables associated with being discharged alive were entered into a multivariable logistic regression model. A...
Okano S, Hurley DJ, Vandenplas ML, Moore JN.To determine the effect of fetal bovine serum (FBS) and heat-inactivated FBS (HI-FBS) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and zymosan-induced procoagulant activity of equine and canine mononuclear cells. Methods: Mononuclear cells from 18 horses and 3 dogs. Methods: Cells were incubated with various concentrations of FBS, HI-FBS, LPS, zymosan, polymyxin B, and anti-LPS-binding protein monoclonal antibody or combinations of these constituents. A 1 stage recalcification assay was used to determine procoagulant activity. Results: Addition of FBS to media significantly increased procoagulant activity; eq...
Kurth A, Skilling DE, Smith AW.To test horses for serologic evidence of an association between vesiviral antibodies and abortion. Methods: Sera from 141 horses. Methods: 2 experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 comprised sera obtained in 2001 and 2002 from 3 groups of horses (58 mares from farms with a history of abortion problems, 25 mares between 3 and 13 years of age with unknown reproductive histories that were sold at auction [breeding-age control mares], and 29 mixed-age males and yearling females sold at auction [negative control population]). Experiment 2 comprised sera from 3 groups of pregnant mares (10 pregnant...
Veronesi MC, Carluccio A, Kindahl H, Faustini M, Battocchio M, Cairoli F.The aim of the present study was to evaluate within 24 h post-ovulation oxytocin-induced PGF(2alpha) release in mares with and without post-breeding delayed uterine clearance (DUC). Twenty-one of 34 mares with a variable amount of intrauterine fluids accumulation were considered to be affected by delayed uterine clearance (DUC group), while the other 13 mares did not show any uterine fluid accumulation, and were considered as controls (WDUC group). Both DUC and WDUC mares were administered with 20 IU oxytocin i.m. 90 min after the ultrasound examination performed 24 h after breeding. Immediate...
Kim YK, Noh KB, Han CS, Moon JY, Yoon DK, Song KJ, Kim DJ, Kubera M, Maes M, Song JW.Borna disease virus (BDV) predominantly infects horses and sheep, causing a broad range of behavioural disorders. It is controversial whether BDV infects humans and causes psychiatric disorders. Objective: We searched for BDV-derived nucleic acids in blood of race horses and jockeys riding the horses. Methods: We assayed for the BDV genome in RNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 39 race horses and 48 jockeys. Two polymerase chain reaction protocols [one-tube reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and two-step RT-PCR] were used to assay BDV p24 and p...
Long MT, Jeter W, Hernandez J, Sellon DC, Gosche D, Gillis K, Bille E, Gibbs EP.The objectives of these studies were to assess the diagnostic performance (sensitivity and specificity) of the IgM capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA; MAC) for diagnosis of West Nile (WN) virus in horses and to examine the performance of this test by using different criteria for seropositivity. A total of 36 horses classified as WN virus infected (group 1) and 383 horses from 4 subpopulations of hoses classified as noninfected (groups 2, 3, 4, and 5) were used in the study. The sensitivity (proportion of infected horses that tested positive for WN virus IgM antibodies) and specif...
Segura D, Monreal L, Pérez-Pujol S, Pino M, Ordinas A, Brugués R, White JG, Escolar G.We studied equine platelet function and activation using ultrastructural examination, flow cytometry, and perfusion. The main aim of the study was to evaluate hemostatic mechanisms in horses using these techniques. Ultrastructural observations were done on resting and activated platelets. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate binding of antibodies to major platelet glycoproteins (GPIIb-IIIa, GPIV, and GPIb) and activation-dependent antigens (P-selectin and lysosomal integral membrane protein [LIMP]). Perfusion techniques were used to evaluate the interaction between platelets and damaged subendo...
Goehring LS, van Winden SC, van Maanen C, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.Equine herpesvirus type 1(EHV-1)-associated myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a rare disease affecting the central nervous system and, in particular, the spinal cord of horses. Epidemiologic data are limited, and usually are restricted to the description of a single outbreak. During an observational period of 4 years, we evaluated 9 outbreaks of EHM in The Netherlands. A risk factor analysis was done on the data from 6 outbreaks. Findings were: regular appearance of EHM outbreaks in The Netherlands (2-3/y); strong association of EHM with season; and risk factors, such as breed, sex, age, and fever....
Hinrichs K, Choi YH, Love CC, Chung YG, Varner DD.We evaluated the effects of different donor cell treatments and activation methods on production of blastocysts after equine nuclear transfer. Nuclear transfer was performed by direct injection of donor cells, using a piezo drill, and standard activation was by injection of sperm factor followed by culture with 6-dimethylaminopurine. There was no difference in blastocyst development between embryos produced with roscovitine-treated or confluent donor cells (3.6% for either treatment). Addition of injection of roscovitine or culture with cycloheximide at the time of activation did not affect bl...
Rathi R, Honaramooz A, Zeng W, Turner R, Dobrinski I.Grafting of testis tissue from immature animals to immunodeficient mice results in complete spermatogenesis, albeit with varying efficiency in different species. The objectives of this study were to investigate if grafting of horse testis tissue would result in spermatogenesis, and to assess the effect of exogenous gonadotropins on xenograft development. Small fragments of testis tissue from 7 colts (2 week to 4 years of age) were grafted under the back skin of castrated male immunodeficient mice. For 2 donor animals, half of the mice were treated with gonadotropins. Xenografts were analyzed a...
MacLean YT.An 11-year-old Trakehner mare was presented with a firm moveable mass over the left maxilla. Radiography revealed a discrete opaque ovoid mass. Sialolithiasis of left parotid duct was diagnosed. The sialolith was excised by using a transoral approach and found to contain an organic nidus. The mare recovered without complications. Sialolithiase chronique chez une jument Trakehner. Une jument Trakehner âgée de 11 ans a été présentée pour une masse mobile ferme au dessus du maxillaire gauche. La radiographie a révélé une masse ovoïde opaque et discrète. Une sialolithiase du canal parot...
Hollis AR, Ousey JC, Palmer L, Stoneham SJ, Corley KT.Fenoldopam mesylate, a dopamine-1 receptor agonist, has dose- and species-dependent effects on hemodynamics and renal function. The effects of this drug in normotensive neonatal foals have not been reported. Objective: Two doses of fenoldopam would result in distinct changes in the systemic circulation, urine output, and creatinine clearance of neonatal foals. Methods: Six Thoroughbred foals. Methods: Each foal received 2 dosages of fenoldopam (low dose, 0.04 microg/kg/min; high dose, 0.4 microg/kg/min) and a control administration of saline, in a masked, placebo-controlled study. Results: Hig...
Peek SF, Semrad S, McGuirk SM, Riseberg A, Slack JA, Marques F, Coombs D, Lien L, Keuler N, Darien BJ.This prospective study compared survival rates of critically ill and septic foals receiving 1 of 2 different types of commercial equine plasma and analyzed admission variables as possible predictors of survival. Standardized clinical, hematologic, biochemical, and hemostatic admission data were collected and foals received either conventional commercially available hyperimmune equine plasma or equine plasma specifically rich in antiendotoxin antibodies in a double-blinded, coded fashion. Sepsis was defined as true bacteremia or sepsis score >11. Overall survival rate to discharge was 72% (4...
Martins EA, Silva LC, Baccarin RY.The objective of this study was to evaluate, through ultrasonography, the effect of medial patellar desmotomy. Middle patellar desmitis, enthesophytes in the patella, and irregularities in the cartilage of the femoral trochlear groove were observed. Medial patellar desmotomy leads to lesions in the stifle, and restriction of movement does not prevent these lesions from occurring. L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer, par échographie, l’effet d’une desmotomie du ligament médial de la rotule. Une desmite du ligament médial de la rotule, des enthésophytes dans la rotule et de...
Dockalova H, Zeman L, Baholet D, Batik A, Skalickova S, Horky P.Milk thistle seeds contain a mixture of flavonoids known as silymarin, which consists of silybin, isosilybin, silychristine, and silydianin. Until now, there has been no evidence of monitoring the digestibility of silymarin complex in horses. The aim of the research was to evaluate the digestibility of silymarin complex and the effect of nutrient digestibility in horses. Different daily feed doses (FD) of milk thistle expeller (0 g, 100 g, 200 g, 400 g, 700 g) were administered to five mares kept under the same conditions and at the same feed rations. Digestibility of silymarin complex was mon...
Boakari YL, El-Sheikh Ali H, Schnobrich M, Lofrumento K, Scoggin C, Bradecamp E, Scoggin K, Esteller-Vico A, Claes A, Lawrence L, Ball B.High blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration is linked to low fertility in cows and ewes; however, this relationship has not been reported in mares. The study characterized the relationship between BUN and follicular fluid urea nitrogen (FUN) during follicle growth (Experiment 1) and the impact of BUN from embryo donors on the pregnancy outcome of recipient mares (Experiment 2). In experiment one, follicular fluid and blood samples were collected from mares during diestrus with growing follicles and during estrus with pre-ovulatory follicles (n = 16 and 10 mares, respectively). In experiment...
Willoughby RA, Ecker GL, McKee SL, Riddolls LJ.Mucociliary clearance rates from the trachea were determined in normal, sedated, diseased and exercised horses from scintigraphs obtained after an injection of technetium-99m sulphide colloid into the tracheal lumen. The group mean tracheal clearance rate of eight clinically normal horses during 42 trials was 2.06 +/- 0.38 cm/min. Significant between horse differences were found (p less than 0.05). When six and seven of these horses were given xylazine and detomidine hydrochloride, respectively, mean group tracheal clearance rates dropped significantly (p less than 0.05). The decreases from ea...
Murray RC, Debowes RM, Gaughan EM, Bramlage LR.Closed fractures of the proximal aspect of the ulna were repaired in 10 horses younger than or equal to 6 months of age by application of a hook plate using a tension band principle. Ulnar fractures were classified as type 1A (2 horses), type 1B (4 horses), type 2 (1 horse), type 3 (1 horse), and type 4 (2 horses); all fractures had displacement of a proximal fragment. Complications were implant deformation (4 horses), screw pullout (1 horse), osseous sequestration (1 horse), ulnar fracture through a hole used to apply a tension device (1 horse), and metacarpophalangeal deformity associated wi...
Fintl C, Pearson GT, Ricketts SW, Mayhew IG, Hudson NP.This study set out to determine the pattern of development and distribution of the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in the intestinal tract of the equine fetus and neonate. Intestinal tissue samples from 12 naturally aborted equine fetuses and three euthanized neonates were collected and fixed in formalin prior to applying standard immunohistochemical labelling techniques targeting the c-Kit protein of the ICC. At 6 months of gestation, a network of ICC was present in the myenteric plexus region of both the small and the large intestine. ICC were also present within the circular muscle layer....
Piličiauskienė G, Kurila L, Ežerinskis Ž, Šapolaitė J, Garbaras A, Zagurskytė A, Micelicaitė V.The tradition of burying horses in Lithuania lasted from the Early Roman period until the late 14th C AD. It was the longest-lasting custom in Europe, which has left about 2000 known horse burials. This paper publishes the osteometric data and age of horses found in Lithuanian cemeteries and castles of the 3rd-14th C AD, over 200 individuals in total. These are the remains of all the horses still stored in Lithuanian institutions. The paper discusses the dynamics of horse body size in order to test previously suggested hypotheses regarding the relationship between large horse body size and its...
Safir JM, Loy RG, Fitzgerald BP.To investigate the hypothesis that the onset of the breeding season in the mare may be due to a daylength-induced seasonal increase in LHRH pulse frequency, 5 mares were immunized against LHRH. Beginning 1 December, 5 immunized and 5 untreated control mares were exposed to an abrupt, artificial increase in daylength (16L:8D) to advance the onset of the breeding season. In control mares ovulation occurred 49.6 +/- 3.5 (s.e.m.) days later (18 January), whereas in 3/5 immunized mares ovulation had not occurred by 1 April. In the remaining 2 mares, although ovulation occurred once (Mare 79) or twi...
Dobiáš R, Jahn P, Tóthová K, Dobešová O, Višňovská D, Patil R, Škríba A, Jaworská P, Škorič M, Podojil L, Kantorová M, Mrázek J....Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) may be a rare cause of granulomatous pneumonia in horses. The mortality of IPA is almost 100%; direct diagnostic tools in horses are needed. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum samples were collected from 18 horses, including individuals suffering from IPA (n = 1), equine asthma (EA, n = 12), and 5 healthy controls. Serum samples were collected from another 6 healthy controls. Samples of BALF (n = 18) were analyzed for spp. DNA, fungal galactomannan (GM), ferricrocin (Fc), triacetylfusarinin C (TafC), and gliotoxin (Gtx). Analysis of 24 serum s...
Ziegler A, Olzhausen J, Hamza E, Stojiljkovic A, Stoffel MH, Garbani M, Rhyner C, Marti E.Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) constitutes the only curative approach for allergy treatment. There is need for improvement of AIT in veterinary medicine, such as in horses suffering from insect bite hypersensitivity, an IgE-mediated dermatitis to Culicoides. Dendritic cell (DC)-targeting represents an efficient method to increase antigen immunogenicity. It is studied primarily for its use in improvement of cancer therapy and vaccines, but may also be useful for improving AIT efficacy. Immunomodulators, like the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) agonist monophosphoryl lipid-A (MPLA) has been ...
Moll HD, Slone DE, Juzwiak JS, Garrett PD.A diagonal paramedian approach to the abdomen was used for unilateral ovariectomy in 15 mares. In each case, surgery was performed for removal of a granulosa cell tumor. All horses recovered from surgery with minimal complications. Surgical exposure of the affected ovary was adequate to allow exteriorization and ligation. Other advantages of this approach were ease of closure and lack of postsurgical complications.
Ostevik L, de Souza GA, Wien TN, Gunnes G, Sørby R.Two horses with chronic uveitis and histological lesions consistent with equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) were examined. Microscopical findings in the ciliary body included deposits of amyloid lining the non-pigmented epithelium, intracytoplasmic, rod-shaped, eosinophilic inclusions and intraepithelial infiltration of T lymphocytes. Ultrastructural examination of the ciliary body of one horse confirmed the presence of abundant extracellular deposits of non-branching fibrils (9-11 nm in diameter) consistent with amyloid. Immunohistochemistry revealed strong positive labelling for AA amyloid and m...
Gregg AJ, Schenkel AR.Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM, CD31) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1, CD106) are essential for leukocyte emigration and diapedesis. PECAM is an essential histologic marker of endothelial cells; VCAM-1 is a prototype marker for endothelial cell activation. In this study, equine PECAM and VCAM mRNA were cloned and sequenced. Both genes are highly conserved amongst several species. This study also revealed conserved structural and regulatory motifs, emphasizing the importance of these genes' physiological roles in immunological responses.
Welch RD, DeBowes RM, Liepold HW.To evaluate the effects of intra-articular injection of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) on normal equine articular structures, 7 adult horses with clinically normal carpi were allotted to 2 treatment groups (group A, n = 4; group B, n = 3). In each horse after collection of synovial fluid samples, the right antebrachial carpal and middle carpal joints were aseptically injected with 2 ml of a 40% solution of 90% medical grade DMSO in lactated Ringer solution, and the corresponding joints of the left forelimb (controls) were injected with 2 ml of lactated Ringer solution. In group-A horses, 2 ml of syn...
Paraschou G, Vogel PE, Lee AM, Trawford RF, Priestnall SL.Multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease (MEED) is a rare condition of equids characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of multiple organs. Clinical signs are variable depending on the affected organs. The most common clinical signs include chronic weight loss, diarrhoea and exfoliative dermatitis. Respiratory distress and raised liver enzymes are less frequently seen. The cause is unknown and the pathogenesis is poorly understood. There are less than 50 reported cases of horses with MEED. We now document the lesions in three donkeys with fluctuating or chronic loss of weight, letha...
Greet TR.Radiological features of the oesophagus of 7 normal horses and 13 with oesophageal lesions are described. The use of barium sulphate as a contrast agent and the techniqes of its administration are discussed. It is suggested that chronic intermittent oesophageal impaction with food material was a predisposing factor in the development of a localised oesophageal dilation in 3 horses and that one other probably resulted from an injury. A similar dilatation was seen which resulted from oesophageal constriction by a vascular ring. Megaoesophagus was seen in 2 ponies associated with grass sickness a...
Blaga R, Cretu CM, Gherman C, Draghici A, Pozio E, Noeckler K, Kapel CM, Dida I, Cozma V, Boireau P.Herbivorous animals are usually, by virtue of their diet, outside the major transmission cycles of Trichinella spp. However, since 1975, the year of the first report of human trichinellosis caused by the consumption of infected horse meat, the domestic horse has appeared as a novel vector of Trichinella spp. infection to humans, with 15 outbreaks documented in France and Italy. Romania, one of the main countries exporting horses into the European Union (EU), experienced a dramatic increase of Trichinella spp. infection in both domestic pigs and humans in the 1990s. Some Trichinella spiralis-in...
Oleksiewicz MB, Snijder EJ, Normann P.A putative zinc finger (ZF) domain in the Equine arteritis virus (EAV) nsp1 protein was described recently to be required for viral transcription. The nsp1 ZF (50 aa) was expressed on the surface of M13KE gIII phage, fused to the N terminus of the phage pIII protein. To evaluate the functionality of the ZF domain, a binding assay was developed, based on the use of immobilized Ni(2+) ions (Ni-NTA). Phages displaying ZF bound significantly better to Ni-NTA than did phages displaying negative-control peptides, which also contained metal-coordinating residues. Also, binding of ZF-displaying phages...
Powell DG, David JS, Frank CJ.This report contains details of the code of practice for the control of contagious equine metritis (CEM) during the 1979 breeding season. It was prepared under the guidance of a scientific committee established by the Horserace Betting Levy Board under the chairmanship of Sir David Evans, FRS. The code is similar to the one introduced for the 1978 breeding season but takes into account the experience gained during the past 12 months. Following discussions with colleagues in Ireland it has been agreed that a similar code of practice will be introduced in the United Kingdom and Ireland so as to ...
Miyamoto A, Kanda J, Nishio A.Transmural nerve stimulation (TNS) induced relaxations in porcine and bovine basilar arteries which were abolished by tetrodotoxin (TTX) and by L-nitro-arginine (LNAG). However, TNS induced contractions in equine basilar artery which were abolished by TTX and by guanethidine, but not by LNAG. These results suggest that the TNS-induced contractions of equine basilar arteries may be mediated by norepinephrine release.
Giorgi M, Cuniberti B, Ye G, Barbero R, Sgorbini M, Vercelli C, Corazza M, Re G.Tepoxalin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties and has been recently introduced into veterinary medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) profile of tepoxalin to assess whether it would be suitable for clinical use in horses. Six female fasting/fed horses were given 10mg/kg tepoxalin orally in a cross-over study. After administration, tepoxalin underwent rapid and extensive hydrolytic conversion to its carboxylic acid metabolite RWJ-20142. In animals that had been fed, the plasm...
Barrier-Battut I, Le Poutre N, Trocherie E, Hecht S, Grandchamp des Raux A, Nicaise JL, Vérin X, Bertrand J, Fiéni F, Hoier R, Renault A, Egron L....Inducing ovulation in a cyclic mare is often necessary. For this purpose, hCG has been used commonly, but the response can be reduced after successive administrations. The aims of this study were to test the effectiveness of buserelin in hastening ovulation in estrus mares, and its influence on fertility; and to investigate the effect of treatment on LH secretion. Five crossover trials were designed to compare the effect of two treatments: buserelin (40 microg in 4 doses i.v. at 12 h intervals) vs placebo (Experiments 1 and 2); buserelin 40 microg (in 4 doses i.v.) vs 20 microg (Experiment 3);...
McNaughten J, Pozor M, Macpherson M, Kelleman A, Woodward E, Troedsson M.Mares who have not delivered a foal early in life may experience limitations in cervical relaxation, primarily during oestrus. A closed cervix prevents intrauterine deposition of semen during natural breeding, may delay uterine clearance after insemination leading to intrauterine fluid accumulation in, and subsequent infertility. Therefore, a reliable pharmacological method of dilating the equine cervix would have practical application in veterinary medicine. The goal of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of topically applied, synthetic prostaglandin E1 analogue (PGE1 ) for stimul...
Schatzmann U, Gugelmann M, Von Cranach J, Ludwig BM, Rehm WF.Carprofen, flunixin meglumine and placebo in the form of a physiological solution of sodium chloride were tested in an open randomised cross-over trial for analgesic efficacy in horses with two external skin-stimulation systems. Both systems, the withers model and the "heating element" model, were compared in order to find an optimal way to measure pain perception after stimulating the skin with high temperature. No analgesic effect of flunixin or carprofen could be demonstrated when using the withers model. In the "heating element" model, a 1.1 mg/kg i.v. dose of flunixin meglumine failed to ...
Machida N, Taniguchi T, Nakamura T, Kiryu K.Twenty-five aborted equine fetuses infected with equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) were examined cardio-histopathologically. The main changes in the heart consisted of interstitial myocarditis and intramyocardial vascular lesions accompanied by degeneration and necrosis of the cardiac myocytes. Vascular pathology of intramyocardial small arteries and arterioles was characterized by endothelial cell necrosis and fibrinoid changes in the media. Eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies characteristic of herpesvirus infection were detected in the myocardial cells and macrophages within and around the ...
Parente EJ, Richardson DW, Spencer P.Medical records of 57 horses admitted between 1980 and 1991 because of basal sesamoidean fractures were evaluated. Radiographic measurements of fragment size and fracture characteristics were recorded to determine their relationship to outcome. A successful outcome was assessed on the basis of the ability to return to racing, ability to race more than one time, and ability to finish first, second, or third. Any change in racing class also was assessed. There was a significant (P < 0.001) overrepresentation of Thoroughbreds, compared with other breeds in the hospital population. Fractures of...
