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.
Larsson P, Persson E, Tydén E, Tjälve H.Horses may be exposed to aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) via inhalation of mouldy dust, leading to high exposure of olfactory and respiratory tissues. In the present study the metabolic activation of AFB(1) was examined in olfactory and respiratory tissues in horse. The results showed covalent binding of AFB(1)-metabolites in sustentacular cells and cells of Bowman's glands in the olfactory mucosa, in some cells of the surface epithelium of nasal respiratory, tracheal, bronchial and bronchiolar mucosa and in some glands in these areas. Immunohistochemistry revealed that cells expressing proteins react...
Jones SL, Davis J, Rowlingson K.To determine whether ultrasonography would be useful in the diagnosis of right dorsal colitis in horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 5 horses with right dorsal colitis and 15 healthy adult horses. Methods: Mural thickness and appearance of the right dorsal colon were determined from ultrasonographic images obtained at right intercostal spaces 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14. Results: The right dorsal colon could be imaged most consistently at the right 11th, 12th, and 13th intercostal spaces, below the margin of the lung and axial to the liver. Mural thickness measured from ultrasonographic ...
de Bruijn CM, Wensing T, van Nieuwstadt RA.The glutaraldehyde coagulation test is a semi-quantitative test used to determine the gammaglobulin concentration in serum. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of the different modifications of this test by determining the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and the prevalence of hypogammaglobulinemia in foals. The results of the glutaraldehyde coagulation test were compared with the serum gammaglobulin concentration as a reference value, determined by measuring total serum protein and the serum protein spectrum. It was concluded that the glut...
Lapointe JM, Céleste C, Villeneuve A.An adult quarter horse mare was presented with acute colic and fever. Physical examination and abdominocentesis showed septic peritonitis, and the mare was euthanatized. Necropsy and histopathologic examination revealed a focal partial perforation of the right ventral colon, which contained a single bot fly larva, identified as a third-instar larva of Gasterophilus intestinalis. This larva was embedded deep within the muscularis and the submucosa. Although bot fly larvae are known to attach to aberrant sites within the digestive tract, this is the first known report of deep penetration of the ...
Daly K, Shirazi-Beechey SP.Nine oligonucleotide probes complementary to conserved regions of small subunit rRNA from phylogenetically defined clusters of intestinal anaerobic bacteria were designed and evaluated for use in quantitative analysis of intestinal microflora. Optimum wash temperatures (T(w)) were determined according to the temperature of dissociation (T(d)) of each probe and target group specificity was demonstrated by comparing hybridisation to target and non-target rRNA immobilised on nylon membranes. Three probes are targeted to phylogenetic clusters of Clostridiaceae, clusters III, IV and IX, with three ...
Tomlinson JE, Redding WR, Berry C, Smallwood JE.The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed computed tomographic (CT) anatomic reference for the equine tarsus. CT examinations of the tarsal regions from four clinically and radiographically normal adult horses, which were euthanized for reasons not related to musculoskeletal disease, were included in the study. Limbs were removed at the level of midtibia, and 3-mm contiguous transverse CT images were obtained, starting at a level proximal to the tuber calcanei and continuing distally into the proximal metatarsus. Soft tissue and bone windows were used to image different anatomic feat...
Criado-Fornelio A, Martinez-Marcos A, Buling-Saraña A, Barba-Carretero JC.Molecular epizootiology of piroplasmids (Babesia spp., Theileria spp.) and Hepatozoon canis was studied in mammals from southern Europe (mainly from Spain, but also from Portugal and France). Partial amplification and sequencing of the 18s rRNA gene was used for molecular diagnosis. In some particular cases (B. ovis and B. bovis) the complete 18s rRNA gene was sequenced. Blood samples were taken from domestic animals showing clinical symptoms: 10 dogs, 10 horses, 10 cows, 9 sheep and 1 goat. In addition, DNA samples were isolated from blood of 12 healthy dogs and from spleen of 10 wild red fox...
Weese JS, Anderson ME, Lowe A, Monteith GJ.This study was designed to evaluate whether Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG (LGG), an extensively studied probiotic organism in humans, can colonize the intestines of adult horses and foals. Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG was administered to adult horses at doses of 1 x 10(9) CFU/50kg bodyweight (BW)/day (group 1, 7 horses), 1 x 10(10) colony forming units/ 50kg BW/day (group 2, 7 horses) and 5 x 10(10) colony forming units/50kg BW/day (group 3, 7 horses) for 5 d. Foals received 2 x 10(10) colony forming units/50kg BW/day (group 1, 7 foals) or 1 x 10(11) colony forming units/50kg BW/day (...
van Maanen C, van Essen GJ, Minke J, Daly JM, Yates PJ.An outbreak of equine influenza H3N8 in a riding school is described retrospectively with emphasis on diagnosis and putative vaccine failure. In March 1995 an outbreak of equine influenza occurred among 11 horses in a riding school, where most horses had received basic primary immunizations and several booster vaccinations against influenza. Six of the 11 diseased horses had received their last booster vaccination within 5 months of the outbreak. Nevertheless, the influenza infection spread rapidly and clinical manifestations were prominent with frequent, harsh, dry coughing often accompanied ...
Franz LC, Choi YH, Squires EL, Seidel GE, Hinrichs K.This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of roscovitine on suppression of meiosis, subsequent meiotic maturation, and cleavage rates after intracytoplasmic sperm injection of horse oocytes. Oocytes were classified as having compact or expanded cumuli (Com or Exp oocytes) and were divided into three culture groups: 30 h culture in maturation medium (30 h Mat); 54 h culture in maturation medium (54 h Mat), or 24 h culture in medium containing 66 micro mol roscovitine l(-1) and then 30 h culture in maturation medium (Ros+M). After maturation, oocytes were subjected to intracytoplasmic spe...
Donadeu FX, Ginther OJ.Follicle growth and associated changes in circulating hormone concentrations were evaluated after follicle ablation in mares (n = 13) during four 13 day periods beginning at means of -98.5, -61.4, -26.0 and 10 days from the first ovulation and corresponding to mid-anovulatory, early-transitional, late-transitional and ovulatory periods, respectively. During each period, all follicles > 5 mm in diameter were ablated (day 0) followed by no subsequent ablations (all-follicle group) or the ablation of all follicles > 5 mm when a new follicle reached > 10 mm (0-follicle group). A follicula...
Illera JC, Silván G, Munro CJ, Lorenzo PL, Illera MJ, Liu IK, Illera M.An amplified enzymeimmunoassay (EIA) was validated for androstenedione in the serum of male horses. We will use the assay as a tool for the diagnosis of equine cryptorchidism. We will compare androstenedione EIA to the currently used methods (testosterone and estrone sulphate determinations). The study was conducted on 115 horses of pure Spanish and Arabian breeds, that included 30 geldings, 60 bilateral cryptorchids and 25 stallions. Androstenedione standard curve covered a range between 0 and 1 ng per well. Low detection limit was 1.54 pg/ml. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation ...
Jacks SS, Giguère S, Nguyen A.The objective of this study was to determine in vitro activities of azithromycin (AZM), clarithromycin (CLR), and 20 other antimicrobial agents against Rhodococcus equi and other common equine bacterial pathogens. A total of 201 bacterial isolates from various equine clinical samples were examined. CLR was more active than AZM against R. equi, with MICs at which 90% of the isolates were inhibited of 0.12 and 1.0 micro g/ml, respectively. Other antimicrobial agents highly active against at least 90% of R. equi isolates in vitro included rifampin, gentamicin, and imipenem. Both AZM and CLR showe...
Hiller LP, Stover SM, Gibson VA, Gibeling JC, Prater CS, Hazelwood SJ, Yeh OC, Martin RB.An important concept in bone mechanics is that osteons influence mechanical properties in several ways, including contributing to toughness and fatigue strength by debonding from the interstitial matrix so as to "bridge" developing cracks. Observations of "pulled out" osteons on fracture surfaces are thought to be indicative of such behavior. We tested the hypothesis that osteon pullout varies with mode of loading (fatigue vs. monotonic), cortical region, elastic modulus, and fatigue life. Mid-diaphseal beams from the dorsal, medial, and lateral regions of the equine third metacarpal bone were...
Fitzgerald BP, Reedy SE, Sessions DR, Powell DM, McManus CJ.The seasonal nature of reproductive activity in mares is widely accepted and considerable attention has focused on the mechanisms that lead to the initiation of the breeding season. In contrast, considerably less information is available about the termination of the breeding season. It is interesting to note that each winter a sub-population of mares continues to undergo oestrous cyclicity during the non-breeding season. Continuation of reproductive activity during the winter occurs most frequently in mares that maintain a non-pregnant condition in successive years. The maintenance of a non-pr...
Nadeau JA, Andrews FM, Patton CS, Argenzio RA, Mathew AG, Saxton AM.To identify the pathogenesis of gastric ulcers by comparing injury to the nonglandular gastric mucosa of horses caused by hydrochloric acid (HCl) or volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Methods: Gastric tissues from 30 horses. Methods: Nonglandular gastric mucosa was studied by use of Ussing chambers. Short-circuit current (Isc) and potential difference were measured and electrical resistance calculated for tissues after addition of HCl and VFAs to normal Ringer's solution (NRS). Tissues were examined histologically. Results: Mucosa exposed to HCl in NRS (pH, 1.5) had a significant decrease in Isc, co...
López-Sanromán FJ, Cruz JM, Santos M, Mazzini RA, Tabanera A, Tendillo FJ.To evaluate the local analgesic effect of ketamine in a palmar digital nerve block at the base of the proximal sesamoid (abaxial sesamoid block) in horses. Methods: 36 mature healthy Andalusian horses. Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to 4 groups of 9 horses each and received an abaxial sesamoid block in a randomly chosen forelimb with 1 of the following: saline (0.9% NaCl) solution, 1% ketamine solution, 2% ketamine solution, or 3% ketamine solution. To determine analgesia, the radiant heat lamp-hoof withdrawal model was used as a noxious thermal stimulus. Before each nerve block, basel...
Ousey JC, Forhead AJ, Rossdale PD, Grainger L, Houghton E, Fowden AL.In pregnant mares during late gestation, little, if any, progesterone (P4) is found in the maternal circulation. Hence, quiescence of the equine uterus is believed to be maintained by metabolites of pregnenolone and P4 known as progestagens, which are produced by the uteroplacental tissues. However, little is known about the ontogeny, distribution, or actual rates of uteroplacental progestagen production in pregnant mares and their fetuses during the second half of pregnancy. Therefore, the present study measured the rates of uteroplacental uptake and output of eight specific progestagens in c...
Kent RJ, Lacer LD, Meisch MV.Migratory birds could introduce West Nile (WN) virus to Arkansas. The purpose of this study was to establish a cooperative arbovirus surveillance program to monitor mosquitoes and birds in Arkansas for arboviruses. Our objectives were to: 1) perform routine, multicounty collections of mosquitoes and test them for eastern equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, and WN viruses; and 2) conduct passive surveillance by testing dead wild birds for WN virus. Arbovirus surveillance was organized by the Arkansas Department of Health, University of Arkansas, and Vector Disease Control Incorporated....
Nadeau JA, Andrews FM, Patton CS, Argenzio RA, Mathew AG, Saxton AM.To identify in vitro effects of hydrochloric acid, valeric acid, and other volatile fatty acids (VFAs) on the pathogenesis of ulcers in the nonglandular portion of the equine stomach. Methods: Gastric tissues from 13 adult horses. Methods: Nonglandular gastric mucosa was studied by use of Ussing chambers. Short-circuit current (Isc) and potential difference were measured and electrical resistance and conductance calculated after tissues were bathed in normal Ringer's solution (NRS) or NRS and hydrochloric, valeric, acetic, propionic, and butyric acids. Treated tissues were examined histologica...
Potgieter AC, Cloete M, Pretorius PJ, van Dijk AA.The outer capsid protein VP2 of African horsesickness virus (AHSV) is a major protective antigen. We have cloned full-length VP2 genes from the reference strains of each of the nine AHSV serotypes. Baculovirus recombinants expressing the cloned VP2 genes of serotypes 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8 were constructed, confirming that they all have full open reading frames. This work completes the cloning and expression of the first full set of AHSV VP2 genes. The clones of VP2 genes of serotypes 1, 2, 5, 7 and 8 were sequenced and their amino acid sequences were deduced. Our sequencing data, together with t...
Bueno AC, Galuppo LD, Taylor KT, Jensen DG, Stover SM.To compare the mechanical shear strengths and stiffnesses obtained from in vitro testing of a simulated complete third carpal bone (C3) frontal plane radial facet slab fracture (osteotomy) stabilized with either a 4/5 Acutrak (AT) compression screw or a 4.5-mm AO cortical bone (AO) screw inserted in lag fashion. Drilling, tapping, and screw insertion torques, forces, and times also were compared between AT and AO implants. Methods: In vitro biomechanical assessment of site preparation, screw insertion, and shear failure test variables of bone screw stabilized simulated C3 slab fracture in pair...
Elce YA, Ross MW, Davidson EJ, Tulleners EP.To describe the surgical technique, complications, and outcome of thyroidectomy in 6 horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Six horses, 10 to 22 years of age, with unilateral, rapidly enlarging thyroid masses. Methods: Medical records between 1985 and 2000 were reviewed for horses that had unilateral thyroidectomy. Retrieved data included signalment, physical, clinical, and ultrasonographic examination findings, surgical technique, complications, and outcome. A minimum of 6 months follow-up was obtained. Results: Six horses were identified. Three horses had tracheal compression and 2 o...
Szeredi L, Tenk M, Schiller I, Révész T.In six healthy mares and 24 mares showing reproductive disorders swab samples were taken from the fossa clitoridis to isolate Taylorella equigenitalis, and from the uterus to isolate mycoplasmas, ureaplasmas and other aerobic bacteria. Swab samples were also taken from the uterus for Chlamydia antigen ELISA and Chlamydia PCR studies. The uterus of 27 mares was examined cytologically, and biopsy samples were taken from the endometrium for histological examinations and for immunohistochemical examinations aimed at the detection of chlamydiae. T. equigenitalis, mycoplasmas, ureaplasmas and chlamy...
Gutierrez CV, Riddle WT, Bramlage LR.To determine whether serum thyroxine (T4) concentration was associated with pregnancy rates 15 to 16 days after ovulation in mares and to determine whether thyroid hormone supplementation would enhance fertility in mares. Methods: Cohort study. Methods: 329 clinically normal broodmares. Methods: Mares were examined 15 to 16 days after ovulation to determine whether they were pregnant; blood samples for determination of serum T4 concentration were collected at the same time. Sixty mares were receiving thyroid hormone supplementation prior to the study because of low serum T4 concentration (< 16...
Magdesian KG, Hirsh DC, Jang SS, Hansen LM, Madigan JE.To determine molecular characteristics of Clostridium difficile isolates from foals with diarrhea and identify clinical abnormalities in affected foals. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 28 foals with C difficile-associated diarrhea. Methods: Toxigenicity, molecular fingerprinting, and antibiotic susceptibility patterns were determined. Information on signalment, clinical findings, results of clinicopathologic testing, whether antimicrobials had been administered prior to development of diarrhea, and outcome was obtained from the medical records. Results: Twenty-three (82%) foals survived...
Heffron B, Taddei L, Benoit M, Negrusz A.The use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in racehorses is allowed under most jurisdictions. Furosemide is administered to treat exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. To help distinguish between therapeutic and illegal uses, racing regulatory bodies have set thresholds in serum for several drugs. The method for the simultaneous detection and quantification of furosemide, flunixin, ketoprofen, phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone using 500 µL of serum, and liquid extraction using diethyl ether : hexanes : dichloromethane followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry quantitati...
van der Zaag EJ, Rijkenhuizen AB, Kalsbeek HC, Peperkamp NH.An 11-year-old Arabian mare had sudden signs of colic 10 days post partum. Rectal examination revealed a large mass in the abdomen. The mare was successfully operated on for a granulosa cell tumour of 31.5 kg. The large abdominal wound healed by primary intention.
Gorman JK, Gabriel M, MacLachlan NJ, Nieto N, Foley J, Spier S.This pilot study evaluated protection of an equine autogenous bacterin-toxoid vaccine against Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection. Twenty-four BALB/c mice were inoculated with two doses of bacterin-toxoid vaccine or two injections of a placebo. Clinical, microbiologic, and pathologic outcomes were assessed after intradermal infection with one of two equine-origin C. pseudotuberculosis strains. Mice receiving bacterin-toxoid from fast-growing C. pseudotuberculosis showed significant protection from challenge infection, as evidenced by a higher survival rate, fewer gross and histopathol...
Waguespack RW, Taintor J.The paranasal sinus system of horses is complex, comprising six pairs of sinuses. Disease processes that can develop in the sinuses include ethmoid hematomas, cysts, neoplasia, and bacterial and fungal infections. Horses that develop paranasal sinus disease vary widely in age. A significant number of clinical conditions involving the paranasal sinuses require a combination of diagnostic tests to determine the specific pathologic process. Because of the anatomic location of the paranasal sinuses and associated chronic conditions that affect many patients, many disease processes involving the pa...
Furuoka H, Shirakawa T, Taniyama H, Ohishi H, Satoh H, Itakura C.Pancreatic tissue from 20 horses was examined using immunocytochemical techniques. In aged horses, neogenesis of endocrine cells, neoformation, and hyperplasia of islets occurred closely associated with the pancreatic duct; these changes were regarded as nesidioblastosis. In addition, pancreatic fibrosis accompanied by ductal proliferation and endocrine neogenesis was considered a regenerative change. Thus, the origin of neoformation in the endocrine pancreas was in the ductal system, and it is suggested that the pancreatic endocrine cells were of endodermal origin.
Floriano D, Watkins AR, Hopster K.To evaluate the efficacy of 2 different oxygen delivery strategies-intranasal and tracheal insufflation-on the inspired fraction of oxygen (FIO2) in standing horses and to determine the time needed for arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2) equilibration. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: In this blinded, randomized crossover design study, horses were randomly assigned to receive oxygen via nasal cannula (group N) or transcutaneous tracheal catheter (group T). After placement of venous and arterial catheters, FIO2 was measured through a catheter placed into the distal portion of the t...
Watanabe R, Huruta H, Ueno Y, Nukada T, Niwa H, Shinyashiki N, Kano R.Luliconazole (LCZ) is an imidazole antifungal medication that exhibits excellent activity against dermatophytes. As a topical cream and lotion (approved for human use), LCZ has demonstrated a broad spectrum of activity against human dermatophytoses. Objective: This is the first study to investigate the in vitro susceptibility of clinical isolates from horse dermatophytoses to LCZ. Methods: No animals were used in this study. Methods: In the present study, the in vitro susceptibilities of clinical isolates of dermatophytes to LCZ, clotrimazole (CTZ), miconazole (MCZ) and terbinafine (TRF) wer...
Hunt B, Lein DH, Foote RH.Plasma and milk progesterone concentrations in 13 mares were determined 3 times a week for 5 months, beginning at parturition. The estrous cycle was divided into 2 phases. Estrus was considered to occur when the plasma progesterone concentration was less than 1 ng/ml, with diestrus occurring when plasma progesterone content was greater than or equal to 1 ng/ml. Based on this classification, the period of estrus averaged 8.9 days, diestrus averaged 13.9 days, and the estrous cycle averaged 22.8 days. During estrus, the progesterone concentration in plasma averaged 0.4 ng/ml and in milk averaged...
Hubbell JA, Hinchcliff KW, Schmall LM, Muir WW, Robertson JT, Sams RA.To determine the anesthetic, cardiorespiratory, and metabolic effects of 4 IV anesthetic regimens in Thoroughbred horses recuperating from a brief period of maximal exercise. Methods: 6 adult Thoroughbreds. Methods: Horses were preconditioned by exercising them on a treadmill. Each horse ran 4 simulated races, with a minimum of 14 days between races. Races were run at a treadmill speed that caused horses to exercise at 120% of their maximal oxygen consumption. Horses ran until fatigued or for a maximum of 2 minutes. Two minutes after exercise, horses received a combination of xylazine hydrochl...
Flaminio MJ, Rush BR, Davis EG, Hennessy K, Shuman W, Wilkerson MJ.This paper describes a method for simultaneously measuring phagocytosis and oxidative burst activity in equine peripheral blood leukocytes by flow cytometry. Opsonized propidium iodide-labelled Staphylococcus aureus (PI-Sa) was used to measure the uptake of bacteria by equine phacocytes and the oxidative burst activity by oxidation of dihydrorhodamine 123. The requirements to achieve optimal activity of phagocytosis and oxidative burst are described. The advantage of the simultaneous technique is that it provides both independent and comparative values for phagocytosis and the oxidative burst,...
Roszkowska K, Witkowska-Pilaszewicz O, Przewozny M, Cywinska A.Whole body and partial body cryotherapies (WBC and PBC) have been successfully used in human medicine, and currently also are being proposed in veterinary practice.In horses, only the partial body cryotherapy provided in cryosauna is considered, due to the technical conditions. These therapies have been dedicated to human patients with rheumatic and inflammatory diseases as well as an assistance during training in athletes. The anti-inflammatory effects have been demonstrated clinically and indicated by the changes in several hematological and immunological parameters, however, various pattern...
The Journal of heredityNovember 1, 1976
Volume 67, Issue 6 361-367 doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a108753
Eldridge F, Blazak WF.Karyotypes of the horse with 64 chromosomes, the ass with 62 chromosomes, and the mule with 63 chromosomes are presented. The chromosome complements of each species and their mule hybrid are analyzed and compared.
Weld JM, Kamerling SG, Combie JD, Nugent TE, Woods WE, Oeltgen P, Tobin T.The effects of naloxone on the cardiovascular, hematologic and metabolic derangements associated with endotoxic and hemorrhagic shock were studied in unanesthetized horses. In the first of 3 experiments blood glucose and lactate levels, hematocrit, white, red and differential white cell counts, rectal temperature and clinical signs were obtained before and after endotoxin (10 micrograms/Kg) administration in 5 horses. In the second experiment, two groups of 3 horses received either intravenous naloxone (0.04 mg/Kg) or saline, 7 minutes prior to endotoxin. In a third experiment two groups of 4 ...
Smit IH, Hernlund E, Persson-Sjodin E, Björnsdóttir S, Gunnarsdottir H, Gunnarsson V, Rhodin M, Serra Braganca FM.Lameness assessment in the gaited Icelandic horse is complex. We aimed to describe their kinematic and temporal adaptation strategies in response to forelimb lameness at walk, trot and tölt. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Ten clinically non-lame Icelandic horses were measured before and after reversible forelimb lameness induction. Upper body and limb kinematics were measured using 11 inertial measurement units mounted on the poll, withers, pelvis (tubera sacrale) and all four limbs and hoofs (Equimoves®, 500 Hz). Horses were measured on a straight line at walk and trot in-hand and ...
Glade MJ, Krook L.Changes in the developing femoral epiphysis, especially those concerning the osteocytes, were examined in pony foals systemically treated with daily intramuscular injections of either 0.5 or 5.0 mg of dexamethasone per 100 kg bodyweight for either 3, 8 or 11 months. Midsagittal sections of proximal femur from animals treated for 3 months contained significantly more bone tissue subchondrally and epiphyseally than did sections from untreated ponies. Large portions of the bone tissue appeared necrotic, although osteoblasts and patent capillaries were abundant. After 8 months the bone sections re...
Morris ERA, Schroeder ME, Ferro PJ, Waller AS, McGlennon AA, Bustos CP, Gressler LT, Wu J, Lawhon SD, Boyle AG, Lingsweiler S, Paul N, Dimitrov K....Strangles is a contagious bacterial disease of horses caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (SEE) that occurs globally. Rapid and accurate identification of infected horses is essential for controlling strangles. Because of limitations of existing PCR assays for SEE, we sought to identify novel primers and probes that enable simultaneous detection and differentiation of infection with SEE and S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus (SEZ). Comparative genomics of U.S. strains of SEE and SEZ (n = 50 each) identified SE00768 from SEE and comB from SEZ as target genes. Primers and probes for real-ti...
Gaynor JS, Hubbell JA.Local and regional anesthetic techniques are useful tools for the equine practitioner. These techniques allow surgery to be performed without the risk and cost of general anesthesia. There are, however, risks associated with the local and regional techniques. Neurotoxicity, although rare, may occur when 200 mL or more of a local anesthetic are infiltrated in a short period of time to a 450-kg horse. More likely, horses may become ataxic after nerve blockade in the limbs. This ataxia may lead to self trauma because the horse may not know where the limbs are actually being placed. Although local...
Rabba S, Petrucci V, Petrizzi L, Giommi DW, Busoni V.Information concerning B-mode ultrasonographic abnormalities and power Doppler (PD) signal in suspensory ligament branches of nonlame working Quarter Horses are not reported. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of B-mode ultrasonographic abnormalities and PD signal in suspensory ligament branches in a group of nonlame working Quarter Horses and to compare B-mode findings with PD findings of horses in two different training (barrel racing and team roping). Twenty-one Quarter Horses in training, 14 barrel racing (Group B) and seven team roping horses (Group R), were assesse...
Donaldson MC, Holter AM, Neuhoff S, Arnosky JA, Simpson BW, Vernon K, Blob RW, DesJardins JD.Although horseback riding is a well-established means of rehabilitation therapy for a variety of human patients, there are few data on the biomechanical relationships between horse and rider during such hippotherapy. We simultaneously tracked the movements of a horse with several different novice riders, under conditions similar to hippotherapy, to evaluate whether horses pass the same motion to different riders while being lead at a walk. Riders were outfitted with a goniometric data collection system that recorded the angles of flexion and extension and lateral bending of the thoracic and lu...
Goulden BE, Anderson LJ.Some clinical features of laryngeal hemiplegia in 127 horses are described. Possible aetiologic factors were found in only 11% of affected animals. The onset of clinical signs was either sudden or insidious. The majority of cases were presented because of an abnormal respiratory noise made at exercise. Other clinical signs, particularly those usually attributed to laryngopalatal dislocation, were observed in a substantial proportion of affected animals. In all cases surveyed the left arytenoid was affected, although in 3 animals a bilateral laryngeal dysfunction was noted. Thirty of 65 animals...
Aoki M, Wakuno A, Kushiro A, Mae N, Kakizaki M, Nagata SI, Ohta M.Anesthetic and cardiorespiratory effects of total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) technique using propofol-guaifenesin-medetomidine (PGM) and alfaxalone-guaifenesin-medetomidine (AGM) were preliminarily evaluated in Thoroughbred horses undergoing castration. Twelve male Thoroughbred horses were assigned randomly into two groups. After premedication with intravenous (IV) administrations of medetomidine (5.0 µg/kg) and butorphanol (0.02 mg/kg), anesthesia was induced with guaifenesin (10 mg/kg IV), followed by either propofol (2.0 mg/kg IV) (group PGM: n=6) or alfaxalone (1.0 mg/kg IV) (group AGM...
Tydén E, Olsén L, Tallkvist J, Tjälve H, Larsson P.Gene and protein expression as well as catalytic activity of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A were studied in the nasal olfactory and respiratory mucosa and the tracheal mucosa of the horse. We also examined the activity of NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase (NADPH P450 reductase), the amount of cytochrome b(5) and the total CYP content in these tissues. Comparative values for the above were obtained using liver as a control. The CYP3A related catalytic activity in the tissues of the upper airways was considerably higher than in the liver. The CYP3A gene and protein expression, on the other hand, was hig...
Wright AL, Earley ET, Austin C, Arora M.Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH) is a common, painful and poorly understood disease. Enamel, dentin and cementum accumulate both essential and toxic trace elements during mineralization. Characterization of the spatial accumulation pattern of trace elements may provide insight into the role that toxic elements play and inform biological processes affecting these hard dental tissues for future research. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to map the distribution of multiple trace elements and heavy metals across equin...
Harkins JD, Carney JM, Tobin T.Corticosteroids possess potent anti-inflammatory activity and are commonly injected intra-articularly for local relief of inflammatory lesions in performance horses. However, the suppression of anabolic activity in the joint may lead to an increased rate of joint breakdown. Complications associated with intra-articular corticosteroid therapy include septic arthritis, which is usually due to inadvertent joint contamination at the time of corticosteroid injection, and steroid arthropathy, which is characterized by an accelerated rate of joint destruction and radiographic evidence of severe degen...
Olsén L, Ingvast-Larsson C, Broström H, Larsson P, Tjälve H.Case reports of 59 horses reacting adversely to procaine benzylpenicillin or to sodium or potassium benzylpenicillin in Sweden in 2003-2005 were obtained through contacts with horse-owners. For the assessment of the reports, various parameters were evaluated, such as the times to the reactions, information on previous penicillin treatment, the clinical signs and the actions taken in the reacting horses. Among the reports, two horses had received sodium or potassium benzylpenicillin intravenously, whereas the remaining 57 horses had been treated with procaine benzylpenicillin intramuscularly. A...