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.
Sundra T, Kelty E, Rendle D.An extended-release injectable omeprazole formulation (ERIO) has become a popular treatment for equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) where it is available; however, published data are limited and optimal treatment regimens have not been determined. Objective: To compare effects of treatment on ESGD and EGGD when an ERIO formulation is administered at either 5- or 7-day intervals. Methods: Retrospective clinical study. Methods: Case records and gastroscopy images of horses with ESGD or EGGD treated with ERIO were reviewed. Images were anonymised and...
Salamanca-Carreño A, Parés-Casanova PM, Crosby-Granados RA, Vélez-Terranova M, Bentez-Molano J.The skull is divided into neurocranium and splanchnocranium, and its variation allows ecomorphological studies to learn about possible evolutionary and adaptive characteristics. The basicranial organization of the neurocranium and splanchnocranium modules was studied in a sample of 31 skulls from adult Araucanian horses by means of 2D geometric morphometric techniques. The neurocranium and splanchnocranium modules on the ventral aspect were analyzed separately using a set of 31 landmarks. The RV coefficient (the multivariate analog of a correlation) was estimated to analyze the independence of...
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...
Pompermayer E, Hoey S, Ryan J, David F, Johnson JP.The objective of this study was to compare the skull morphology of the Straight Egyptian Arabian (SEAR) to the Thoroughbred (TB), using computed tomography (CT) in the context of surgical procedures commonly performed on the equine head. Methods: Measurements relating to surgical considerations of the equine head were taken from 29 clinically normal adult horses (15 SEAR, 14 TB). Methods: A clinical prospective study. Standing skull CTs were performed. Fourteen gross and 10 CT measurements were taken. Results: Several variables showed a significant difference between groups, in all cases great...
Colla S, Seabaugh KA, Zanotto GM, Selberg K.Techniques for local anesthesia of the tibial (TN) and superficial and deep fibular nerves (FNs) in horses are well established. Ultrasound-guided perineural blocks can identify the nerve location, reduce the anesthetic volume needed and avoid needle misplacement. The aim of this research was to compare the success of blind perineural injection technique (BLIND) to ultrasound-guided technique (USG). Fifteen equine cadaver hindlimbs were divided into two groups. Perineural injection of the TN and FNs was performed using a mixed solution of radiopaque contrast, saline and food dye. BLIND (n = ...
Tyrnenopoulou P, Fthenakis GC.Antibiotic administration is a standard therapeutic practice for the treatment of reproductive disorders of equids. This might lead to undesirable microbial imbalance and could favour the acquisition of antibiotic resistance. Therefore, it is imperative for clinicians to understand patterns of antibiotic resistance when considering and developing treatment regimes. Continued engagement of clinicians with novel alternative approaches to treat reproductive infections would be essential in order to address this rising threat within the One Health perspective. The objectives of the present review ...
Alim S, Laitaoja M, Pawar SS, Talluri TR, Jänis J, Swamy MJ.Major proteins of the seminal plasma in a variety of mammals such as bovine PDC-109, equine HSP-1/2, and donkey DSP-1 contain fibronectin type-II (FnII) domains and are referred to as FnII family proteins. To further our understanding on these proteins, we carried out detailed studies on DSP-3, another FnII protein of donkey seminal plasma. High-resolution mass-spectrometric studies revealed that DSP-3 contains 106 amino acid residues and is heterogeneously glycosylated with multiple acetylations on the glycans. Interestingly, high homology was observed between DSP-1 and HSP-1 (118 identical r...
Go YY, Hazard NW, Balasuriya UBR, Chapman AM, Fitton NS, Kenéz Á, Andrews FM.Accurate quantitative analysis of equine insulin in blood samples is critical for assessing hyperinsulinemia in horses. Although there are various laboratory methods for evaluating equine serum insulin, different immunoassays show significant discrepancies between the determined insulin concentrations and are often not comparable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Immulite® 1000 chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) to establish independent laboratory and assay-specific cut values to provide an accurate diagnosis of hyperinsulinemia in horses. Thus, the analytical and clinical performan...
Holtby AR, Hall TJ, McGivney BA, Han H, Murphy KJ, MacHugh DE, Katz LM, Hill EW.Behavioural plasticity enables horses entering an exercise training programme to adapt with reduced stress. We characterised SNPs associated with behaviour in yearling Thoroughbred horses using genomics analyses for two phenotypes: (1) handler-assessed coping with early training events [coping] (n = 96); and (2) variation in salivary cortisol concentration at the first backing event [cortisol] (n = 34). Using RNA-seq derived gene expression data for amygdala and hippocampus tissues from n = 2 Thoroughbred stallions, we refined the SNPs to those with functional relevance to behaviour by c...
Karatt TK, Sathiq MA, Laya S, Kal AKK, Subhahar MB, Muhammed Ajeebsanu MP, Philip M, Caveney MR, Graiban FM.Nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are a novel class of compounds that have not yet been clinically approved; however, they appear to have a better anabolic/androgenic ratio than steroids and cause slighter side effects. Sports drug testing laboratories are required to maintain continuously updated doping control analytical methods in light of the widespread misuse of SARMs in elite and amateur sports. This paper describes the metabolic conversion of SARM GSK2881078 in thoroughbred horses following oral administration and in vitro with equine liver microsomes. A liquid...
Eichenberger EM, Dent A, Hayes T, Woc-Colburn L.Streptococcus equi is an opportunistic pathogen in horses that has rarely been transmitted to humans. Here we present a zoonotic S. equi meningitis case in a kidney transplant recipient with exposure to infected horses. We discuss the patient's risk factors, clinical presentation, and management in the context of the limited literature on S. equi meningitis.
Yu YY, Xu MS, Liang H, Wang HY, Yu CQ, Liu Q.Despite over 40 years of research on the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccine, we still lack a considerable progress. Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a lentivirus in the Retroviridae family, akin to HIV-1 in genome structure and antigenicity. EIA is an important infectious disease in equids, characterized by anemia, persistent infection, and repeated fevers. The EIAV attenuated vaccine in China is the only lentiviral vaccine used on a large scale. Elucidating the mechanism of waning and induction of protective immunity from this attenuated vaccine strain will provide a ...
Bannai H, Kambayashi Y, Ohta M, Nemoto M, Tsujimura K.To assess the prevalence of equine coronavirus infection in riding horses, virus-neutralizing tests were performed on serum and saliva samples collected at four facilities in Japan. Seropositivity rates ranged from 79.2% to 94.6%, suggesting widespread circulation of the virus in these populations. Antibody prevalence in saliva samples from two facilities that had experienced outbreaks in the previous year (67.6% and 71.4%) was significantly higher than at the other facilities without reported outbreaks (41.7% and 45.2%, P<0.05). The presence of salivary antibodies in a high proportion of h...
Pellegrini F, Buonavoglia A, Omar AH, Diakoudi G, Lucente MS, Odigie AE, Sposato A, Augelli R, Camero M, Decaro N, Elia G, Bányai K, Martella V....Massive sequencing techniques have allowed us to develop straightforward approaches for the whole genome sequencing of viruses, including influenza viruses, generating information that is useful for improving the levels and dimensions of data analysis, even for archival samples. Using the Nanopore platform, we determined the whole genome sequence of an H3N8 equine influenza virus, identified from a 2005 outbreak in Apulia, Italy, whose origin had remained epidemiologically unexplained. The virus was tightly related (>99% at the nucleotide level) in all the genome segments to viruses identif...
Górecka-Bruzda A, Jaworska J, Stanley CR.In captivity, intact male horses, due to their sexual drive, are usually socially isolated from other horses. This lifestyle strongly contrasts with that experienced by horses living in free-roaming, feral, or semi-feral conditions, where adult stallions have several roles in their social group, with successful reproduction being their primary drive. Reproductive skew in wild populations is high; many stallions will fail to reproduce at all, while others achieve high levels of reproductive success, siring a large number of foals. Successful stallions are those with particular characteristics a...
Masuda M, Nikadori A, Nikadori E, Uchida N, Takizawa Y, Ishimaru M, Yamamoto T, Yuasa R, Kugai H, Nagahama Y, Takasu M, Tozaki T.The Miyako horse is a native Japanese horse breed. As with other native Japanese horses, the number of Miyako horses decreased due to mechanization and motorization, which reduced their roles, with just 14 in 1980. Although their population had increased to 55 horses by 2021, a further increase in their numbers is required to avoid extinction. Recently, their breeding has involved natural mating during group grazing; therefore, pedigree management has been difficult, and individual identification has been inconclusive. With the aim of formulating an effective breeding plan, this study used mic...
Mawhinney I, Bollard A.Detection of Taylorella equigenitalis (CEMO) in the horse uses genital swabs. These swabs traditionally have been put in Amies charcoal transport medium for detection by culture but are also used for PCR. We determined the suitability of swabs without transport medium (Dry swabs) for CEMO PCR compared to swabs in Amies charcoal transport medium. The experiment was a factorial design using swab type and dilution of organism in culture suspensions, done in two parts. Simulated genital swabs were prepared in the laboratory by dipping in pairs into culture suspensions containing T. equigenitalis w...
Andrietti ALP, Durgam SS, Naumann B, Stewart M.Mesenchymal stem cells are characterized by their capacities for extensive proliferation through multiple passages and, classically, tri-lineage differentiation along osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic lineages. This study was carried out to compare osteogenesis in equine bone marrow-, synovium- and adipose-derived cells, and to determine whether osteogenic capacity is reflected in the basal expression of the critical osteogenic transcription factors Runx2 and Osterix. Unassigned: Bone marrow, synovium and adipose tissue was collected from six healthy 2-year-old horses. Cells were isolate...
Cortez JV, Hardwicke K, Cuervo-Arango J, Grupen CG.The cloning of horses is a commercial reality, yet the availability of oocytes for cloned embryo production remains a major limitation. Immature oocytes collected from abattoir-sourced ovaries or from live mares by ovum pick-up (OPU) have both been used to generate cloned foals. However, the reported cloning efficiencies are difficult to compare due to the different somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) techniques and conditions used. The objective of this retrospective study was to compare the in vitro and in vivo development of equine SCNT embryos produced using oocytes recovered from abatt...
Satué K, Fazio E, Medica P, Miguel L, Gardón JC.In the present review, the authors, based on the multiple functions performed by the liver, analyze the multiple biochemical and hematological changes as an expression of altered liver function in the horse. The liver performs important metabolic functions related to the synthesis, degradation, and excretion of various substances. Modification of these functions can be evaluated and diagnosed by determining serum concentrations of several serum analytes, including enzymes and other endogenous substances. Hepatocellular enzymes, such as sorbitol dehydrogenase-SDH and glutamate dehydrogenase-GLD...
Portela DA, Di Franco C, Chiavaccini L, Araos J, Romano M, Otero PE, Biedrzycki AH, Schramel JP.To evaluate the impact of a 30% end-inspiratory pause (EIP) on alveolar tidal volume (V), airway (V) and physiological (V) dead spaces in mechanically ventilated horses using volumetric capnography, and to evaluate the effect of EIP on carbon dioxide (CO) elimination per breath (Vcobr), PaCO and the ratio of PaO-to-fractional inspired oxygen (PaO:FiO). Methods: Prospective research study. Methods: A group of eight healthy research horses undergoing laparotomy. Methods: Anesthetized horses were mechanically ventilated as follows: 6 breaths minute, tidal volume (V) 13 mL kg, inspiratory-to-expir...
Rissi DR, Avery AC, Burnett RC.T-cell-rich, large B-cell lymphoma (TCRLBCL) is the most commonly diagnosed type of lymphoma in horses. Here we describe the clinical signs, neuropathology, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and PCR for antigen receptor rearrangement (PARR) analysis results of a TCRLBCL in the brain of an 8-y-old male Quarter Horse that was euthanized after acute anorexia, tremors, head pressing, falling, blindness, incoordination, and seizures. Autopsy revealed a firm, smooth, pale-yellow mass that expanded both lateral ventricles and the adjacent subcortical white matter. Histologically, the mass consisted of a de...
Schenk I, Broussou D, Roques B, Lagershausen H, Machnik M, Röttgen H, Toutain PL, Thevis M.The combination of sulfadoxine (SDO) with trimethoprim (TMP) is widely used in veterinarian medicine. The aim of the present study was to compare excretion profiles and detection time windows of SDO and TMP in plasma and urine by means of a validated quantitative method. Eight horses received a single intravenous (i.v.) dose of 2.7 mg TMP and 13.4 mg SDO per kg bodyweight. Plasma and urine samples were collected up to 15 and 70 days post-administration, respectively. While urine samples underwent an enzymatic hydrolysis, plasma samples were proteolysed before further analysis. After solid-...
Bendlin A, Gemensky-Metzler AJ, Diaz-Campos D, Newbold GM, Miller EJ, Chandler HL.To compare results from a commercial next-generation sequencing (NGS) service to corneal cytology and culture for identification of causative organisms in veterinary patients presenting for infectious ulcerative keratitis (IUK). Methods: Swabs for corneal aerobic and fungal cultures and DNA swabs for NGS were submitted for canine and equine normal controls (n = 11 and n = 4, respectively) and IUK patients (n = 22 and n = 8, respectively) for which microbrush cytology specimens confirmed the presence of infectious organisms. The sensitivity of the NGS results was compared with bacterial...
Spadari A, Gialletti R, Gandini M, Valle E, Cerullo A, Cavallini D, Bertoletti A, Rinnovati R, Forni G, Scilimati N, Giusto G.The occurrence of colic could be influenced by the characteristics of a population, geographical area, and feeding management. The aim of this study was to report the short-term postoperative complications and survival rates and to identify factors that might affect the outcome of horses that underwent colic surgery in three Italian surgical referral centres. Data of horses subjected to colic surgery in three referral centres (2018-2021) were analysed. Comparisons of the outcomes were performed using a Mann-Whitney or a Chi square test. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) c...
Pozor MA, Benson SM, Macpherson ML, Kelleman AA.Transplantation of stem cells into dysfunctional testes is currently being investigated as a therapeutic option for men and stallions with advanced testicular degeneration. This series of "proof of concept" studies aimed to identify a safe and efficient method of inducing severe testicular degeneration to create an optimal equine recipient model for intratesticular stem cell transplantation (SCT). Two ex vivo and two in vivo experiments were conducted. At first, forty testes obtained from castrations were used to identify an effective therapeutic ultrasound (TUS) device and the protocol for ...
Kellon EM, Gustafson KM.Sodium-Glucose CoTransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, the -flozin group of drugs, which block glucose reuptake in the renal proximal tubule, are being increasingly used off-label to treat horses with refractory hyperinsulinemia. After 2 years of use by animals in our group, a horse on canagliflozin was incidentally noted to be hyperlipemic. We have been following a cohort of equines (n = 20) treated with SGLT2 inhibitors due to refractory hyperinsulinemia. The animals are owned by members of the Equine Cushing's and Insulin Resistance Group and treated by their attending veterinarians. The index ...
Bourebaba L, Serwotka-Suszczak A, Pielok A, Sikora M, Mularczyk M, Marycz K.Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a multifactorial pathology gathering insulin resistance, low-grade inflammation and past or chronic laminitis. Among the several molecular mechanisms underlying EMS pathogenesis, increased negative insulin signalling regulation mediated by protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 B (PTP1B) has emerged as a critical axis in the development of liver insulin resistance and general metabolic distress associated to increased ER stress, inflammation and disrupted autophagy. Thus, the use of PTP1B selective inhibitors such as MSI-1436 might be considered as a golden therapeut...
McCue PM, Matthews PM, Prell MJ, Bellone RR, Allen H.Genetic testing is required for the registration of foals of most equine breeds. Objective: To describe two clinical cases of marked delayed embryonic development or delayed fertilisation in pregnancies generated by embryo transfer. Methods: Case report. Methods: Donor mares were inseminated with semen from one stallion during one oestrous cycle and semen from a different stallion on the subsequent oestrous cycle. Embryo(s) were collected 8 days after ovulation during the second oestrous cycle and transferred into synchronised recipient mares. Genetic testing was performed to determine paren...
Oreff GL, Fenu M, Vogl C, Ribitsch I, Jenner F.For research on tendon injury, many different animal models are utilized; however, the extent to which these species simulate the clinical condition and disease pathophysiology has not yet been critically evaluated. Considering the importance of inflammation in tendon disease, this study compared the cellular and molecular features of inflammation in tenocytes of humans and four common model species (mouse, rat, sheep, and horse). While mouse and rat tenocytes most closely equalled human tenocytes' low proliferation capacity and the negligible effect of inflammation on proliferation, the wound...
Greve L, Dyson S.No previous studies have investigated interrelationships between saddle fit/management, equine thoracolumbar asymmetries, rider and horse health. Objective: To assess associations between data obtained by clinical assessment and those provided by riders via a questionnaire. Methods: Clinical assessment of a convenience sample of horses and riders compared with a Web-based questionnaire survey (n = 205). Methods: Horse thoracolumbar asymmetries at predetermined sites, the presence of lameness (in hand and/or ridden), saddle slip, saddle fit/management and rider straightness were assessed. Kappa...
Huser CA, Peacock M, Davies ME.Chondrocyte death, a notable feature of osteoarthritis, may play a role in the initiation of cartilage degeneration. The present study was aimed at uncovering the nature and involvement of cell death in the initiation of cartilage degeneration induced by mechanical trauma. Methods: Articular cartilage discs obtained from healthy skeletally mature horses were subjected to a single-impact load (500 g from 50 mm) using a simple drop-tower device and cultured in vitro for 48 h. Chondrocyte death was examined using two independent methods: transmission electron microscopy and caspase-3 activity ass...
Bourebaba L, Kornicka-Garbowska K, Al Naem M, Röcken M, Łyczko J, Marycz K.Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is one of the major negative regulators of leptin and insulin signaling, and has been strongly implicated in insulin resistance development in the course of obesity and metabolic syndrome conditions; however, its exact role in controlling adipose tissue biogenesis is still poorly understood. This investigation aimed to elucidate whether selective inhibition of PTP1B using MSI-1436 compound may improve and restore the defective adipogenicity of ASCs isolated from EMS-affected horses. Equine ASC EMS cells were cultured under adipogenic conditions in the pr...
Mellor DJ, Burns M.This review outlines the processes followed by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) when developing its Thoroughbred Welfare Assessment Guidelines. It accepted that guidance on welfare management must be based on up-to-date knowledge of how animal welfare is understood scientifically. NZTR established an expert panel to facilitate this process. First, major changes in animal welfare science thinking over the last 40 years were considered. For example, the separate biological function and affective state orientations were later accepted as dynamically interacting elements within the body oper...
Lesimple C, Fureix C, Biquand V, Hausberger M.Questionnaires are a common tool to assess people's opinion on a large scale or to sound them out about their subjective views. The caretakers' opinion about animals' "personality" has been used in many studies. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the owners' subjective evaluation was effective to detect back disorders. Back disorders have been shown to have a high prevalence in working horses. Caretakers from 17 riding schools (1 caretaker/school, 161 horses) were given a questionnaire about their horses' health status, including back disorders. Out of these 161 horses, 59 were...
Chiam R, Sharp E, Maan S, Rao S, Mertens P, Blacklaws B, Davis-Poynter N, Wood J, Castillo-Olivares J.African horse sickness virus (AHSV) causes a non-contagious, infectious disease in equids, with mortality rates that can exceed 90% in susceptible horse populations. AHSV vaccines play a crucial role in the control of the disease; however, there are concerns over the use of polyvalent live attenuated vaccines particularly in areas where AHSV is not endemic. Therefore, it is important to consider alternative approaches for AHSV vaccine development. We have carried out a pilot study to investigate the ability of recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vaccines expressing VP2, VP7 or NS3 genes...
Mirza MH, Bommala P, Richbourg HA, Rademacher N, Kearney MT, Lopez MJ.Mechanisms to reduce lameness associated with osteoarthritis (OA) are vital to equine health and performance. This study was designed to quantify response to autologous, intra-articular platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in horses with OA. Kinetic gait analysis was performed on 12 horses with unilateral forelimb lameness and OA in the same limb before and after intra-articular anesthesia (IAA). Radiographs and kinetic data were obtained before and 6 and 16 weeks after PRP administration to same joint, 4 weeks after IAA. Statistical evaluations included filtration effect on platelet concentration, ...
Wilson JM, McKenzie E, Duesterdieck-Zellmer K.To define which biologic, electrophysical and other modalities are used in horses for injury or performance issues, a questionnaire regarding 38 modalities was distributed to eight veterinary groups. A total of 305 complete or partial responses were obtained from over 10 geographic regions; 75.4% from private equine practice or regional private equine referral hospitals, 14.1% from university teaching hospitals or satellite clinics, 8.2% from private mixed animal practice, and 2.3% from veterinary rehabilitation centers. The majority of respondents were located in the USA (60%), Europe (25.6%)...
Auer U, Kelemen Z, Engl V, Jenner F.Horses' behavior can provide valuable insight into their subjective state and is thus a good indicator of welfare. However, its complexity requires objective, quantifiable, and unambiguous evidence-based assessment criteria. As healthy, stress-free horses exhibit a highly repetitive daily routine, temporal quantification of their behavioral activities (time budget analysis) can assist in equine welfare assessment. Therefore, the present systematic review aimed to provide an up-to-date analysis of equine time budget studies. A review of the literature yielded 12 papers that fulfilled the inclus...
Seo JP, Tsuzuki N, Haneda S, Yamada K, Furuoka H, Tabata Y, Sasaki N.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising candidates for cell-based therapy and tissue engineering approaches. Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is commonly used for in vitro MSC expansion; however, the use of FBS may be associated with ethical, scientific, and safety issues. This study aimed to compare the ability of allogeneic platelet lysate (PL) and FBS to cause equine bone marrow-derived MSC expansion. MSCs were isolated from bone marrow aspirate in media supplemented with either PL or FBS, and cell proliferation properties and characteristics were examined. There were no significant differences...
Paris DB, Stout TA.Cartilage and tendon injuries are a significant source of animal wastage and financial loss within the horse-racing industry. Moreover, both cartilage and tendon have limited intrinsic capacity for self-repair, and the functionally inferior tissue produced within a lesion may reduce performance and increase the risk of reinjury. Stem cells offer tremendous potential for accelerating and improving tissue healing, and adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are already used to treat cartilage and tendon injuries in horses. However, MSCs are scarce in the bone marrow isolates used, have limited poten...
Lettry V, Hosoya K, Takagi S, Okumura M.Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be used to repair articular cartilage defects, these cells should be properly stimulated so that they could differentiate morphologically and hold cellular synthetic features closer to maturely differentiated chondrocytes. It is well known that tissue specific environment plays an important role in cell fate determination. Once improved isolation, proliferation and differentiation protocols have been developed, the likelihood of spontaneous differentiation of MSCs into divergent lineages will be reduced, thus increasing their value for cart...
Luna SP, Angeli AL, Ferreira CL, Lettry V, Scognamillo-Szabó M.Pharmacopuncture, the injection of subclinical doses of drugs into acupoints reduces drug undesirable side effects, residues in animal consumption products and treatment costs in large animals. Acepromazine (Acp) produces several undesirable effects, such as hypotension. Previous studies with the injection of 1/10 of Acp dose in dog acupoints showed its advantage for sedation, minimizing undesirable effects. Eight horses were randomly submitted to four different treatment protocols according to a Latin Square double-blind design: (i) 0.1 ml kg(-1) of saline subcutaneously injected at the cervi...
Mott RO, Hawthorne SJ, McBride SD.Measuring animal stress is fundamentally important for assessing animal emotional state and welfare. Conventional methods of quantifying stress (cortisol levels, heart rate/heart rate variability) require specialist equipment and are not instantly available. Spontaneous blink rate (SBR) has previously been used to measure stress responses in humans and may provide a non-invasive method for measuring stress in other animal species. Here we investigated the use of SBR as a measure of stress in the domestic horse. SBR was measured before and during a low-stress event (sham clipping) and compared ...
Bullitta S, Re GA, Manunta MDI, Piluzza G.Mediterranean farmers traditionally utilized plants, animals, and minerals sourced locally to treat their animals. Research is needed to understand at what extent such knowledge of domestic animal care still survives and to document such traditions for further developments. Methods: We carried out our field study to recover ancient ethno-veterinary practices by means of questionnaires and interviews to farmers in rural areas of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia (Italy). Quantitative indices were used to evaluate the distribution and diversity of the acquired information. Results: We report ...
Silva EC, Oliveira TJ, Moreli FC, Harada LK, Vila MMDC, Balcão VM.In the present research work, we propose a new antimicrobial treatment for pyoderma via cutaneous permeation of bacteriophage particles conveyed in a hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) gel integrating ionic liquid as a permeation enhancer. Ionic liquids are highly viscous fluids constituted exclusively by ions, that are usually hydrolytically stable and promote solubilization of amphipathic molecules such as proteins, hence serving as green solvents and promoting the transdermal permeation of biomolecules. In the research effort entertained herein, the synthesis and use of choline geranate for integr...
Huser CA, Davies ME.The objective of this study was the development and characterization of an in vitro model of the initiation of traumatic osteoarthritis (OA). Articular cartilage was obtained from seven healthy horses and from four horses diagnosed with OA. Cartilage disks were subjected to a single-impact load (500 g from 25, 50, or 100 mm) using a simple drop-tower device and cultured in vitro for up to 20 days. Cartilage sections were examined histologically to observe surface damage and proteoglycan loss. Percentage cell death was determined using TUNEL, release of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) to the medium wa...
Bogaert L, Van Poucke M, De Baere C, Dewulf J, Peelman L, Ducatelle R, Gasthuys F, Martens A.Equine sarcoids, the most common skin tumours in horses, are induced by bovine papillomavirus (BPV). Their clinical appearance varies from small stable patches to aggressively growing masses. Differences in BPV load and mRNA expression and Ki67 and p53 immunostaining among four clinical types (fibroblastic, occult, nodular and verrucous sarcoids) were evaluated to test the hypothesis that the clinical behaviour of equine sarcoids correlates with BPV activity. Viral load and expression of the BPV E2, E5, E6 and E7 genes were determined using quantitative real-time PCR. The proliferative fractio...
Gold JR, Divers TJ, Barton MH, Lamb SV, Place NJ, Mohammed HO, Bain FT.Little information exists on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in septic foals. Objective: The plasma concentrations of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol are expected to be higher in septic foals as compared to normal foals. The concentrations of hormones in septic foals also are expected to differ further depending upon survival. Methods: Twenty-eight control foals and 46 septic foals 11 or a positive blood culture. The control foals were age matched to the septic foals in the study. ACTH and cortisol concentrations were measured by a chemiluminescent immunoassay system. Results: ...
Slack J, Boston RC, Soma LR, Reef VB.Cardiac arrhythmias are a recognised but poorly characterised problem in the Standardbred racehorse. Frequency data could aid the development of cardiac arrhythmia screening programmes. Objective: To characterise the occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias in Standardbreds prior to racing and in the late post race period using a handheld, noncontinuous recording device. Methods: Prospective, observational study, convenience sampling. Methods: Noncontinuous electrocardiographic recordings were obtained over a 12 week period from Standardbred horses competing at a single racetrack. Electrocardiograms ...
Gildea S, Arkins S, Walsh C, Cullinane A.Many racing authorities, sales companies and equestrian bodies have mandatory vaccination policies for equine influenza (EI). The consequences of lack of vaccine efficacy include clinical disease, disruption to training programmes, the cancellation of equestrian events and the introduction of virus to susceptible populations. The correlation between antibody against the virus haemagglutinin and protection against influenza has been well established. The objective of this study was to compare the antibody responses of 66 unvaccinated Thoroughbred weanlings on four different stud farms, followin...
Agüero M, Gómez-Tejedor C, Angeles Cubillo M, Rubio C, Romero E, Jiménez-Clavero A.African horse sickness is an arthropod-borne disease of the equine included in the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) list with important economic consequences for horse trade. The disease is caused by African horse sickness virus (AHSV; family Reoviridae, genus Orbivirus), which is transmitted by Culicoides midges. It is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, spreading occasionally outside this area where the occurrence of Culicoides vectors allows virus transmission. Currently, only conventional (gel-based) reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) protocols are available for ...
Weese JS.Infectious diseases are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in horses, along with economic costs and broader impacts associated with the loss of members of a species that generates income, acts as a working animal and is a companion. Endemic diseases continue to challenge, emerging diseases are an ever-present threat and outbreaks can be both destructive and disruptive. While infectious diseases can never be completely prevented, measures can be introduced to restrict the entry of pathogens into a population or limit the implications of the presence of a pathogen. Objective research ...
Brault LS, Cooper CA, Famula TR, Murray JD, Penedo MC.Equine Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA) is a neurological disease found in Arabian horses. CA is characterized by post-natal degeneration of the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. Signs of CA include ataxia, head tremors, and a lack of balance equilibrium. We have discovered a linkage of the CA phenotype to a microsatellite marker on ECA2 and identified a region of conserved homozygosity spanning approximately 142 kb. Complete sequencing of the four genes in this region identified one SNP found only in Arabian horses, located in exon 4 of TOE1 and approximately 1200 base pairs upstream of MUTYH, adja...
Van Soom A, Wrathall AE, Herrler A, Nauwynck HJ.Although the transfer of embryos is much less likely to result in disease transmission than the transport of live animals, the sanitary risks associated with embryo transfer continue to be the subject of both scientific investigations and adaptations of national and international legislation. Therefore, the implications are important for veterinary practitioners and livestock breeders. In vivo-derived and in vitro-produced embryos are widely used in cattle and embryos from other species, such as sheep, goats, pigs and horses, are also currently being transferred in fairly significant numbers. ...
Franzén P, Aspan A, Egenvall A, Gunnarsson A, Aberg L, Pringle J.Six horses were experimentally infected by administration of horse blood containing a Swedish strain of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) signal was consistently detected 2-3 days before appearance of clinical signs and persisted 4-9 days beyond abatement of clinical signs, whereas diagnostic inclusion bodies were 1st noted on average 2.6 +/- 1.5 (SD) days after onset of fever. Clinical signs and hematologic changes were largely indistinguishable from those previously reported for diseases caused by A phagocytophilum (formerly Ehrlichia equi--"Californian agent") a...
Textor JA, Clark KC, Walker NJ, Aristizobal FA, Kol A, LeJeune SS, Bledsoe A, Davidyan A, Gray SN, Bohannon-Worsley LK, Woolard KD, Borjesson DL.Distal extremity wounds are a significant clinical problem in horses and humans and may benefit from mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy. This study evaluated the effects of direct wound treatment with allogeneic stem cells, in terms of gross, histologic, and transcriptional features of healing. Three full-thickness cutaneous wounds were created on each distal forelimb in six healthy horses, for a total of six wounds per horse. Umbilical cord-blood derived equine MSCs were applied to each wound 1 day after wound creation, in one of four forms: (a) normoxic- or (b) hypoxic-preconditioned cells ...
Olstad K, Ytrehus B, Ekman S, Carlson CS, Dolvik NI.The developmental pattern of the cartilage canal blood supply to epiphyseal growth cartilage has been linked to osteochondrosis (OC) in the tarsus of foals. This pattern has not yet been described in the distal femur, another site frequently affected by OC. Objective: To describe the developmental pattern of the blood supply to the distal femoral epiphyseal growth cartilage in 8 Standardbred foals age 0-7 weeks. Methods: One foal was sacrificed weekly from birth to age 7 weeks (n=8) to undergo a barium perfusion procedure to demonstrate vessels within cartilage canals of one hindlimb. The dist...
Cnudde V, Masschaele B, De Cock HE, Olstad K, Vlaminck L, Vlassenbroeck J, Dierick M, Witte YD, Van Hoorebeke L, Jacobs P.Micro-CT is a non-destructive technique for 3D tomographic investigation of an object. A 3D representation of the internal structure is calculated based on a series of X-ray radiographs taken from different angles. The spatial resolution of current laboratory-used micro-CT systems has come down over the last years from a few tens of microns to a few microns. This opens the possibility to perform histological investigations in 3D on a virtual representation of a sample, referred to as virtual 3D histology. The advantage of micro-CT based virtual histology is the immediate and automated 3D visua...
