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Topic:Veterinary Medicine
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.
West Nile outbreak in horses in southern France, 2000: the return after 35 years. On September 6, 2000, two cases of equine encephalitis caused by West Nile (WN) virus were reported in southern France (Hérault Province), near Camargue National Park, where a WN outbreak occurred in 1962. Through November 30, 76 cases were laboratory confirmed among 131 equines with neurologic disorders. The last confirmed case was on November 3, 2000. All but three cases were located in a region nicknamed "la petite Camargue," which has several large marshes, numerous colonies of migratory and resident birds, and large mosquito populations. No human case has been confirmed among clinically ...
Equine monocytic Ehrlichiosis (Potomac horse fever) in horses in Uruguay and southern Brazil. A disease named locally as churrío or churrido equino (i.e., equine scours) has occurred for at least 100 years in Uruguay and southern Brazil in farms along both shores of the Merín lake. This report describes cases of churrido equino and provides serologic, pathologic, and DNA-based evidence indicating that the disease is in fact equine monocytic ehrlichiosis (Potomac horse fever). Results of an epidemiological investigation conducted on an endemic farm are also presented. Clinical signs in 12 horses were fever, depression, diarrhea, dehydration, and sometimes colic and distal hind limb ed...
Sequence conservation and antigenic variation of the structural proteins of equine rhinitis A virus. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the P1 region of the genomes of 10 independent equine rhinitis A virus (ERAV) isolates were determined and found to be very closely related. A panel of seven monoclonal antibodies to the prototype virus ERAV.393/76 that bound to nonneutralization epitopes conserved among all 10 isolates was raised. In serum neutralization assays, rabbit polyclonal sera and sera from naturally and experimentally infected horses reacted in a consistent and discriminating manner with the 10 isolates, which indicated the existence of variation in the neutralizatio...
Suppression of mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) and black fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) blood feeding from Hereford cattle and ponies treated with permethrin. The blood feeding of mosquitoes and black flies from Hereford cattle and ponies treated with commercial formulations of permethrin was evaluated using an animal enclosure trap sample system that allowed comparison of insect blood-feeding levels between treated and nontreated animals. Blood feeding of both Aedes dorsalis Meigen and A. melanimon Dyar from heifers treated with pour-on concentrate and whole body spray treatments was reduced significantly by 79-88% at 4 d posttreatment, with apparent but not significant reductions of 61-68% at 11 d posttreatment. Simulium bivittatum Malloch and S. ...
The use of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody to detect infections of equine herpesvirus type 2 (EHV-2). A blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect antibodies to equine herpesvirus 2 in serum samples of horses. By measuring the binding to a single epitope, this blocking ELISA gives a good picture of the antibody status in the animal. The test is based on a monoclonal antibody with neutralizing activity and had a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 100%. Antibodies due to newly acquired infection in foals were successfully detected with this blocking ELISA.
Mapping the sequences that mediate interaction of the equine herpesvirus 1 immediate-early protein and human TFIIB. The sole immediate-early (IE) gene of equine herpesvirus 1 encodes a 1,487-amino-acid (aa) regulatory phosphoprotein that independently activates expression of early viral genes. Coimmunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that the IE protein physically interacts with the general transcription factor TFIIB. Using a variety of protein-binding assays that employed a panel of IE truncation and deletion mutants expressed as in vitro-synthesized or glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins, we mapped a TFIIB-binding domain to aa 407 to 757 of the IE protein. IE mutants carrying internal deletions of ...
Disseminated metastatic intramedullary melanoma in an aged grey horse. A 12-year-old grey Warmblood stallion presented with fever of unknown origin, and anaemia. Five days later it had developed ataxia and become recumbent, and was humanely killed. At necropsy, malignant melanomas were identified in the perineal subcutis, spleen, and thoracic vertebral canal (T10-11). Populations of malignant melanoma cells were scattered throughout medullary cavities of the axial and appendicular skeleton, and were identified grossly as irregular areas of black to grey discoloration. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of disseminated intramedullary melanoma in a...
Evaluation of the effects of omeprazole on physiological indices of performance of horses during incremental treadmill exercise. Omeprazole is a proton-pump inhibitor recently approved in the United States for the treatment of gastric ulcer disease in horses. A study was designed to determine the effects of omeprazole treatment on the physiological indices of performance of horses during incremental treadmill exercise. In a crossover-design study carried out over 2 weeks, five horses completed standardized incremental exercise tests on a high-speed treadmill either with no treatment or treatment with omeprazole. No statistically significant effects of omeprazole were found on the mean maximum responses for specific oxyg...
Safety of an oral chondroprotective agent in horses. Six healthy, adult female horses were administered five times the minimum maintenance dose of an oral low-molecular-weight chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine HCl, and manganese ascorbate chondroprotective agent (Cosequin; Nutramax Laboratories, Inc., Edgewood, MD) daily for 35 days. Hematology, serum biochemistry, and synovial fluid parameters were assessed twice prior to administering the product and again at the end of the treatment period. Physical examinations performed daily throughout the study showed no abnormal clinical changes attributable to the product. All hematologic parameters meas...
Lymphocyte phenotype subsets in the cerebrospinal fluid of normal horses and horses with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. The percentages of T-lymphocytes, lymphocyte subsets CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, and lymphocyte adhesion molecule CD11a/CD18 were determined in the peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of seven normal horses and four horses with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) using flow cytometry. There was a greater percentage of CD5+ cells in the CSF (79.0%) than in peripheral blood (67.0%), although this did not achieve statistical significance. Furthermore, the lymphocyte population in CSF comprises a significantly greater (P = .01) percentage of CD8+ T-cells, resulting in a decrease of the ...
Effect of two anaesthetic regimens on airway nitric oxide production in horses. There is evidence that halothane inhibits nitric oxide synthase in vitro, but the effect of intravenous anaesthetic agents is less clear. This study was undertaken to compare the rate of exhaled nitric oxide production (VNO) in spontaneously breathing horses anaesthetized with halothane or an intravenous regimen. Seven adult horses were studied twice in random order. After premedication with romifidine 100 microg kg(-1), anaesthesia was induced with ketamine 2.2 mg kg(-1) and maintained with halothane in oxygen (HA) or by an intravenous infusion of ketamine, guaiphenesin and romifidine (IV). I...
The effects of ph, osmolarity and urine contamination on equine spermatozoal motility. Urospermia has been reported as a cause of infertility in numerous species. The detrimental effects of urine on spermatozoa are due, at least in part, to changes in pH and osmolarity. Semen was collected and subjected to conditions of varying pH (Experiment 1), of varying osmolarity (Experiment 2), and various quantities and concentrations of urine (Experiment 3) and effects on motility were recorded. Finally, semen was contaminated with urine and then either of 2 semen extenders was added, with or without centrifugation, in an attempt to alleviate the detrimental effect of urine on motility (...
Isolation of single-chain antibody fragments against Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus from two different immune sources. Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus is an important human and veterinary pathogen of Central and South America. The virus can cause widespread epidemics, affecting hundreds of thousands of horses, and thousands of humans. Detection of the virus early in infection and in mosquito populations may allow epidemics to be predicted such that suitable prophylaxis, such as vaccination, can be used to reduce disease severity and transmission. The sensitivity and specificity of current immunoassays, based on conventional monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, needs to be improved for the diag...
Radiculomeningomyelitis due to Halicephalobus gingivalis in a horse. An adult horse was euthanatized following a clinical diagnosis of cauda equina neuritis. Significant gross postmortem and histopathologic findings were limited to the sacral spinal cord and cauda equina. The sacral spinal cord, meninges, and spinal nerve roots were expanded and partially effaced by sclerosing granulomatous inflammation with necrosis. The lesion contained numerous nematode larvae and fewer adults with a rhabditiform esophagus having a corpus, isthmus, and valved bulb. Female nematodes were amphidelphic and didelphic with reflexed ovaries. These morphologic features confirm Hali...
Administration of bovine, porcine and equine growth hormone to the horse: effect on insulin-like growth factor-I and selected IGF binding proteins. This study investigated the biochemical effects of administration of three types of recombinant growth hormone (GH; somatotropin) to the Thoroughbred horse. Equine or bovine or porcine GH was administered at a recommended dosage to 3-5-year old Thoroughbred geldings, for up to 21 days. It was shown that, in addition to equine GH, bovine and porcine GH were active in the horse; however, porcine GH caused injection-site reactions that were so serious that administration had to be terminated. The concentrations of a range of GH-related serum protein markers were determined before, during and afte...
Immortalization of equine trophoblast cell lines of chorionic girdle cell lineage by simian virus-40 large T antigen. Immortalized cell lines have many potential experimental applications including the analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying cell-specific gene expression. We have utilized a recombinant retrovirus encoding the simian virus-40 (SV-40) large T antigen to construct several immortalized cell lines of equine chorionic girdle cell lineage - the progenitor cells that differentiate into the equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) producing endometrial cups. Morphologically, the immortalized cell lines appear similar to normal chorionic girdle cells. Derivation of the immortalized cell lines from a cho...
A reduction in interstitial cells of Cajal in horses with equine dysautonomia (grass sickness). Equine dysautonomia (grass sickness) is a common, frequently fatal disease of horses characterised by dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract. Interstitial cells of Cajal are the c-Kit-immunoreactive cells responsible for the generation of pacemaker activity in gastrointestinal smooth muscle. Impairment of this pacemaker action has been implicated in several motility disorders in humans and laboratory mammals. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that changes in interstitial cells of Cajal may be involved in the pathophysiology of the intestinal dysfunction observed in equine gra...
Epidemiology of equine grass sickness: a literature review (1909-1999). The geographical spread of grass sickness between 1909 and 1999, particularly in England and Wales, is described, and the experimental investigations to identify a causal agent are summarised. The epidemiological techniques used to investigate grass sickness vary from clinical observations, to more advanced methods such as case-control studies using logistic regression analyses. Several risk factors for grass sickness have been reported consistently (age, time of year and recent movement to new pasture or premises) and several others have been reported for which the findings remain inconsisten...
Determination of the acid-base status in 50 horses admitted with colic between December 1998 and May 1999. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the acid-base status and the concentration of organic acids in horses with colic caused by various disorders. Blood samples were collected from 50 horses with colic and from 20 controls. No intravenous fluids had been given prior to sample collection. Identified causes of colic included gastric ulceration, small intestinal volvulus, cecal intussusception, cecal rupture, colonic impaction, left dorsal colon displacement, right dorsal colon displacement, colonic volvulus, colitis, peritonitis, and uterine torsion. Thirty-seven horses recovered ...
Reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method for estrogen determination in equine biological samples. Equine unsaturated estrogens are the main components of brand formulations indicated for hormonal replacement therapy in both hypogonadic and postmenopausal women. These hormones are produced by the fetoplacental unit during equine gestation. A method is described for the quantitative determination of equilenin (EL), equilin (EQ), 17alpha-dihydroequilin (17dEQ), and estrone (El) in the plasma of a pregnant mare. Blood samples are obtained weekly during pregnancy by jugular venipuncture using sodium ethylenediaminetetracetic as the anticoagulant. For the quantitation of these estrogens, plasma ...
Use of the Accusport semi-automated analyser to determine blood lactate as an aid in the clinical assessment of horses with colic. The most useful diagnostic methods in the initial evaluation of horses with colic assess the morphological and functional status of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular status. This evaluation is best achieved using a combination of clinical and laboratory data. Blood lactate concentration (BL) is one of these variables. BL rises mainly due to poor tissue perfusion and anaerobic glycolysis associated with shock, providing an indicator of both the severity of disease and its prognosis. A hand-held lactate meter, Accusport, provides a rapid (60 seconds), inexpensive dry-chemical-based d...
Socioeconomic, health and management aspects of working donkeys in Moretele 1, North West Province, South Africa. Structured interviews using a questionnaire were conducted to gather information on socioeconomic aspects, health, nutrition, breeding and management of working equids in 3 study areas of Moretele 1 near Hammanskraal, North West Province, South Africa. The questionnaire addressed questions about the role of animals with a focus on donkeys used for work in these areas. Extension and animal health officers and donkey owners participated. The analysis highlights the use of donkeys for transport of water, wood and people; that ticks, wounds and harness sores are the conditions reported most freque...
Central neuropathology of equine grass sickness. Equine grass sickness (EGS) is an acquired disease of unknown aetiology affecting horses kept at grass. The disease is characterised by postganglionic sympathetic and parasympathetic neuronal pathology and is categorised as a dysautonomia. This study undertook a systematic examination of brain stem cranial nerve nuclei in 59 cases of EGS. Pathology consisting of neuronal chromatolysis was most consistently noted in the lower motor neurons of the general visceral efferent nucleus of CN III and X and the general somatic efferent nuclei of CN III, V, VII and XII. The prevalence of chromatolysis d...
Serum and vitreous humor antibody titers in and isolation of Leptospira interrogans from horses with recurrent uveitis. To measure antibody titers against Leptospira interrogans in serum and vitreous humor and determine the prevalence of L interrogans in vitreous humor of horses with recurrent uveitis. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 242 horses (270 eyes) with recurrent uveitis undergoing vitrectomy and 39 control horses (54 eyes) without any history or clinical signs of recurrent uveitis undergoing euthanasia or enucleation for unrelated reasons. Methods: Serum and vitreous humor were tested for antibodies against 13 serovars of L interrogans. Vitreous humor was submitted for leptospiral culture; isol...
Evaluation of a prototype sub-unit vaccine against equine arteritis virus comprising the entire ectodomain of the virus large envelope glycoprotein (G(L)): induction of virus-neutralizing antibody and assessment of protection in ponies. An Escherichia coli-expressed recombinant protein (6hisG(L)ecto) comprising the entire ectodomain (aa 18-122) of equine arteritis virus (EAV) glycoprotein G(L), the immunodominant viral antigen, induced higher neutralizing antibody titres than other G(L)-derived polypeptides when compared in an immunization study in ponies. The potential of the recombinant G(L) ectodomain to act as a sub-unit vaccine against EAV was evaluated further in three groups of four ponies vaccinated with doses of 35, 70 or 140 microg of protein. All vaccinated animals developed a virus-neutralizing antibody (VNAb) res...
Occupational fatalities due to animal-related events. To better understand the extent of animal-related fatalities in the workplace. Methods: This study utilized Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries files from the US Department of Labor for the years 1992-1997 to describe the events surrounding human workplace fatalities associated with animals. Results: During the 6-year time period, 350 workplace deaths could be associated with an animal-related event. Cattle and horses were the animals primarily involved, and workers in the agricultural industry experienced the majority of events. Many deaths involved transportation events, either direct coll...
Fractures of the palmar aspect of the carpal bones in horses: 10 cases (1984-2000). To determine clinical and radiographic findings, treatment, and outcome of horses with fractures of the palmar aspect of the radial carpal bone, with or without concurrent fractures of the palmar surfaces of the other carpal bones. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 10 horses. Methods: Medical records were reviewed to obtain information on history, signalment, clinical and radiographic findings, treatment, and outcome. Follow-up information was gathered from owners and referring veterinarians. Results: 7 horses became lame after recovery from general anesthesia for treatment of an unrelate...
Pharmacokinetics and toxic effects of lithium chloride after intravenous adminstration in conscious horses. To determine the pharmacokinetics and toxic effects associated with IV administration of lithium chloride (LiCl) to conscious healthy horses. Methods: 6 healthy Standardbred horses. Methods: Twenty 3-mmol boluses of LiCl (0.15 mmol/L) were injected IV at 3-minute intervals (total dose, 60 mmol) during a 1-hour period. Blood samples for measurement of serum lithium concentrations were collected before injection and up to 24 hours after injection. Behavioral and systemic toxic effects of LiCl were also assessed. Results: Lithium elimination could best be described by a 3-compartment model for 5 ...
