Veterinary research in horses encompasses the study of diseases, health management, and medical treatments specific to equine species. This field investigates various aspects of horse health, including infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, and musculoskeletal conditions. Researchers focus on understanding the pathophysiology of equine ailments, developing diagnostic tools, and evaluating therapeutic interventions. The study of horse health also involves examining preventive measures such as vaccination protocols and nutritional management to promote overall well-being. This page collects peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the diverse areas of veterinary science related to horses, providing insights into disease mechanisms, treatment strategies, and advancements in equine healthcare.
Wormstrand A.An immunological gel-diffusion test for the diagnosis of pregnancy in the mare is described. 56 blood samples from 50 different mares were tested. Control tests were made both by the Ashheim-Zondek method and by clinical examination. The accuracy of the immunological method was 96.4 %. No false positive reactions were observed. It is recommended to draw the blood sample at approximately 45 days or more after the last service. The immunological method is simple, cheap and accurate and is recommended as a routine test for the diagnosis of pregnancy in mares.
Rossdale PD.Diagnosis in veterinary medicine is based upon observations of the manner in which the behavioural patterns differ from those exhibited by normal subjects. The newborn foal adapts to an advanced level of activity within a period which is short relative to many other species, and the behavioural patterns which it exhibits during the period of adaptation are comparatively stereotyped. Because the status of any newborn mammal is affected by its previous experience of foetal development and birth, the behavioural patterns of the mother form an important anamnesis in the life of each individual neo...
Williams MA, Harrison PM.Horse ferritin was fractionated both by starch-gel electrophoresis and by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. Monomer fractions contained up to 98% of monomer and oligomer fractions up to 76% of oligomers as determined by quantitative electron microscopy. Percentages obtained from electron micrographs correlated well with analytical starch-gel electrophoretograms and ultracentrifuge patterns. Amino acid analyses of monomer- and oligomer-enriched fractions showed no significant differences. Ferritin oligomers did not apparently dissociate on dilution for electron microscopy or on storage. Apoferr...
Hoogewijs M, Rijsselaere T, De Vliegher S, Vanhaesebrouck E, De Schauwer C, Govaere J, Thys M, Hoflack G, Van Soom A, de Kruif A.Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of centrifugation on cooled and frozen preservation of equine semen. A standard centrifugation protocol (600 x g for 10 min=CP1) was compared to four protocols with increasing g-force and decreased time period (600 x g, 1200 x g, 1800 x g and 2400 x g for 5 min for CP2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively) and to an uncentrifuged negative control. In experiment 1, the influence of the different CPs on sperm loss was evaluated by calculating the total number of sperm cells in 90% of the supernatant. Moreover, the effect on semen quality following ce...
Patipa LA, Sherlock CE, Witte SH, Pirie GD, Berghaus RD, Peroni JF.To evaluate the incidence of colic and risk factors for colic in equids hospitalized for ocular disease. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Animals-337 equids (317 horses, 19 ponies, and 1 donkey) hospitalized for ocular disease. Methods: Medical records of equids hospitalized for > 24 hours for treatment of ocular disease between January 1997 and December 2008 were reviewed. Information from only the first hospitalization was used for equids that were hospitalized for ocular disease on more than 1 occasion. Information gathered included the signalment, the type of ocular lesion and t...
Holcombe SJ, Derksen FJ, Berney C, Becker AC, Horner NT.To determine the effect of desensitization of the laryngeal mucosal mechanoreceptors on upper airway mechanics in exercising horses. Methods: 6 Standardbreds. Methods: In study 1, videoendoscopic examinations were performed while horses ran on a treadmill with and without topical anesthesia of the laryngeal mucosa. In study 2, peak tracheal and nasopharyngeal pressures and airflows were obtained from horses during incremental treadmill exercise tests, with and without topical anesthesia of the laryngeal mucosa. A nasal occlusion test was performed on each horse while standing during an endosco...
Xu J, Cai J, Suresh M, Peek SF, Darien BJ.Equine PSGL-1 (ePSGL-1) is widely expressed on equine PBMC as a homodimer with sialylation (sLeX) modifications that contribute to P-selectin binding affinity. To investigate the role of other potential post-translational modifications required for high-affinity P-selectin binding, ePSGL-1 was transfected into CHO cells expressing equine FucT-VII and/or C2GnT. P-selectin-IgG chimera binding by ePSGL-1 transfected into CHO cells only occurred when both FucT-VII and C2GnT were expressed, establishing that fucosylation and core-2 branching are required as post-translational modifications for high...
Zekas LJ, Bramlage LR, Embertson RM, Hance SR.The objective of this retrospective study was to provide a detailed description of the characteristics of condylar fractures represented in a population of 135 horses who sustained 145 fractures. Records and radiographic studies were examined. Fifty-nine percent of the horses were male and the majority Thoroughbreds. The distribution of fractures was 37% incomplete-nondisplaced, 30% complete-nondisplaced and 32% complete-displaced. The right front was more likely to sustain a complete-displaced fracture, whereas the left front was more likely to sustain an incomplete-nondisplaced fracture. For...
Gürelli G, Canbulat S, Aldayarov N.Species composition and distribution of intestinal ciliates were investigated in the feces from 15 domestic horses living in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Twenty-three species belonging to 14 genera were identified. This is the first study on intestinal ciliates in domestic horses living in Kyrgyzstan. The mean number of ciliates was 14.1 ± 6.8 x10(4) cells ml(-1) of feces and the mean number of ciliate species per host was 6.0 ± 3.2. No endemic or new species were detected. Blepharocorys was the major genus as these ciliates were detected in high proportions. In contrast Holophryoides, Allantosoma w...
Eichler F, Poźniak B, Machnik M, Schenk I, Wingender A, Baudisch N, Thevis M, Bäumer W, Lischer C, Ehrle A.Cannabidiol (CBD) products gain increasing popularity amongst animal owners and veterinarians as an alternative remedy for treatment of stress, inflammation or pain in horses. Whilst the use of cannabinoids is banned in equine sports, there is limited information available concerning CBD detection times in blood or urine. The aim of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetic properties of CBD following oral administration in the horse to assist doping control laboratories with interpreting CBD analytical results. Part 1: dose escalation study: Single oral administration of three escalatin...
Bosch G, van Schie HT, de Groot MW, Cadby JA, van de Lest CH, Barneveld A, van Weeren PR.Tendon injuries are notorious for their slow and functionally inferior healing. Intratendinous application of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been reported to stimulate the repair process of tendon injuries, but there is little conclusive evidence for its effectiveness. A placebo-controlled experimental trial was performed to test the hypothesis that a single intratendinous PRP treatment enhances the quality of tendon repair, as evidenced by improved biochemical, biomechanical, and histological tissue properties. In six horses, tendon lesions were created surgically in the Superficial Digital F...
Liebenberg D, van Hamburg H, Piketh S, Burger R.Africa horse sickness (AHS) is a lethal disease of horses with a seasonal occurrence that is influenced by environmental conditions that favor the development of Culicoides midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). This study compared and evaluated the relationship of various modeled climatic variables with the distribution and abundance of AHS in South Africa and Namibia. A comprehensive literature review of the historical AHS reported data collected from the Windhoek archives as well as annual reports from the Directorate of Veterinary services in Namibia were conducted. South African AHS reported ...
Labruna MB, Faccini JLH.Dermacentor nitens is a one-host tick that uses domestic equids as main hosts. Herein, the nonparasitic phase of D. nitens was evaluated under field conditions in Pirassununga, São Paulo state, Southeastern Brazil. By exposing engorged females of D. nitens to field conditions (grass plots) for 24 consecutive months, this tick species was able to complete its nonparasitic phase by producing host-seeking larvae in the pasture throughout the year. Preoviposition and egg incubation periods were longer during autumn and winter months than during the other months. The number of larvae generated by ...
Nts'aoana ME, Molapo S, Kompi P, Phalatsi M.Parasitic infection is one of the major problems in equines which negatively influence their health. It hinders working performance of equines. This study was conducted to evaluate donkey owners' knowledge and control measures on prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs) in three agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Maseru district. A total of 144 donkey owners were selected for individual interviews through a stratified random sampling. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to analyze data. The significance (p <0.05) of different AEZs was tested using a post-hoc cell-wise ad...
Harman RM, Churchill KA, Jager MC, Van de Walle GR.Equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) outbreaks occur when virus spreads from infected horses to in-contact horses, primarily via nasal shedding. This study evaluated the efficacy of factors secreted by equine peripheral blood derived mesenchymal stromal cells (PB-MSCs), collectively named the secretome, to inhibit the growth of EHV-1 in (i) 2D epithelial cell cultures (RK-13) in vitro, (ii) 3D equine nasal explants in vitro and (iii) an EHV-1 infection mouse model in vivo. The PB-MSC secretome was found to inhibit EHV-1 in RK-13 cells as well as in the epithelium of equine nasal explants. Although the ...
Rutkowska DA, Mokoena NB, Tsekoa TL, Dibakwane VS, O'Kennedy MM.African horse sickness (AHS) is a severe arthropod-borne viral disease of equids, with a mortality rate of up to 95% in susceptible naïve horses. Due to safety concerns with the current live, attenuated AHS vaccine, alternate safe and effective vaccination strategies such as virus-like particles (VLPs) are being investigated. Transient plant-based expression systems are a rapid and highly scalable means of producing such African horse sickness virus (AHSV) VLPs for vaccine purposes. Results: In this study, we demonstrated that transient co-expression of the four AHSV capsid proteins in agroin...
Di Rubbo A, McNabb L, Klein R, White JR, Colling A, Dimitrov DS, Broder CC, Middleton D, Lunt RA.Maintenance of Hendra virus (HeV) in pteropid bat populations has been associated with spillover events in horses, humans and dogs. Experimental studies have demonstrated infections for several other species including guinea pigs, cats and ferrets. The criteria of a sensitive and specific serological test that is effective for a range of species, but which does not require use of live virus, has not been satisfactorily addressed by currently available tests. We have evaluated the use of two HeV neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in a blocking format enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bE...
Palomino Lago E, Jelbert ER, Baird A, Lam PY, Guest DJ.Persistent inflammation is associated with the poor regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have an attenuated response to inflammatory cytokines, but there are mixed reports on the response of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to inflammation. Horses provide a relevant large animal model for studying musculoskeletal tissue diseases and the testing of novel therapies. The aim of this study was to determine if equine iPSCs are responsive to the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNFα and IFN-γ in their undifferentiated state, or following differentiation into ten...
Johannessen MK, Skretting G, Ytrehus B, Røed KH.Endochondral bone formation is an important process in development and growth of the skeleton; still many of the mechanisms of growth cartilage remain unknown. The aim of this study was to identify genes specifically expressed in growth cartilage by constructing a subtraction cDNA library of the articular-epiphyseal cartilage complex from neonatal foal. Two hundred and eighty-four differently expressed clones, representing five novel and 37 known genes, were detected by subtraction hybridization. The tissue specificity of these genes was verified by reverse Northern analysis, and tissue distri...
Fontaine M, Fontaine M.In the first part of this paper the conditions for a specific titration of antibodies against the neuraminidase (N) of each of the two horse virus subtypes are defined. The antigens used are: the H72Neq 1 recombining agent to measure the anti Neq1 antibodies and the A/Duck/Ukraine/63 strain for the anti Neq2 antibodies. The immunity response to neuraminidase appears after the natural disease; this response is studied in two foci, one due to a virus belonging to the A equi I subtype (Loire 73 strain), the other to a virus of the A equi 2 subtype (SHN 73 strain). The kinetics of apparition of an...
Geurden T, De Keersmaecker F, De Keersmaecker S, Claerebout E, Leathwick DM, Nielsen MK, Sauermann CW.In the present study, an anthelmintic treatment regimen with reduced treatment frequency was evaluated in horses on two study sites in Belgium during three consecutive summer pasture seasons. Historically, the horses on both study sites were treated up to 6 times a year with ivermectin (IVM) or up to 4 times a year with moxidectin (MOX), and previous efficacy evaluations indicated a reduced egg reappearance period in some of the treated horses for both IVM (28 days) and MOX (42 days). In the present study, all horses were treated with IVM or MOX in the spring and in autumn. Faecal egg counts (...
Kleine LG, Solano M, Rusckowski M, Hunt KE, Johnson KL, Kirker-Head CA.To evaluate the use of technetium Tc 99m-labeled EDTA-biotin monomer ((99m)Tc-EB1) as a scintigraphic imaging agent for soft tissue inflammatory lesions in horses. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: First (phase 1), the agent's safety and blood-tissue clearance and an appropriate imaging protocol were determined in 6 horses. Each horse was injected with (99m)Tc-EB1 (1.1 GBq, IV, once); images were acquired at intervals during the following 24-hour period. Subsequently (phase 2), inflammation was induced via injection of 200 mg (10 mL) of mepivacaine (0.4 mg/kg) into the right neck muscu...
Rutkowski M, Krzemińska-Fiedorowicz L, Khachatryan G, Kabacińska J, Tischner M, Suder A, Kulik K, Lenart-Boroń A.Frequent occurrence of microbial resistance to biocides makes it necessary to find alternative antimicrobial substances for modern veterinary medicine. The aim of this study was to obtain biodegradable silver nanoparticle-containing (AgNPs) foils synthesized using non-toxic chemicals and evaluation of their activity against bacterial pathogens isolated from oral cavities of cats, dogs and horses. Silver nanoparticle foils were synthesized using sodium alginate, and glucose, maltose and xylose were used as reducing agents. The sizes of AgNPs differed depending on the reducing agent used (xylose...
Ronchetti A, Day P, Weller R.Horses that had been trimmed and shod by apprentice farriers were sourced from the Royal School of Military Engineering, Melton Mowbray (37 horses) and from the Household Cavalry, Knightsbridge (54 horses). The lateral and medial hoof wall angles of both forelimbs were measured using a Ruidoso hoof gauge by the same operator. The difference between the lateral and medial hoof wall angles for each horse was calculated and the results were compared between right-handed and left-handed farriers using the Mann-Whitney U test (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in the mediolateral hoof bal...
Dirikolu L, Woods WE, Boyles J, Lehner AF, Harkins JD, Fisher M, Schaeffer DJ, Tobin T.Injuries sustained by horses during racing have been considered as an unavoidable part of horse racing. Many factors may be associated with the musculoskeletal injuries of Thoroughbred race horses. This study surveyed the amounts of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) in injured horse's biological system (plasma) at Kentucky racetracks from January 1, 1995 through December 31, 1996. During that period, there were 84 catastrophic cases (euthanized horses) and 126 noncatastrophic cases. Plasma concentrations of NSAIDs were determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography in injure...
Collar EM, Zavodovskaya R, Spriet M, Hitchens PL, Wisner T, Uzal FA, Stover SM.To gain insight into the pathophysiology of equine lumbar vertebral fractures in racehorses. Objective: To characterise equine lumbar vertebral fractures in California racehorses. Methods: Retrospective case series and prospective case-control study. Methods: Racehorse post mortem reports and jockey injury reports were retrospectively reviewed. Vertebral specimens from 6 racehorses affected with lumbar vertebral fractures and 4 control racehorses subjected to euthanasia for nonspinal fracture were assessed using visual, radiographic, computed tomography and histological examinations. Results: ...
Slusarewicz P, Pagano S, Mills C, Popa G, Chow KM, Mendenhall M, Rodgers DW, Nielsen MK.Intestinal parasites are a concern in veterinary medicine worldwide and for human health in the developing world. Infections are identified by microscopic visualisation of parasite eggs in faeces, which is time-consuming, requires technical expertise and is impractical for use on-site. For these reasons, recommendations for parasite surveillance are not widely adopted and parasite control is based on administration of rote prophylactic treatments with anthelmintic drugs. This approach is known to promote anthelmintic resistance, so there is a pronounced need for a convenient egg counting assay...
Cutolo AA, Santos AT, Allegretti SM.Twenty horses naturally infected with nematodes were included in a blind, controlled field study on efficacy and safety of an oral 2% ivermectin formulation at a dose of 0.2 mg.kg(-1). Horses were divided into treated and non-treated (control) groups with ten animals each based on preliminary counts of eggs per gram of feces (EPG). Stool samples were collected after treatment for identification of nematode species. Clinical evaluations and EPG counts were performed on days 0, +5, +14 and +19. Nineteen nematode species were identified: Coronocyclus ulambajari, Craterostomum acuticaudatum, Cyath...
De Geest JP, Lauwers H, Simoens P, De Schaepdrijver L.The present investigation of 20 equine eyes shows that the iridocorneal angle of the horse is characterised by a very distinct pectinate ligament and a large ciliary cleft. The pectinate ligament consists of long and broad pigmented trabeculae which form a firm, flat and dense network that encircles the eye. On meridional sections, the ciliary cleft is visible as a wide triangular space comprising the trabecular meshwork which consists of two parts. The inner part is the larger and forms a three-dimensional network of large pigmented trabeculae with very wide intertrabecular spaces. The outer ...
Giuliano EA.Neoplastic adnexal disease represents one of the most frequently encountered and therapeutically challenging ophthalmic problems of horses. This paper reviews current concepts in equine periocular neoplasia. Specifically, a literature-based review of the aetiopathogenesis of the most common tumours to affect the equine eyelid (squamous cell carcinoma, sarcoid, melanoma and lymphosarcoma) is provided. Current and emerging treatment modalities, including photodynamic therapy, are reviewed.
Onasanya AE, El-Hage C, Diaz-Méndez A, Vaz PK, Legione AR, Browning GF, Devlin JM, Hartley CA.Equid gammaherpesvirus 2 (EHV2) is a gammaherpesvirus with a widespread distribution in horse populations globally. Although its pathogenic significance can be unclear in most cases of infection, EHV2 infection can cause upper respiratory tract disease in foals. Co-infection of different strains of EHV2 in an individual horse is common. Small regions of the EHV2 genome have shown considerable genetic heterogeneity. This could suggest genomic recombination between different strains of EHV2, similar to the extensive recombination networks that have been demonstrated for some alphaherpesviruses. ...
Smith ML, Chapman CB.An acepromazine (ACP) hapten was synthesised, coupled to bovine serum albumin and injected into a horse to produce antibodies to the drug. A competitive ELISA was developed whereby ACP attached to the solid phase via lysozyme competed with free ACP present in phosphate buffered saline, horse serum or horse urine for limiting amounts of antibody. The assay could detect the presence of ACP and, or, some of its metabolites in horse urine for at least 25 hours after intravenous injection of 0.1 mg kg-1 ACP maleate, but because of non-specific interference, horse serum could not be used. As little ...
Young LE, Rogers K, Wood JL.Cardiac murmurs associated with valvular regurgitation occur commonly in conditioned performance horses, but their association with athletic performance is unknown. Objective: Cardiac valvular regurgitation has a negative association with race performance. Methods: Five hundred and twenty-six "race fit" Thoroughbred racehorses engaged in either flat (race distance 1,000-2,500 m) or jump racing (race distance 3,200-6,400 m). Methods: Cardiac auscultation and color flow Doppler (CFD) echocardiography were performed on 777 occasions. The associations between the presence and severity of either an...
