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.
ALLFREY V, MIRSKY AE.It has been found that many animal tissues contain "acid" desoxyribonucleases with pH optima near 5.2. A chemical method for the determination of this activity is described. The pancreatic desoxyribonuclease crystallized by Kunitz and shown to have a neutral pH optimum occurs in the pancreas together with the "acid" enzyme, but only the "neutral" enzyme occurs in the pancreatic juice. The ratio of "neutral" to "acid" DNAase activities in the pancreas is greater than 200, but in all other tissues examined there is no appreciable concentration of the neutral enzyme. It is concluded that neutral ...
HAMMON WM, REEVES WC.In three cases of encephalitis in humans that occurred in the area where the newly described California virus was isolated from mosquitoes, serological evidence seemed to indict the California virus as the etiological agent. In the case of an infant with very severe disease, the serological evidence was convincing; the evidence was almost as strong in the case of a seven-year-old boy; the results in an adult were equivocal. Inapparent infection in man is quite common as indicated by neutralization tests on the sera of nearly 600 residents of California, but encephalitic manifestations of infec...
Ramírez-Agámez L, Hernández-Avilés C, Samper JC, Love CC.Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using frozen/thawed (F/T) stallion sperm is a common procedure in the equine breeding industry. Historically, sex-sorted (SS) F/T stallion sperm has yielded lower cleavage (<30 %) and blastocyst rates (<5 %) after ICSI when compared to non-sorted (NS) F/T sperm. Recently, a new technology for sperm sex-sorting (Genesis III) has been validated by a commercial company. In Experiment 1, the post-thaw quality between NS-F/T and SS-F/T stallion sperm produced with this technology was compared. The post-thaw sperm motility was higher in NS-F/T (41 %) than i...
Graham AE, Colgate VA, Floyd EF.Geographical specific data is required to guide empirical antimicrobial selection in equine neonates. Objective: Evaluate antibiograms and survival in foals from a United Kingdom (UK)-based hospital to guide antimicrobial selection. Methods: Blood and synovial fluid samples from 208 foals ≤ 30 days old admitted to Rossdales Equine Hospital from 2018 to 2023. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed by disc diffusion method. Bacterial culture and susceptibility and foal survival were recorded. The effects of the presence of positive culture or multi...
Badr C, Arbi M, Souiai O, Larbi I, Nsiri J, Elbehi I, Bouslama Z, Bennour MA, Essaied MS, Ines Khosrof , Chabchoub A, Ben Aoun B, Ghram A, Lachheb J.Equine influenza (EI) is a highly contagious viral respiratory disease affecting equids, with the potential of causing widespread outbreaks across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and other regions of the world. In Tunisia, in the spring of 2021, an EI virus outbreak occurred in a farm housing purebred Arabian horses that exhibited respiratory signs. This outbreak led to a national lockdown on horse movements and the cancellation of equestrian events. A total of 432 serum samples, collected from 2018 to 2021, were tested using ELISA competition assay. In addition, 100 Nasal swabs were collected dur...
Hobbs KJ, Ueda Y, Le Sueur ANV, Cooper BL, Burke MJ, Sheats MK.To determine the effect of hemoperfusion with a polymer-based column on systemic cytokine concentrations and neutrophil dysfunction in lipopolysaccharide-treated horses in vivo. Unassigned: 6 university-owned horses received 60 ng/kg lipopolysaccharide, IV, as a bolus and then 60 ng/kg, IV, as a constant rate infusion over 1 hour. Endotoxemia was confirmed by clinical signs and neutropenia. In a crossover model that was completed from January 2024 through July 2024, hemoperfusion was performed for 4 hours with either a sham or polymer column. Blood was collected at 5 time points over a 72-hour...
Martin de Bustamante MG, Plummer CE, Caddey B, Gomez DE.Information regarding the impact of topical antibiotics with or without corticosteroids on the microbiota of the horses' eyes is limited. This study aimed to describe the bacterial ocular surface microbiota in healthy horses and evaluate the effect of topical antibiotics or antibiotic-corticosteroid medication on the ocular surface microbiota. Unassigned: This was a prospective, randomized, longitudinal, blinded study in which one eye of 12 horses was treated 3 times daily for 7 days with neomycin, polymyxin B and bacitracin ophthalmic ointment ( = 6) or neomycin, polymyxin B and dexametha...
Bannai H, Kambayashi Y, Kume K, Takebe N, Endo Y, Kawanishi N, Nemoto M, Tsujimura K.The endemic situation of respiratory disease caused by equine herpesvirus type-1 (EHV-1) and type-4 (EHV-4) was investigated in a training facility for Thoroughbred yearlings in Japan. Vaccination typically starts in mid-September or early October-only after all yearlings have arrived-leaving those introduced earlier unprotected. To bridge this immunity gap, a revised vaccination program that started earlier was implemented. In 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, yearlings were allocated to three groups according to their introduction dates. Each group received a live EHV-1 vaccine (Equi N Tect ERP, Niss...
Medina-Bolívar AL, Muñoz-Duque JD, Martínez-Aranzales JR.Information regarding Survivin protein expression in the gastric mucosa of equids is scarce. This protein has been associated with functions related to modulating apoptosis and promoting mitosis in epithelial cells and is considered part of gastric cytoprotection mechanisms in humans and mice, maintaining mucosal integrity and regulating cellular renewal. Objective: This study aimed to determine the expression of cytoplasmic and nuclear Survivin in gastric mucosae of equids (horses, donkeys, and mules). Methods: A total of 30 healthy stomachs, 10 from each species, were evaluated using histolo...
Carroll AT, Reed RA, Perlini M, Clough AE, Rocha M, Moorman VJ.To evaluate the effect of cervical epidural injection of morphine alone and morphine in combination with detomidine on recovery from anesthesia in horses. Methods: Blinded, randomized, crossover, Latin square design. Methods: A group of six healthy adult horses aged 9 ± 3 years and weighing 471 ± 76 kg (mean ± standard deviation). Methods: Horses were administered each of three treatments during a 1 hour general anesthetic with a 4 day washout period. Treatments were: 1) cervical epidural injection of saline 0.011 mL kg (S); 2) morphine 0.1 mg kg (M); and 3) morphine 0.1 mg kg with detomidi...
Hopster K, Soares JHN, Levine D, Ortved K, Driessen B, Araos J.Flow-controlled expiration (FLEX) has been shown to significantly enhance oxygenation in horses under laboratory conditions. Objective: This study aims to corroborate these findings by evaluating the effects of FLEX on gas exchange in a randomised clinical trial involving a large population of clinical horses undergoing orthopaedic surgery. Methods: Prospective randomised clinical trial. Methods: A total of 406 healthy adult horses scheduled for elective orthopaedic procedures were recruited for this prospective clinical trial. Horses were randomly assigned to FLEX or VCV (volume-controlled ve...
Majcher AM, Troillet A, Gerlach K, Tönnies PR, Brehm W, Ulrich R.Nine days after a surgical intervention due to an injury of the left hind hoof capsule, a 9-y-old, 538-kg female Wielkopolski horse was found recumbent in its stall with an unplugged permanent intravenous catheter positioned in the left jugular vein. Despite immediate resuscitation attempts, the animal died within minutes. Suspecting venous air embolism, radiographic imaging and detailed postmortem examinations were performed. However, visualization of the heart by radiography was hindered by the animal's body mass and postmortem changes. The autopsy followed a modified Richter method, origina...
Cormier KV, Fontenot RL, Eddy A, Williams ML, Wills RW, Jumper WI, Mochal-King CA.The objective of the study was to evaluate effects of intra-articular decellularized porcine amnion/chorion suspension (dPACLS) in horses. Methods: Controlled, randomized, prospective study. Methods: A total of 10 adult horses. Methods: One randomly selected radiocarpal joint (RCJ) was injected with a high dose (HD) of 50 mg (n = 5) or low dose (LD) of 5 mg of dPACLS (n = 5). The contralateral RCJ received saline as control. Systemic serum amyloid A (SAA), synovial fluid analysis (including SAA) and subjective lameness evaluation were performed prior to injection (time 0) and 24, 4...
Carroll AT, Reed RA, Berghaus LJ, McNabney D, Knych HK.To investigate the effect of cannabidiol (CBD) on thermal and mechanical thresholds and physiologic variables in horses. Unassigned: 6 horses (3 geldings and 3 mares) were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, masked crossover design from March 18 through May 3, 2025. Horses received 3.48 mg/kg CBD oil or placebo (sesame oil) orally every 24 hours for 3 days. Thermal and mechanical thresholds were determined at baseline and 4 and 12 hours after treatment administration on each day. Physiologic variables, including heart rate, respiratory rate, and rectal temperature, were recorded at the same...
Loyd A, Neto R, Caldwell F, Boone L, White A.This study aimed to determine the safety and macroscopic/microscopic effects of fluorescence biomodulation (FBM) on experimentally induced, full-thickness, distal limb wounds in horses.This was an experimental study ( = 6 horses). Two full-thickness wounds were created on both dorsal metacarpi of six adult horses. Each forelimb was randomly allocated to either control (no FBM) or treatment (FBM) and randomly allocated to visual or histological assessment of healing. Wounds were treated within each experimental group every 7 days for four treatments. Fluorescence biomodulation wounds were ...
Scoggin KE, Adlan F, Fedorka CE, Rakha SI, Stout TAE, Troedsson MHT, Ali HE.The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system regulates implantation, placental development, and angiogenesis in eutherian mammals. However, little is known about the changes in this system in equine placenta (chorioallantois; CA) and the endometrium (EN) during pregnancy, or the relationship to vascular endothelial growth factor () expression. The current study investigated the expression of the IGF system components, namely the ligands ( and ), their receptors (, , and ), and their binding proteins ( and s) in equine CA at 45 days, 4, 6, 10, and 11 months of gestational age (GA) and immediatel...
Amari M, Brioschi FA, Auletta L, Ravasio G.Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) are non-pharmacological techniques employed in humans for chronic pain, but their veterinary application is unexplored. This pilot study evaluated clinical effects of RFA and PRF in twenty-four horses with chronic distal forelimb lameness. Ultrasound-guided RFA (N = 8; 60-90 °C, 2-8 min) or PRF (N = 16; 42 °C; 12 min) was applied to palmar digital nerves. Lameness was scored (American Association of Equine Practitioners scale) at baseline and monthly for six months (T1-T6). At T2, partial- and non-responders in both groups receive...
Tolnai C, O'Sullivan C, Lőrincz M, Karvouni M, Tenk M, Marosi A, Forgách P, Paszerbovics B, Wagenhoffer Z, Kutasi O.West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne neurotropic virus that causes neurologic disease in both humans and horses. Yet the long-term cellular immune response following natural infection in horses remains poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the WNV-specific T-cell response in horses recovered from West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND). Twelve client-owned horses (4 Hungarian sport horses, 2 Lippizaners, 1 KWPN, 1 Shagya Arabian, 1 Friesian, 1 Gidran, 1 Andalusian, and 1 draft cross horse) with confirmed clinical WNV infection were enrolled, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells ...
Gottleib K, Trager-Burns L, Santonastaso A, Bogers S, Werre S, Burns T, Byron C.Differences in horseshoe materials may have effects on gait that could change perceived esthetic qualities. Objective information regarding effects of shoeing on gait characteristics of horses is scant. The aim of this study was to determine differences in gait characteristics for horses under various experimental shoeing conditions (barefoot, aluminum shoes, steel shoes) on two surfaces (asphalt and soft footing) using body- and hoof-mounted sensors. We hypothesized that shoeing would affect hoof arc height during early (arc height a) and late (arc height b) swing phases but would not affect ...
Everts RE, Caron R, Foster G, McLoone K, Simiele L, Martin K, Brooks SA, Lafayette C.Roan coat color is described as the dispersion of white hairs within an otherwise solid background-color coat. This phenotype is primarily expressed on the body of the horse, with the head and legs exhibiting few or no white hairs. Previous studies mapped the locus for roan to the region and observed linked variants in a small number of breeds. Recently, we reported evidence for two independent haplotypes, and , in the region, which account for approximately 38% and 36% of roan horses, respectively. In the current report, using whole genome sequencing for unknown roan samples. We present a ...
Tranquille C, Nankervis K, Tacey J, Hopkins E, Deckers I, Walker V, MacKechnie-Guire R, Newton R, Murray R.Water treadmill (WT) exercise has become a popular tool for equine training and rehabilitation. However, few studies describe the long-term effects of WT exercise in low water on muscle development (MD). This study's objectives were to compare MD changes over a 40-week period in sport horses that regularly used WT in low water within training (Group WTH, = 55) and a control group that did not (control, = 28). Subjective MD assessments were undertaken using an adaptation of a previously published method at weeks 0, 20 and 40. For Group WTH, MD significantly increased in the neck, pelvis and h...
Lendl L, Wirth C, Merle R, Barton AK.Mild-moderate equine asthma (MEA) is a very common but underdiagnosed pulmonary disease in horses, with mild cases not showing clinical respiratory signs. This study evaluates the influence of a standardized lunging exercise test (SLET) on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology in MEA horses. We hypothesized that SLET would increase the total nucleated cell count (TNCC) and/or percentages of inflammatory cells associated with EA. In a prospective, randomized, non-blinded, between-subjects study design of two independent groups, 39 horses (17 mild and 22 moderate) were included. They were...
Dörner C, Lagos N, Oyaneder L, Menarim BC, Ramírez-Toloza G.Osteoarthritis (OA) is an inflammatory joint disease and the leading cause of musculoskeletal disability affecting human and veterinary patients. New therapeutics halting inflammation while preserving joint homeostasis remain a critical need. Voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels regulate the pro-inflammatory response of macrophages in the synovium, the central driver of joint homeostasis. Neosaxitoxin (NeoSTX) is a phycotoxin that blocks NaV channels, conferring a unique potential to regulate joint inflammation. This study evaluated the safety of intra-articular administration of NeoSTX in hors...
Sawicki S, Bugno-Poniewierska M, Żurowski J, Szmatoła T, Semik-Gurgul E, Bochenek M, Karnas E, Gurgul A. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising tool in regenerative medicine due to their ability to secrete paracrine factors that modulate tissue repair. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by MSCs contain bioactive molecules (e.g., mRNAs, miRNAs, proteins) and play a key role in intercellular communication. This study compared the transcriptomic profiles (mRNA and miRNA) of equine MSCs derived from adipose tissue (AT-MSCs), bone marrow (BM-MSCs), and ovarian fibroblasts (as a differentiated control). Additionally, miRNAs present in EVs secreted by these cells were characterized using nex...
Porter MM, Davis DJ, McAdams ZL, Townsend KS, Martin LM, Wilhite C, Johnson PJ, Ericsson AC.Fecal water syndrome (FWS) in horses is characterized by two-phase defecation, including both solid and liquid phases. While satisfactory explanations for FWS are unavailable, bacterial dysbiosis has been suggested as a contributing or causative factor. The objectives of this study were to determine whether fecal bacterial dysbiosis is associated with FWS in horses in the midwestern USA. Fecal samples were collected from horses with FWS and from unaffected horses at the same location. In total, 16S rRNA amplicon libraries produced from fecal bacterial DNA were sequenced using the Illumina sequ...
Valderrama-Martinez C, Packham A, Smith W, Mendoza-Flores JE, Zheng S, Chigerwe M, Plancarte M, Aleman M.Long-term freezing storage can alter the stability of proteins, thereby compromising accurate determination of indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) titers that support the diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. Objective: Assess the effect of long-term storage at -80°C on IFAT against S. neurona and N. hughesi in equine serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Methods: Paired serum and CSF (n = 46), and serum only (n = 25) samples. Methods: Prospective study of samples stored 6-12, 13-18, and 19-24 months. Comparing antibody titers across time points, McNemar and Wilcoxon...
Zhang Z, Li J, Mai Z, Yang Y, Fu H, Cao X, Li T, Guo Q, Ma Y.The incidence of sports injuries in horses is increasing, thus accurate assessment, diagnosis, and treatment are critical. Among common sports-related injuries, proximal sesamoid bone fractures (PSBFs) are one of the most frequent types. To investigate the effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on imaging and hematological parameters of PSBFs, providing a clinical reference for the diagnosis and treatment of PSBFs in racehorses. After clinical diagnosis and radiographic examination confirmed the disease and its location, the affected horses were randomly divided into two groups: th...
Dos Santos Gomes V, Dos Santos Marques JV, da Silva GN, Marmett B, Dallegrave E.The inhalation of pollutants from fossil fuel combustion increases oxidative stress and may cause genotoxic damage, a risk heightened during physical exercise due to increased respiratory rates. This concern extends to equines engaged in intense activities like show jumping. Antioxidant supplementation with vitamin E and selenium may mitigate oxidative stress induced by exercise in polluted environments. This study evaluated the effects of oral supplementation on show jumping horses subjected to physical exertion in urban (n = 10) and peri-urban (n = 10) areas with varying pollution le...
de Chaisemartin C, Vandeweerd JM, Schramme M.Comminuted fractures of the proximal phalanx (CFPP) occur in adult horses. Various treatments have been described. It remains uncertain which is the best therapeutic option. Objective: This study aims to review systematically the existing literature on CFPP in horses, evaluate treatment modalities, synthesise outcomes to assess treatment efficacy and survival rates, and identify knowledge gaps for future research. Methods: Scoping review. Methods: A literature search was conducted using online databases. The bias quality of each article was evaluated. Chi-squared analysis was used to detect di...
Andrews KM, Berghaus LJ, Hart KA.Equine Asthma Syndrome (EAS) is a chronic inflammatory respiratory disease of adult horses. While dietary polyphenols have shown anti-inflammatory effects in human asthma, their use in equine asthma has not been studied. Objective: To evaluate the effects of a mixed polyphenol supplement on systemic and pulmonary inflammation, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology, and clinical respiratory signs in healthy and asthmatic horses. We hypothesized that polyphenol supplementation would decrease systemic and pulmonary inflammation in both healthy and asthmatic horses and would improve BAL cytology a...
Steensma MJ, Ducro BJ, Dibbits B, Doekes HP, van Schipstal JGC, Kalblfleisch T, Groenen MAM, Derks MFL.In horses, genetic diversity is predominantly observed between breeds, with little variation within breeds. The studbooks of the two largest horse populations in the Netherlands, the Dutch Warmblood horse and Friesian horse population, have ongoing conservation projects including collecting large-scale genotype and sequence data. The current reference genome, derived from a Thoroughbred horse can lead to bias in genetic analyses of other horse breeds. Therefore, the aim of this study was to create high-quality breed-specific reference genomes of Dutch Warmblood and Friesian horses. We performe...
Atayde MF, Vidondo B, Bruckmaier R, Freymond SB, Sieme H, Rey-Kaeser R, Burger D.In-hand breeding involving restraint methods is likely the most common practice in the horse breeding industry worldwide. However, welfare issues that arise from such management have not been investigated in detail. Objective: (1) To investigate whether the mares show increased stress responses during in-hand breeding using (a) a lip twitch and (b) hobbles. (2) To evaluate if the use of restraint methods influences the mare's expression of oestrous behaviour. Methods: Intra-individual cross-over design. Methods: Six Franches-Montagnes stallions and 10 warmblood mares were used in these experim...
