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.
van Dierendonck MC, Burden FA, Rickards K, van Loon JPAM.Objective pain assessment in donkeys is of vital importance for improving welfare in a species that is considered stoic. This study presents the construction and testing of two pain scales, the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Donkey Composite Pain Assessment (EQUUS-DONKEY-COMPASS) and the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Donkey Facial Assessment of Pain (EQUUS-DONKEY-FAP), in donkeys with acute pain. A cohort follow-up study using 264 adult donkeys ( = 12 acute colic, = 25 acute orthopaedic pain, = 18 acute head-related pain, = 24 postoperative pain, and = 185 controls) was performe...
Gilday R, Richard H, Beauchamp G, Fogarty U, Laverty S.The administration of bisphosphonate medications, which target osteoclastic-bone remodelling, to juvenile and adult racehorses is a matter of debate owing to concerns that these molecules remain bound to the bone-mineralised matrix and may interfere with subsequent bone growth, adaptation to exercise and healing of bone microdamage in equine athletes. Osteoclasts participate in endochondral ossification, subchondral bone remodelling and bone repair. There is a knowledge gap on the role of equine osteoclast biology in the growth and maturation of joint surfaces and this information is important...
Doležal P, Doležalová J, Morávková T, Stupka R.In 2018, more than 50 cases of horse death by equine atypical myopathy (AM) were reported in the Czech Republic. This disease is often associated with the toxin hypoglycine A (HGA), which is found in several maple plant materials. To monitor this toxin in products of these trees that grow in or around horse pastures, a rapid and inexpensive analytical method that can provide the required accuracy is needed. Until now, maple samples have been prepared for gas chromatography using time-consuming methods, with preparation processes taking longer than 1 h. In this work, a shorter method (25 mi...
Hill JA, Tyma JF, Hayes GM, Radcliffe R, Fubini SL.Obesity is common in the equine population and it has been associated with increased surgical morbidity and mortality in humans. The effect of increased body mass index (BMI) on the incidence of surgical site infections has not been investigated in horses. Objective: To determine whether horses with increased body fat, as estimated by BMI, are more likely to develop post-operative complications, particularly incisional complications, following emergency ventral midline celiotomy. Methods: Retrospective, multi-institutional clinical study. Methods: Medical records of horses >2 years old presen...
Lloyd KA, Ayodele BA, Hitchens PL, Beck C, Mackie EJ, Whitton RC.Abnormalities in vascular channel appearance within the proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) are the most common findings in Thoroughbred yearling presale radiographs and are often evaluated on radiographs of adult racehorses. Despite this, their pathogenesis and clinical significance are poorly understood, and associations with racing performance are inconsistent. Objective: To determine microstructural characteristics of the PSBs associated with the radiographic appearance of vascular channels using microcomputed tomography (µCT) and to determine associations with past racing performance in mature ...
Krueger CR, Mitchell CF, Leise BS, Knych HK.Clodronate is a non-nitrogenated bisphosphonate approved for use in horses. There are no peer-reviewed published reports describing the pharmacokinetics or evaluating renal health indices and urinary excretion patterns in conjunction with plasma and synovial fluid concentration following the systemic administration of clodronate to horses. Objective: Describe clodronate concentrations in plasma, urine and synovial fluid and evaluate the effects on renal indices after intramuscular administration to healthy horses. Methods: Experimental study with repeated measures. Methods: Six healthy adult h...
Taylor BM, Chaffin MK, Hoffmann AR, Edwards JF, Arenas-Gamboa AM.Prolonged exposure to water, known as immersion foot syndrome in humans, is a phenomenon first described in soldiers during World War I and characterized by dermal ischemic necrosis. In this report, we describe the pathologic findings of a condition resembling immersion foot syndrome in 5 horses and 1 donkey with prolonged floodwater exposure during Hurricane Harvey. At necropsy, all animals had dermal defects ventral to a sharply demarcated "water line" along the lateral trunk. In 5 animals, histologic examination revealed moderate to severe perivascular dermatitis with vasculitis and coagula...
Mehdizadeh Gohari I, Unterer S, Whitehead AE, Prescott JF.The role of type A in canine acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome and foal necrotizing enteritis is poorly characterized. However, a highly significant association between the presence of novel toxigenic and these specific enteric diseases has been described. These novel toxigenic strains produce 3 novel putative toxins, which have been designated NetE, NetF, and NetG. Although not conclusively demonstrated, current evidence suggests that NetF is likely the major virulence factor in strains responsible for canine acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome and foal necrotizing enteritis. NetF is a be...
Estell KE, Knych HK, Patel T, Edman JM, Magdesian KG.To the authors' knowledge, there have been no studies evaluating the pharmacokinetics of chloramphenicol administered orally to horses at the currently recommended dose of 50 mg/kg PO q6 h for multiple days. The published antimicrobial susceptibility breakpoint is 8.0 ug/mL; it is unknown if this concentration is achievable at the recommended dose rate in horses. The aim of this prospective multi-dose pharmacokinetic study was to perform pharmacokinetic analysis of chloramphenicol after multiple doses. The authors hypothesize that the antimicrobial susceptibility breakpoint will not be reached...
Loncaric I, Cabal Rosel A, Szostak MP, Licka T, Allerberger F, Ruppitsch W, Spergser J.The aim of the present study was to investigate the diversity of broad-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant spp. isolated from horses in Austria that originated from diseased horses. A total of seven non-repetitive cefotaxime-resistant sp. isolates were obtained during diagnostic activities from autumn 2012 to October 2019. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed. The isolates were genotyped by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Four out of seven isolates were identified as , two as and one as . All isolates displayed a multi-drug resistant phenotype. The detection of resistance genes r...
Martin LM, Johnson PJ, Amorim JR, DeClue AE.Resveratrol, a phytophenol, is a commonly used equine nutraceutical supplement touted to exert anti-inflammatory effects. The effect of orally administered resveratrol on tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), leukocyte phagocytic activity or oxidative burst function have not been reported in horses. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a commercially available, orally administered resveratrol product on innate immune functions in healthy adult horses. Whole blood was collected from 12 horses prior to and following 3 weeks of treatment with either the man...
Assaid N, Mousson L, Moutailler S, Arich S, Akarid K, Monier M, Beck C, Lecollinet S, Failloux AB, Sarih M.West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most widely distributed mosquito-borne viruses in the world. In North Africa, it causes human cases of meningoencephalitis with fatalities in Algeria and in Tunisia, whereas only horses were affected in Morocco. The aims of this study were to detect WNV in mosquitoes and to determine seroprevalence of WNV in Moroccan horses by the detection of IgG antibodies. A total of 1455 mosquitoes belonging to four different species were grouped by collection site, date, and sex with 10 specimens per pool and tested for 38 arboviruses using a high-throughput chip based ...
Sack A, Oladunni FS, Gonchigoo B, Chambers TM, Gray GC. Worldwide, horses play critical roles in recreation, food production, transportation, and as working animals. Horses' roles differ by geographical region and the socioeconomic status of the people, but despite modern advances in transportation, which have in some ways altered humans contact with horses, potential risks for equine zoonotic pathogen transmission to humans occur globally. While previous reports have focused upon individual or groups of equine pathogens, to our knowledge, a systematic review of equine zoonoses has never been performed. Using PRISMA's systematic review guidelines...
Colbath AC, Dow SW, McIlwraith CW, Goodrich LR.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are widely used for treatment of musculoskeletal diseases in horses, but there is ongoing debate regarding the relative safety and efficacy of allogeneic MSCs, compared with autologous equine MSCs. This review summarises the currently available published data regarding the therapeutic use of autologous and allogeneic MSCs in horses. Arguments that have been advanced against the use of allogeneic MSCs include higher risk of immunological reactions and shorter cell survival times following injection. Arguments favouring the use of allogeneic MSCs include the ability...
Reed SK, Kramer J, Thombs L, Pitts JB, Wilson DA, Keegan KG.To compare results for initial body-mounted inertial sensor (BMIS) measurement of lameness in equids trotting in a straight line with definitive findings after full lameness evaluation. Methods: 1,224 equids. Methods: Lameness measured with BMIS equipment while trotting in a straight line was classified into categories of none, forelimb only, hind limb only, and 8 patterns of combined forelimb and hind limb lameness (CFHL). Definitive findings after full lameness evaluation were established in most horses and classified into types (no lameness, forelimb- or hind limb-only lameness, CFHL, or la...
Van Steenkiste G, De Clercq D, Boussy T, Vera L, Schauvliege S, Decloedt A, van Loon G.Ultra-high-density cardiac mapping allows very accurate characterisation of atrial and ventricular electrophysiology and activation timing. Objective: To describe the technique and evaluate the feasibility of magnetic electro-anatomical mapping of the equine heart. Methods: In vivo experimental method development. Methods: A mapping system using an 8.5F bidirectional deflectable catheter with a deployable mini-basket (3-22 mm) containing 64 electrodes divided over eight splines was evaluated. Based upon predefined beat acceptance criteria, the system automatically acquires endocardial electro...
Marr I, Preisler V, Farmer K, Stefanski V, Krueger K.The study aimed to evaluate sensory laterality and concentration of faecal immunoglobulin A (IgA) as non-invasive measures of stress in horses by comparing them with the already established measures of motor laterality and faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs). Eleven three-year-old horses were exposed to known stressful situations (change of housing, initial training) to assess the two new parameters. Sensory laterality initially shifted significantly to the left and faecal FGMs were significantly increased on the change from group to individual housing and remained high through initial tr...
Klein DJ, McKeever KH, Mirek ET, Anthony TG.The athletic horse, despite being over 50% muscle mass, remains understudied with regard to the effects of exercise and training on skeletal muscle metabolism. To begin to address this knowledge gap, we employed an untargeted metabolomics approach to characterize the exercise-induced and fitness-related changes in the skeletal muscle of eight unconditioned Standardbred horses (four male, four female) before and after a 12-week training period. Before training, unconditioned horses showed a high degree of individual variation in the skeletal muscle metabolome, resulting in very few differences ...
El-Sheikh Ali H, Boakari YL, Loux SC, Dini P, Scoggin KE, Esteller-Vico A, Kalbfleisch T, Ball BA.The key event in placentitis-induced preterm labor is myometrial activation with the subsequent initiation of labor. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying myometrial activation are not fully understood in the mares. Therefore, the equine myometrial transcriptome was characterized during placentitis (290.0 ± 1.52 days of GA, n = 5) and the prepartum period (330 days of GA, n = 3) in comparison to normal pregnant mares (289.8 ± 2.18 days of GA, n = 4). Transcriptome analysis identified 596 and 290 DEGs in the myometrium during placentitis and the prepartum period, respectively...
Johnston AS, Riggs CM, Cogger N, Benschop J, Rogers CW, Rosanowski SM.Many racing jurisdictions monitor race-day musculoskeletal injury (MSI) but fail to evaluate injuries occurring during training. Additionally, previous risk factor analyses have failed to explore temporal trends in injury occurrence. Objective: To use time-series analysis techniques to identify trends, cyclicity and peaks in MSI incidence, in racehorses training and racing at the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) from July 2010 to June 2018. Methods: Retrospective longitudinal study. Methods: The monthly incidence of all MSI, superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) injury, suspensory ligament inju...
Arnold-Lehna D, Venner M, Berghaus LJ, Berghaus R, Giguère S.There is a lack of data on the efficacy of treatment of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in association with an optimised selection of foals. Objective: To evaluate whether targeted treatment protocols resulting in decreased antimicrobial use impact foal mortality rates. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Three hundred and thirty foals with pneumonia per year were randomly selected from 2008 to 2016. All foals were examined once weekly from birth until weaning. A physical examination of the respiratory tract, body temperature, haematology and an ultrasonographic examination of the lungs was incl...
Powell CD, Dhanoa MS, Garber A, Murray JMD, López S, Ellis JL, France J.Two models are proposed to describe atypical biphasic gas production profiles obtained from in vitro digestibility studies. The models are extensions of the standard Mitscherlich equation, comprising either two Mitscherlich terms or one Mitscherlich and one linear term. Two models that describe typical monophasic gas production curves, the standard Mitscherlich and the France model [a generalised Mitscherlich (root-) equation], were assessed for comparison. Models were fitted to 25 gas production profiles resulting from incubating feedstuffs with faecal from equines. Seventeen profiles displa...
Ellis KL, Barrett MF, Selberg KT, Frisbie DD.Pathology involving the oblique sesamoidean ligaments (OSLs) is commonly diagnosed during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the equine distal limb. Presence of striations within the ligament and magic angle artefact can result in an incorrect diagnosis of pathological change. No studies have been performed using histopathology, the gold standard, to corroborate their imaging diagnosis. Objective: (a) To determine which MRI characteristics are associated with normal vs abnormal OSLs and (b) to evaluate the ability of MRI to correctly identify abnormal vs normal oblique sesamoidean ligaments u...
Wetzig M, Venner M, Giguère S.Given the importance of rifampin in treatment protocols for tuberculosis in people, its use in veterinary medicine is under increasing scrutiny in some countries and alternatives might be needed in the near future. Objective: This study was set up to evaluate whether azithromycin combined with doxycycline is effective for the treatment of bronchopneumonia in foals and noninferior to the combination of azithromycin and rifampin. Methods: This is a controlled, randomised and double-blinded clinical trial. Two hundred and forty foals on a farm endemic for infections caused by Rhodococcus equi wer...
Berryhill EH, Knych H, Chigerwe M, Edman J, Magdesian KG.The neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor antagonist, maropitant citrate, mitigates nausea and vomiting in dogs and cats. Nausea is poorly understood in horses, and clinical use of NK-1 receptor antagonists has not been reported. This study aimed to determine the pharmacokinetics and safety of maropitant after administration of multiple doses. We hypothesized that maropitant concentrations would be similar at steady state to those reported in dogs, with minimal adverse effects. Maropitant was administered at 4 mg/kg orally, once daily for 5 days in seven adult horses. Serial plasma maropitant concent...
Bai B, Wang XF, Zhang M, Na L, Zhang X, Zhang H, Yang Z, Wang X.Tetherin is an interferon-inducible type II transmembrane glycoprotein which inhibits the release of viruses, including retroviruses, through a "physical tethering" model. However, the role that the glycosylation of tetherin plays in its antiviral activity remains controversial. In this study, we found that mutation of N-glycosylation sites resulted in an attenuation of the antiviral activity of equine tetherin (eqTHN), as well as a reduction in the expression of eqTHN at the plasma membrane (PM). In addition, eqTHN N-glycosylation mutants colocalize obviously with ER, CD63, LAMP1 and endosome...
de Oliveira Filho EF, Carneiro IO, Ribas JRL, Fischer C, Marklewitz M, Junglen S, Netto EM, Franke CR, Drexler JF.An orthobunyavirus termed Fort Sherman virus (FSV) was isolated in 1985 from a febrile US soldier in Panama, yet potential animal reservoirs remained unknown. We investigated sera from 192 clinically healthy peri-domestic animals sampled in northeastern Brazil during 2014-2018 by broadly reactive RT-PCR for orthobunyavirus RNA, including 50 cattle, 57 sheep, 35 goats and 50 horses. One horse sampled in 2018 was positive (0.5%; 95% CI, 0.01-3.2) at 6.2 × 103 viral RNA copies/mL. Genomic comparisons following virus isolation in Vero cells and deep sequencing revealed high identity of translat...
Saliou G, d'Ablon X, Théaudin M, Saliou T, Bourassi S.Performing a brain computerized tomography scan (CT scan) on a foal requires specific equipment and anesthesia for large animals. However, the information obtained may demonstrate lesions responsible for the neurological deficits. Especially, CT scan findings may help to understand a mechanism of cerebral ischemia. Indeed, categories of cerebral ischemia are divided in three types: territorial infarctions (downstream of the territory of an artery), watershed infarctions (slow-flow at the junction of two arterial territories), and lacunar infarctions (small-vessel occlusions). Hypersensitivity ...
Pessoa V, Ramilo DW, Pereira da Fonseca I, Ferreira MB, Marti E, Tilley P.Insect Bite Hypersensitivity (IBH) is a common cutaneous disease, affecting a large number of horses worldwide. Several studies have identified Culicoides spp. saliva as a clinically relevant allergen source. The prevalence of IBH in Portugal, particularly in Lusitano horses, is still not known. However, the environmental characteristics of the national territory are favorable to the activity of Culicoides, and several species of this genus can be found, namely C. imicola and C. obsoletus/C. scoticus. In this study we characterized the Culicoides population present in Lusitano stud farms with ...
Vidović A, Jansen D, Schwan S, Goldstein A, Ludtka C, Brehm W.This study compares the mechanical stability and surgical usability of 2 locking plate systems (Kyon ALPS-20 and Synthes PIP-LCP system) for arthrodesis of the equine proximal interphalangeal joint (PIJ). Methods: The experimental ex vivo study included 6 pairs of cadaver distal limbs (n = 12). All specimens were derived from Warmblood horses of various ages that were euthanized for non-orthopedic reasons. Of the 12 limbs collected, 3 left and 3 right distal limb specimens were randomly assigned to each system for implantation. Two abaxial 4.5-mm cortical screws were inserted transarticularly ...
Beech J, McFarlane D, Lindborg S, Sojka JE, Boston RC.To compare endogenous ACTH and α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) concentrations after administration of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and to compare ACTH concentrations after TRH administration with those following domperidone administration in healthy horses and horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Methods: Prospective case series. Methods: 69 clinically normal horses and 47 horses with or suspected to have PPID. Methods: ACTH concentrations were measured during 108 TRH stimulation tests in 88 horses, and α-MSH concentrations were measured during 56 TRH st...
Ringer SK, Portier K, Torgerson PR, Castagno R, Bettschart-Wolfensberger R.To compare xylazine and romifidine constant rate infusion (CRI) protocols regarding degree of sedation, and effects on postural instability (PI), ataxia during motion (A) and reaction to different stimuli. Methods: Blinded randomized experimental cross-over study. Methods: Ten adult horses. Methods: Degree of sedation was assessed by head height above ground (HHAG). Effects on PI, A and reaction to visual, tactile and acoustic stimulation were assessed by numerical rating scale (NRS) and by visual analogue scale (VAS). After baseline measurements, horses were sedated by intravenous loading dos...
Mosing M, Böhm SH, Rasis A, Hoosgood G, Auer U, Tusman G, Bettschart-Wolfensberger R, Schramel JP.The arterial to end-tidal CO difference (PCO) and alveolar dead space fraction (VDalv = PCO/PaCO), are used to estimate Enghoff's "pulmonary dead space" (V/Q), a factor which is also influenced by venous admixture and other pulmonary perfusion abnormalities and thus is not just a measure of dead space as the name suggests. The aim of this experimental study was to evaluate which factors influence these CO indices in anesthetized spontaneously breathing horses. Six healthy adult horses were anesthetized in dorsal recumbency breathing spontaneously for 3 h. Data to calculate the CO indices...
Marntell S, Nyman G, Funkquist P, Hedenstierna G.To study pulmonary gas exchange and cardiovascular responses to sedation achieved with romifidine and butorphanol (RB) alone, or combined with acepromazine, and during subsequent tiletamine-zolazepam anaesthesia in horses. Methods: Six (four males and two females) healthy Standardbred trotters aged 3-12 years; mass 423-520 kg. Methods: Randomized, cross-over, experimental study. Methods: Horses were anaesthetized on two occasions (with a minimum interval of 1 week) with intravenous (IV) tiletamine-zolazepam (Z; 1.4 mg kg(-1)) after pre-anaesthetic medication with IV romifidine (R; 0.1 mg kg(-1...
YAMASHITA K, AKASHI N, KATAYAMA Y, UCHIDA Y, UMAR MA, ITAMI T, INOUE H, SAMS RA, MUIR WW.The bispectral index (BIS) was evaluated as an indicator of central nervous system (CNS) depression in horses anesthetized with propofol. Five non-premedicated horses were anesthetized with 7 mg/kg, IV propofol and the minimum infusion rate (MIR) of propofol required to maintain anesthesia was determined during intermittent positive pressure ventilation in each horse. The BIS was determined 20 min later and after stabilization at 2.0 MIR, 1.5 MIR, and 1.0 MIR. The BIS was also recorded after the cessation of propofol infusion when the horses regained spontaneous breathing and swallowing reflex...
Martin EM, Till RL, Sheats MK, Jones SL.In many equine inflammatory disease states, neutrophil activities, such as adhesion, migration, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production become dysregulated. Dysregulated neutrophil activation causes tissue damage in horses with asthma, colitis, laminitis, and gastric glandular disease. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs do not adequately inhibit neutrophil inflammatory functions and can lead to dangerous adverse effects. Therefore, novel therapies that target mechanisms of neutrophil-mediated tissue damage are needed. One potential neutrophil-targeting therapeutic is the PGE1 analog, m...
Lelli R, Molini U, Ronchi GF, Rossi E, Franchi P, Ulisse S, Armillotta G, Capista S, Khaiseb S, Di Ventura M, Pini A.African horse sickness (AHS) is a non-contagious viral disease of solipeds transmitted by Culicoides. The disease is endemic in most African countries. Past experience has shown that Italy is a country exposed to emerging infectious diseases endemic to Africa; an incursion of AHS virus together with the widespread presence of Culicoides vectors could be the cause of a serious epidemic emergency. A live attenuated vaccine containing seven of the nine viral serotypes, serotype 5 and 9 are excluded, is commercially available from Onderstepoort Biological Products. However, the use of live vaccine...
Gomez Alvarez CB, L'ami JJ, Moffat D, Back W, van Weeren PR.Although there is anecdotal evidence of clinical effectiveness of chiropractic in treatment of equine back pain, little scientific work has been reported on the subject. Objective: To quantify the effect of chiropractic manipulations on back and limb kinematics in horse locomotion. Methods: Kinematics of 10 Warmblood horses were measured over ground at walk and trot at their own, preferred speed before, and one hour and 3 weeks after chiropractic treatment that consisted of manipulations of the back, neck and pelvic area. Speed was the same during all measurements for each horse. Results: Chir...
Grady JA, Davis EG, Kukanich B, Sherck AB.To assess pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of dexamethasone administered PO as a solution or powder, compared with properties of dexamethasone solution administered IV, in apparently healthy horses. Methods: 6 adult horses. Methods: Serum cortisol concentration for each horse was determined before each treatment (baseline values). Dexamethasone (0.05 mg/kg) was administered PO (in solution or powdered form) or IV (solution) to horses from which feed had or had not been withheld (unfed and fed horses, respectively). Each horse received all 6 treatments in random order at 2-week in...
Waller A, Flock M, Smith K, Robinson C, Mitchell Z, Karlström A, Lannergård J, Bergman R, Guss B, Flock JI.Strangles is an upper respiratory tract infection in horses, which is highly contagious and one of the more costly diseases of the horse. Three recombinant antigens were used to vaccinate horses, which were then experimentally challenged with Streptococcus equi, the causative agent for strangles. The vaccinated horses showed significantly reduced bacterial growth (p=0.02) and nasal discharge (p=0.0004), a typical symptom of strangles. Other clinical signs of strangles were also reduced and at post mortem examination, lower rate of empyaema or scarring of the guttural pouches was found in the v...
Bolwell CF, Rogers CW, French NP, Firth EC.Few studies have investigated the effect of having interruptions during training on future training and racing performance in Thoroughbred racehorses. The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of having an interruption before the first trial on starting in a trial or a race. A prospective cohort study was used to record the training activity of a cohort of Thoroughbred racehorses, over two racing seasons. Fourteen racehorse trainers recorded information on the distances worked at canter and at fast speeds (<15s/200 m) and provided reasons for horses not training, or for having int...
Bazzano M, Laus F, Spaterna A, Marchegiani A.Nutritional supplements are widely used in the equine industry with the aim of improving horse health, sports or reproductive performances. Over the years, a number of studies have focused on investigating the effects of several dietary compounds on the quality and preservation of stallion semen. This paper reviews the literature available on the use of nutritional supplementation for the improvement of reproductive performance and semen quality in equine species, critically appraising the benefits and negative effects of several compounds found in complementary feeds such as PUFAs from differ...
D￮ LR, Stefanovski D, Boston RC, Boyle AG.To evaluate predictor variables for and complications associated with Streptococcus equi subsp equi infection (strangles) in horses. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Methods: 108 horses with strangles (cases) and 215 horses without strangles (controls). Methods: Medical records from January 2005 through July 2012 were reviewed. Cases were defined as horses with clinical signs of strangles (pyrexia, retropharyngeal lymphadenopathy, and mucopurulent nasal discharge) that were associated with a confirmed strangles outbreak or had positive results for S equi on PCR assay or bacteriologic...
Léguillette R, Steinmann M, Bond SL, Stanton B.Poor performance is often suspected to be associated with EIPH in barrel racing horses; however, there are no published reports of EIPH for this discipline. The prevalence of EIPH in barrel racing horses is also unknown. Objective: This study was performed to determine the prevalence of EIPH and signs of airway inflammation in barrel racing horses under normal racing conditions in Alberta. Methods: About 170 barrel racing horses. Methods: Observational cross-sectional study. Tracheobronchoscopic examinations were performed at least 30 minutes postrace. Video recordings were scored off-site ind...
Lear TL, Bailey E.Cytogenetic analyses of horses have benefited the horse industry by identifying chromosomal aberrations causing congenital abnormalities, embryonic loss and infertility. Technical advances in cytogenetics enabled the identification of chromosome specific aberrations. More recently, advances in genomic tools have been used to more precisely define chromosome abnormalities. In this report we review the history of equine clinical cytogenetics, identify historical landmarks for equine clinical cytogenetics, discuss how the current use of genomic tools has benefited this area, and how future genomi...
Ceriotti S, Bullone M, Leclere M, Ferrucci F, Lavoie JP.Pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale are complications of severe equine asthma, as a consequence of pulmonary hypoxic vasoconstriction. However, as pulmonary hypertension is only partially reversible by oxygen administration, other etiological factors are likely involved. In human chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary artery remodeling contributes to the development of pulmonary hypertension. In rodent models, pulmonary vascular remodeling is present as a consequence of allergic airway inflammation. The present study investigated the presence of remodeling of the pulmonary arter...
Boeta M, Zarco L.The role of eCG during pregnancy was evaluated through the study of the temporal relationships between changes in eCG and progesterone concentrations and the formation of supplementary corpora lutea (SCL) in mares impregnated with donkey semen (mule pregnancies) or with horse semen (equine pregnancies). Concentrations of eCG were higher (p<0.01) in equine than in mule pregnancies between weeks 6.5 and 13. Progesterone concentrations were higher in equine than in mule pregnancies between weeks 9 and 17. All animals developed at least one SCL, but more SCL accumulated during equine pregnancie...
Ghallab AM, Shahat AM, Fadl AM, Ayoub MM, Moawad AR.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of supplementation of semen extender with various non-enzymatic antioxidants on the quality of cooled or cryopreserved Arabian stallion spermatozoa. Semen collected from four pure Arabian stallions was centrifuged at 600g for 15 min. Spermatozoa were then diluted in INRA-82 extender supplemented with bovine serum albumin (BSA; 0, 10, 15 and 20 mg/mL) or trehalose (0, 75, 100 and 150 mM) or zinc sulphate (0, 100, 150 and 200 μM). The diluted semen was then either cooled at 5 °C or cryopreserved in 0.5-ml plastic straws. After cooli...
Tremoleda JL, Schoevers EJ, Stout TA, Colenbrander B, Bevers MM.Meiotic maturation of mammalian oocytes is a complex process during which microfilaments and microtubules provide the framework for chromosomal reorganisation and cell division. The aim of this study was to use fluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy to examine changes in the distribution of these important cytoskeletal elements and their relationship to chromatin configuration during the maturation of horse oocytes in vitro. Oocytes were cultured in M199 supplemented with pFSH and eLH and, at 0, 12, 24, and 36 hr after the onset of culture, they were fixed for immunocytochemistry ...
Loughrey CM, Smith GL, MacEachern KE.Both the cardiac action potential duration (APD) (0.6-1 s) and resting heart rate (30-40 beats/min) in the horse are significantly different from humans and smaller mammals, including the rabbit. This would be anticipated to have consequences for excitation-contraction (EC) coupling and require adaptation of the individual processes involved. The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is one of the main components involved in EC coupling. This study examines and compares the activity of this organelle in the horse with that of the rabbit. In particular, the study focuses on SR Ca2+ release via the Ca2+ r...
Nagy A, Murray JK, Dyson SJ.There is limited information on risk factors for elimination from endurance rides. Objective: To assess risk factors for elimination for lameness and metabolic reasons from Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) endurance rides of 80-160 km distance. Methods: Unmatched case-control. Methods: Venue-, horse- and rider-related data were collected from the FEI website. Data on weather conditions and terrain were collected at the venue. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess risk factors for elimination for lameness and metabolic reasons, respectively. Re...
Bogedale K, Jagannathan V, Gerber V, Unger L.The aim of this study was to investigate microRNA (miRNA) differential expression in the two most common equine skin tumours, equine sarcoid (ES) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and its potential influence on the tumour microenvironment at post-transcriptional level. We investigated miRNA fingerprints in four subgroups: mild (ESM) and aggressive (ESA) ES and ocular SCC (oSCC) and genital SCC (gSCC). Three tumours and three control samples were included in each of the four subgroups. Following next generation sequencing, miRNA differential expression analysis using DESeq2 was carried out. Pa...
Smith AV, Wilson C, McComb K, Proops L.Signals of dominance and submissiveness are central to conspecific communication in many species. For domestic animals, sensitivities to these signals in humans may also be beneficial. We presented domestic horses with a free choice between two unfamiliar humans, one adopting a submissive and the other a dominant body posture, with vocal and facial cues absent. Horses had previously been given food rewards by both human demonstrators, adopting neutral postures, to encourage approach behaviour. Across four counterbalanced test trials, horses showed a significant preference for approaching the s...
Dorji J, Tamang S, Tshewang T, Dorji T, Dorji TY.The genetic variability and population structure of three Bhutanese traditional horse breeds were assessed through genotyping of 74 horses (Boeta 25, Sharta 14 and Yuta 35) for 29 microsatellite DNA loci. Altogether, 282 alleles were detected across 29 polymorphic loci. The allelic diversity (NE) (Boeta 4.94; Sharta 4.65; Yuta 5.30) and gene diversities (HE) (Boeta 0.78; Sharta 0.77; Yuta 0.79) were high. None of the breeds deviated significantly from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. There was no sign of significant population bottleneck for all the breeds. The inbreeding estimates (FIS) of the...
Whitesell K, Stefanovski D, McDonnell S, Turner R.The stallion Breeding Soundness Examination (BSE), as proposed by the Society for Theriogenology, recommends that a stallion produce a minimum of one billion progressively motile, morphologically normal sperm (PMMNS) in the second of two ejaculates collected 1 h apart to be classified as a Satisfactory Prospective Breeder. With this in mind, the first objective of this study was to determine if the classification outcome of the traditional BSE differs depending on the methods used to evaluate sperm motility, morphology and concentration. We hypothesized that application of Computer Assisted ...
Han H, Zhang Q, Gao K, Yue X, Zhang T, Dang R, Lan X, Chen H, Lei C.In contrast to high genetic diversity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), equine Y chromosome shows extremely low variability, implying limited patrilines in the domesticated horse. In this study, we applied direct sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods to investigate the polymorphisms of 33 Y chromosome specific loci in 304 Chinese indigenous horses from 13 breeds. Consequently, two Y-single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (Y-45701/997 and Y-50869) and one Y-indel (Y-45288) were identified. Of those, the Y-50869 (T>A) revealed the highest variation frequency (24.6...
Yang G, Prestwich GD, Mann BK.The progression of wound healing is a complicated but well-known process involving many factors, yet there are few products on the market that enhance and accelerate wound healing. This is particularly problematic in veterinary medicine where multiple species must be treated and large animals heal slower, oftentimes with complicating factors such as the development of exuberant granulation tissue. In this study a crosslinked-hyaluronic-acid (HA-) based biomaterial was used to treat wounds on multiple species: rats, dogs, and horses. The base molecule, thiolated carboxymethyl HA, was first foun...
Lear TL, McGee RB.Abnormalities of sexual development causing infertility in horses have been investigated since the early 1970's. Conventional cytogenetic analysis by karyotyping has been the primary tool used to investigate these horses. Abnormalities have a broad range, from a phenotypically normal mare with gonadal dysgenesis to a horse with ambiguous external genitalia and internal male and female organs. Cytogenetic analysis can determine genetic sex but cannot identify mutations or deletions of genes involved in the sex determination pathway. Molecular technologies have been developed to confirm cytogene...
Gold S, Regan CE, McLoughlin PD, Gilleard JS, Wilson AJ, Poissant J.Variability in host resistance or tolerance to parasites is nearly ubiquitous, and is of key significance in understanding the evolutionary processes shaping host-parasite interactions. While ample research has been conducted on the genetics of parasite burden in livestock, relatively little has been done in free-living populations. Here, we investigate the sources of (co)variation in strongyle nematode faecal egg count (FEC) and body condition in Sable Island horses, a feral population in which parasite burden has previously been shown to negatively correlate with body condition. We used the ...
Manso-Díaz G, Dyson SJ, Dennis R, García-López JM, Biggi M, García-Real MI, San Román F, Taeymans O.The equine head is an anatomically complex area, therefore advanced tomographic imaging techniques, such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are often required for diagnosis and treatment planning. The purpose of this multicenter retrospective study was to describe MRI characteristics for a large sample of horses with head disorders. Horses imaged over a period of 13 years were recruited. Eighty-four horses met the inclusion criteria, having neurological (n = 65), sinonasal (n = 14), and soft tissue (n = 5) disorders. Magnetic resonance imaging accurately depicted the a...
