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.
Perrone G, Lastra Y, González C, Caggiano N, Giménez R, Pareja R, De Simone E.Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent arthropathy in sport horses. The administration of a platelet lysate (PL) is an alternative method for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. The mechanisms by which PL exerts its beneficial effects have not been determined, and less is known about its effect on the activity of the proteolytic enzymes of the synovial fluid of equines with OA. In this work, the effect of the administration of PL to horses with OA was analyzed both clinically and molecularly by determining the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9...
Stoller N, Christen G, Graubner C.In the present study phone interviews on working hours, salary, professional satisfaction and other topics were carried out with 30 equine veterinarians. None of the participants had more than five years of work experience. The gross annual wages ranged from CHF 36'400 to CHF 91'500. The study participants worked 42 to 93 hours per week. Only 13% were moderately satisfied with the job, the remaining participants were satisfied to highly satisfied. Sixty percent of the study participants were dissatisfied with their wages and wished to be paid according to the Swiss Veterinary Association (GST...
Scholtzek AD, Hanke D, Eichhorn I, Walther B, Lübke-Becker A, van Duijkeren E, Köck R, Schwarz S, Feßler AT.Based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), correct classifications as susceptible, intermediate or resistant are challenging for some antimicrobial agent-bacterial species combinations. In this study, we investigated 19 equine Staphylococcus aureus isolates for their susceptibility to the combination sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SXT) by using broth microdilution (BMD), agar disk diffusion (DD) and automated test systems. To elucidate the presence of the corresponding genetic resistance properties among the isolates, whole genome sequence analysis was performed and the genomes were ...
Li F, Wang R, Guo Y, Li N, Feng Y, Xiao L.Limited data are available on infection rates and genetic identity of Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Giardia duodenalis in horses and donkeys. In this study, 865 fecal specimens were collected from donkeys (n = 540) and horses (n = 325) in three provinces and autonomous regions in northern China during 2015-2019. Enterocytozoon bieneusi was detected and genotyped by PCR and sequence analyses of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and G. duodenalis was detected and genotyped by PCR and sequence analyses of the β-giardin, glutamate dehydrogenase, and triosephosphate isomerase g...
Gandini M, Comino F, Caramello V, Giusto G.To compare three surgical knots for preventing leakage from the vascular bundle during ligation in simulated equine open castrations. Methods: Randomized, case-control, in vitro study. Methods: Testes (N = 60) collected from 30 horses. Methods: Testes were collected from 30 horses and randomly assigned to one of three groups: group G (friction, giant knot), group T (modified transfixing knot), or group S (sliding, strangle knot; n = 20/group). The assigned knot was used to ligate the vascular bundle during open castration. The length of suture material used and the leak pressure of the testicu...
Garber A, Hastie P, Murray JA.Gastrointestinal microbiota play a crucial role in nutrient digestion, maintaining animal health and welfare. Various factors may affect microbial balance often leading to disturbances that may result in debilitating conditions such as colic and laminitis. The invention of next-generation sequencing technologies and bioinformatics has provided valuable information on the effects of factors influencing equine gut microbiota. Among those factors are nutrition and management (e.g., diet, supplements, exercise), medical substances (e.g., antimicrobials, anthelmintics, anesthetics), animal-related ...
Dordas-Perpinyà M, Normandin L, Dhier T, Terris H, Cochard A, Frilley C, Huiban F, Bruyas JF.The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of different doses of buserelin acetate and another GnRH agonist, triptorelin acetate, in saline solution in a single subcutaneous injection, to induce ovulation of growing pre-ovulatory follicle in mare and compare it with the classical treatment of a single injection of hCG. The study is split into 3 experiments over different breeding seasons in the same stud with a random distribution of treatment. The first one was to compare the injection of 6 mg of buserelin with 1,500 IU of hCG; the second one consisted of comparing different doses of ...
Miró J, Morató R, Vilagran I, Taberner E, Bonet S, Yeste M.Three separate experiments were conducted to improve preservation of stallion epididymal sperm. In the first one, two different cooling extenders (Kenney and Gent) were compared. Sperm viability and motility patterns were assessed in 10 different epididymal sperm samples after 0 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, and 96 hours of preservation at 4°C. No significant differences were observed in any of the evaluated parameters either between extenders or throughout the storage period. The second set of experiments was designed to determine whether supplementing thawing medium (INRA Freeze...
Long A, Nolen-Walston R.Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a marker of inflammation and infection in the horse that can be assessed in the field, with rapid and marked changes seen following initiation of an inflammatory stimulus. This quality of SAA also makes its clinical use challenging, because even small inflammatory conditions can cause large changes in SAA levels. Review of the current literature provides guidelines for responses of SAA to various conditions, which can be applied to specific clinical cases. The practitioner is encouraged to use SAA in conjunction with physical examination and other diagnostic modalities...
Hansen TL, Bobel JM, Rankins EM, Sanchez LC, Warren LK.Digesta retention time within specific segments of the equine gastrointestinal tract (GIT) may be more relevant to scientific inquiries than total tract mean retention time (TTMRT); however, measuring retention time in individual segments requires access to the digestive tract. The objective of this study was to compare prececal, cecal, and colonic mean retention time (MRT) with model-derived compartment MRT. A cecally fistulated gelding was fed indigestible particulate and liquid markers to determine TTMRT and dosed with different pairs of particulate and liquid markers into the cecum (hindgu...
Liu J, Tan S, Huang S, Huang W.Alternative splicing is an important biological process whose precision must be tightly regulated during growth and development. Although there are species, disease (e.g. cancers), or study specific databases available in many organisms, no database exists in livestock animals specifically tailored for alternative splicing. Methods: We present in this study the development and implementation of a database for alternative splicing atlas in livestock animals (ASlive.org). Using publicly available RNASeq data sets across many tissues, cell types, and biological conditions totaling 28.6 T bases,...
Paillot R.The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has recently estimated that the world equid population exceeds 110 million (FAOSTAT 2017).[...].
Domino M, Jasinski T, Kautz E, Juszczuk-Kubiak E, Ferreira-Dias G, Zabielski R, Sady M, Gajewski Z.Equine endometrosis is a multifactorial chronic degenerative condition, considered to be one of a major causes of equine infertility. The formation of periglandular fibrosis seems to be linked to chronic inflammation of the mare endometrium in a paracrine way and in a response to numerous forms of inflammatory stimuli elicit the net deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) around the endometrial glands and stroma. We hypothesized some of these stimuli, such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and hyaluronan synthases (HASs), may share the nuclear factor-κB (NF...
Rørvang MV, Nielsen TB, Christensen JW.Animals can acquire new behavior through both individual and social learning. Several studies have investigated horses' ability to utilize inter-species (human demonstrator) social learning with conflicting results. In this study, we repeat a previous study, which found that horses had the ability to learn from observing humans performing an instrumental task, but we include a control for stimulus enhancement. One human demonstrator and thirty horses were included, and the horses were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: (A) full human demonstration, (B) partial human demonstration, a...
Walker NL, Patout AR, Cater M.Hereditary equine regional derma asthenia (HERDA), an autosomal-recessive trait, found in Quarter Horses, causes abnormal collagen structure. Owing to current breeding practices, 3.5% of registered quarter horses and 28.3% of the cow horse population are heterozygote carriers. Research demonstrated homozygote horses develop hyperextensible skin susceptible to injury and other abnormal tissues containing high fibrillar collagen content. No research exists determining the effects of the disease in heterozygote carriers. Currently, 30% of cutting sires are HERDA carriers, potentially increasing t...
Veado HC, Conceição RS, Nogueira K, Fino TCM, Silva AS, Castro MB, Soto-Blanco B, Câmara ACL.The findings of massive Africanized honeybee stings in two hair sheep and a mare are reported. One sheep died 15 h after attack, and the survivors developed skin necrosis on the sting sites. Pathological evaluation revealed necrosis in the dermis, degeneration of the tubular epithelial cells, and multifocal hemorrhages in heart and spleen. The massive attack by Africanized honeybees induced lesions in the skin, heart, muscles, kidneys, and lungs.
Xie J, Tong P, Zhang A, Song X, Zhang L, Shaya N, Kuang L.In 2015, a novel equine parvovirus, equine parvovirus-cerebrospinal fluid (EqPV-CSF), was identified from cerebrospinal fluid of a horse with neurological signs and lymphocytosis in USA. In our study, an EqPV-CSF-like virus was detected from 15 serum samples of 65 imported thoroughbred horses during custom quarantine in north Xinjiang province, China. Further field investigation in several major horse-producing areas in Xinjiang using specific PCR showed that this virus was detected mainly in thoroughbred horses (39/154 positive) previously imported, not in local breeds (0/127 positive). Phylo...
van Zadelhoff C, Schwarz T, Smith S, Engerand A, Taylor S. To describe detectable and non-detectable naturally occurring cartilage damage of the equine distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint using plain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and gadolinium and saline MR arthrography. The second objective was to quantify the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in detection of cartilage damage. In a pilot study, the distal limbs of two horses with confirmed osteoarthritis of the DIP joint were imaged with low-field MR. Magnetic resonance images were assessed in consensus by three observers and compared to gross pathological findings. Subsequently, a prospectiv...
Vitale V, Viu J, Armengou L, Ríos J, Jose-Cunilleras E.To evaluate the prognostic value of measuring heart rate variability (HRV) in horses with colic at the time of admission to a referral hospital. Methods: 51 horses > 1 year of age with colic (41 that survived [survivors] and 10 that died or were euthanized [nonsurvivors]). Methods: HRV was recorded within 1 hour after admission by use of heart rate sensors with horses restrained in stocks. A 5-minute recording period was analyzed to obtain HRV measurements (eg, SD of R-R intervals [SDRR], root mean square of successive differences between R-R intervals [RMSSD], and geometric SDs determined ...
Torcivia C, McDonnell S.Horses have evolved to show little indication of discomfort or disability when in the presence of potential predators, including humans. This natural characteristic complicates the recognition of pain in equine patients. It has been our clinical impression that, whenever a person is present, horses tend to "perk up" and ongoing discomfort behavior (DB) more or less ceases. The objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate and describe this effect. For each of 20 orthopedic surgical patients, continuous 24-h video was reviewed to record all occurrences of DB during a caretaker visit (3...
Marzano G, Moscatelli N, Di Giacomo M, Martino NA, Lacalandra GM, Dell'Aquila ME, Maruccio G, Primiceri E, Chiriacò MS, Zara V, Ferramosca A.Conventional sperm selection techniques used in ARTs rely on centrifugation steps. To date, the different studies reported on the effects of centrifugation on stallion sperm motility provided contrasting results and do not include effects on mitochondrial functionality and different oxidative parameters. The effects of different centrifugation protocols (300 ×g for 5', 300 ×g for 10', 1500 ×g for 5' and 1500 ×g for 10' vs no centrifugation) on motility and oxidative status in cryopreserved stallion sperm, were analyzed. After centrifugation, almost all motility parameters were significantl...
Tirosh-Levy S, Gottlieb Y, Steinman A.Stress has been suggested as a risk factor for Theileria equi peracute disease and may lead to relapse in clinical signs in chronically infected horses. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of stress on T. equi parasitemia in sub-clinically infected horses in two settings: horses hospitalized at a veterinary teaching hospital and horses from an endurance farm. Blood samples were collected from the hospitalized horses (n = 32) upon admission (T0) and at discharge (T1) from the hospital, and results were compared between horses that underwent surgery (stress) and other hospitalized...
Siard-Altman MH, Harris PA, Moffett-Krotky AD, Ireland JL, Betancourt A, Barker VD, McMurry KE, Reedy SE, Adams AA.Similarly to aged humans, senior horses (≥20 years) exhibit chronic low-grade inflammation systemically, known as inflamm-aging. Inflamm-aging in the senior horse has been characterized by increased circulating inflammatory cytokines as well as increased inflammatory cytokine production by lymphocytes and monocytes in response to a mitogen. Little is currently known regarding underlying causes of inflamm-aging. However, senior horses are also known to present with muscle wasting and often the endocrinopathy pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Despite the concurrence of these phenom...
Tang L, Xiu Y, Yan L, Cui Y, Ma X, Ente M, Zhang Y, Li K, Zhang D.Reintroduction of endangered species to natural habitat is considered as an important tool for conservation. The effect of drug management on captive population of reintroduced species is largely neglected. Decreased drug efficacy could pose a substantial threat to health of animals. More importantly, captive population without proper drug administration could act as transmission medium of resistance nematodes to wild population, making it important to delay the occurrence of drug resistance in captive population. Ivermectin have been used in captive Przewalski's horse () to eradicate intestin...
Miagkoff L, Bonilla AG.To investigate the use of a needle arthroscope for diagnostic tenoscopy of the carpal sheath in standing horses. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Six forelimbs for the cadaveric part of the study and six horses for the in vivo part of the study. Methods: Six cadaveric limbs were used to perform carpal sheath tenoscopy with a 1.2-mm-diameter needle arthroscope (65 and 100 mm long), followed by tenoscopy with a 4-mm arthroscope through a standard proximolateral approach. Then, unilateral standing carpal sheath tenoscopy was performed in six healthy sedated horses with a 65-mm-long needle ...
The study evaluated the effectiveness of a commercially available polyherbal dewormer to control intestinal strongyles in naturally infected donkeys. The animals were allotted to two groups: treated with the herbal dewormer (n=8) according to manufacturer recommendations and untreated control group (n=6). Fecal samples were taken from each animal on days 0 (day of treatment), 14, 21 (day of second additional treatment), 35, and 42. Faecal egg count reduction tests showed very negligible or no reduction in number of strongyle eggs for donkeys in the phytotherapeutic treatment group compared to ...
Newman AW.Clinical pathology results are only as good as the quality of samples and accompanying information submitted to the diagnostic laboratory. The frustration of nondiagnostic or equivocal test results can often be avoided by taking the time to follow sample handling and submission guidelines. This article discusses preanalytical errors that commonly affect the accuracy of hematology, chemistry, and cytology testing, and offers practical tips for preventing these errors and maximizing diagnostic yield.
DeNotta SL, Brooks MB.Horses with clinical signs of unprovoked or excessive hemorrhage should be evaluated for underlying platelet defects or coagulopathies. This article provides an overview of preliminary screening and definitive tests to assess coagulation and identify hemostatic defects in horses, as well as a review of the hemostatic disorders most frequently encountered in clinical practice.
Höfner L, Luther AM, Waberski D.Ongoing progress in proteomic characterization of seminal plasma has stimulated research on the identification of biomarkers for male fertility and sperm preservability. So far, many studies have evaluated the benefits of reconstituting cryopreserved or sex-sorted semen with seminal plasma. Less information is available about the effect of remaining or added seminal plasma in liquid preserved semen. The interaction between seminal plasma and spermatozoa is species -specific, and within species often complex and ambiguous. This article aims to review the action of seminal plasma on sperm functi...
Rousseau-Blass F, Pigé C, Pang DS.To assess agreement between oscillometric noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) measurements using LifeWindow monitors (LW9xVet and LW6000V) and invasive blood pressure (IBP). To assess the agreement of NIBP readings using a ratio of cuff width to mid-cannon circumference of 25% and 40%. Methods: Prospective, randomized clinical study. Methods: A total of 43 adult horses undergoing general anesthesia in dorsal recumbency for different procedures. Methods: Anesthetic protocols varied according to clinician preference. IBP measurement was achieved after cannulation of the facial artery and connectio...
Cowley AB, Lukat-Rodgers GS, Rodgers KR, Benson DR.N-Acetylmicroperoxidase-8 (1) contains heme and residues 14-21 of horse mitochondrial cytochrome c (cyt c). The two thioether bonds linking protein to heme in cyt c are present in 1, and the native axial ligand His-18 remains coordinated to iron. As an approach to probing structural or functional roles played by the double covalent heme-protein linkage in cyt c, we have initiated a study in which the properties of 1 are compared with those of a synthetic mono-His coordinated heme peptide containing a single covalent linkage (2). One consequence of the greater conformational restriction imposed...
Beccati F, Pepe M, Santinelli I, Gialletti R, Di Meo A, Romero JM.Abnormalities of the ventral lamina of the sixth cervical vertebra (AVL-C6) are thought to exert abnormal stress on the articular process joints (APJs) of the cervicothoracic junction. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between AVL-C6 and radiographic findings in the caudal cervical area and between clinical signs of neck pain and ataxia and radiographic findings. Methods: Medical records of horses subjected to cervical radiography were reviewed. Horses were classified into those with neck pain (group C), those with ataxia (group A) and healthy horses (group H). Presence o...
Santibáñez R, Lara F, Barros TM, Mardones E, Cuadra F, Thomson P.The ocular microbiome in horses is poorly described compared to other species, and most of the information available in the literature is based on traditional techniques, which has limited the depth of the knowledge on the subject. The objective of this study was to characterize and predict the metabolic pathways of the ocular microbiome of a group of healthy horses. Conjunctival swabs were obtained from both eyes of 14 horses, and DNA extraction was performed from the swabs, followed by next generation sequencing and bioinformatics analyses employing DADA2 and PICRUSt2. A total of 17 phyla we...
Bykovsky AF, Yershov FI, Zhdanov VM.Morphogenesis of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus was studied by means of electron microscopy. Virus-specific structures (factories, viroplasts) were found at early stages of infection; these structures were composed of fibrillar and cylindrical formations, aggregates of ribosomes, and viral nucleoids. The latter emerged from fibrillar and cylindrical structures. Aggregates of viral nucleoids were found in the cytoplasm and occasionally in the nuclei of virus-infected cells. Viral envelopes and mature virions were formed on the cell membranes and on the membranes of intracellular vacu...
Tiralongo J, Schmid H, Thun R, Iwersen M, Schauer R.Microsomes prepared from equine submandibular glands and incubated with tritium-labelled AcCoA incorporated acid-insoluble radioactivity in a manner dependent on time, protein, membrane integrity and AcCoA concentration, with incorporation being optimal at 37 degrees C and pH 6.6. Under the experimental conditions used a K(M) of 32.1 microM for AcCoA and a V(max) of 1.2 pmol/mg protein x min was obtained. The incorporation of acid-insoluble radioactivity was also inhibited by CoA in a competitive manner (K(i)=240 microM), as well as by para-chloromercuribenzoate, 3'-dephospho-CoA, 5'-IDP, 5'-A...
de Laat MA, Clement CK, McGowan CM, Sillence MN, Pollitt CC, Lacombe VA.Equine laminitis, a disease of the lamellar structure of the horse's hoof, can be incited by numerous factors that include inflammatory and metabolic aetiologies. However, the role of inflammation in hyperinsulinaemic laminitis has not been adequately defined. Toll-like receptor (TLR) activation results in up-regulation of inflammatory pathways and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and may be a pathogenic factor in laminitis. The aim of this study was to determine whether TLR4 expression and subsequent pro-infla...
Sugahara Y, Matsumura T, Kono Y, Honda E, Kida H, Okazaki K.Heparin extensively inhibited infection of MDBK cells by equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) strains adapted to bovine cells or hamsters, while the reagent merely reduced infectivity of strains passaged only in equine cells. The gC of two strains adapted to non-equine cells seemed to have higher affinity for heparin, although the reagent bound to both the gC and gB of all strains tested. Amino acid substitutions of the gC of the EHV-1 strains adapted to non-equine cells converged on the hydrophilic regions, amino acid residues 92 to 175, resulting in the glycoprotein becoming more cationic. These res...
Nollet H, Deprez P, Van Ham L, Verschooten F, Vanderstraeten G.The aim of this study was to investigate the use of magnetic motor evoked potentials as an ancillary diagnostic test in horses with cervical cord lesions. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was performed in 12 ataxic horses and the results of the evoked responses were compared to those found in normal horses. The latency and peak-to-peak amplitude of the potentials in the 12 ataxic horses were significantly different from those measured in normal horses. The configuration of the abnormal potentials was also polyphasic. Normalisation of the evoked potentials occurred in none of the horses, prese...
Robinson NE, Jackson C, Jefcoat A, Berney C, Peroni D, Derksen FJ.This study used a cross-over design to compare the efficacy of 3 corticosteroids for the relief of airway obstruction and inflammation in 9 heaves-affected horses. The severity of airway obstruction and inflammation was quantified by measurement of lung function and by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology, respectively. Airway obstruction was induced by stabling the horses and they remained stabled during the 10 day treatment period. Lung function was measured before treatment (baseline), at Days 3, 7, and 10 of treatment, and after 30 days at pasture. BALF cytology was investigated at...
Franck T, Kohnen S, Deby-Dupont G, Grulke S, Deby C, Serteyn D.An original method called SIEFED (specific immunological extraction followed by enzymatic detection) was developed for the specific detection of the activity of equine myeloperoxidase (MPO). The method consists of the extraction of MPO from aqueous solutions by immobilized anti-MPO antibodies followed by washing (to eliminate proteins and interfering molecules) and measurement of MPO activity using a detection system containing a fluorogenic substrate, hydrogen peroxide, and nitrite as reaction enhancer. The SIEFED technique was applied to study active MPO in horse biological fluids and the ef...
Ho EN, Yiu KC, Wan TS, Stewart BD, Watkins KL.Anti-diabetics such as sulfonylurea and thiazolidinedione derivatives are hypoglycemic drugs used for the treatment of diabetes. However, they can also be used as a stopper in horseracing. This paper describes a convenient method for the separation and simultaneous detection of 10 anti-diabetic drugs (namely glipizide, glibenclamide, glimepiride, gliclazide, tolazamide, tolbutamide, nateglinide, repaglinide, rosiglitazone and pioglitazone) in equine plasma and urine by LC-MS-MS. Methods: The anti-diabetics were isolated from equine plasma and urine by liquid-liquid extraction with 1,2-dichloro...
Hoogewijs M, Morrell J, Van Soom A, Govaere J, Johannisson A, Piepers S, De Schauwer C, De Kruif A, De Vliegher S.The increasing use of modern reproductive techniques in human medicine has led to a higher demand for isolation of motile sperm. Several of these isolation techniques have been adapted for veterinary use and can be applied for the selection of a superior sperm sample from stallion semen. Until recently a major disadvantage of such isolation techniques was the limitation in sperm volume that could be handled. Androcoll-E had been shown to be successful for processing large volumes of equine semen but there are few data to substantiate the potential beneficial effect of freezing an Androcoll-E s...
MacDonald DG, Morley PS, Bailey JV, Barber SM, Fretz PB.Post operative surgical wound infection rates were determined 452 cases of equine orthopaedic surgery performed at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, between January 1, 1981 and December 31, 1990. Only surgical procedures classified as clean or clean-contaminated by the National Research Council were included in this study. The overall post operative infection rate was 10.0% (45 of 452). Clean surgeries (n = 433) had an 8.1% infection rate while clean-contaminated surgeries (n = 19) had a 52.6% infection rate. Information collected from the medical records was...
Krakowski L, Krzyzanowski J, Wrona Z, Siwicki AK.The objectives of the studies were to evaluate the effect of levamisole and 1,3/1,6 glucan applied in pregnant mares on parameters of non-specific cellular and humoral immunity of foals. Eighteen mares in three experimental groups (six animals in each) and their progeny were examined. Multiparous mares, crossbreed of Polish, full-blood and Hannover lines (400-500 kg), 4-9 years old, originated from four different farms. They were kept under identical zoohygienic and nutritional conditions. The animals were randomly chosen in experimental groups. None of mares had been previously vaccinated. In...
Edington N, Bridges CG, Griffiths L.When 23 ponies were infected with equid herpesvirus-1 or -4 (EHV-1 or EHV-4), nasal shedding of interferon (IFN) correlated closely with the duration of viral excretion. Equine interferon (EqIFN) was detected in the serum only from animals infected with the EHV-1 virus, and here high levels correlated with clinical symptoms of locomotor disorder and indicated a poor prognosis. Low levels of IFN were detected in explanted mononuclear cells from ponies infected with either virus.
Adair HS, Marcellin-Little DJ, Levine D.To assess validity and inter- and intra-tester reliability of equine goniometry and to establish values for carpal, metacarpophalangeal, tarsal, and metatarsophalangeal flexion and extension in horses. Methods: Seventeen healthy equine subjects of varied breeds were used. Methods: Three investigators blindly and independently measured in triplicate the extension and flexion of carpal, metacarpophalangeal, tarsal, and metatarsophalangeal joints of 17 horses after sedation. Radiographs of these joints in flexion and extension were acquired while under sedation. Goniometric and radiographic measu...
Anzai T, Eguchi M, Sekizaki T, Kamada M, Yamamoto K, Okuda T.In order to establish a rapid diagnostic method for contagious equine metritis (CEM), we developed and evaluated a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Species-specific PCR primer sets were derived from the DNA sequence of a cloned DNA fragment of Taylorella equigenitalis that did not hybridize with the genome of a taxomonically related species, Oligella urethralis. Single step PCR with primer set P1-N2 and two-step semi-nested PCR with primer sets P1-N2 and P2-N2 detected as low as 100 and 10 CFU of the bacteria, respectively. Single-step PCR detected T. equigenitalis from genital swabs of e...
Niwa H, Hobo S, Kinoshita Y, Muranaka M, Ochi A, Ueno T, Oku K, Hariu K, Katayama Y.Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Abortusequi is a pathogen restricted to horses. Our investigation targeted 4 draft horses (9-10 months old) kept on a Japanese farm that had suffered an outbreak of S. Abortusequi abortion. The 4 horses were suspected to be carriers of the bacterium owing to their high agglutination titers (≥1:2,560) in tube agglutination testing. The owners' on-farm observations confirmed that the horses had no apparent abnormalities, and S. Abortusequi was not isolated from their blood, rectal swabs, or sternal bone marrow fluid at antemortem investigation. Howev...
McGuire TC, Crawford TB.Immunoglobulin A (IgA) was demonstrated in equine serum and secretions. This immunoglobulin had a molecular weight extending from 150,000 to 700,000 and reacted with specific antihuman alpha-chain antiserum. Antigenic determinants specific for secretory IgA were demonstrated and found to be absent on serum IgA. Antigen binding activity was detected in IgA from tears. Purified IgA was antigenically distinct from equine IgG, IgM, IgG(T), and aggregating immunoglobulin. Quantitative studies demonstrated that IgA was the predominant immunoglobulin in tears and milk but not in colostrum. The electr...
Reef VB, Boy MG, Reid CF, Elser A.The results of radiography and ultrasonography were compared on 56 horses and cows with lower respiratory tract disease. Ultrasonography was more sensitive than radiography for the detection of small pleural effusions and consolidations in large animals. The side of the thorax affected and the character of the pleural fluid and lung in large animals with pleural effusion can be evaluated ultrasonographically. The periphery of the lung must be affected to characterize pulmonary lesions ultrasonographically. Radiography is the best technique to characterize lesions deep within the lung when the ...
Lykkjen S, Roed KH, Dolvik NI.Developmental orthopaedic diseases (DOD) such as osteochondrosis (OC)/osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD), palmar/plantar osteochondral fragments (POF), ununited palmar/plantar eminences (UPE) and dorsoproximal first phalanx fragments are well recognised in the horse. Aetiopathogeneses are controversial and molecular genetic screening of DNA has recently been employed for their elucidation. Precise phenotypic definition and knowledge of breed-specific prevalence and interrelations are essential for the interpretation of following genomic studies in Standardbred trotters. Objective: To assess the p...
Paz-Silva A, Francisco I, Valero-Coss RO, Cortiñas FJ, Sánchez JA, Francisco R, Arias M, Suárez JL, López-Arellano ME, Sánchez-Andrade R....The analysis of the capability of the nematode trapping-fungus Duddingtonia flagrans to adapt to the cyathostomin egg-output in horses was evaluated. Fecal samples from 196 pasturing autochthonous Pura Raza Galega horses were collected from the rectum and then divided according to the egg-output into three groups: ≤ 300, 310-800 and >800 eggs per gram feces. Four doses of chlamydospores (0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 × 10(6)/100g feces) were directly spread onto fecal pats on the ground, remaining one without treatment as control. Fecal pats confirmed the presence of gastrointestinal nematode la...
Thanissery R, McLaren MR, Rivera A, Reed AD, Betrapally NS, Burdette T, Winston JA, Jacob M, Callahan BJ, Theriot CM.The relationship between the gut microbiota and Clostridioides difficile, and its role in the severity of C. difficile infection in humans is an area of active research. Intestinal carriage of toxigenic and non-toxigenic C. difficile strains, with and without clinical signs, is reported in animals, however few studies have looked at the risk factors associated with C. difficile carriage and the role of the host gut microbiota. Here, we isolated and characterized C. difficile strains from different animal species (predominantly canines (dogs), felines (cats), and equines (horses)) that were...
Hannant D, Mumford JA, Jessett DM.The duration of immunity as measured by virological, serological and clinical responses following infection with influenza A/equine/Newmarket/79 (H3N8) was assessed in repeated challenge experiments in which ponies were infected by exposure to aerosols of infectious virus. Previous infection stimulated complete clinical protection which persisted for at least 32 weeks as demonstrated by the absence of febrile responses and coughing in two groups of ponies infected 16 weeks or 32 weeks after the first infection. Partial clinical protection persisted for over a year as demonstrated by the absenc...
Moens Y, Lagerweij E, Gootjes P, Poortman J.The distribution of inspired gas to each lung, time constants of the lungs and parameters of gas exchange were studied in 2 groups of horses (mean bwt 606 kg), anaesthetised using thiopentone and chloral hydrate and breathing room air. One group (n = 4) had a downward curved abdominal contour (round-bellied) and the other group (n = 4) had an upward curved abdominal contour (flat-bellied). An equal distribution of inspired gas between the lungs existed in both groups in dorsal recumbency. Flat-bellied horses maintained this equal distribution in lateral recumbency whereas in round-bellied hors...
Chipangura JK, Chetty T, Kgoete M, Naidoo V.The continuous increase in prevalence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria presents a significant public health problem and is an indicator that antimicrobial prudent usage guidelines are not being followed, especially in developing countries. Despite trends being available from numerous countries, there is little published for South Africa. This study was aimed at estimating the prevalence and trends of antimicrobial resistance from bacterial isolates from equine clinical samples submitted for culture and susceptibility testing to the veterinary bacteriology laboratory of the University of Pre...
Legere RM, Cohen ND, Poveda C, Bray JM, Barhoumi R, Szule JA, de la Concha-Bermejillo A, Bordin AI, Pollet J.Vaccines and therapeutics using in vitro transcribed mRNA hold enormous potential for human and veterinary medicine. Transfection agents are widely considered to be necessary to protect mRNA and enhance transfection, but they add expense and raise concerns regarding quality control and safety. We found that such complex mRNA delivery systems can be avoided when transfecting epithelial cells by aerosolizing the mRNA into micron-sized droplets. In an equine in vivo model, we demonstrated that the translation of mRNA into a functional protein did not depend on the addition of a polyethylenimine (...
Trachsel DS, Giraudet A, Maso D, Hervé G, Hauri DD, Barrey E, Robert C.The heart's physiological adaptation to aerobic training leads to an increase in heart chamber size, and is referred to as the Athlete's heart. However, heart dimensions are also related to body weight (BWT), body size, growth and (in some species) breed. There are few published data on the relationships between heart dimensions and growth or aerobic training in Arabian and Arabian-related endurance horses. Therefore the objective of the present study was to describe the influence of body dimensions (body length (BL), thoracic circumference (TC), withers height (WH)), BWT, age, gender, breed (...
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...
Minke JM, Toulemonde CE, Dinic S, Cozette V, Cullinane A, Audonnet JC.A classical limitation of early life immunization is the interference by maternally derived antibodies, which are known to inhibit the immune response to modified-live and killed vaccines. Several studies have convincingly shown that even minute amounts of maternally derived antibodies against equine influenza can strongly interfere with successful vaccination of foals born to immune mares. In this study we evaluated the response of foals born to vaccinated mares to immunization with a canarypox-vectored recombinant vaccine against equine influenza virus H3N8. The recombinant vaccine was able ...
