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Topic:Veterinary Research
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.
Evaluation of a portable device for assessment of motility in stallion semen. In horse breeding, quality assessment of semen before insemination is often requested. Non-laboratory-based techniques for objective analysis of sperm motility are thus of interest. The aim of this study was evaluating a portable device for semen analysis (Ongo sperm test) and its comparison with computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA). Semen was collected from 10 stallions, diluted to 100, 50 and 25 × 106 sperm/ml and analysed for total (TM) and progressive motility (PM). The final sperm concentration influenced total motility analysed by Ongo (p < 0.05) which was higher at 100 × 10...
Anaerobic fungal communities differ along the horse digestive tract. Anaerobic fungi are potent fibre degrading microbes in the equine hindgut, yet our understanding of their diversity and community structure is limited to date. In this preliminary work, using a clone library approach we studied the diversity of anaerobic fungi along six segments of the horse hindgut: caecum, right ventral colon (RVC), left ventral colon (LVC), left dorsal colon (LDC), right dorsal colon (RDC) and rectum. Of the 647 ITS1 clones, 61.7 % were assigned to genus level groups that are so far without any cultured representatives, and 38.0 % were assigned to the cultivated genera Ne...
Reference intervals for haematological parameters in the Lusitano horse breed. The Lusitano horse is an autochthonous Portuguese breed with a growing worldwide expansion. Our objective was to establish reference intervals for haematological parameters using the haematological cell counter LaserCyte (IDEXX). For this purpose, blood samples from 100 healthy adult horses (13 females and 87 males, ranging from 3 to 25 years of age) were analysed. The reference intervals were estimated following the ASVCP guidelines with the Reference Value Advisor software. The obtained reference intervals were 6.4-10.1 × 1012/L for red blood cells, 30.6-45.1% for haematocrit, 11.6-17.1 g/d...
Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Trypanosoma evansi from Northern India based on 18S ribosomal gene. Six Trypanosoma evansi isolates were collected from ponies (PH1 and PK6), camel (CB2), donkeys (DJ3 and DH4) and cattle (CK5) from different States of Northern India (Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat) for molecular characterization based on 18S rRNA gene. The 18S rRNA gene (2251 bp) of different isolates was amplified, cloned and custom sequenced separately. Based on sequence and phylogenetic analysis of all six isolates, collected from different hosts as well as geographical areas, were having high identity among Indian T. evansi strains (99.7%) and with other strains of T. eva...
Use of Music Therapy in Aiding the Relaxation of Geriatric Horses. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of music therapy on changes in the level of parameters describing heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) as excitability indicators in geriatric horses. The study involved 20 warmblood geriatric horses, aged 20 years or more. Animals were kept in two identical stables in one facility. Horses from stable No. 1 were considered the experimental group, whereas horses from stable No. 2 constituted a control group. The experiment consisted in playing relaxation new age music to the horses in the experimental group for 28 days use special so...
Emergence of Resistance to Macrolides and Rifampin in Clinical Isolates of Rhodococcus equi from Foals in Central Kentucky, 1995 to 2017. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of strains resistant to macrolides and rifampin over time in clinical samples from foals submitted to diagnostic laboratories in central Kentucky. We performed a retrospective observational study of all clinical samples from foals that were submitted to veterinary diagnostic laboratories in Kentucky between January 1995 and December 2017. Samples were included if the bacterium was cultured and tested for susceptibility to erythromycin or rifampin. susceptibility testing to erythromycin was available for 2,169 isolates of , while s...
Eye Surface Temperature as a Potential Indicator of Physical Fitness in Ranch Horses. This study aimed to investigate the use of maximum eye surface temperature (EST), recorded by infrared thermography, as an indicator of physical fitness in ranch horses. Data collection was carried out with 16 horses by recording six physical fitness biomarkers (EST, respiratory rate, creatine kinase activity [CK], and concentrations of total serum protein, plasmatic cortisol, and lactate) before and after a regular working day. We also recorded heart rate during the exercise, exercise duration, average velocity, distance traveled, and air temperature and humidity. The variation between the sa...
Effects of 2 preparation methods and long-term storage on structural integrity and bacterial loads of equine amnion. To determine the influence of tissue preparation and long-term storage methods on structural integrity and risk of bacterial contamination of equine amnion. Methods: Prospective experimental investigation SAMPLE POPULATION: Amniotic membranes from 8 healthy mares (n = 440 tested samples). Methods: Samples for baseline bacteriology and histology were taken after removal of debris. The remaining tissue was divided and processed with 0.05% chlorhexidine or 2% iodine/0.25% acetic acid. Processed amnion samples were assigned to 1 of 9 combinations of storage media (saline, chlorhexidine, acetic...
Development and validation of a novel 13-plex PCR system for commonly used short tandem repeats in horses (Equus caballus). Due to the thriving development of the modern horse industry and the occurrence of horse related crimes, the demand for methods of individual horse identification, parentage tests and other genetic analyses is increasing. Previous methods had disadvantages that decreased the accuracy of the results, lacked the inclusion of all commonly used short tandem repeats (STR) or increased the experimental cost and time. Objective: We aimed to develop a novel 13-plex STR typing system to resolve the above issues. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Twelve autosomal and most commonly used di-nucleotide...
Kinetics of the chromosome 14 microRNA cluster ortholog and its potential role during placental development in the pregnant mare. The human chromosome 14 microRNA cluster (C14MC) is a conserved microRNA (miRNA) cluster across eutherian mammals, reported to play an important role in placental development. However, the expression kinetics and function of this cluster in the mammalian placenta are poorly understood. Here, we evaluated the expression kinetics of the equine C24MC, ortholog to the human C14MC, in the chorioallantoic membrane during the course of gestation. Results: We demonstrated that C24MC-associated miRNAs presented a higher expression level during early stages of pregnancy, followed by a decline later in g...
Evaluation of a prototype dynamic laryngoplasty system in vitro with an equine vacuum airflow system. To evaluate a prototype dynamic laryngoplasty system (DLPS) in a static airflow model. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Ten equine larynges. Methods: The right arytenoid was fixed in abduction in all specimens. A left-sided laryngoplasty was performed with No. 2 Fiberwire and a FASTakII anchor. Each larynx was tested in a static airflow model. The system was adjusted to a flow rate of 55 L/s and prelaryngeal pressure of 12 mm Hg prior to testing in maximal arytenoid abduction. In phase 1, the left suture was loosened, shortened, and tested in 3-mm steps from 0 to 30 mm. In phase 2, the su...
An Objective Assessment of the Effect of Anesthetizing the Median Nerve on Lameness Caused by Pain in the Cubital Joint. The median nerve, along with the ulnar nerve, is often anesthetized when performing a lameness examination in horses. Because of the close proximity of the median nerve to the cubital joint, proximal migration of local anesthetic might ameliorate pain originating from the cubital joint. The objective of this study was to determine if a median nerve block will ameliorate lameness caused by pain in the cubital joint. A forelimb lameness was induced in six healthy horses by injecting 100 ng of recombinant equine interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) into the cubital joint. The median nerve of the lame leg...
Concentrations of indomethacin and its metabolite desmethylindomethacin in plasma and urine after repeated indomethacin topical application to Thoroughbreds. Repeated topical application of indomethacin is common in Japanese racehorses, despite the lack of pharmacokinetic data. Objective: To determine the concentrations of indomethacin and its metabolite, desmethylindomethacin, in plasma and urine of Thoroughbreds topically treated repeatedly with indomethacin. Methods: In vivo experimental. Methods: Seven female Thoroughbreds were topically treated with 50 g of 1% indomethacin cream per horse to the back and hips (500 mg of indomethacin/head/2400 cm , 0.21 g/cm ) for 3 consecutive days. Samples were pretreated by protein precipitation for plas...
Serological diagnosis of equine infectious anemia in horses, donkeys and mules using an ELISA with a gp45 synthetic peptide as antigen. Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a disease caused by a Lentivirus that is currently controlled exclusively by identification of seropositive animals. In most countries, including Brazil, the official diagnostic test for EIA is the agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID). Although this assay has a high specificity it can produce false negative reactions or equivocal results due to weak precipitation lines, especially in samples from donkeys, mules or newly infected equids. In this pioneering study, it was used overlapping synthetic peptide pools to map and identify a consensus, widely recognised ...
Contribution of lung function tests to the staging of severe equine asthma syndrome in the field. Staging methods are useful tools for monitoring disease and response to treatment, and because Severe Equine Asthma Syndrome (SEAS) has a high prevalence in the equine population, a clinical staging method can provide important information to optimize equine care. Our team has previously developed and published a clinical staging method for SEAS and in the present study we further evaluated information provided by lung function tests, in order to determine their contribution to disease staging. Using discriminant analysis we set out to produce a new staging method with applicability in the fie...
Genetic analyses for conservation of the traditional Tokara horse using 31 microsatellite markers. In order to promote conservation of the traditional Tokara horse in its remaining three breeding areas in Japan (Nakanoshima, Kaimondake, and Iriki), we genotyped 123 horses using 31 microsatellite markers and determined their genetic diversity. On average, the number of alleles (N), observed heterozygosity (H), expected heterozygosity (H), and inbreeding coefficient (F) among all horses were 3.0, 0.424, 0.481, and 0.108, respectively. Compared with other endangered horse breeds, we found that, even though the size of the Tokara horse population has recently increased, the N, H, and H of Tokar...
First attempts for vitrification of immature oocytes in donkey (Equus asinus): Comparison of two vitrification methods. Most wild donkey breeds are severely threatened by poaching for meat, habitat loss, and competition with livestock for food resources. Moreover, due to the mechanization in agriculture and in transport, most domestic donkey breeds are at risk of extinction. Considering the importance of biodiversity and preservation of genetic resources, the creation of genetic banks for endangered donkey breeds is urgently needed. Cryopreservation of immature jennies oocytes would be an efficient tool to allow storage of female genetics. The aim of the present study was to establish conditions for immature do...
Long live the worms: methods for maintaining and assessing the viability of intestinal stages of Parascaris spp. in vitro. In vitro maintenance of helminth parasites enables a variety of molecular, pharmaceutical and immunological analyses. Currently, the nutritional and environmental in vitro requirements of the equine ascarid parasite, Parascaris spp., have not been determined. Additionally, an objective method for assessing viability of Parascaris spp. intestinal stages does not exist. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the in vitro requirements of intestinal stages of Parascaris spp., and to develop a viability assessment method. A total of 1045 worms were maintained in a total of 212 cultures. Worms o...
Intra-articular Corticosteroids for Knee Pain-What Have We Learned from the Equine Athlete and Current Best Practice. The use of intra-articular corticosteroids for traumatic arthritis and osteoarthritis (OA) is common in the horse. The beneficial and deleterious effects of the principal corticosteroids used betamethasone esters (Celestone [Soluspan], methylprednisolone acetate [Depo Medrol], and triamcinolone acetonide [TA] [Vetalog or Kenalog]) have been defined for the horse. While TA has both disease-modifying as well as symptom-modifying effects, methyl prednisolone acetate has deleterious effects on the articular cartilage. Studies in traumatically injured joints show the same rationale (suppression of ...
Study of factors affecting the body conformation traits of Iranian Turkoman horses. The Iranian Turkoman horse is considered one of the major categories of Iranian native horses. The aim of this research was to study the genetic and nongenetic factors affecting body conformation traits in Iranian Turkoman horses. For this, measurements were performed on body conformation traits of 121 horses. To study the effect of nongenetic factors, the Lsmeans procedure was used. Variance components and heritability were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood method (REML) and AI-REML convergence algorithm. The standard deviation was estimated to be 7.04 cm for croup depth and 2.08 cm ...
Experience of using water-dispersed paper bedding for equine scintigraphy. Equine scintigraphy has been legally permitted in Japan since 2009; however, it has not yet been a routine modality for horses. One reason is the legal regulations concerning the disposal of contaminated bedding. However, overseas, the bedding after scintigraphy can be disposed following radioactivity decay, but this is not allowed in Japan. Therefore, beddings are required to stored permanently in a controlled area, implying that large amounts of beddings such as straw would be kept untreated, which is quite unpractical. This may cause a hospital owner to hesitate to construct an equine scint...
A pilot study of regenerative therapy by implanting synovium-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in equine osteochondral defect models. Synovium-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (SM-MSCs) from seven Thoroughbreds with naturally occurring intra-articular fracture proliferated to over ten million cells by the second passage. Using three experimental Thoroughbreds, columnar osteochondral defects were made arthroscopically at the bilateral distal radius. Five million allogenic SM-MSCs were implanted into the right defect, and another five million were injected into the right radio-carpal joint (implantation site). No SM-MSCs were implanted into the left defect or the same joint (control site). At 3 and 6 weeks after surgery, ten ...
Viral Enrichment Methods Affect the Detection but Not Sequence Variation of West Nile Virus in Equine Brain Tissue. West Nile virus (WNV), a small, positive sense, single stranded RNA virus continues to encroach into new locales with emergence of new viral variants. Neurological disease in the equine can be moderate to severe in the face of low to undetectable virus loads. Physical methods of virus enrichment may increase sensitivity of virus detection and enhance analysis of viral diversity, especially for deep sequencing studies. However, the use of these techniques is limited mainly to non-neural tissues. We investigated the hypothesis that elimination of equine brain RNA enhances viral detection without...
Genetic relationship between Miyako and Yonaguni horses native to Okinawa based on polymorphisms of microsatellites. The Miyako and Yonaguni horses are native horses in Okinawa. Here, we evaluated their genetic relationship using microsatellite data and Kiso horses, which have four subpopulations, as a reference population for evaluating this relationship. Microsatellite data from 35 Miyako, 78 Yonaguni, and 172 Kiso horses were evaluated using the STRUCTURE software for analyzing multilocus genotype data to investigate the population structures and their underlying relationship. The results of the STRUCTURE analysis were stable when ΔK was 2, suggesting that the Okinawan horses are different from the Kiso ...
Evolution and diversity of the EMA families of the divergent equid parasites, Theileria equi and T. haneyi. The equine parasite Theilera equi continues to curtail global equine commerce due primarily to its ability to persist indefinitely in the immunocompetent horse. Details regarding the parasite life cycle, pathogenesis and mechanism of persistence remain unclear. The recently discovered T. haneyi is also capable of persistence in the horse, creating a potential reservoir for additional infections. These two divergent parasites share a unique gene family that expresses surface merozoite antigens, or equi merozoite antigens (EMAs). The EMA family was maintained in number and size in both parasites...
Impact of a void in the equine medial femoral condyle on bone stresses and peak contact pressures in a finite element model. To predict bone and medial meniscal stresses and contact pressures in an equine stifle with a medial femoral condyle (MFC) intact or with a 2-cm subchondral bone void, under varying degrees of internal femoral rotation (IFR). Methods: Finite element model (FEM) of a cadaveric equine stifle loaded to 8000 N. Methods: The FEM was constructed from computed tomography (CT) of the right, extended stifle of a yearling. The CT image was segmented into relevant anatomic structures and meshed into 4-node tetrahedrons. Bone material properties were assigned according to Hounsfield units, soft tissue p...
Evaluation of recent changes in genetic variability in Japanese thoroughbred population based on a short tandem repeat parentage panel. The integrity of thoroughbreds is maintained under strict regulation involving DNA parentage testing, which is robust in a population with high genetic variability. The genetic variability of the thoroughbred population is possibly fluctuating because of selective breeding that has focused on adaptations for racing performance. To monitor genetic variability within the population and the effectiveness of short tandem repeat (STR) parentage testing, we investigated allele frequencies and the exclusion probability (PE) of 16-17 loci of a parentage panel in the Japanese thoroughbred population ov...
Heritability of metabolic traits associated with equine metabolic syndrome in Welsh ponies and Morgan horses. Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a complex clinical disorder with both environmental and genetic factors contributing to EMS phenotypes. Estimates of heritability determine the proportion of variation in a trait that is attributable to genetics. Objective: To provide heritability estimates for nine metabolic traits associated with EMS in two high-risk breeds. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: High-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype data was used to estimate the heritability (h ) of nine metabolic traits relevant to EMS in a cohort of 264 Welsh ponies and 286 M...
Next-generation sequencing reveals new insights about gene usage and CDR-H3 composition in the horse antibody repertoire. Horse serum antibodies have been used for greater than a century for the treatment and prophylaxis of infectious diseases and envenomations. Little is known, however, about the immunogenetic diversity that produces horse serum antibodies. Here, we employed next-generation sequencing for a first-in-kind comprehensive analysis of the equine B-cell repertoire. Nearly 45,000 and 30,000 clonotypes were obtained for the heavy-chain (IGH) and lambda light-chain (IGL) loci, respectively. We observed skewed use of the common subgroups IGHV2 (92.49%) and IGLV8 (82.50%), consistent with previous reports,...
