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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.
Risk factor analysis of equine strongyle resistance to anthelmintics. Intestinal strongyles are the most problematic endoparasites of equids as a result of their wide distribution and the spread of resistant isolates throughout the world. While abundant literature can be found on the extent of anthelmintic resistance across continents, empirical knowledge about associated risk factors is missing. This study brought together results from anthelmintic efficacy testing and risk factor analysis to provide evidence-based guidelines in the field. It involved 688 horses from 39 French horse farms and riding schools to both estimate Faecal Egg Count Reduction (FECR) aft...
Fifty years of recurring struggles with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy. Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy appears to be a simple problem that should have a simple solution, yet the complexity and dynamic nature of laryngeal function is underappreciated. This review highlights the challenges and accomplishments that work towards that greater understanding of what is necessary to find a successful solution.
Microglia and astrocyte activation in the spinal cord of lame horses. To determine the microglial and astrocyte response to painful lameness in horses. Methods: Ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression, cell density and morphology were determined through immunofluorescence within the dorsal horn of equine spinal cord. Methods: A total of five adult horses with acute or chronic unilateral lameness, previously scheduled for euthanasia. Methods: Musculoskeletal lameness was evaluated in five horses through visual evaluation according to clinical guidelines. Spinal cord samples were obtained immediately...
Equine Endometrial Explants Undergo Significant Degenerative Changes in Culture. This study evaluated equine endometrial explants following 12, 24, and 48 hr in culture. Measurement of an indicator of cell death in explant supernatant, light microscopy, and gene expression of biomarkers of endometrial function and cellular stress were used to compare the effect of six different media on explant viability and morphology. Viability of explants was assessed indirectly through measuring LDH activity in the culture supernatant. Regardless of culture medium composition, a significant increase in LDH activity was observed within 12 hr of culture, indicating occurrence of cell dam...
Variation in MUTYH expression in Arabian horses with Cerebellar Abiotrophy. Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA) is a neurodegenerative disease in Arabian horses affecting the cerebellum, more specifically the Purkinje neurons. Although CA occurs in several domestic species, CA in Arabian horses is unique in that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been associated with the disease. Total RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on CA-affected horses to address the molecular mechanism underlying the disease. This research expands upon the RNA-seq work by measuring the impact of the CA-associated SNP on the candidate gene MutY homolog (MUTYH) and its regulation, isoform-spec...
Molecular characterization of a genetically divergent equine pegivirus strain identified in China. Equine pegivirus (EPgV) is a newly discovered equine virus, which is taxonomically classified in the Pegivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family. Until now, only the complete genome sequence of the first reported EPgV strain, from the USA (strain name: C0035) is available on online databases. Considering this, horse serum samples were collected from horses in China and screened for EPgV RNA by RT-PCR. One EPgV strain, LW/2016, was obtained and its near-complete genome sequence was acquired by standard PCR. Further analysis of its nucleotide sequence indicates LW/2016 is genetically divergent fr...
Pharmacokinetics and electrophysiological effects of sotalol hydrochloride in horses. Arrhythmias in horses may require long-term anti-arrhythmic therapy. Unfortunately, oral anti-arrhythmic drugs for use in horses are currently scarce. In human patients and small animals, sotalol, a β-blocker with class III anti-arrhythmic properties, is often used for long-term treatment. Objective: To determine the pharmacokinetics of sotalol at multiple oral dosages in unfasted horses, as well as the effects on electro- and echocardiographic measurements, right atrial and ventricular monophasic action potential (MAP) and effective refractory period (ERP). Methods: Placebo controlled, doubl...
Quantification of the effect of instrumentation error in objective gait assessment in the horse on hindlimb symmetry parameters. Objective gait analysis is becoming more popular as a tool assisting veterinarians during the clinical lameness exam. At present, there is only limited information on the effect of misplacement of markers/motion-sensors. Objective: To investigate and describe the effect of marker misplacement on commonly calculated pelvic symmetry parameters. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Each horse was equipped with custom-made devices consisting of several reflective markers arranged in a predefined manner with a reference marker correctly positioned regarding the anatomical landmark and several misp...
Rapid regrowth and detection of microbial contaminants in equine fecal microbiome samples. Advances have been made to standardize 16S rRNA gene amplicon based studies for inter-study comparisons, yet there are many opportunities for systematic error that may render these comparisons improper and misleading. The fecal microbiome of horses has been examined previously, however, no universal horse fecal collection method and sample processing procedure has been established. This study was initialized in large part to ensure that samples collected by different individuals from different geographical areas (i.e., crowdsourced) were not contaminated due to less than optimal sampling or ho...
Dermoscopic analysis of the skin of healthy warmblood horses: a descriptive study of 34 cases in Italy. Dermoscopy is a diagnostic tool that has been introduced into small animal dermatology for the evaluation of hair and the skin surface. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the use of this technique on horses and the dermoscopic appearance of equine hair and skin have yet to be reported. Objective: To assess the feasibility of dermoscopy, and to describe hair and skin surface features of healthy warmblood horses. Methods: Thirty four client-owned, healthy adult horses. Methods: Six body regions (head, neck, dorsal thorax, ventral thorax, croup and mane) were examined with a smartphone-attach...
Evaluation of oral sugar test response for detection of equine metabolic syndrome in obese Crioulo horses. Owing to the high prevalence of obesity in Crioulo horses, information allowing early diagnosis of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and prevention of the associated laminitis is of great value. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of EMS and the response to an oral sugar test (OST) in obese Crioulo horses. Twenty-two Crioulo horses were allocated into 3 groups according to their body condition score (BCS out of 9) and presence or absence of laminitis as follows: CON (6/22), BCS < 7; OB (8/22), BCS ≥ 7; and LAM (8/22), BCS ≥7 with clinical and/or radiographic signs of lam...
Sex-steroid receptors, prostaglandin E2 receptors, and cyclooxygenase in the equine cervix during estrus, diestrus and pregnancy: Gene expression and cellular localization. The cervix is a dynamic structure that undergoes dramatic changes during the estrous cycle, pregnancy and parturition. It is well established that hormonal changes, including estrogens, progestogens and prostaglandins, regulate the expression of key proteins involved in cervical function. The arachidonic acid cascade is important in the remodeling and relaxation of the cervix in the days preceding parturition. Despite the complexity of this mechanism, regulation of cervical function has received little study in the mare. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the expression of e...
Histological and functional characterizations of the digital cushion in Quarter horses. The digital cushion (DC) plays a role in absorbing and dampening forces applied to the foot and therefore supports internal structures such as navicular bone; yet, its architecture is not well-known. The goal of this study was to characterize the microanatomical structure of the DC in horses with clinically sound hooves. Both forefeet from the cadavers of 12 adult Quarter horses were cut and sectioned and samples of the following 4 regions of the DC were obtained: axial proximal (AxProx), axial distal (AxDis), abaxial lateral (AbxLat), and abaxial medial (AbxMed). The samples were processed an...
Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction: An international survey of veterinarians’ approach to diagnosis, management, and estimated prevalence. The objectives of the present study were to determine if diagnosis and treatment of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) vary by geographic region and to report the prevalence of PPID in horses as observed by veterinarians across locations. An online questionnaire was developed for veterinarians who treat horses. Veterinary associations, especially equine specialty subgroups, were contacted and a survey link was sent to members of each organization. Generalized linear models were used to examine whether the method of diagnosis and treatment of this condition, as well as its repo...
Submaximal exercise training improves mitochondrial efficiency in the gluteus medius but not in the triceps brachii of young equine athletes. We tested the hypothesis that, similar to humans and rodents, exercise training would enhance mitochondrial (Mt) biogenesis and function in skeletal muscle of young horses. Twenty-four Quarter Horse yearlings were randomly assigned to either submaximal exercise training or no forced exercise (untrained). Biopsies were collected from the gluteus medius and triceps brachii before and after 9 wk of treatment. Citrate synthase activity was lower (P < 0.0001) and cytochrome c oxidase activity per Mt unit was higher (P < 0.0001) in gluteus compared to triceps, but neither changed over ...
A fast, low-cost and efficient method for the diagnosis of sperm DNA fragmentation in several species. Sperm DNA fragmentation is a condition that interferes directly in the reproductive efficiency. Currently, there are several methods for assessing the sperm DNA integrity, such as Alkaline Comet, TUNEL and Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay. However, many of these techniques are laborious and require high-precision equipment. Thus, the development of new techniques can optimize the evaluation of sperm DNA damage. Therefore, the aim of this study was to standardize the toluidine blue (TB) stain technique for the analysis of DNA fragmentation of dog, cat, bull, stallion and ram spermatozoa. For thi...
Osteochondritis dissecans-like lesions of the occipital condyle and cervical articular process joints in a Saddlebred colt horse. Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a sequela to osteochondrosis, whereby the cartilage superficial to the site of osteochondrosis fractures and gives rise to osteochondral fragments in the affected joint. In this case, both the radiological and computed tomography findings were supportive of classical severe OCD but the histologic findings were not supportive of the diagnosis of OCD. Methods: A 1 year and 6 months old, Saddlebred, colt was presented for evaluation of chronic cervical pain. Standing laterolateral radiographs revealed an osteochondral fragment with corresponding irregular subc...
Differential Diagnosis of Flavivirus Infections in Horses Using Viral Envelope Protein Domain III Antigens in Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. In Australia, infection of horses with the West Nile virus (WNV) or Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) occasionally results in severe neurological disease that cannot be clinically differentiated. Confirmatory serological tests to detect antibody specific for MVEV or WNV in horses are often hampered by cross-reactive antibodies induced to conserved epitopes on the envelope (E) protein. This study utilized bacterially expressed recombinant antigens derived from domain III of the E protein (rE-DIII) of MVEV and WNV, respectively, to determine whether these subunit antigens provided specific...
Equine infectious anaemia in Europe: an ongoing threat to the UK. Helen Roberts of Defra's International Disease Monitoring team sets out the situation regarding equine infectious anaemia in Europe, the threat to the UK and the expectations of disease control measures in light of an outbreak being detected.
Clinical characteristics and muscle glycogen concentrations in warmblood horses with polysaccharide storage myopathy. OBJECTIVE To characterize clinical findings for polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in warmblood horses with type 1 PSSM (PSSM1; caused by mutation of the glycogen synthase 1 gene) and type 2 PSSM (PSSM2; unknown etiology). SAMPLE Database with 3,615 clinical muscle biopsy submissions. PROCEDURES Reported clinical signs and serum creatine kinase (CK) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were retrospectively analyzed for horses with PSSM1 (16 warmblood and 430 nonwarmblood), horses with PSSM2 (188 warmblood and 646 nonwarmblood), and warmblood horses without PSSM (278). Lameness e...
Effect of track surface firmness on the development of musculoskeletal injuries in French Trotters during four months of harness race training. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of track surface firmness on the development of musculoskeletal injuries in French Trotters during 4 months of race training. ANIMALS 12 healthy 3-year-old French Trotters. PROCEDURES Horses were paired on the basis of sex and body mass. Horses within each pair were randomly assigned to either a hard-track or soft-track group. The counterclockwise training protocol was the same for both groups. Surface firmness of each track was monitored throughout the training period. Radiography, ultrasonography, MRI, and scintigraphy were performed on all 4 limbs of each ho...
Expression of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer and matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 in horses with chronic airway inflammation. OBJECTIVE To examine whether expression of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) can be detected in equine lungs and whether it correlates with matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of horses with chronic inflammation of the lungs (ie, lower airway inflammation [LAI]). ANIMALS 29 horses with signs of chronic respiratory tract disease, which were classified as the LAI (n = 17) and LAI with respiratory distress (RDLAI [12]) groups, and 15 control horses. PROCEDURES BALF, tracheal aspirate, and blood samples were obtained, and...
Antiarrhythmic Effects of Combining Dofetilide and Ranolazine in a Model of Acutely Induced Atrial Fibrillation in Horses. Antiarrhythmic compounds against atrial fibrillation (AF) often have reduced efficacy and may display cardiac and/or noncardiac toxicity. Efficacy can be improved by combining 2 compounds with distinct mechanisms, and it may be possible to use lower doses of each compound, thereby reducing the likelihood of adverse side effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the effective doses of dofetilide and ranolazine can be reduced if the drugs are combined. Dofetilide, ranolazine, and a combination of these were administered in 4 incremental dosing regimens to horses with acutely ...
Reference values of two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiographic measurements as a function of body size in various equine breeds and in ponies. The aim of this study was to establish echocardiographic reference values for the equine species using allometric regression equations based on body weight (BW) and thoracic circumference (TC). Methods: A total of 239 horses or ponies were studied, including 65 warmbloods, 33 Standardbreds, 41 Thoroughbreds, 32 Arabian horses, 28 draft horses, and 40 ponies aged from 1 day to 30 years, weighing from 18 to 890 kg, with no evidence of cardiac disease. Methods: For each horse or pony, a two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography was performed. Within each breed, the relationships between BW or ...
Immunofluorescence characterization of spinal cord dorsal horn microglia and astrocytes in horses. The role of glial cells in pain modulation has recently gathered attention. The objective of this study was to determine healthy spinal microglia and astrocyte morphology and disposition in equine spinal cord dorsal horns using Iba-1 and GFAP/Cx-43 immunofluorescence labeling, respectively. Five adult horses without visible wounds or gait alterations were selected. Spinal cord segments were obtained post-mortem for immunohistochemical and immunocolocalization assays. Immunodetection of spinal cord dorsal horn astrocytes was done using a polyclonal goat antibody raised against Glial Fibrillary ...
Using partial least squares regression as a predictive tool in describing equine third metacarpal bone shape. Population variance in bone shape is an important consideration when applying the results of subject-specific computational models to a population. In this letter, we demonstrate the ability of partial least squares regression to provide an improved shape prediction of the equine third metacarpal epiphysis, using two easily obtained measurements.
High Occurrence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Horses at Slaughterhouses Compared with Those for Recreational Activities: A Professional and Food Safety Concern? The epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in horses and its zoonotic potential is poorly understood. The objective of this study is to provide data on the prevalence and genetic characteristics of MRSA isolated from horses on farms, at racecourses, and at slaughterhouses in Italy, using standard and molecular methods. In addition, we report the prevalence of MRSA in horse handlers. Among 388 horses tested by nasal swabs, 27 (7%) were positive for MRSA ST398 (t011, t899, t1255) and ST1 (t127). The prevalence of MRSA in horses tested at slaughterhouses was significan...
The effect of sodium bicarbonate and validation of beckman coulter AU680 analyzers for measuring total carbon dioxide (TCO2) concentrations in horse serum. This study evaluated the usage of Beckman Coulter AU680 analyzers for measurement of TCO in horse serum, and the effect of sodium bicarbonate administrations on serum TCO levels in resting horses. Treatment of horses with sodium bicarbonate did not result in any adverse events. Mean TCO concentration was significantly higher from 1 to 8 h in the sodium bicarbonate-treated horses compared to the untreated controls. Within an hour, administration of sodium bicarbonate increased the TCO level from 31.5 ± -2.5 (SD) to 34.0 ± 2.65 (SD) mmol/L and at 2-8 h post-administration, the TCO l...
