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.
Guarino C, Asbie S, Rohde J, Glaser A, Wagner B.Borrelia burgdorferi can induce Lyme disease. Approved Lyme vaccines for horses are currently not available. In an effort to protect horses, veterinarians are using Lyme vaccines licensed for dogs. However, data to assess the response of horses to, or determine the efficacy of this off-label vaccine use are missing. Here, antibodies against outer surface protein A (OspA), OspC, and OspF were quantified in diagnostic serum submissions from horses with a history of vaccination with canine Lyme vaccines. The results suggested that many horses respond with low and often short-lasting antibody resp...
Zetterström SM, Johansson BC, Carmalt JL.OBJECTIVE To evaluate clinical and tenoscopic findings in a large group of horses undergoing surgery of the carpal flexor sheath (CFS) and determine whether any of the presurgical clinical signs were associated with tenoscopic findings. ANIMALS 242 horses that had undergone diagnostic and therapeutic tenoscopy of the CFS because of aseptic tenosynovitis. PROCEDURES Medical and tenoscopic video records (when available) of 242 horses undergoing tenoscopy of the CFS at a single equine clinic between January 2005 and June 2014 were reviewed. Tenoscopic findings were categorized as present or absen...
Laabassi F, Hue E, Fortier C, Morilland E, Legrand L, Hans A, Pronost S.An episode of acute equine respiratory infection was reported in western Algeria (Tiaret province) between February and March 2011, affecting a large population of horses. Nasal swabs (n=100) were taken from horses aged between 1 and 27 years, presenting with cough and mucopurulent nasal discharge. The prevalence of equine respiratory virus infections was examined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). One, or more, of four equine respiratory viruses were detected in the nasal swabs of 90 of 100 horses (90%) and the detection rate of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1), equine herp...
Hill JA, Cassano JM, Goodale MB, Fortier LA.OBJECTIVE To determine whether major histocompatability complex (MHC) class II expression in equine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) changes with exposure to a proinflammatory environment reflective of an inflamed joint. SAMPLE Cryopreserved bone marrow-derived MSCs from 12 horses and cartilage and synovium samples from 1 horse euthanized for reasons other than lameness. PROCEDURES In part 1 of a 3-part study, the suitability of a quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) assay for measurement of MHC class II expression in MSCs following stimulation with interferon (IFN)-γ was assessed. I...
Verdegaal EJMM, Delesalle C, Caraguel CGB, Folwell LE, McWhorter TJ, Howarth GS, Franklin SH.OBJECTIVE To evaluate use of a telemetric gastrointestinal (GI) pill to continuously monitor GI temperature in horses at rest and during exercise and to compare time profiles of GI temperature and rectal temperature. ANIMALS 8 Standardbred horses. PROCEDURES Accuracy and precision of the GI pill and a rectal probe were determined in vitro by comparing temperature measurements with values obtained by a certified resistance temperature detector (RTD) in water baths at various temperatures (37°, 39°, and 41°C). Subsequently, both GI and rectal temperature were recorded in vivo in 8 horses over...
Tirosh-Levy S, Gürbilek SE, Tel OY, Keskin O, Steinman A.Rhodococcus equi is a common cause of pneumonia in foals and has extensive clinical, economic and possibly zoonotic consequences. This bacterium survives well in the environment and may be considered as normal flora of adult horses. Certain strains of this bacterium are extremely virulent in foals, and early identification and intervention is crucial for prognosis. Rhodococcus equi is endemic in many parts of the world and occasionally isolated in Israel. This study was designed to evaluate R. equi seroprevalence in adult horses in Israel to indirectly indicate the potential level of exposure ...
Dube S, Chionuma H, Matoq A, Alshiekh-Nasany R, Abbott L, Poiesz BJ, Dube DK.In order to better understand the training and athletic activity of horses, we must have complete understanding of the isoform diversity of various myofibrillar protein genes like tropomyosin. Tropomyosin (TPM), a coiled-coil dimeric protein, is a component of thin filament in striated muscles. In mammals, four TPM genes (TPM1, TPM2, TPM3, and TPM4) generate a multitude of TPM isoforms via alternate splicing and/or using different promoters. Unfortunately, our knowledge of TPM isoform diversity in the horse is very limited. Hence, we undertook a comprehensive exploratory study of various TPM i...
Valberg SJ, Nicholson AM, Lewis SS, Reardon RA, Finno CJ.To report a novel exertional myopathy, myofibrillar myopathy (MFM) in Warmblood (WB) horses. Objective: To 1) describe the distinctive clinical and myopathic features of MFM in Warmblood horses and 2) investigate the potential inheritance of MFM in a Warmblood family. Methods: Retrospective selection of MFM cases and prospective evaluation of a Warmblood family. Methods: Retrospectively, muscle biopsies were selected from Warmblood horses diagnosed with MFM and clinical histories obtained (n = 10). Prospectively, muscle biopsies were obtained from controls (n = 8) and a three generation WB...
Pinto-Bravo P, Galvão A, Rebordão MR, Amaral A, Ramilo D, Silva E, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A, Alexandre-Pires G, Roberto da Costa R, Skarzynski DJ....The oviduct plays important roles in the early reproductive process. The aim of this study was to evaluate gene transcription and protein expression of progesterone receptor (PGR), estrogen receptors 1 (ESR1) and 2 (ESR2); oxytocin receptor (OXTR); prostaglandin F2α synthase (AKR1C3), and prostaglandin E2 synthase (Ptges) in mare oviduct in different estrous cycle stages. Estradiol (E), progesterone (P), oxytocin (OXT), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF) effect on in vitro PGE and prostaglandin F2α (PGF) secretion by equine oviduct explants or by oviductal epithelial cells (OECs) were also ...
Kološ F, Bodeček Š, Žert Z.To describe and report preliminary outcomes of a contralateral trans-nasal endoscopic laser fenestration of the conchae for endoscopic examination and treatment of paranasal sinuses in horses. Methods: Cadaveric experimental and prospective clinical study. Methods: Normal cadaveric equine heads (n = 7) and equine patients (horses n = 7, donkey n = 1) diagnosed with sinusitis. Methods: Ex vivo: a video-endoscope containing a diode laser fiber in the working canal was passed through the nostril and retroflexed in the nasopharynx toward the contralateral conchae. Ventral or dorsal con...
Bertin FR, de Laat MA.Insulin dysregulation is the hallmark of equine metabolic syndrome and has received attention because of its direct association with laminitis. In the absence of an adequate treatment for laminitis, a focus on prophylaxis is needed, making early detection of individuals at risk of developing laminitis one of the main challenges in equine endocrinology. Recent studies have shown that insulin dysregulation goes beyond tissue insulin resistance and it is now demonstrated that the equine enteroinsular axis plays a major role in insulin secretion and equine hyperinsulinaemia. In this review, we dis...
This work proposes an application of a minimal complexity physiologically based pharmacokinetic model to predict tramadol concentration vs time profiles in horses. Tramadol is an opioid analgesic also used for veterinary treatments. Researchers and medical doctors can profit from the application of mathematical models as supporting tools to optimize the pharmacological treatment of animal species. The proposed model is based on physiology but adopts the minimal compartmental architecture necessary to describe the experimental data. The model features a system of ordinary differential equations...
Ashraf Kharaz Y, Zamboulis D, Sanders K, Comerford E, Clegg P, Peffers M.Exploring the tendon proteome is a challenging but important task for understanding the mechanisms of physiological/pathological processes during ageing and disease and for the development of new treatments. Several extraction methods have been utilised for tendon mass spectrometry, however different extraction methods have not been simultaneously compared. In the present study we compared protein extraction in tendon with two chaotropic agents, guanidine hydrochloride (GnHCl) and urea, a detergent, RapiGest™, and their combinations for shotgun mass spectrometry. An initial proteomic analysi...
Weissenböck H, Bagó Z, Kolodziejek J, Hager B, Palmetzhofer G, Dürrwald R, Nowotny N.Borna disease, a lethal infection with Borna disease virus-1 (BoDV-1), was diagnosed in four horses from Upper Austria in 2015 and 2016. All cases occurred in winter (two cases in February 2015 and two cases in December 2016), and the maximal distance of the affected stables was 17 km. To demonstrate whether the causative agent was also harbored by its reservoir host, the bicolored white-toothed shrew (Crocidura leucodon), 28 shrews from this geographic area were collected in 2015 and investigated for the presence of BoDV-1. The shrew species were identified according to taxonomic clues and ...
García-Ballesteros S, Varona L, Valera M, Gutiérrez JP, Cervantes I.Ranking trait was used as a selection criterion for competition horses to estimate racing performance. In the literature the most common approaches to estimate breeding values are the linear or threshold statistical models. However, recent studies have shown that a Thurstonian approach was able to fix the race effect (competitive level of the horses that participate in the same race), thus suggesting a better prediction accuracy of breeding values for ranking trait. The aim of this study was to compare the predictability of linear, threshold and Thurstonian approaches for genetic evaluation of...
Strauch S, Wichert B, Greef JM, Hillegeist D, Zeyner A, Liesegang A.The aim of this study was to improve an in vitro system in order to gather optimized information on the digestion of different forages in the horse's upper gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, foregut digestion of several forages was simulated in vitro (Part 1). The effect of different pH values on in vitro fructan degradation of two selected grasses (Part 2) was tested subsequently. Part 1: We hypothesized that our system produces representative results simulating digestive processes in the upper alimentary tract, but neglects microbial fermentation. In vitro digestion of six forages (grass ...
Glatter M, Bochnia M, Goetz F, Gottschalk J, Koeller G, Mielenz N, Hillegeist D, Greef JM, Einspanier A, Zeyner A.This study aimed to investigate the impact of the supplementation of a pre-biotic compound [Jerusalem artichoke meal (JAM)] on the glycaemic and insulinaemic response in healthy, non-obese warm-blooded horses. Six adult mares [mean body weight (bwt) 529 ± 38.7 kg; body condition score 5.1 ± 0.49/9] were used. In two equal meals per day, the horses received crushed oat grains (1 g starch/kg bwt per day) and meadow hay (2 kg/100 kg bwt per day) which together were likely to meet the energy recommendation for light work (GfE, ). Additionally, they received either 0.15 g fructo-oligosac...
Popot MA, Ho ENM, Stojiljkovic N, Bagilet F, Remy P, Maciejewski P, Loup B, Chan GHM, Hargrave S, Arthur RM, Russo C, White J, Hincks P, Pearce C....Cobalt is an essential mineral micronutrient and is regularly present in equine nutritional and feed supplements. Therefore, cobalt is naturally present at low concentrations in biological samples. The administration of cobalt chloride is considered to be blood doping and is thus prohibited. To control the misuse of cobalt, it was mandatory to establish an international threshold for cobalt in plasma and/or in urine. To achieve this goal, an international collaboration, consisting of an interlaboratory comparison between 5 laboratories for the urine study and 8 laboratories for the plasma stud...
Bastos FZ, Barussi FCM, Santi TF, Vieira BP, Senegaglia AC, Cruz FF, Michelotto PV.There is no consensus on aspects of equine bone marrow collection and processing. The study aimed to describe the collection of large volumes of bone marrow from horses of advanced age, with emphasis on bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) recovery and viability after cryopreservation. Fourteen horses, aged 3-24 years, were divided into three experiments. E1 studied the feasibility of collecting 200 mL from the sternums of horses of advanced age; E2 examined the number of cells obtained from the first and last syringe of each puncture; and E3 investigated the influence of heparin concentrati...
Salas-Romero J, Gómez-Cabrera KA, Aguilera-Valle LA, Bertot JA, Salas JE, Arenal A, Nielsen MK.Increasing levels of anthelmintic resistance observed in equine cyathostomin parasites have led to recommendations of selective anthelmintic treatment strategies to lower the selection pressure favoring resistant populations. This principle is based on determining strongyle fecal egg counts from all herd members, and treating those exceeding a predetermined treatment cutoff. However, epidemiological information is lacking from horses kept under tropical conditions, where parasite burdens may be of a different composition and magnitude compared to those of horses kept under temperate climate co...
Van Hecke LL, Hermans K, Haspeslagh M, Chiers K, Pint E, Boyen F, Martens AM.The aim of this study was to evaluate different techniques for diagnosing wound infection in wounds healing by second intention in horses and to assess the effect of a vortex and sonication protocol on quantitative bacteriology in specimens with a histologically confirmed biofilm. In 50 wounds healing by second intention, a clinical assessment, a quantitative swab, a semi-quantitative swab, and a swab for cytology were compared to a quantitative tissue biopsy (reference standard). Part of the biopsy specimen was examined histologically for evidence of a biofilm. There was a significant, high c...
González-Medina S, Ireland JL, Piercy RJ, Newton JR, Votion DM.Equine atypical myopathy (AM) is a toxic rhabdomyolysis associated with ingestion of hypoglycin A, derived typically in Europe, from Acer pseudoplatanus tree. Despite the wide distribution of this tree species in the UK, the number of cases reported annually varies, and there has been an apparent increase in prevalence in recent years. Although AM was first recognised in the UK, epidemiological studies have never been conducted focused solely on this country. Objective: To describe the spatiotemporal distribution, presentation, treatment and outcome of AM cases reported in the UK. Methods: Ret...
Pfau T, Simons V, Rombach N, Stubbs N, Weller R.Training and rehabilitation techniques aiming at improving core muscle strength may result in increased dynamic stability of the equine vertebral column. A system of elastic resistance bands is suggested to provide proprioceptive feedback during motion to encourage recruitment of core abdominal and hindquarter musculature for improved dynamic stability. Objective: To quantify the effects of a specific resistance band system on back kinematics during trot in-hand and lungeing at beginning and end of a 4-week exercise programme. Methods: Quantitative analysis of back movement before/after a 4-we...
Martel G, Forget C, Gilbert G, Richard H, Moser T, Olive J, Laverty S.Noninvasive imaging tools are needed to screen foal femoropatellar joints to detect subclinical osteochondrosis lesions due to focal failure of endochondral ossification to enhance early management to optimise intrinsic healing events. Recently investigations employing 3T susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (3T SWI MRI) and CT have demonstrated their capacity for early osteochondrosis diagnosis, but these technologies are not practical for field screening. We postulate that ultrasonography is a valuable field tool for the detection of subclinical osteochondrosis lesions. Objecti...
Prokhorov NS, Riccio C, Zdorovenko EL, Shneider MM, Browning C, Knirel YA, Leiman PG, Letarov AV.Bacteriophages recognize and bind to their hosts with the help of receptor-binding proteins (RBPs) that emanate from the phage particle in the form of fibers or tailspikes. RBPs show a great variability in their shapes, sizes, and location on the particle. Some RBPs are known to depolymerize surface polysaccharides of the host while others show no enzymatic activity. Here we report that both RBPs of podovirus G7C - tailspikes gp63.1 and gp66 - are essential for infection of its natural host bacterium E. coli 4s that populates the equine intestinal tract. We characterize the structure and funct...
Castilla-Castaño E, Vischi A, Navarro C, Lecru LA, Ribeiro C, Pradier S, Cadiergues MC.Two open-controlled studies evaluated the tolerance and the efficacy of a 10 mg/mL deltamethrin-based pour-on solution (Deltanil®; Virbac, France) in treating (study 1) and preventing (study 2) natural Damalinia equi infestations in horses. In study 1, seven adult horses received 10 mL of the solution from mane to tail head on day 0 (D0). Four adult horses, living separately, served as non-treated controls. All were naturally infected. Lice burden was recorded by counting the number of live parasites, bilaterally, over seven anatomic regions. Lesional score was based on alopecia, crusts, papu...
McElligott EM, Sommardahl CS, Cox SK.OBJECTIVE To determine the pharmacokinetics of chloramphenicol base after PO administration at a dose of SO mg/kg (22.7 mg/lb) in adult horses from which food was not withheld. DESIGN Prospective crossover study. ANIMALS 5 adult mares. PROCEDURES Chloramphenicol base (SO mg/kg) was administered PO to each horse, and blood samples were collected prior to administration (0 minutes) and at 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes and 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 hours thereafter. Following a washout period, chloramphenicol sodium succinate (25 mg/kg [11.4 mg/lb]) was administered IV to each horse, and blood samples were ...
Hanche-Olsen S, Matiasek K, Molín J, Rosati M, Hahn C, Hultin Jäderlund K, Gröndahl G.Acquired equine polyneuropathy (AEP), formerly also known as Scandinavian knuckling syndrome, is one of the most prevalent polyneuropathies in equids in Norway and Sweden, with more than 400 cases registered since first observations in 1995. Despite geographical clustering and an association to forage feeding, its aetiology remains unknown. Clinically AEP is characterized by knuckling due to dysfunction of metatarsophalangeal extensor muscles. This neuropathological study aimed to gain further insights in the pathobiology of AEP and its underlying aetiopathogenesis. We thereby confirmed that a...
Liley H, Davies H, Firth E, Besier T, Fernandez J.Fatigue failure of bones of the metacarpo-phalangeal (fetlock, MCP) joint is common in thoroughbred racehorses. Stresses within the fetlock joint cartilages are affected by the morphology of the third metacarpal bone (MC3) and proximal phalangeal bone, and the steepness of the median sagittal ridge of MC3 is believed to be associated with fracture. This study investigated the influence of the steepness of the sagittal ridge on cartilage stress distribution using a finite element model of the joint. Changes to the steepness of the sagittal ridge were made by applying a parabolic function to the...
Issouf M, Vargas A, Boivin R, Lavoie JP.Smooth muscle has a central role in bronchospasm-induced airway obstruction in asthma. Alternative mRNA splicing of the smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (myh11) gene produces four different isoforms, one of which (SMB) is characterized by the inclusion of the exon5b, which doubles the smooth muscle cells contraction velocity. Deciphering the regulation of the expression levels of the SMB isoform would represent a major step for the understanding of the triggers and pathways leading to airway smooth muscle contraction in asthma. Our objective was therefore, to study the splicing regulation mech...
Decloedt A, de Clercq D, van der Vekens N, Verheyen T, van Loon G.Atrial fibrillation cycle length (AFCL) is an indicator of atrial electrical remodelling during atrial fibrillation (AF). Objective: To compare AFCL measured invasively from an intra-atrial electrogram (AFCLEGM ) with AFCL measured noninvasively by atrial colour tissue Doppler imaging (AFCLTDI ). Methods: Prospective descriptive clinical study. Methods: Measurements were performed in 31 episodes of AF or flutter in 29 horses (588 ± 61 kg bwt, 9 ± 3 years old) admitted for transvenous electrical cardioversion. The AFCLEGM was measured from an intracardiac electrogram using a bipolar sensi...
Silva SR, Payan-Carreira R, Quaresma M, Guedes CM, Santos AS.In equids, health and welfare depend on body composition. A growing number of equids are now used as leisure and companion animals, and often found overfeed. The need for a close monitoring of body fatness led to the search for tools allowing a rapid and non-invasive estimation of fatness. This study intends to assess real-time ultrasonography (RTU) usefulness in establishing a relationship between ultrasound measures of subcutaneous fat-plus-skin thickness (SF-Skin) and body condition score (BCS) in horses and donkeys. Forty-three healthy animals (16 donkeys and 27 horses) were used in this s...
Nagel C, Aurich J, Aurich C.Heart rate is an important parameter of fetal well-being. We have analyzed fetal heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) by fetomaternal electrocardiography (ECG) in the horse (Equus caballus) from midpregnancy to foaling. It was the aim of the study to detect changes in the regulation of fetal cardiac activity over time and to establish normal values in undisturbed pregnancies. A total of 22 mares were available for the study. Fetomaternal electrocardiography was a reliable technique to detect cardiac signals in fetuses between Day 173 of gestation and foaling. Fetal HR decreased fro...
Smith G, Bertone AL, Kaeding C, Simmons EJ, Apostoles S.To evaluate the effect of topically applied dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced synovitis in the mid-carpal joint. Methods: 6 sound, healthy, adult horses (12 carpi). Methods: In a double-blinded, crossover, paired study with a 1-week washout period, mid-carpal joints were allocated to group 1 (DMSO, n = 6) or group 2 (control, n = 6). Each joint was injected with 1.3 ml (0.0125 ng/dl) of LPS to induce synovitis. For group-1 joints, DMSO gel (15 g; 90%) was applied after injection of LPS and at 12-hour intervals for 60 hours. Joints of group 2 received LPS, but not DMS...
Charan S, Palmer K, Chester P, Mire-Sluis AR, Meager A, Edington N.Up to 21 days after exposure to live or ultraviolet-inactivated equid herpesvirus type-1 (EHV-1) autologous serum from ponies caused an immunosuppressive effect if incorporated into T-cell proliferation assays to EHV-1. The suppressive factor in the sera of ponies also inhibited T-cell response to phytohaemagglutinin. Increased levels of circulating activated transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) were detected, and the suppressive activity of the serum could be reversed by antibody to TGF-beta 1. In a challenge experiment the ponies which exhibited circulating TGF-beta 1 activity succ...
McCrae P, Spong H, Rutherford AA, Osborne V, Mahnam A, Pearson W.Electrocardiography (ECG) is an essential tool in assessing equine health and fitness. However, standard ECG devices are expensive and rely on the use of adhesive electrodes, which may become detached and are associated with reduced ECG quality over time. Smart textile electrodes composed of stainless-steel fibers have previously been shown to be a suitable alternative in horses at rest and during exercise. The objective of this study was to compare ECG quality using a smart textile girth band knit with silver and carbon yarns to standard adhesive silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) electrodes. S...
Gordon AN, Marbach CR, Oakey J, Edmunds G, Condon K, Diviney SM, Williams DT, Bingham J.A 5-year-old Australian stock horse in Monto, Queensland, Australia, developed neurological signs and was euthanized after a 6-day course of illness. Histological examination of the brain and spinal cord revealed moderate to severe subacute, nonsuppurative encephalomyelitis. Sections of spinal cord stained positively in immunohistochemistry with a flavivirus-specific monoclonal antibody. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay targeting the envelope gene of flavivirus yielded positive results from brain, spinal cord, cerebrospinal fluid, and facial nerve. A flavivirus was isolate...
Ricketts SW, Greet TR, Glyn PJ, Ginnett CD, McAllister EP, McCaig J, Skinner PH, Webbon PM, Frape DL, Smith GR.An outbreak of pharyngeal and limb paresis involving four horses and nine ponies in the south east of England is described. Nine of the animals died or were destroyed on humane grounds. The clinical features suggested a diagnosis of botulism and mouse innoculation tests confirmed the presence of type B toxin in the serum of one case. All animals were fed big bale silage. It is describe how, in plastic wrapped silage manufacture, conditions of fermentation may be inadequate to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulism. Examination of a sample of silage fed to the affected horses suggested that...
Morris DD, Meirs DA, Merryman GS.A prospective study was performed to determine the incidence and associated maternal and managemental factors of failure of passive transfer (FPT) in foals on a breeding farm. The zinc sulfate turbidity test (ZSTT) and latex agglutination test (LAT) were compared for accuracy in estimating serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G of foals, as determined by single radial immunodiffusion (SRID). Complete past and present foaling histories of 136 Standardbred mares were obtained. All foalings were witnessed by farm attendants, and colostral samples were collected from mares within 2 hours after parturition. Fo...
Domínguez R, Pateiro M, Crecente S, Ruiz M, Sarriés MV, Lorenzo JM.The aim of this study was to assess the effect of finishing diet (control concentrate vs. linseed concentrate) and slaughter age (13 vs. 26 months) on meat and nutritional quality of foal meat. For this study, 46 foals from crossing Galicia Mountain x Burguete breeds were used. Results: The obtained results showed that slaughter age had an influence on chemical composition and colour parameters. Foals slaughtered at the age of 13 months had lower content of intramuscular fat and higher cholesterol contents than those slaughtered at 26 months of age. Regarding colour parameters, older foals sho...
Nielsen MK, Vidyashankar AN, Gravatte HS, Bellaw J, Lyons ET, Andersen UV.Strongylus vulgaris is regarded as the most pathogenic helminth parasite infecting horses. Migrating larvae cause pronounced endarteritis and thrombosis in the cranial mesenteric artery and adjacent branches, and thromboembolism can lead to ischemia and infarction of large intestinal segments. A recently developed serum ELISA allows detection of S. vulgaris-specific antibodies during the six-month-long prepatent period. A population of horses has been maintained at the University of Kentucky without anthelmintic intervention since 1979, and S. vulgaris has been documented to be highly prevalen...
Jackson BF, Goodship AE, Eastell R, Price JS.To evaluate changes in serum concentrations of biochemical markers of bone metabolism and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) associated with treadmill exercise in young horses. Methods: 12 two-year-old Thoroughbred mares. Methods: During a 20-week study period, 6 horses were exercised on a treadmill 3 times a week (exercise group) and 6 horses received walking exercise 6 days a week (controls). Serum concentrations or activity of biochemical markers and IGF-I were assessed biweekly. Bone mineral density and content of the first phalanx were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorbiometry (DEXA) ...
Toombs-Ruane LJ, Riley CB, Kendall AT, Bolwell CF, Benschop J, Rosanowski SM.Decreased efficacy of antimicrobials and increased prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR) is of concern worldwide. Objective: To describe and analyze bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibilities from respiratory samples submitted from young horses (4 weeks to 3 years old). Methods: Samples from 289 horses were submitted to a commercial laboratory. Methods: A retrospective database search of submissions made to a New Zealand veterinary laboratory between April 2004 and July 2014. The results of in vitro susceptibility testing by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion were described and tabulat...
Edwards GB.Intraoperative techniques for assessing the viability of ischaemic bowel are discussed. Intravenous administration of sodium fluorescein appears useful but further investigation of the method is required. Methods of resection and anastomosis of small intestine are described and illustrated, including the use of automatic stapling instruments.
Beccati F, Gialletti R, Passamonti F, Nannarone S, Di Meo A, Pepe M.Septic arthritis/tenosynovitis in the horse can have life-threatening consequences. The purpose of this cross-sectional retrospective study was to describe ultrasound characteristics of septic arthritis/tenosynovitis in a group of horses. Diagnosis of septic arthritis/tenosynovitis was based on historical and clinical findings as well as the results of the synovial fluid analysis and/or positive synovial culture. Ultrasonographic findings recorded were degree of joint/sheath effusion, degree of synovial membrane thickening, echogenicity of the synovial fluid, and presence of hyperechogenic spo...
Zak A, Siwinska N, Slowikowska M, Borowicz H, Kubiak K, Hildebrand J, Popiolek M, Niedzwiedz A.There are no available studies describing the possible resistance of strongyles to ivermectin in horses in Poland. One hundred seventy three horses from nine stud farms from South-Western Poland were studied. The effectiveness of ivermectin was studied on the 14th day after ivermectin administration using the fecal egg count reduction test, and a long-term observation of the egg reappearance period was carried out. The fecal study was carried out using a modified McMaster method, which typically detects 20 eggs per gram of stool. The results were subjected to statistical analysis that enabled ...
Kachroo P, Ivanov I, Seabury AG, Liu M, Chowdhary BP, Cohen ND.Rhodococcus equi is an intracellular bacterium primarily known as an equine pathogen that infects young foals causing a pyogranulomatuous pneumonia. The molecular mechanisms mediating the immune response of foals to R. equi are not fully elucidated. Hence, global genomic high-throughput tools like gene expression microarrays might identify age-related gene expression signatures and molecular pathways that contribute to the immune mechanisms underlying the inherent susceptibility of foals to disease caused by R. equi. The objectives of this study were 2-fold: 1) to compare the expression profil...
Lansade L, Coutureau E, Marchand A, Baranger G, Valenchon M, Calandreau L.Pavlovian to instrumental transfer (PIT) is a central factor in how cues influence animal behavior. PIT refers to the capacity of a Pavlovian cue that predicts a reward to elicit or increase a response intended to obtain the same reward. In the present study, using an equine model, we assessed whether PIT occurs in hoofed domestic animals and whether its efficacy can be modulated by temperamental dimensions. To study PIT, horses were submitted to Pavlovian conditioning whereby an auditory-visual stimulus was repeatedly followed by food delivery. Then, horses were submitted to instrumental cond...
Adams R, Koterba AM, Cudd TC, Baker WA.The medical records of 18 neonatal foals, in which exploratory celiotomies were performed for suspected urinary tract lesions, were reviewed. Despite clinical signs and laboratory values indicative of disruption of the urinary tract, three foals did not have a site of urinary tract leakage at surgery. Eight foals had ruptured bladders and seven foals had urachal lesions. Ultrasonography was used as a pre-operative diagnostic procedure in eight foals to evaluate the presence of free peritoneal fluid and urinary tract integrity. Nine foals were alive six months after discharge. Seven of the nine...
Dabareiner RM, Sullins KE, Snyder JR, White NA, Gardner IA.Effects of intraluminal distention (25 cm of H2O, 120 minutes) and subsequent decompression (60 minutes) on intramural vascular patterns of the small intestine was evaluated in 7 anesthetized horses. Intraluminal distention (25 cm of H2O, 120 minutes) was created in 2 jejunal segments in each horse. Experimental and control segments were removed either immediately after the experimental period or after 60 minutes of decompression. The vascular system of experimental and control jejunal segments was lavaged with NaCl, then was injected with a blue-colored radiopaque medium for microangiography ...
Anderson BH, Kannegieter NJ, Goulden BE.An endoscopic survey of young race horses was performed to examine the prevalence and character of laryngeal movements during quiet respiration. The main aim was to determine whether those arytenoid movements which could possibly reflect the efficiency of left dorsal cricoarytenoid muscle function changed over a period of time. Of the 452 horses examined, 439 were Thoroughbreds and 23 were Standardbreds, 250 were less than 2 years of age (6-21 months), and 202 were 2 years old. One hundred and nine of these horses were examined again 16 months later. Arytenoid movements were given one of four ...
Lutzer A, Nagel C, Murphy BA, Aurich J, Wulf M, Gautier C, Aurich C.Blue light directed at 1 eye advances the equine ovulatory season but may also advance foaling. In this study, effects of blue LED light on pregnancy outcome were assessed. A total of 20 mares with singleton pregnancies were studied over 2 consecutive years in a cross-over design. In 1 year, mares received an extended photoperiod using 50 lux of blue LED light (468 nm) directed at a single eye from 08:00 until 23:00 daily via head-worn light masks starting mid-December and in the other year remained untreated as controls. Gestation was shorter in blue LED light-treated than in control pregnan...
Firth EC, van Weeren PR, Pfeiffer DU, Delahunt J, Barneveld A.This study aimed a the determining bone mineral density (BMD) in the 3rd carpal bone and distal radius of foals age 5 and 11 months that had been subjected to different exercise regimens from birth until age 5 months. It was hypothesised that BMD would be greater in older animals, and that differences in exercise regimens before age 5 months would be associated with differences in BMD at both age 5 and 11 months. Epiphyseal bone tissue was available from 5 and 11 month old Warmblood foals bred from sires known to have radiographic evidence of osteochondrosis (OC). The foals were in a clinical ...
Eggleston RB, Mueller PO, Parviainen AK, Groover ES.To compare a double-layer inverting anastomosis with a single-layer appositional anastomosis, coated with either 1% sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC) or 0.4% sodium hyaluronate (HA) solutions, in the small intestine of horses with respect to anastomotic healing and adhesion formation. Methods: 18 adult horses. Methods: Midline celiotomy and end-to-end jejunal anastomoses were performed. In control group horses (n = 6), a double-layer inverting anastomosis coated with sterile lactated Ringer's solution was performed. In treatment group horses, a single-layer appositional anastomosis was perf...
Françoso R, Riccio AV, Fernandes CB, Alonso MA, Belli CB.Equine piroplasmosis, disease globally responsible for significant economic losses, is caused by the transmission of the hemoprotozoa Theileria equi and Babesia caballi by ticks. Transplacental transmission has been reported previously in horses, which is not the case for mules´ foals. The present study investigated, by Real Time-PCR (RT-PCR), the presence of both Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in newborn mules before the ingestion of colostrum. Blood samples of 18 mares and their respective mules´ foals were collected and analyzed by RT-PCR. Only one mare was positive for B. caballi. In...
Morrison LR, Freel K, Henderson I, Hahn C, Smith SH.Lymphoma (malignant lymphoma, lymphosarcoma) is uncommon in horses in the United Kingdom. This report describes an unusual form of lymphoproliferative disease with features of lymphoma restricted to the central nervous system (CNS) and with no evidence of a primary lesion elsewhere. Immunohistochemical examination defined an overwhelming predominance of T lymphocytes with admixed B lymphocytes and activated macrophages. This case exemplifies the challenges associated with definitive diagnosis of lymphoproliferative disease of the equine CNS.
Berlin D, Nasereddin A, Azmi K, Ereqat S, Abdeen Z, Eyal O, Baneth G.Trypanosoma evansi is the cause of surra in horses, camels and other domestic animals. Following the first outbreak of surra in horses and camels in Israel in 2006, a survey of the prevalence of the parasite in the Israeli horse population was conducted using serology, PCR followed by the reverse dot blot (RDB) technique and blood smear microscopy. In total, 614 horses from 7 regions were sampled. The CATT/T. evansi kit was used for serology for all the horses. Horses from the Arava and Dead Sea region, where the first outbreak occurred, were sampled again one year later and both samples were ...
Wuersch K, Huessy D, Koch C, Oevermann A.Proliferative enteropathy (PE) caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis is a disease of high economic impact in swine worldwide. In most other species the disease occurs as a sporadic infection. This paper reports a PE caused by L. intracellularis in a 9-month-old Pura Raza Española filly with a history of profuse diarrhoea. Pathological lesions consisted of a severe proliferative enteritis associated with argyrophilic bacteria in the apical cytoplasm of proliferating crypt epithelium. Characteristic PCR products confirmed the presumptive diagnosis of L. intrace...
Buss T, Aurich J, Aurich C.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...
