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.
Obradovic NA, McFadden A, Martin K, Vierra M, McLoone K, Martin E, Thomas A, Everts RE, Brooks SA, Lafayette C.This paper reports three novel KIT variants likely responsible for previously unexplained white patterning phenotypes observed in three groups of horses. White spots and markings may have substantial consequences on the value and health of domesticated horses. This study aims to elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying depigmented coat colors to aid in producing prosperous herds. Aligned whole genome sequences were manually screened to identify three polymorphisms in a family of Anglo-Arabian horses (N = 7), a family of Warmblood horses (N = 5), and a single stock-type mare with unexplained...
Jung Y, Yoon M.Therapeutic programs involving human-horse interactions are gaining popularity as a means of enhancing human well-being. Understanding the physiological responses of both humans and horses during these interactions is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of such programs. This study examined the effects of specific interactive activities on both humans and horses by monitoring changes in oxytocin and cortisol levels. Six participants and six horses took part in the study. The participants engaged in three distinct activities, each lasting 15 min: (1) resting alone without the horse (rest...
Brito LFC.Semen analysis is an important laboratory diagnostic test for stallions. Evaluation of sperm motility is integral to basic semen analysis and results are important for breeding management and clinical practice. Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) allows objective sperm motility evaluation and increases analytical precision. The objective of the present study was to validate a portable CASA system (AndroScope). Fresh/cooled semen samples (33 ejaculates, 18 stallions) and frozen semen (40 ejaculates and one epididymal flush, 27 stallions) were evaluated using the AndroScope and the IVOS II C...
Obrochta B, Tapio H, Raekallio M, Gracia Calvo LA, Pöyhönen RR, Hagman K, Jantunen N, Karikoski N.Sedation in horses is typically achieved using alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists, although their use is associated with multiple side effects. A peripheral alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist, vatinoxan, can alleviate many of these. Objective: To evaluate the effects of vatinoxan infusion on gastrointestinal motility, sedation, and antinociception in horses sedated with detomidine infusion. Methods: Randomised, blinded cross-over in vivo experiments. Methods: Eight horses were given two 4-h infusions: detomidine (0.01 mg/kg + 0.015 mg/kg/h IV) (DET) and a combination of detomidine and vatinoxa...
Mason SJ, O'Neill HD, Bladon BM.The objective was to investigate synovial sample appearance, total nucleated cell count (TNCC), total protein concentration (TP), and neutrophil percentage in horses with acute articular fractures to aid decision making in acutely lame horses. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Synovial fluid samples (n = 55). Methods: Synovial fluid records were analyzed over an 11 year period from horses undergoing lag screw fixation or arthroscopic fragment removal of intra-articular fractures within 48 h of occurrence. Horses were excluded when presented with wounds close to the joint or ...
Wallace PD, Schoonover MJ, Williams MR, Maxwell LK, Taylor JD.To evaluate plasma and synovial fluid amikacin concentrations following cephalic or saphenous IV regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) with a dosing protocol of 25 mg of amikacin/kg, divided into 16.7 mg/kg systemically and 8.3 mg/kg regionally. We hypothesized that plasma amikacin concentrations observed at 30 minutes after systemic administration would exceed a therapeutic target of 53 μg/mL and that synovial fluid concentrations would exceed a therapeutic target of 80 μg/mL. Unassigned: Over a 5-month period (spring/summer of 2023), 8 healthy neonatal foals were administered each protocol at le...
Dash SK, Panda S, Karna DK, Mishra C, Kalaignazhal G.The present study aimed to identify significant morphometric traits in Malkangiri ponies of Odisha through principal component analysis. The data were collected randomly from 200 ponies aged more than five years and 13 morphometric traits alongwith three indices were recorded. The mean height at wither, height at croup, body length, chest girth, punch girth, height at forearm, height at hock, fetlock to coronet, chest width, neck circumference, poll to wither, wither to croup and croup to head of the tail were 126.7 ± 0.39, 122.6 ± 0.29, 107.9 ± 0.2, 122 ± 0.31, 118.6 ±â...
Pipereau K, Trably E, Santa-Catalina G, GarcÃa-Bernet D, Carrere H.This study focuses on thermal and non-thermal effects of microwave pretreatment on horse dung as indigenous inoculum before xylose and wheat straw fermentation, emphasizing metabolite production and microbial community changes. Two horse dung microwave pretreatments (MW40°C and MW95°C) were compared with a conventional thermal pretreatment (Th95°C) and an unpretreated condition (Ctrl). Microwave heating pretreatment (MW95°C) leads to similar production as a conventional thermal pretreatment (Th95°C) for xylose and wheat straw fermentation while MW40°C treatment was similar to the control...
Krueger K, Roll A, Beyer AJ, Föll A, Bernau M, Farmer K.When animals observe human signals, they may learn from them. Such learning from humans has been reported for intentional communication between humans with animals, but animals might also learn socially by observing unintentional information transfer when eavesdropping on humans-human encounters. In this study, 12 of 17 horses significantly changed their preference for a feeding location after observing approval in a human-human interaction there, and horses kept in social housing adapted in a higher percentage of trials to human-human demonstrations than those in individual housing. This indi...
Bindi F, Nocera I, Meucci V, Vallesi G, Sala G, Spadari A, Rinnovati R, Bonelli F, Sgorbini M.This study investigated the plasma concentrations of symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in healthy horses and in horses affected by colic in relation to the type of colic and systemic inflammation response syndrome (SIRS) status. Upon admission (T0), horses underwent a physical examination, and the SIRS status was assessed. The horses with colic were divided retrospectively based on the type of colic, SIRS status, treatment, and outcome. SDMA and ADMA levels were measured at T0 and then every 24Â h at four time points (T1, T2, T3, T4). Differences between ...
Sultan T, Chaudhary AK, Mehta JS, Mehra R, Manuja A, Talluri TR, Bhattacharya TK.Sperm cryopreservation is one of the most important procedures in the development of biotechnologies for assisted reproduction. Cryopreservation of stallion spermatozoa tends to cause plasma membrane damage due to the low ratio of cholesterol to phospholipids. Different substances and compounds can be added to semen extenders to improve sperm quality. Objective: To investigate the effect of supplementing semen extender with zinc nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on cooled and frozen-thawed spermatozoa of Marwari stallion. Methods: A total of 20 ejaculates from four Marwari ...
Kintz P, Baudry M, Gheddar L.Trazodone, a medicine registered for human, is a serotonin agonist-antagonist. At low dose, the drug is sedative due to its antagonist properties. At high dose, it is an agonist with anxiolytic and antidepressant actions. Trazodone can be administered to the horse to reduce anxiety. However, according to the anti-doping rules for horses, the presence of trazodone in blood or urine is considered as a violation which will produce a suspension of both the athlete and the horse as the drug is listed banned on the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities prohibited substances list. As a ...
McTernan SP, Heller J, Clulow JR, Gannon L, Huang R, Tidd N, Blishen A, Hughes KJ.Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica is responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality within horse populations, worldwide. The prevalence of Salmonella shedding in faeces has largely been reported in hospital settings, with limited information from general horse populations. Further, there is little understanding of the serotypes and antibiograms of Salmonella isolates from horses in Australia. The objectives of this study were to (1) estimate the prevalence of Salmonella in stud farm horse populations, (2) determine serotypes and antibiograms for isolates, and (3) determine whether seaso...
Cullinane A, Nelly M, Dayot L, Lukaseviciute G, Garvey M, Healy J, Gallagher R.This study describes a comparison of the detection of rotavirus in clinical samples from foals using two commercially available rapid antigen detection (RAD) kits, with the detection of rotavirus nucleic acid via a laboratory-based, in-house, real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. One hundred and forty freeze-thawed samples (70 that were RT-PCR-positive and 70 that were RT-PCR-negative on original tests) submitted to the diagnostic laboratory over a seven-year period were tested in addition to 123 fresh samples (15 RT-PCR-positive and 108 RT-PCR-negative) sub...
Cuervo-Arango J, Sala-Ayala L, Márquez-Moya A, MartÃnez-Bovà R.The objective of this study was to determine the effect of two aspiration pressures (75 vs. 150 mmHg), the follicle flushing method (injection pump controlled by a foot pedal vs. a plastic syringe) and the twisting of the OPU needle on oocyte recovery and in vitro embryo production. OPU data from a total of 104 warmblood sport mares belonging to a commercial OPU-ICSI program were collected as part of a prospective study split into three experiments. Each mare was used only once for OPU. In Experiment 1, the mares' follicles were aspirated using either a high aspiration pressure (flow rate of 1...
Oztas T, Akar M, Virkanen J, Beier C, Goericke-Pesch S, Peltoniemi O, Kareskoski M, Björkman S.Heavy metal contamination poses significant environmental and health risks to both humans and animals. This study investigates the concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in blood, hair, and semen samples collected from 16 breeding stallions in Western Finland to assess whether concentrations in hair and serum samples represent concentrations in semen. The analysis was conducted using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) system. Results showed that hair samples exhibited the highest concentrations of heavy metals, particularly Pb and As, while semen show...
Turek B, Pawlikowski M, Jankowski K, Borowska M, Skierbiszewska K, Jasiński T, Domino M.In veterinary medicine, conventional radiography is the first-choice method for most diagnostic imaging applications in both small animal and equine practice. One direction in its development is the integration of bone density evaluation and artificial intelligence-assisted clinical decision-making, which is expected to enhance and streamline veterinarians' daily practices. One such decision-support method is k-means clustering, a machine learning and data mining technique that can be used clinically to classify radiographic signs into healthy or affected clusters. The study aims to investigat...
Rosse NDS, Tavares RA, Nunes MC, de Freitas BW, Reis ECC.Early detection of renal deficient function is imperative for the success of treatments and determining prognosis. In horses, a renal ultrasound can be performed through the abdominal wall (TA) or transrectally (TR), being an important tool for the evaluation of the kidneys. Besides renal morphology, resistivity (RI) and pulsatility indexes (PI) may be early tools to detect renal injury as they reflect arterial compliance. Twenty-nine healthy adult horses were sonographically evaluated by TA and TR approaches, measuring RI and PI on both kidneys. The mean values from the TA for RI and PI in th...
Ho HSM, Farrington AF, Ho ENM, Wong WT.2-Hydroxyethyl salicylate (2HES), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is a medication to treat musculoskeletal injuries and inflammation swelling of humans and horses. Its misuse could affect the performance of horses and mask injuries, which could pose significant health risks. In horseracing, it is reported as an adverse finding once detected in competition. The metabolism of 2HES in either human or horse has not been reported, and therefore, little is known about its metabolic fate. This paper describes the in vivo metabolism of 2HES in horse with an objective to identify the mo...
Di Lucrezia A, Scandurra A, Lotito D, Iervolino V, D'Aniello B, Mastellone V, Lombardi P, Pinelli C.In this study, we assessed the interspecific "social buffering effect" of humans on horses, exploring how human presence influences stress responses in horses in an unfamiliar environment using the "isolation paradigm." We examined nine Haflinger horses under two counterbalanced conditions: with a passive human stranger (social condition) or alone (isolation condition). Stress responses were assessed through cortisol measurements, heart rate monitoring, and behavioral observations. While cortisol levels significantly increased in both conditions, with no notable differences before and after th...
Ing ST, Pinard CL, James-Jenks EM, Leis ML.Our objective was to investigate the demographics and prevalence of ocular disease in a large referral population of horses in Ontario over a 10-year period. Unassigned: A retrospective analysis of medical records for 283 horses evaluated by Board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists at the Ontario Veterinary College (Guelph, Ontario) was conducted. Signalment and ocular disease were recorded. Unassigned: The 3 most common ocular abnormalities identified were uveitis (43.7%, 123 horses), ulcerative keratitis (42.0%, 119 horses), and cataract (25.1%, 71 horses). Uveitis was most often secondar...
Sun Y, Yu YT, Castillo XO, Anderson R, Wang M, Sun Q, Tallmadge R, Sams K, Reboul G, Zehr J, Brown J, Wang X, Marra N, Stanhope B, Grenier J....Fever of unknown origin (FUO) without a respiratory component is a frequent clinical presentation in horses. Multiple pathogens, both tick-borne and enteric, can be involved as etiologic agents. An additional potential mechanism is intestinal barrier dysfunction. This case-control study aimed to detect and associate microbial taxa in blood with disease state. Areas known for a high prevalence of tick-borne diseases in humans were chosen to survey horses with FUO, which was defined as fever of 101.5°F or higher with no signs of respiratory illness or other recognisable diseases. Blood samples ...
Fujimoto R, Kuchida M, Ban-Tokuda T, Matsui H.The equine large intestine harbors a diverse array of symbiotic microorganisms. Disruptions in the gut microbiota can lead to various diseases in horses. Probiotics offer promising avenues for enhancing equine health and performance. However, commercial formulations lack robust scientific validation. This study aimed to isolate and identify Lactobacillaceae and Bifidobacterium spp. from horse feces to explore their potential as probiotics. Fecal samples from Thoroughbred horses were subjected to isolation procedures. Lactic acid-producing bacteria were isolated using specific media and identif...
Yu R, Jusko WJ.This study assesses the pharmacokinetics (PK) of published methylprednisolone (MPL) data in horses following intra-articular (IA) administration of MPL acetate (MPA) and the associated adrenal suppression. The concentrations of MPL/MPA in synovial fluid, blood, and urine, as well as hydrocortisone (HC) in plasma, were digitized from multiple sources in the literature. A minimal physiologically based pharmacokinetic model and a linked indirect response model with a circadian rhythm baseline were applied. Concentrations of MPA in joints followed a triexponential decay, converting to MPL. The cle...
Woods TDC, Dixon J, Fraser BSL, Melvaine C.Exploratory tenoscopy is considered the gold standard technique to identify intrathecal pathology of the equine carpal flexor tendon sheath (CFTS). Preoperative diagnosis allows for more precise prognostication and surgical planning, potentially associated with improved surgical outcomes. This prospective, descriptive, anatomical study aimed to describe the anatomy of the equine CFTS using noncontrast and contrast CT in clinically normal cadaver limbs. Ten pairs of equine forelimbs free of gross external abnormalities were examined from mid-antebrachium to distal metacarpus. Specimens initiall...
Wang T, Meng J, Wang J, Ren W, Yang X, Adina W, Bao Y, Zeng Y, Yao X.The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between blood lipid levels and the differences in cardiac structure and function of trained and untrained Yili horses as related to exercise performance. We utilized quantitative lipidomics technology to elucidate how the differences in lipid compounds in the blood influenced performance outcomes. Sixteen 18-month-old Yili horses were selected, ten of which received a 15-week training regimen, and six were kept as untrained controls. Cardiac structure and function were assessed by echocardiography, while plasma lipid metabolites were de...
Wagner B, Schnabel CL, Rollins A.Equine herpesvirus type-1 (EHV-1) enters through the upper respiratory tract (URT) and causes respiratory disease, abortions, and myeloencephalopathy in equids. Pre-existing immunity at the viral entry site, especially mucosal IgG4/7 antibodies, has recently been shown to correlate with protection from disease and incomplete viral replication at the URT. Here, we tested whether intramuscular (i.m.) vaccination with a commercial inactivated EHV-1/4 vaccine can induce mucosal antibodies (mucAbs) at the URT. Methods: Adult horses with complete EHV-1 vaccination and/or exposure histories were vacc...
Felix MR, Dobbie T, Woodward E, Linardi R, Okada C, Santos R, Hinrichs K.We recently reported successful equine IVF using fresh semen pre-incubated for a prolonged period (22Â h) before co-culture with oocytes. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of equine IVF with frozen-thawed sperm and evaluated capacitation-related changes in these sperm over the pre-incubation period. Sperm selected via a commercial sperm separation device (SSD) yielded significantly higher fertilization than did sperm selected by swim-up or by colloid centrifugation. Using the SSD method, fertilization rates with sperm pre-incubated for 15Â min, 3Â h, 6Â h, and 9Â h were 7.1, 22.2, 38...
Cuervo-Arango J, Necchi D, Clutton-Brock A, Profaska M, Crabtree J, Claes A.This retrospective clinical study describes different techniques for transvaginal follicle aspiration in mares and compares results from 5 different commercial ovum pick-up (OPU) clinics in which the same operator aspirated mares using different systems and equipment: Clinic 1 (n = 42 mares, two-operator OPU technique, double-lumen-echogenic-tip needle, and manual syringe-assisted flushing of follicles), Clinic 2 (n = 28 mares, single-operator-OPU-technique, double-lumen-echogenic-tip needle, infusion pump controlled by foot-pedal for follicle flushing), Clinic 3 (n = 18 mares, sin...
Loos CMM, Urschel KL.Insulin dysregulation (ID) is a common metabolic disorder in horses, characterized by hyperinsulinemia and/or peripheral insulin resistance. The critical role of hyperinsulinemia in endocrinopathic laminitis has driven research into the insulinotropic effects of dietary nutrients and the reciprocal impact of ID on nutrient metabolism. The relationship between ID and carbohydrate metabolism has been extensively studied; however, the effects of ID on protein metabolism in horses remain largely unexplored. This review begins with an overview of the importance of insulin in the regulation of muscl...
Saeed MA, Beveridge I, Abbas G, Beasley A, Bauquier J, Wilkes E, Jacobson C, Hughes KJ, El-Hage C, O'Handley R, Hurley J, Cudmore L, Carrigan P....Equine gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) have been the subject of intermittent studies in Australia over the past few decades. However, comprehensive information on the epidemiology of equine GINs, the efficacy of available anthelmintic drugs and the prevalence of anthelmintic resistance (AR) in Australasia is lacking. Herein, we have systematically reviewed existing knowledge on the horse GINs recorded in Australia, and main aspects of their pathogeneses, epidemiology, diagnoses, treatment and control. Methods: Six electronic databases were searched for publications on GINs of Australian hors...
Lam KH, Parkin TD, Riggs CM, Morgan KL.This study was part of a programme to optimise the longevity and maximise the health and welfare of the Thoroughbred racehorses in Hong Kong. Injuries to the superficial digital flexor (SDF) tendon are the most common veterinary reason for premature retirement in this population. Objective: To describe the frequency and pattern of retirements associated with SDF tendon injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses and to compare the characteristics of these horses with those that retired for other reasons. Methods: A retrospective analysis of retirement records documented in the Hong Kong Jockey Club cl...
Binley K, Widdowson PS, Kelleher M, de Belin J, Loader J, Ferrige G, Carlucci M, Esapa M, Chipchase D, Angell-Manning D, Ellis S, Mitrophanous K....RetinoStat(®) is an equine infectious anemia virus-based lentiviral gene therapy vector that expresses the angiostatic proteins endostatin and angiostatin that is delivered via a subretinal injection for the treatment of the wet form of age-related macular degeneration. We initiated 6-month safety and biodistribution studies in two species; rhesus macaques and Dutch belted rabbits. After subretinal administration of RetinoStat the level of human endostatin and angiostatin proteins in the vitreous of treated rabbit eyes peaked at ∼1 month after dosing and remained elevated for the duration o...
Hajji MA, Wilson TA, Lai-Fook SJ.The continuum solution for the deformation of an elastic half space covered by a membrane is used to interpret measurements of the indentation of lung lobes under a column of fluid. The shear modulus mu of the underlying parenchyma is found to be approximately 0.7 times transpulmonary pressure, independent of species size. The tension in the pleural membrane T increases rapidly with increasing membrane area. For dog lungs, the value of T is 10(3) to 10(4) dyn/cm. For the larger species tested, pigs and horses, T is larger. The continuum solution shows that a concentrated force applied to the p...
Meiswinkel R, Paweska JT.Between February and May 1998, approximately 100 horses died of African horse sickness (AHS) in the cooler, mountainous, central region of South Africa. On 14 affected farms, 156,875 Culicoides of 27 species were captured. C. imicola Kieffer, hitherto considered the only field vector for AHS virus (AHSV), constituted <1% of the total Culicoides captured, and was not found on 29% of the farms. In contrast, 65% of the Culicoides were C. bolitinos Meiswinkel, and was found on all farms. Five isolations of AHSV were made from C. bolitinos, and none from 18 other species of Culicoides (including C....
Brandt L, Schubert S, Scheibe P, Brehm W, Franzen J, Gross C, Burk J.Transplantation of multipotent mesenchymal progenitor cells is a valuable option for treating tendon disease. Tenogenic differentiation leading to cell replacement and subsequent matrix modulation may contribute to the regenerative effects of these cells, but it is unclear whether this occurs in the inflammatory environment of acute tendon disease. Equine adipose-derived stromal cells (ASC) were cultured as monolayers or on decellularized tendon scaffolds in static or dynamic conditions, the latter represented by cyclic stretching. The impact of different inflammatory conditions, as represente...
Zhang B, Jin S, Jin J, Li F, Montelaro RC.Characterization of cellular receptors for human, simian, and feline immunodeficiency viruses that are tropic for lymphocytes and macrophages have revealed a common theme of a sequential binding of viral envelope proteins with two coreceptors to mediate virus infection of target cells. In contrast to these dual tropic immunodeficiency viruses, the ungulate lentiviruses, including equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), exclusively infect cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage to cause progressive degenerative diseases without clinical immunodeficiency. EIAV causes a uniquely dynamic disease t...
Promerová M, Andersson LS, Juras R, Penedo MC, Reissmann M, Tozaki T, Bellone R, Dunner S, HoÅ™Ãn P, Imsland F, Imsland P, Mikko S, Modrý D....For centuries, domestic horses have represented an important means of transport and served as working and companion animals. Although their role in transportation is less important today, many horse breeds are still subject to intense selection based on their pattern of locomotion. A striking example of such a selected trait is the ability of a horse to perform additional gaits other than the common walk, trot and gallop. Those could be four-beat ambling gaits, which are particularly smooth and comfortable for the rider, or pace, used mainly in racing. Gaited horse breeds occur around the glob...
Ranera B, Ordovás L, Lyahyai J, Bernal ML, Fernandes F, Remacha AR, Romero A, Vázquez FJ, Osta R, Cons C, Varona L, Zaragoza P, MartÃn-Burriel I....Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represent an attractive source for regenerative medicine. However, prior to their application, fundamental questions regarding molecular characterisation, growth and differentiation of MSCs must be resolved. Objective: To compare and better understand the behaviour of equine MSCs obtained from bone marrow (BM) and adipose tissue (AT) in culture. Methods: Five horses were included in this study. Proliferation rate was measured using MTT assay and cell viability; apoptosis, necrosis and late apoptosis and necrosis were evaluated by flow cytometry. The mRNA expres...
Künzle F, Gerber V, Van Der Haegen A, Wampfler B, Straub R, Marti E.Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is a common condition in stabled horses characterized by small airway inflammation, airway neutrophilia and obstruction following exposure of susceptible horses to mouldy hay and straw and is thus regarded as a hypersensitivity reaction to mould spores. However, the role of immunoglobulin E antibodies (IgE) in the pathogenesis of RAO is unclear. We hypothesized that the number of cells with receptor-bound IgE in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and IgE levels in serum would be higher in RAO-affected than in healthy horses living in the same environment. Th...
Agabou A, Ouchenane Z, Ngba Essebe C, Khemissi S, Chehboub MTE, Chehboub IB, Sotto A, Dunyach-Remy C, Lavigne JP.The spread of toxinogenic Staphylococcus aureus is a public health problem in Africa. The objectives of the study were to investigate the rate of S. aureus nasal carriage and molecular characteristics of these strains in livestock and humans in three Algerian provinces. Nasal samples were collected from camels, horses, cattle, sheep and monkeys, as well as humans in contact with them. S. aureus isolates were genotyped using DNA microarray. The rate of S. aureus nasal carriage varied between species: camels (53%), humans and monkeys (50%), sheep (44.2%), horses (15.2%) and cattle (15%). Nine me...
Wang SZ, Rushlow KE, Issel CJ, Cook RF, Cook SJ, Raabe ML, Chong YH, Costa L, Montelaro RC.The potential for antibody-dependent enhancement of replication of macrophage/monocyte tropic viruses has posed a significant problem in the development of vaccines for several animal and human viruses and has raised significant concern in the design of potential AIDS vaccines. Using the previously described equine infectious anemia virus/Shetland pony system as a model for HIV-1 vaccine development, we have evaluated the efficacy of a recombinant subunit vaccine containing a baculovirus-expressed envelope surface glycoprotein (gp90) of EIAV. The results of these trials demonstrate not only th...
Bizarria Dos Santos W, Pimenta Schettini G, Fonseca MG, Pereira GL, Loyola Chardulo LA, Rodrigues Machado Neto O, Baldassini WA, Nunes de Oliveira H....With the availability of high-density SNP panels and the establishment of approaches for characterizing homozygosity and heterozygosity sites, it is possible to access fine-scale information regarding genomes, providing more than just comparisons of different inbreeding coefficients. This is the first study that seeks to access such information for the Mangalarga Marchador (MM) horse breed on a genomic scale. To this end, we aimed to assess inbreeding levels using different coefficients, as well as to characterize homozygous and heterozygous runs in the population. Using Axiom ® Equine Genoty...
Erol E, Locke SJ, Donahoe JK, Mackin MA, Carter CN.The goal of this retrospective study was to have a comprehensive picture of the β-hemolytic streptococci of horses including tissue/organ distributions and susceptibility patterns against specific antimicrobials between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2010. A total of 2,497 β-hemolytic streptococci were isolated from 2,391 cases, of which Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus was the most frequent isolate (72.0%). Other species isolated were Streptococcus dysgalactia subsp. equisimilis (21.3%), Streptococcus equi subsp. equi (5.8%), and unidentified β-hemolytic streptococci (0.9%). As ex...
Troedsson MH, Loset K, Alghamdi AM, Dahms B, Crabo BG.Insemination of mares with bacteria-free equine spermatozoa results in an influx of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) into the uterine lumen. In vitro studies have demonstrated that equine spermatozoa activate complement, resulting in cleavage of factors C5a and C3b. Since uterine secretion is rich in complement, it is likely that an interaction between spermatozoa and uterine secretion results in C5a-mediated chemotaxis and migration of PMNs into the uterine lumen. Once in the uterine lumen, the PMNs phagocytize bacteria and spermatozoa, which is an important part of sperm elimination from...
ALLFREY V, MIRSKY AE.It has been found that many animal tissues contain "acid" desoxyribonucleases with pH optima near 5.2. A chemical method for the determination of this activity is described. The pancreatic desoxyribonuclease crystallized by Kunitz and shown to have a neutral pH optimum occurs in the pancreas together with the "acid" enzyme, but only the "neutral" enzyme occurs in the pancreatic juice. The ratio of "neutral" to "acid" DNAase activities in the pancreas is greater than 200, but in all other tissues examined there is no appreciable concentration of the neutral enzyme. It is concluded that neutral ...
Yin H, Lu W, Luo J.The importance of babesiosis in livestock in China is discussed and mainly focused on bovine and equine babesiosis. Babesiosis is still one of the most important diseases affecting livestock and has caused great economic loss. Nine species of Babesia have been recognized in livestock: B. bigemina, B. bovis, B. major, B. motasi, B. ovis, B. perroncitoi, B. trautmanni, B. equi (Theileria equi), B. caballi. The distribution of Babesia follows the distribution of the tick vectors. The main vectors of bovine babesiosis are the one-host tick Boophilus microplus and the three-host ticks Rhipicephalus...
Dunnett M, Harris RC.The aim of this work was to test the hypothesis that in vivo carnosine biosynthesis is dependent upon endogenous beta-alanine availability, by studying the effect of sustained dietary beta-alanine supplementation in the horse on the carnosine concentration in types I, IIA and IIB skeletal muscle fibres. The diets of 6 Thoroughbred horses were supplemented 3 times/day with beta-alanine (100 mg/kg bwt) and L-histidine (12.5 mg/kg bwt) for a period of 30 days. Percutaneous biopsies of the m. gluteus medius from a depth of 6 cm were taken on the days immediately before and after the supplementatio...
Berglund AK, Fisher MB, Cameron KA, Poole EJ, Schnabel LV.Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising cell source for treating musculoskeletal injuries in horses. Effective and safe allogeneic therapy may be hindered, however, by recipient immune recognition and rejection of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched MSCs. Development of strategies to prevent immune rejection of MHC-mismatched MSCs in vivo is necessary to enhance cell survival and potentially increase the efficacy and safety of allogeneic MSC therapy. The purposes of this study were to evaluate if transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) downregulated MHC expressi...
Dubey JP, Howe DK, Furr M, Saville WJ, Marsh AE, Reed SM, Grigg ME.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a serious disease of horses, and its management continues to be a challenge for veterinarians. The protozoan Sarcocystis neurona is most commonly associated with EPM. S. neurona has emerged as a common cause of mortality in marine mammals, especially sea otters (Enhydra lutris). EPM-like illness has also been recorded in several other mammals, including domestic dogs and cats. This paper updates S. neurona and EPM information from the last 15 years on the advances regarding life cycle, molecular biology, epidemiology, clinical signs, diagnosis, treat...
Sales KG, Costa PL, de Morais RC, Otranto D, Brandão-Filho SP, Cavalcanti Mde P, Dantas-Torres F.Phlebotomine sand flies are blood-feeding insects of great medical and veterinary significance acting as vectors of Leishmania parasites. Studying the blood-feeding pattern of these insects may help in the understanding of their interactions with potential reservoir hosts of Leishmania parasites. In this study, we developed real time PCR assays for the identification of sand fly blood meal. Methods: Six pairs of primers were designed based on cytochrome b gene sequences available in GenBank of the following potential hosts: dog, cat, horse, chicken, black rat, and human. Firstly, SYBR Green-ba...
Leroux C, Craigo JK, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.A primary mechanism of lentivirus persistence is the ability of these viruses to evolve in response to biological and immunological selective pressures with a remarkable array of genetic and antigenic variations that constitute a perpetual natural experiment in genetic engineering. A widely accepted paradigm of lentivirus evolution is that the rate of genetic variation is correlated directly with the levels of virus replication: the greater the viral replication, the more opportunities that exist for genetic modifications and selection of viral variants. To test this hypothesis directly, we ex...
Peroni JF, Borjesson DL.The recent interest in equine stem cell biology and the rapid increase in experimental data highlight the growing attention that this topic has been receiving over the past few years. Within the field of stem cell biology, the relevance of immunobiology is of particular intrigue. It appears that optimal and effective stem cell therapy for equine patients will require a thorough analysis of the immune properties of stem cells as well as their response to immune mediators. The main goal of this review is to discuss the biology of adult mesenchymal stem cells in the context of immunology.
Greay TL, Oskam CL, Gofton AW, Rees RL, Ryan UM, Irwin PJ.Ticks are among the most important vectors of pathogens affecting companion animals, and also cause health problems such as tick paralysis, anaemia, dermatitis, and secondary infections. Twenty ixodid species have previously been recorded on dogs, cats, and horses in Australia, including Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Ixodes holocyclus and Haemaphysalis longicornis, which transmit tick-borne diseases. A survey of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) was conducted during 2012-2015 to investigate tick species that infest dogs, cats, and horses in Australia. Individual tick specimens were collected from dogs,...
Frisbie DD, Bowman SM, Colhoun HA, DiCarlo EF, Kawcak CE, McIlwraith CW.To evaluate a technique of autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) similar to the other techniques using cell-seeded resorbable collagen membranes in large articular defects. Methods: Autologous cartilage was harvested arthroscopically from the lateral trochlear ridge of the femur in fifteen 3-year-old horses. After culture and expansion of chondrocytes the newly created ACI construct (autologous chondrocytes cultured expanded, seeded on a collagen membrane, porcine small intestine submucosa) was implanted into 15mm defects on the medial trochlear ridge of the femur in the opposite femoropat...
Rambags BP, van Boxtel DC, Tharasanit T, Lenstra JA, Colenbrander B, Stout TA.In many mammalian species, reproductive success decreases with maternal age. One proposed contributor to this age-related decrease in fertility is a reduction in the quantity or functionality of mitochondria in oocytes. This study examined whether maternal age or (in vitro maturation). IVM affect the quantity of mitochondria in equine oocytes. Oocytes were collected from the ovaries of slaughtered mares categorized as young (<12 years) or aged (≥12 years) and either denuded and prepared for analysis immediately (not-IVM) or matured in vitro for 30 hours before preparation (IVM). The m...
Lin M, Zhang C, Gibson K, Rikihisa Y.Neorickettsia risticii is an obligate intracellular bacterium of the trematodes and mammals. Horses develop Potomac horse fever (PHF) when they ingest aquatic insects containing encysted N. risticii-infected trematodes. The complete genome sequence of N. risticii Illinois consists of a single circular chromosome of 879 977 bp and encodes 38 RNA species and 898 proteins. Although N. risticii has limited ability to synthesize amino acids and lacks many metabolic pathways, it is capable of making major vitamins, cofactors and nucleotides. Comparison with its closely related human pathogen N. senn...
Galli C, Colleoni S, Duchi R, Lagutina I, Lazzari G.Development of assisted reproductive technologies in horses has been relatively slow compared to other domestic species, namely ruminants and pigs. The scarce availability of abattoir ovaries and the lack of interest from horse breeders and breed associations have been the main reasons for this delay. Progressively though, the technology of oocyte maturation in vitro has been established followed by the application of ICSI to achieve fertilization in vitro. Embryo culture was initially performed in vivo, in the mare oviduct or in the surrogate sheep oviduct, to achieve the highest embryo devel...
Pascucci L, Alessandri G, Dall'Aglio C, Mercati F, Coliolo P, Bazzucchi C, Dante S, Petrini S, Curina G, Ceccarelli P.Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have attracted a great deal of interest, due to several distinctive features, including the ability to migrate to damaged tissue and to participate in tissue regeneration. There is increasing evidence that membrane vesicles (MVs), comprising exosomes and shedding vesicles, represent a key component, responsible for many of the paracrine effects of MSCs. The aim of the present study was to establish whether equine adipose-derived MSCs (E-AdMSCs) produce MVs that are capable of influencing angiogenesis, a key step in tissue regeneration. A morphologic...
Lüthje P, Schwarz S.In this study, erythromycin- and/or clindamycin-resistant isolates among 248 coagulase-positive and coagulase-variable staphylococci and 500 streptococci, collected all over Germany during 2004-2006 in the resistance monitoring program BfT-GermVet, were investigated for their genetic basis of macrolide and/or lincosamide resistance. Staphylococci were sampled from various disease conditions of dogs/cats or pigs, whereas streptococci were from dogs/cats, pigs or horses. Resistant staphylococci were further identified biochemically to species and subspecies level and tested for the resistance ge...
