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.
Urschel KL, Escobar J, McCutcheon LJ, Geor RJ.Little is known about the role insulin plays in regulating whole-body and muscle protein metabolism in horses. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of graded rates of insulin infusion on plasma amino acid concentrations and the activation of factors in the mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling pathway in the skeletal muscle of horses. Isoglycemic, hyperinsulinemic clamp procedures were conducted in 8 mature, thoroughbred mares receiving 4 rates of insulin infusion: 0 mU · kg(-1) · min(-1) (CON), 1.2 mU · kg(-1) · min(-1) (LOWINS), 3 mU · kg(-1) · min(-1) (MEDINS),...
Velineni S, Breathnach CC, Timoney JF.Streptococcus zooepidemicus (Sz) is a tonsillar commensal of healthy horses but with potential to opportunistically invade the lower respiratory tract. Sz is genetically variable and recombinogenic based on analysis of gene sequences including szp, szm and MLST data. Although a variety of serovars of the protective SzP are commonly harbored in the tonsils of the same horse, lower respiratory infections usually involve a single clone. Nevertheless, isolation of specific clones from epizootics of respiratory disease has been recently reported in horses and dogs in N. America, Europe and Asia. In...
Badial PR, Oliveira-Filho JP, Winand NJ, Borges AS.Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA) is a genetic disorder that occurs in the American Quarter horse (AQH) and is caused by a c.115G>A missense mutation in the peptidylprolyl isomerase B (PPIB) gene. Using a quantitative real-time PCR high resolution melting analysis genotyping assay for the PPIB mutation, the estimated HERDA allele and carrier frequencies in a sample of Brazilian AQHs were 2.9% and 5.8%, respectively.
Brocklehurst C, Weller R, Pfau T.Turning is commonly used as a diagnostic aid in equine lameness examinations. Forces experienced on the circle differ from those in a straight line, necessitating an inward lean of the body and asymmetric head/pelvic excursion, which are important parameters for lameness investigations. To better understand gait adaptations to lungeing in normal horses, the effect of turn direction on body lean in trot and in canter warrants further investigation. In this study, it was hypothesised that, on average and independent of gait, the observed body lean angle would be consistent with the ratio between...
Bühler M, Fürst A, Lewis FI, Kummer M, Ohlerth S.Computed tomographic (CT) studies evaluating the relevance of individual CT features of apical infection in maxillary cheek teeth are lacking. Objective: To study the prevalence and relationship of single CT features in horses with and without clinical evidence of apical infection in maxillary cheek teeth. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Methods: Multislice CT scans of the head of 49 horses were evaluated retrospectively. Changes of the infundibulum, pulp, root, lamina dura, periodontal space and alveolar bone in maxillary cheek teeth were recorded. Results: Single CT changes were m...
Nagy A, Murray JK, Dyson SJ.There is limited information on risk factors for elimination from endurance rides. Objective: To assess risk factors for elimination for lameness and metabolic reasons from Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) endurance rides of 80-160 km distance. Methods: Unmatched case-control. Methods: Venue-, horse- and rider-related data were collected from the FEI website. Data on weather conditions and terrain were collected at the venue. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess risk factors for elimination for lameness and metabolic reasons, respectively. Re...
Tarr CJ, Thompson PN, Guthrie AJ, Harper CK.The carrier prevalence of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), lavender foal syndrome (LFS) and cerebellar abiotrophy (CA) in Arabian foals in South Africa was determined in order to quantify the potential impact of these conditions locally. Furthermore, the carrier prevalence of SCID prior to and following the introduction of a genetic test was compared to evaluate the effect of testing in the population. Objective: To estimate the carrier prevalence of SCID, LFS and CA in registered purebred Arabians born in South Africa in the 2004/5 and 2009/10 foaling seasons and compare the changes i...
Hilla D, Distl O.The main objective of this study is to estimate genetic parameters for osteochondrosis (OC) and osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) in fetlock, hock and stifle joints as well as for palmar or plantar osteochondral fragments (POFs) and dorsodistal osteochondral fragments (DOFs) in fetlock joints. For this purpose, the results of a standardized radiographic examination of 7396 Hanoverian Warmblood horses were used. Heritabilities and genetic correlations were estimated using residual maximum likelihood (REML) under a linear animal model. Heritability estimates for OC at the different joints were at ...
Aristizabal F, Nieto J, Yamout S, Snyder J.Obesity and gastric ulceration are highly prevalent in horses. Management modifications for preventing squamous gastric ulceration include frequent feeding and free access to pasture; however, these practices may predispose horses to obesity. Objective: To compare the percentage of hay consumed, intragastric pH and horse activity between feeding from the ground and a hay grid feeder. Methods: Crossover experimental study. Methods: A pH electrode was inserted into the stomach to record the intragastric pH for 48 h. Horses received 1% of their body weight in grass hay twice a day. Horses were ...
Barros IN, Silva SO, Nogueira Neto FS, Asano KM, Souza SP, Richtzenhain LJ, Brandao PE.Gastroenteritis is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among young and newborn animals and is often caused by multiple intestinal infections, with rotavirus and bovine coronavirus (BCoV) being the main viral causes in cattle. Given that BCoV is better studied than equine coronaviruses and given the possibility of interspecies transmission of these viruses, this research was designed to compare the partial sequences of the spike glycoprotein (S), hemagglutinin-esterase protein (HE), and nucleoprotein (N) genes from coronaviruses from adult cattle with winter dysentery, calves w...
Panarace M, Pellegrini RO, Basualdo MO, Belé M, Ursino DA, Cisterna R, Desimone G, Rodríguez E, Medina MJ.Flow cytometry sex-sorting technology was developed in 1989. However, it is only the bovine species in which offspring of the desired sex are obtained at a commercial level. The aim of the present work was to evaluate efficiency parameters when using fresh sexed semen in a large-scale equine commercial embryo transfer program. During the 2009, 2010 and 2011 breeding seasons, 938 synchronized cycles were artificially inseminated. One hundred (10.6%) mares failed to ovulate, and for the remaining 838 useable cycles, 887 doses of sexed semen were used, representing 1.06 doses per cycle. In genera...
Kung N, McLaughlin A, Taylor M, Moloney B, Wright T, Field H.Hendra virus is a highly pathogenic novel paramyxovirus causing sporadic fatal infection in horses and humans in Australia. Species of fruit-bats (genus Pteropus), commonly known as flying-foxes, are the natural host of the virus. We undertook a survey of horse owners in the states of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia to assess the level of adoption of recommended risk management strategies and to identify impediments to adoption. Survey questionnaires were completed by 1431 respondents from the target states, and from a spectrum of industry sectors. Hendra virus knowledge varied with ...
Rossignol F, Vitte A, Boening J.To (1) report a modified transfixation pin cast technique, using dorsal recumbency for fracture reduction, distal positioning of the pins in the epiphysis and distal metaphysis, and a hybrid cast, combining plaster of Paris (POP) and fiberglass casting, and (2) report outcome in 11 adult horses. Methods: Case series. Methods: Adult horses (n = 11) with comminuted phalangeal fractures. Methods: Horses were anesthetized and positioned in dorsal recumbency. The phalangeal fracture was reduced by limb traction using a cable attached to the hoof. Screw fixation in lag fashion of fracture fragments ...
Gutiérrez-Crespo B, Kircher PR, Carrera I.The aim of this study was to describe the appearance of the ligamentous structures of the occipitoatlantoaxial (OAA) region in the normal horse by 3 tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The MRI images of the longitudinal odontoid ligament, tectorial membrane, dorsal and ventral atlantoaxial ligaments, dorsal atlantooccipital membrane with its reinforcing ligaments, and the lateral atlantooccipital ligaments of 10 horse cadavers were evaluated. All ligaments and membranes were identified in all planes, except for the lateral atlantooccipital ligament in the sagittal plane due to its cra...
Mendoza P, d'Anjou MA, Carmel EN, Fournier E, Mai W, Alexander K, Winter MD, Zwingenberger AL, Thrall DE, Theoret C.Understanding radiographic anatomy and the effects of varying patient and radiographic tube positioning on image quality can be a challenge for students. The purposes of this study were to develop and validate a novel technique for creating simulated radiographs using computed tomography (CT) datasets. A DICOM viewer (ORS Visual) plug-in was developed with the ability to move and deform cuboidal volumetric CT datasets, and to produce images simulating the effects of tube-patient-detector distance and angulation. Computed tomographic datasets were acquired from two dogs, one cat, and one horse....
Hamond C, Martins G, Loureiro AP, Pestana C, Lawson-Ferreira R, Medeiros MA, Lilenbaum W.The aim of the present study was to consider the wide usage of urinary PCR as an increasingly useful tool for an accurate diagnosis of leptospirosis in livestock. A total of 512 adult animals (300 cattle, 138 horses, 59 goats and 15 pigs), from herds/flocks with reproductive problems in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was studied by serology and urinary PCR. From the 512 serum samples tested, 223 (43.5 %) were seroreactive (cattle: 45.6 %, horses: 41.3 %, goats: 34%and pigs: 60 %). PCR detected leptospiral DNA in 32.4 % (cattle: 21.6 %, horses: 36.2 %, goats: 77.4 % and pigs: 33.3 %. To our knowledge t...
Komine M, Langohr IM, Kiupel M.Friesian horses have a perceived high rate of congenital or hereditary diseases, including megaesophagus, that may lead to choke and death. A retrospective study was performed to determine the prevalence and pathologic characteristics of esophageal disease in 852 horses, including 17 Friesians, that had been necropsied over a 6-year period at the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. Forty-two horses had grossly described esophageal lesions (25 muscular hypertrophy, 7 hemorrhage, 6 megaesophagus, 4 erosion/ulceration, 3 obstruction, 2 tears, 2 secondary neoplasms, 2 lymphoid patc...
Yin X, Hu Z, Gu Q, Wu X, Zheng YH, Wei P, Wang X.Human tetherin is a host restriction factor that inhibits replication of enveloped viruses by blocking viral release. Tetherin has an unusual topology that includes an N-terminal cytoplasmic tail, a single transmembrane domain, an extracellular domain, and a C-terminal glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. Tetherin is not well conserved across species, so it inhibits viral replication in a species-specific manner. Thus, studies of tetherin activities from different species provide an important tool for understanding its antiviral mechanism. Here, we report cloning of equine tetherin and charact...
Chung C, Wilson C, Timoney P, Balasuriya U, Adams E, Adams DS, Evermann JF, Clavijo A, Shuck K, Rodgers S, Lee SS, McGuire TC.The objective of the present study was to validate a previously described competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) to detect antibody to Equine arteritis virus (EAV) based on GP5-specific nonneutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb) 17B7(9) using the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)-recommended protocol, which includes the following 5 in-house analyses. 1) The assay was calibrated with the OIE-designated reference serum panel for EAV; 2) repeatability was evaluated within and between assay runs; 3) analytical specificity was evaluated using sera specific to related viruses...
Nagel D, Gehlen H.The aim of this study was to evaluate to what extent the myocardial function in horses (measured by PW-tissue Doppler = PW-TDI) is affected during a sedation with romifidine (0.04 mg/kg, i. v.), particularly in case of an accompanying heart disease. Based on an echo- and electrocardiographic examination, a total of 45 horses was subdivided into group 1 (no heart disease), group 2 (heart disease without increased heart dimensions) and group 3 (heart disease with increased heart dimensions). Heart rate (HF), M-mode- (FS%) and TDI-measurements were performed before and after the application of ro...
Rushton JO, Kolodziejek J, Nell B, Nowotny N.The aim of this study was to assess the extent of asinine herpesvirus (AsHV) type 5 infection in 'closed' populations of clinically normal Lipizzaner horses. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells plus nasal and conjunctival swabs were obtained on four occasions over an 18 month period from 266 animals as part of a health surveillance programme. Sequence analysis of samples that were positive by nested consensus herpesvirus PCR but negative using quantified equid herpesvirus (EHV) type 2 and 5 PCR, revealed a total of 51 samples from 39 horses positive for AsHV-5. No statistically significant asso...
Janczarek I, Bereznowski A, Strzelec K.The aim of the study was to define the influence of the selected factors (gender, age, transportation time, riding distance and air temperature during the ride) on the cortisol secretion and finding a correlation between the hormone level and the horses' sport results (veterinary parameters and the ride route parameters). The research was performed on 38 Arabian pure breed horses taking part in the endurance rides. The cortisol level was measured with enzyme-immunological method in saliva samples, taken four times from each horse. In order to verify the differences between the mean results the...
The Journal of heredityNovember 8, 2013
Volume 105, Issue 2 163-172 doi: 10.1093/jhered/est075
McCoy AM, Schaefer R, Petersen JL, Morrell PL, Slamka MA, Mickelson JR, Valberg SJ, McCue ME.A dominantly inherited gain-of-function mutation in the glycogen synthase (GYS1) gene, resulting in excess skeletal muscle glycogen, has been identified in more than 30 horse breeds. This mutation is associated with the disease Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Type 1, yet persists at high frequency in some breeds. Under historical conditions of daily work and limited feed, excess muscle glycogen may have been advantageous, driving the increase in frequency of this allele. Fine-scale DNA sequencing in 80 horses and genotype assays in 279 horses revealed a paucity of haplotypes carrying th...
Dossa RG, Alperin DC, Hines MT, Hines SA.The CD1 family is a group of non-polymorphic MHC class I-like molecules that present lipid-based antigens to T cells. Previous work in our laboratory demonstrated that cytotoxic T lymphocytes from immune adult horses recognize lipids from the cell wall of an important equine pathogen, Rhodococcus equi. These findings suggest an important role for the equine CD1 antigen presentation system in protective immune responses to microbial pathogens in the horse. In this study, we characterized and mapped the equine CD1 gene cluster. The equine genome was found to contain 13 complete CD1 genes; seven ...
Trachsel DS, Schwarzwald CC, Grenacher B, Weishaupt MA.Measurement of atrial/A-type natriuretic peptide (ANP) concentrations may be of use for assessment of cardiac disease, and reliable data on the analytic performance of available assays are needed. To assess the suitability for clinical use of commercially available ANP assays, intra-assay and inter-assay coefficient of variation and dilution parallelism were calculated for three immunoassays (RIAPen, RIAPhoen, and an ELISAPen) using blood samples from healthy and diseased horses to cover a wide range of ANP concentrations. Further, agreement between assays was assessed using linear regression ...
McLellan J, Plevin S.Sesamoiditis is believed to be associated with injury to the suspensory branch attachment and is a common radiographic finding in yearling Thoroughbreds. No study has investigated relationships between yearling sesamoiditis and subsequent development of suspensory ligament branch injury (SLBI) in early racehorse training. Objective: To establish the prevalence of SLBI within a population of juvenile training racehorses and retrospectively investigate relationships between clinical signs of SLBI and sesamoiditis to determine if sesamoiditis is a risk factor for clinical suspensory branch injury...
Metcalfe LV, O'Brien PJ, Papakonstantinou S, Cahalan SD, McAllister H, Duggan VE.A 15 year-old grey Thoroughbred gelding presented for investigation of chronic weight loss and recent onset of respiratory difficulty. Clinical examination confirmed tachypnoea with increased respiratory effort. Thoracic ultrasound examination detected pleural effusion. The dyspnoea was related to the large volume of pleural effusion and, following post-mortem examination, to the presence of a large mediastinal mass. Multiple pigmented masses, likely melanomas, were detected peri-anally. Thoracic radiography, cytological examination of the pleural fluid and a fine needle aspirate of a thoraci...
Plevin S, McLellan J.Limited information exists regarding the prognosis for juvenile racehorses sustaining injury to the suspensory ligament branch insertion (JISBI). Objective: To investigate the effect of JISBI on racing performance; and to assess whether the severity of JISBI is prognostically important. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Records were reviewed for 896 juvenile Thoroughbreds in training, to identify horses with JISBI limited to one branch (cases). The ability of cases to start a race was compared to their cohorts. Race records of maternal siblings were compared to cases. Results: The ...
Anniballi F, Fiore A, Löfström C, Skarin H, Auricchio B, Woudstra C, Bano L, Segerman B, Koene M, Båverud V, Hansen T, Fach P, Tevell Aberg A....Botulism is a severe neuroparalytic disease that affects humans, all warm-blooded animals, and some fishes. The disease is caused by exposure to toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum and other botulinum toxin-producing clostridia. Botulism in animals represents a severe environmental and economic concern because of its high mortality rate. Moreover, meat or other products from affected animals entering the food chain may result in a public health problem. To this end, early diagnosis is crucial to define and apply appropriate veterinary public health measures. Clinical diagnosis is based on...
Meyer JC, Hunyadi LM, Ordóñez-Mena JM.Accuracy of baseline ACTH for the diagnosis of PPID in horses varies between studies. Objective: To estimate the diagnostic accuracy of ACTH as a biomarker for PPID in adult horses and appraise potential causes of heterogeneity. Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A literature review identified studies reporting diagnostic accuracy data for extraction. Risk of bias was evaluated using QUADAS-2. Two random-effects models, the hierarchical summary receiver operating curve (HSROC) and the bivariate binomial normal model (BBN) were used to pool accuracy measurements. We performe...
McMeniman NP, Elliott R, Groenendyk S, Dowsett KF.The extent to which cysteine synthesised by microbes within the hindgut of the horse is incorporated into plasma cysteine was estimated by an isotopic technique in two horses fed four different diets. The results showed that between 1 per cent and 6 per cent of the plasma cysteine was of microbial origin. It is argued that the maximum contribution of microbial cysteine, and presumably other amino acids of microbial origin, to the plasma pool is 12 per cent of the net supply. These data support the hypothesis that microbial amino acid synthesis within the hindgut of the horse does not significa...
Jansen MO, van den Bogert AJ, Riemersma DJ, Schamhardt HC.The load distribution over tendinous structures in the equine forelimb was studied by computing forces from in vivo signals of implanted liquid-metal strain gauges in 5 ponies. For validation, these tendon forces were converted to joint moments, which were summed and compared to the calculated joint moments caused by the ground reaction force. Mean peak forces per kilogram body weight (n = 5) amounted to 5.2 N/kg for the superficial digital flexor tendon, 3.8 N/kg for the deep digital flexor tendon, 7.3 N/kg for the distal accessory (check) ligament and 8.4 N/kg for the third interosseous musc...
Brummer M, Hayes S, Adams AA, Horohov DW, Dawson KA, Lawrence LM.Selenium status has been reported to affect immune function across many different species. Yet few studies have focused on the effect of Se status on the equine immune system. This study examined the effect of Se supplementation on vaccination response and immune function in mature horses. Twenty-eight horses were blocked by age and sex and were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 dietary treatment groups: low Se (LS), adequate Se (AS), Se-yeast (SP), and sodium selenite (SS). For 35 wk, horses allocated to LS, SP, and SS received a low-Se diet (0.06 mg/kg DM) with the intention to lower Se stores, w...
Davis AM, Fan X, Shen L, Robinson P, Riggs CM.Palmar osteochondral disease (POD) is common in the Thoroughbred racehorse yet difficult to diagnose by radiography alone. Objective: To improve the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing POD from radiographs. Methods: Prospective, longitudinal study. Methods: Radiographs in nine different projections were made of metacarpophalangeal joints (MCPJ) of 50 Thoroughbreds. Post-mortem, MCPJs were dissected and gross pathology was scored. Three experienced Thoroughbred clinicians read each radiograph and recorded their findings. Another clinician reviewed each radiograph alongside the related gr...
Roy MF, Lavoie JP.Respiratory disorders are among the most common problems leading horse owners to seek veterinary attention. Accurate diagnosis of these conditions allows for proper treatment to be instituted, much to the benefit of the patient and satisfaction of the client. As an introduction to this issue on equine respiratory disorders, we review some of the tools that are available to equine veterinarians for the diagnosis of respiratory disorders. Physical and endoscopic examination, radiology, diagnostic ultrasound, techniques for sampling the respiratory tract, hematology, blood gas analysis, respirato...
Paris DB, Kuijk EW, Roelen BA, Stout TA.Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) is invaluable for investigating changes in gene expression during early development, since it can be performed on the limited quantities of mRNA contained in individual embryos. However, the reliability of this method depends on the use of validated stably expressed reference genes for accurate data normalisation. The aim of the present study was to identify and validate a set of reference genes suitable for studying gene expression during equine embryo development. The stable expression of four carefully selected reference genes and one developmentally regula...
Saulez MN, Cebra CK, Tornquist SJ.Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an enzyme present in intestinal mucosa, bile, bone, and renal tubule cells. We sought to assess the diagnostic and prognostic relationships of total ALP (ALPt) activity and that of intestine-derived ALP (ALPi) in serum and peritoneal fluid of 126 horses with colic. ALPt and ALPi activities were measured in both serum and peritoneal fluid by using both standard and L-phenylalanine-based buffers, respectively. Neither ALPt nor ALPi activity were useful in classifying type or severity of intestinal damage. ALPt and ALPi activities in peritoneal fluid were lowest in h...
de Araújo-Neto VT, Barbosa-Silva AN, Medeiros Honorato NR, Sales LML, de Cassia Pires R, do Nascimento Brito CR, da Matta Guedes PM....Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne zoonotic parasite which has been little studied regarding its infection in domestic animals. In this study, we evaluated the occurrence of natural infection by T. cruzi in farm animals using molecular markers and phylogenetic analysis in blood clot samples of 60 sheep (Ovis aires), 22 goats (Capra hircus), and 14 horses (Equus caballus) in eight municipalities located in an infection risk area in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Northeast Region of Brazil. Trypanosoma spp. infection was identified by am...
Koskinen E, Kuntsi H, Lindeberg H, Katila T.Follicular growth and hormone determinations were used to predict ovulation in the mare. Thirty Finnhorse mares were used for the investigation and 38 oestrous cycles were studied. The mares were examined by rectal palpation and ultrasonography every 6 hours during late oestrus. Daily blood samples were obtained for progesterone and oestrone sulphate determination. The preovulatory follicle grew 3 mm a day up to 2 days before ovulation. The size then remained constant, before diminishing by 2-3 mm during the last 12 hours. The maximal diameter of the follicle was 43 +/- 4 mm. In 89% of the fol...
Berryhill EH, Magdesian KG, Tadros EM, Edman JE.Maintaining serum glucose concentrations is critical in neonatal foals and is often dysregulated in illness; however, few studies have assessed the effects of age, or variation of glucose and insulin, in neonates and their postpartum dams. This study aimed to serially evaluate serum glucose and insulin concentrations and glucose/insulin (G/I) ratios in seven healthy foals and their dams immediately postpartum and at 1-2 and 10-12days of age. The hypotheses were that: (1) there would be wide temporal variation in hourly glucose and insulin measurements among foals; and (2) measured parameters i...
McCarthy HE, French NP, Edwards GB, Miller K, Proudman CJ.Equine grass sickness (EGS) occurs repeatedly on certain premises over time. Few studies have sought, or identified, the determinants of this phenomenon in order to inform advice on disease prevention strategies. Objective: Premises-level risk factors are important determinants of whether EGS occurs. Methods: A matched case-control study was undertaken. Sixty premises giving rise to one or more histologically confirmed case of EGS and 120 time-matched control premises were sampled. Data were collected on pasture management, soil nutrient content, pasture nutrient content and local weather cond...
Johnstone LK, Mayhew IG, Fletcher LR.Perennial ryegrass staggers is purported to be a common neurological mycotoxicosis of horses but the case description lacks detail and evidence. Objective: To describe the clinical syndrome of lolitrem B intoxication in horses, limiting tests to those that are applicable to clinical practice, and to assess the potential value of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests for lolitrem B in horse body fluids. Methods: Seven horses in 2 separate groups were fed perennial ryegrass seed and hay containing 2 ppm lolitrem B. Paired data were collected prior to and after 2 weeks exposure to lol...
Hirsbrunner G, Reist M, Couto SS, Steiner A, Snyder J, Vanleeuwen E, Liu I.Uterine smooth muscle specimens were collected from euthanatized mares in estrus and diestrus. Longitudinal and circular specimens were mounted in organ baths and the signals transcribed to a Grass polygraph. After equilibration time and 2 g preload, their physiologic isometric contractility was recorded for a continuous 2.0 h. Area under the curve, frequency and time occupied by contractions were studied. Differences between cycle phases, between muscle layers, and over the recorded time periods were statistically evaluated using linear mixed-effect models. In the mare, physiologic contractil...
Janczyk P, Weigner J, Luebke-Becker A, Richardson KC, Plendl J.Most embalming of cadavers for anatomical dissection in veterinary medicine has used 6-10% formaldehyde resulting in discoloured and rigid specimens. This project produced teaching specimens of sheep, horse and calf cadavers having their musculoskeletal and visceral structures with a natural appearance using a fixation solution with lowered concentrations of formaldehyde (2% and 3%) together with ethanol and polyethylene glycols. Fixation parameters (palpable consistency, flexibility, colour, tissue hydration and odour) were assessed qualitatively by twice weekly dissections over two months fo...
Mlodawska W, Slomczynska M.Ovarian steroidogenesis from the neonatal to pubertal period in horses is poorly understood. This study was designed to immunolocalize cytochrome P450 aromatase in the ovarian follicles of slaughtered fillies ages approximately (I) 6-9 mo (5 mm in diameter. Staining intensity was dependent on the size and morphology of the follicle. In nonatretic follicles 5-10 mm in diameter, the reaction was weak and heterogeneous, while most intense staining was observed in preovulatory follicles. In follicles (diameter <20 mm) in the groups <10MF and 1YF, the reaction was less intense than in adult m...
Klei TR, Torbert BJ, Chapman MR, Ochoa R.Nonimmune pony foals 9 to 12 mo of age were vaccinated with third-stage Strongylus vulgaris larvae (L3) irradiated with 70, 100, or 130 Kr of gamma radiation. Ponies receiving per os inoculations of L3 irradiated with 70 or 100 Kr were protected from the clinical disease and lesions associated with challenge infections of 4,300 L3, when compared to nonvaccinated controls. Similarly, the numbers of worms from the challenging population recovered from successfully vaccinated animals were significantly lower than from nonvaccinated controls. The degree of resistance that develops in individuals c...
Dohrmann J, Hildebrand F, Straub J, Wadephul R, Pusterla N, Freise F, Venner M.The goal of the current report was to describe the clinical signs, therapy and outcome of foals with suspected equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) due to an infection with Lawsonia intracellularis. Forty foals, born on the same breeding farm, were diagnosed with suspected clinical EPE between September 2019 and January 2020. Data of these cases were analyzed retrospectively regarding the course of the disease, treatment, outcome and long-term prognosis. All horses, including randomly selected control horses, were reassessed about nine months after the suspicion of EPE. The horses affected w...
Vickers PJ, O'Neill GP, Mancini JA, Charleson S, Abramovitz M.To identify regions of 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein (FLAP) important for the function of the protein and the binding of leukotriene biosynthesis inhibitors, we performed a cross-species analysis of FLAP. FLAP from all 10 mammalian species analyzed (human, monkey, horse, pig, cow, sheep, rabbit, dog, rat, and mouse) were immunologically cross-reactive and specifically bound leukotriene biosynthesis inhibitors with high affinity. Using the polymerase chain reaction, cDNA clones for FLAP from six species (monkey, horse, pig, sheep, rabbit, and mouse) were isolated and sequenced. The deduced ...
Morris DD, Beech J.Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) was diagnosed as a secondary disease in 6 horses. Four horses had localized and/or systemic sepsis, one horse had disseminated neoplasia, and one had idiopathic ulcerative enteropathy. The diagnosis of DIC was based on the finding of at least 3 of 4 abnormalities: thrombocytopenia, prolonged prothrombin time, prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, and a high concentration of fibrinolytic degradation products. The most common clinical signs other than those attributable to the primary disease process were abnormal hemorrhage (4 hours) and v...
Studzińska MB, Sallé G, Roczeń-Karczmarz M, Szczepaniak K, Demkowska-Kutrzepa M, Tomczuk K.Parascaris spp. are major gastro-intestinal nematodes that infect foals and can lead to respiratory symptoms, poor growth, and in some cases obstruction of the small intestine and death. Ivermectin resistance has been reported for Parascaris spp. in many countries. In Poland, the knowledge of the level of resistance against ivermectin in Parascaris spp. is limited. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of ivermectin against Parascaris spp. in foals from south-eastern Poland. Foals (n = 225 = reared in 7 stud farms) were treated orally with ivermectin paste. Faecal samples w...
Saville WJA, Reed SM, Dubey JP, Granstrom DE, Morley PS, Hinchcliff KW, Kohn CW, Wittum TE, Workman JD.The diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) relies heavily on the clinical examination. The accurate identification of neurologic signs during a clinical examination is critical to the interpretation of laboratory results. Objective: To investigate the level of agreement between board-certified veterinary internists when performing neurologic examinations in horses. Methods: Ninety-seven horses admitted to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at The Ohio State University from December 1997 to June 1998. Methods: A prospective epidemiologic research design was used. Horses enrolled in...
Gorji FF, Sadr S, Borji H.Eimeria is a genus of protozoan parasites that infect many animal species, including horses. We conducted a cross-sectional study of indigenous breeds of horses from the North and Northeast of Iran to establish the prevalence and distribution of Eimeria species. Methods: Using standard coprological techniques, 340 faecal samples from randomly selected horses (141 from North Iran and 199 from Northeast Iran) were examined for Eimeria oocyst. Results: Out of 340 samples, only three from north Iran were positive for coccidiosis. Infections occurred by Eimeria leuckarti. The mean intensity of oocy...
Zellner A, Bockstahler B, Peham C.The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Kinesio Taping on the trajectory of the forelimb and the muscle activity of the M. brachiocephalicus and the M. extensor carpi radialis in horses. 19 horses and ponies of different breeds (body weight: 496±117 kg), gender (8 mares, 10 geldings and 3 stallions) and ages (14.9±6.9 years old) were analysed without Kinesio Tape ("no tape"), with Kinesio Tape (muscle facilitation application on both muscles of both sides, "with tape") and immediately after Kinesio Taping ("post tape") through kinematic motion analysis and surface electromyogra...
Wehrman RF, Gemensky-Metzler AJ, Zibura AE, Nyhart AB, Chandler HL.OBJECTIVE To determine the safety of topical administration of 1% atropine ophthalmic solution in healthy horses by objectively measuring gastrointestinal transit time. DESIGN Randomized, masked, controlled crossover study. ANIMALS 6 adult geldings. PROCEDURES Horses were randomly assigned (3/group) to first receive topical treatment of the left eye with 1% atropine or artificial tears solution; the right eye was left untreated. After 24 hours of treatment every 6 hours, 200 nontoxic beads were administered to each horse via nasogastric intubation and treatment frequency was decreased to every...
Fielding CL, Dechant JE.Colic is a common reason for elimination from equine endurance competitions and has recently been identified as the leading cause of mortality in this group of horses. Hydration and electrolyte derangements are often severe, but are probably related to endurance exercise and not necessarily the episode of colic. Better understanding of the causes of colic and the expected outcome is needed to guide treatment decisions in endurance horses. Objective: To describe the history, case details, clinical examination, laboratory, treatment and outcomes for horses presenting to equine referral centres f...
