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.
Suontama M, van der Werf JH, Juga J, Ojala M.Heritability and repeatability and genetic and phenotypic correlations were estimated for trotting race records with linear and generalized linear models using 510,519 records on 17,792 Finnhorses and 513,161 records on 25,536 Standardbred trotters. Heritability and repeatability were estimated for single racing time and earnings traits with linear models, and logarithmic scale was used for racing time and fourth-root scale for earnings to correct for nonnormality. Generalized linear models with a gamma distribution were applied for single racing time and with a multinomial distribution for si...
García-Bocanegra I, Arenas-Montes A, Hernández E, Adaszek L, Carbonero A, Almería S, Jaén-Téllez JA, Gutiérrez-Palomino P, Arenas A.A cross-sectional study was carried out on equids (horses, mules and donkeys) in Andalusia, Southern Spain, to assess the level of exposure to equine piroplasmosis and to investigate risk factors associated with these infections. At least one animal seropositive for Theileria equi and/or Babesia caballi was detected in 222/380 (58.4%) herds sampled by competitive inhibition ELISAs. The seroprevalences for B. caballi and T. equi were 13.2% and 56.1%, respectively; there was serological evidence of co-circulation of both piroplasms in 10.8% of herds. Antibodies against equine piroplasms were det...
Mawyer JD, Cavinder CA, Vogelsang MM, Sigler DH, Love CC, Brinsko SP, Blanchard TL, Varner DD, Arnold CE, Teague S, Gordon RK.Stallions (n = 8) were implanted with a thermal sensory device in the muscle of the neck and the subcutaneous tissue of the scrotum and then assigned to either a nonexercise (Non-EX; n = 4) or exercise (EX; n = 4) group. A motorized equine exerciser was used to work EX stallions 30 min/d for 4 d/wk during a 12-wk period from July through October 2010. Temperatures (subcutaneous scrotal, intramuscular neck, and rectal) were recorded at 0, 22, and 30 min after the start of exercise, as well as 60 and 120 min post-exercise. Hourly ambient temperature and relative humidity data were also obtained....
Brophy PM, MacKintosh N, Morphew RM.Anthelmintics are the cornerstone of parasitic helminth control. Surprisingly, understanding of the biochemical pathways used by parasitic helminths to detoxify anthelmintics is fragmented, despite the increasing global threat of anthelmintic resistance within the ruminant and equine industries. Reductionist biochemistry has likely over-estimated the enzymatic role of glutathione transferases in anthelmintic metabolism and neglected the potential role of the cytochrome P-450 superfamily (CYPs). Proteomic technologies offers the opportunity to support genomics, reverse genetics and pharmacokine...
Gracia-Calvo LA, Martín-Cuervo M, Jiménez J, Vieítez V, Durán ME, Argüelles D, Ezquerra LJ.Horses (n=35) underwent orchidectomy in a single institution with a re-sterilised LSA as sole means of haemostasis. During the surgery, the gross quality of the seal, the stickiness of the forceps to the tissues, bleeding/oozing from the stump and the need for a subsequent application in already severed spermatic cord were assessed for haemostasis quality. After surgery, physical parameters (appearance of the mucous membranes, quality of the peripheral pulse, heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature and blood dripping from the incisions), haematology or packed cell volume and total pro...
de Vries A, Taylor PM, Troughton G, Liu B, Fowden AL, Sear JW.This study examined the pharmacokinetics of propofol by infusion in ponies using an analyser for the rapid measurement of propofol concentrations. The analyser (Pelorus 1000; Sphere Medical Ltd., Cambridge, UK) has a measurement cycle of approximately five minutes. Ten Welsh-cross ponies (weighing 135-300 kg) undergoing minor procedures were studied after premedication with acepromazine 0.03 mg/kg and detomidine 0.015 mg/kg. Anaesthesia was induced with ketamine 2 mg/kg and diazepam 0.03 mg/kg, and maintained with an infusion of propofol at an initial rate of 0.16 mg/kg/min for the first thirt...
Crespo F, Gosalvez J, Gutiérrez-Cepeda L, Serres C, Johnston SD.Stallion spermatozoa recovered and examined immediately after colloidal centrifugation resulted in a higher straight-line velocity (VSL) than sperm processed using direct conventional centrifugation (p = 0.000), but there was no differences in the progressive motility or sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) as determined by the sperm chromatin dispersion assay. However, when centrifuged spermatozoa were incubated at 37 °C for 24 h to determine the rate of SDF (r-SDF), a lower r-SDF (p = 0.0011) was observed in those sperm recovered after colloidal separation (0.5 ± 0.1%/h) compared to direct (1.2 ...
Malda J, Benders KE, Klein TJ, de Grauw JC, Kik MJ, Hutmacher DW, Saris DB, van Weeren PR, Dhert WJ.Articular cartilage defects are common after joint injuries. When left untreated, the biomechanical protective function of cartilage is gradually lost, making the joint more susceptible to further damage, causing progressive loss of joint function and eventually osteoarthritis (OA). In the process of translating promising tissue-engineering cartilage repair approaches from bench to bedside, pre-clinical animal models including mice, rabbits, goats, and horses, are widely used. The equine species is becoming an increasingly popular model for the in vivo evaluation of regenerative orthopaedic ap...
Salas Y, Márquez A, Canelón J, Perazzo Y, Colmenárez V, López JA.Pythium insidiosum is a pathogenic oomycete known since 1890 that causes pythiosis in mammals. In this report, seven P. insidiosum isolates were recovered from Venezuelan horses and were characterized. The strains were recovered from biopsied tissues and kunkers collected from granulomatous masses located on the hind limb and from a nodular lesion in the left upper eyelid, which decrease the ability of the horses to be used for working purposes. The methods used to identify P. insidiosum isolates were based on the production of sporangia and zoospores, histopathology and PCR assay. To further ...
Ranera B, Remacha AR, Álvarez-Arguedas S, Castiella T, Vázquez FJ, Romero A, Zaragoza P, Martín-Burriel I, Rodellar C.Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are widely used in regenerative medicine in horses. Most of the molecular characterisations of BM-MSCs have been made at 20% O(2), a higher oxygen level than the one surrounding the cells inside the bone marrow. The present work compares the lifespan and the tri-lineage potential of equine BM-MSCs expanded in normoxia (20% O(2)) and hypoxia (5% O(2)). No significant differences were found in long-term cultures for osteogenesis and adipogenesis between normoxic and hypoxic expanded BM-MSCs. An up-regulation of the chondrogenesis-related genes...
Muranaka M, Yamanaka T, Katayama Y, Niwa H, Oku K, Matsumura T, Oyamada T.To investigate the pathology of equine influenza, necropsy of 7 horses experimentally infected with equine influenza A virus (EIV) subtype H3N8 was conducted on post-infection days (PID) 2, 3, 7, and 14. Histopathologically, rhinitis or tracheitis including epithelial degeneration or necrosis with loss of ciliated epithelia and a reduction in goblet cell numbers, was observed in the respiratory tracts on PIDs 2 and 3. Epithelial hyperplasia or squamous metaplasia and suppurative bronchopneumonia with proliferation of type II pneumocytes were observed on PIDs 7 and 14. Viral antigen was detecte...
Becker AC, Stock KF, Distl O.New movement traits reflecting unfavorable movement characteristics were defined on the basis of detailed movement evaluations (DME) of warmblood foals and mares performed in connection with regular breeding events of the Oldenburg horse breeding societies in 2009 and 2010. DME information was available for 3374 foals and 2844 mares and used for correlation analyses with conformation information on 1987 mares from studbook inspections (SBI) in 2009 and performance information on 2758 mares from mare performance tests (MPT) in 2000 to 2008. Analyses of variance revealed few significant differen...
Ralston SL, Molnar A.In 1999, the Young Horse Teaching and Research Program (YHTRP) was initiated at Rutgers University. The unique aspect of the program was using horses generally considered "at risk" and in need of rescue, but of relatively low value. The risks of using horses from pregnant mare urine (PMU) ranches and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mustangs were high, but, ultimately, unrealized. No students or staff members were seriously injured over the course of the next 12 yr, and the horses were sold annually as highly desirable potential athletes or pleasure horses, usually at a profit. The use of "at r...
Dall'Aglio C, Maranesi M, Pascucci L, Mercati F, Ceccarelli P.The presence of the leptin receptor (ObR) has already been highlighted in the human major salivary glands and it has been hypothesized that leptin may act by regulating the gland's growth. No data are reported on domestic animals so, considering the important role that these glands play, not only related to food ingestion and digestion, and the important functional role hypothesized to explain the presence of ObR in humans salivary glands, the aim of the present work was to investigate the presence and the distribution of the leptin receptor in horse parotid and mandibular glands, by immunohis...
Borer KE, Bailey SR, Harris PA, Elliott J.The underlying pathophysiological triggers for equine acute laminitis are unknown, although digital vasoconstriction, ischaemia, hypoxia and reperfusion injury may be involved. The contractile responses of isolated equine digital arteries (EDAs), harvested from the hindlimbs of normal horses postmortem at an abattoir, were studied acutely (up to 3 h) under hyperoxic (95% oxygen, 5% CO2 ) and hypoxic (95% nitrogen, 5% CO2 ) conditions in organ baths. Phenylephrine (PHE; 10(-6) m), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; 10(-7) m) and high potassium (K(+) ; 118 mm) caused contraction in EDAs which was signif...
Rosanowski SM, Cogger N, Rogers CW, Benschop J, Stevenson MA.We conducted a cross-sectional survey to determine the demographic characteristics of non-commercial horses in New Zealand. A sampling frame of properties with non-commercial horses was derived from the national farms database, AgriBase™. Horse properties were stratified by property size and a generalised random-tessellated stratified (GRTS) sampling strategy was used to select properties (n=2912) to take part in the survey. The GRTS sampling design allowed for the selection of properties that were spatially balanced relative to the distribution of horse properties throughout the country. Th...
Thorpe CT, Udeze CP, Birch HL, Clegg PD, Screen HR.Tendons transfer force from muscle to bone. Specific tendons, including the equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT), also store and return energy. For efficient function, energy-storing tendons need to be more extensible than positional tendons such as the common digital extensor tendon (CDET), and when tested in vitro have a lower modulus and failure stress, but a higher failure strain. It is not known how differences in matrix organization contribute to distinct mechanical properties in functionally different tendons. We investigated the properties of whole tendons, tendon fascicles ...
Esteller-Vico A, Liu IK, Couto S.Vascular degeneration is present in endometrial vessels of multiparous aged mares. The lesions associated with vascular degeneration consist of enlargement, duplication and splitting of the membrana elastica interna and perivascular deposits of elastin. However, there are no similar data available for deep myometrial vessels and the vascular layer. The objectives of the present study were to characterize the status of vasculature in full-thickness uterine necropsy samples and to correlate these findings to endometrial grade, age, and parity. Elastosis was present in myometrial vessels, as well...
Bartolome JA, Wallace SP, de la Sota RL, Thatcher WW.The objective was to evaluate the effect of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) and hCG post artificial insemination (AI) on fertility of lactating dairy cows. In Experiment 1, cows were either treated with eCG on Day 22 post AI (400 IU; n = 80) or left untreated (n = 84). On Day 29, pregnant cows were either treated with hCG (2500 IU; n = 32) or left untreated (n = 36). Pregnancy and progesterone were evaluated on Days 29 and 45. In Experiment 2, cows (n = 28) were either treated with eCG on Day 22 (n = 13) or left untreated (n = 15) and either treated with hCG on Day 29 (n = 14) or left untr...
Brosnahan MM, Erb HN, Perkins GA, Divers TJ, Borges AS, Osterrieder N.Research in humans has demonstrated that high serum iron (sFe) concentration can predispose to infection, and many infections subsequently result in alterations of host sFe. A decrease in sFe concentration is an early and sensitive indicator of systemic inflammation caused by tissue necrosis, bacterial infections, or endotoxemia in horses. Serum iron parameters in acute equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infection have not been evaluated previously. Objective: To document the sFe response to EHV-1 infection and to determine whether or not significant differences in sFe concentration exist betwe...
Kisiday JD, McIlwraith CW, Rodkey WG, Frisbie DD, Steadman JR.To evaluate the effects of single- and double-spin preparations of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on anabolic and catabolic activities of cartilage and meniscal explants in vitro. Methods: Single- and double-spin PRP was prepared using laboratory processing or commercial kits. The cellular contents were quantified, and each PRP was mixed in equal quantities with cell culture medium and added to cartilage or meniscus explant cultures, with or without interleukin 1 β (IL-1β). Extracellular matrix synthesis was quantified over 24 hours via (35)S-sulfate and (3)H-proline incorporation, while gene ex...
Kulmala KA, Pulkkinen HJ, Rieppo L, Tiitu V, Kiviranta I, Brünott A, Brommer H, van Weeren R, Brama PA, Mikkola MT, Korhonen RK, Jurvelin JS....Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) has been introduced for the evaluation of cartilage integrity. Furthermore, CECT enables imaging of the structure and density of subchondral bone. In this laboratory study, we investigate the potential of microCECT to simultaneously image cartilage and subchondral bone for the evaluation of tissue healing. Methods: Osteochondral lesions (Ø = 6 mm) were surgically created in equine intercarpal joints (n = 7). After spontaneous healing for 12 months, the horses were sacrificed and osteochondral plugs (Ø = 14 mm), including the repair cartilage and a...
Peterson AE, Davis MF, Awantang G, Limbago B, Fosheim GE, Silbergeld EK.Animals on farms may be a potential reservoir and environmental source of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Expanded surveillance methods for animal-associated MRSA are needed. To develop an environmental sampling method and to determine the correlation between animal and environmental MRSA positivity in the farm setting, we sampled horses, cattle, and their local environments at several farms in the mid-Atlantic United States. We obtained nasal swabs from 13 racehorses at first visit, and 11 racehorses at the same farm eight weeks later. We also sampled 26 pleasure horses an...
Karakulska J, Fijałkowski K, Nawrotek P, Pobucewicz A, Poszumski F, Czernomysy-Furowicz D.The aim of this study was an analysis of the staphylococcal flora of the nasal cavity of 42 healthy horses from 4 farms, along with species identification of CoNS isolates and determination of resistance to 18 antimicrobial agents, particularly phenotypic and genotypic methicillin resistance. From the 81 swabs, 87 staphylococci were isolated. All isolates possessed the gap gene but the coa gene was not detected in any of these isolates. Using PCR-RFLP of the gap gene, 82.8% of CoNS were identified: S. equorum (14.9%), S. warneri (14.9%), S. sciuri (12.6%), S. vitulinus (12.6%), S. xylosus (11....
Kennedy SA, Constable PD, Sen I, Couëtil L.To determine effects of syringe type and storage conditions on blood gas and acid-base values for equine blood samples. Methods: Blood samples obtained from 8 healthy horses. Methods: Heparinized jugular venous blood was equilibrated via a tonometer at 37°C with 12% O(2) and 5% CO(2). Aliquots (3 mL) of tonometer-equilibrated blood were collected in random order by use of a glass syringe (GS), general-purpose polypropylene syringe (GPPS), or polypropylene syringe designed for blood gas analysis (PSBGA) and stored in ice water (0°C) or at room temperature (22°C) for 0, 5, 15, 30, 60, or 120 ...
Schoster A, Arroyo LG, Staempfli HR, Shewen PE, Weese JS.Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens are commonly associated with colitis in equids, but healthy carriers exist. Scarce information is available on the prevalence of Clostridium spp. in gastrointestinal compartments other than faeces in healthy horses, and it is unknown whether faecal samples are representative of proximal compartments. The objectives were to investigate the prevalence of C. difficile and C. perfringens in different intestinal compartments of healthy adult horses and to determine whether faecal samples are representative of colonization in proximal sites and overa...
Campagne C, Julé S, Bernex F, Estrada M, Aubin-Houzelstein G, Panthier JJ, Egidy G.Melanocytic proliferations are common in horses but the diagnosis of malignancy is not always straightforward. To improve diagnosis and prognosis, markers of malignancy are needed. Receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1) protein may be such a marker. RACK1 was originally found to characterize malignant melanocytic lesions in the Melanoblastoma-bearing Libechov minipig (MeLiM) and, later, in human patients. Our purpose was to investigate the value of RACK1 in the classification of cutaneous melanocytic proliferations in horses. Results: Using immunofluorescence, we report here that both MITF ...
Smyth PA, Rifkin RE, Jackson RL, Reid Hanson R.The naturally occurring structure of articular cartilage has proven to be an effective means for the facilitation of motion and load support in equine and other animal joints. Cartilage has been found to be a complex and dynamic medium, which has led to an incomplete understanding of the nature and operating mechanisms acting within a joint. Although cartilage has biphasic and triphasic properties, it is believed that the performance of equine articular joints is influenced by the surface roughness of the joint cartilage (Ateshian et al., '98; Chan et al., 2011; Yao and Unsworth, '93). Various...
Pawlak E, Wang L, Johnson PJ, Nuovo G, Taye A, Belknap JK, Alfandari D, Black SJ.To determine the expression and distribution of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-4 (ADAMTS-4), its substrates aggrecan and versican, and their binding partner hyaluronan in laminae of healthy horses. Methods: Laminae from the forelimb hooves of 8 healthy horses. Methods: Real-time quantitative PCR assay was used for gene expression analysis. Hyaluronidase, chondroitinase, and keratanase digestion of lamina extracts combined with SDS-PAGE and western blotting were used for protein and proteoglycan analysis. Immunofluorescent and immunohistochemical staining of tiss...
Textor JA, Tablin F.To investigate and compare clinically relevant Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) activation methods. Methods: Experimental. Methods: PRP was prepared from 6 equine subjects. Activation of the PRP was performed by 4 methods (autologous thrombin, bovine thrombin, calcium chloride (CaCl(2) ), or freeze-thaw). The resultant PDGF-BB (where PDGF is platelet-derived growth factor) and TGFβ1 (where TGFβ is transforming growth factor beta) levels in PRP releasates were quantified by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared. Growth factor contents were also compared between platelet-rich clots ...
Anderson JL, Sloss BL, Meece JK.Several studies have shown that Blastomyces dermatitidis, the etiologic agent of blastomycosis, is a genetically diverse pathogen. Blastomycosis is a significant health issue in humans and other mammals. Veterinary and human isolates matched with epidemiological case data from the same geographic area and time period were used to determine: (i) if differences in genetic diversity and structure exist between clinical veterinary and human isolates of B. dermatitidis and (ii) if comparable epidemiologic features differ among veterinary and human blastomycosis cases. Results: Genetic typing of 301...
Kerber CE, Ferreira F, Pereira MC.The importance of equine piroplasmosis control in endemic countries has increased in recent years and plays an important role to maintain the international market open to the horse industry. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the occurrence of equine piroplasmosis (Babesia equi or Theileria equi and Babesia caballi) in Brazil--a country where the disease occurs endemically--in different climatic conditions, and to evaluate the results of a strategy for tick control in order to decrease infection rates. Blood samples were taken from 720 horses on 28 farms from different regions and su...
O'Callaghan MW, Pascoe JR, Tyler WS, Mason DK.Gross post mortem examinations were performed on the lungs of 26 Thoroughbred horses of known exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) status. The most consistent finding was a variable degree of bilaterally symmetrical, dark discolouration of the dorsocaudal regions of the caudal lung lobes. In more severely affected lungs, the stained areas extended cranially along the dorsal surfaces of the lungs, and in some cases affected approximately one third of the lung surface. Discoloured areas of lung were denser than normal, collapsed less readily, often contained trapped air and were slow to...
Mariat D, Oustry-Vaiman A, Cribiu EP, Raudsepp T, Chowdhary BP, Guérin G.In order to increase the number of markers on the horse cytogenetic map and expand the integration with the linkage map, an equine BAC library was screened for genes and for microsatellites. Eighty-nine intra-exon primers were designed from consensus gene sequences in documented species. After PCR screening, 38 clones containing identified genes were isolated and FISH mapped. These data allowed us to refine the available Zoo-FISH results, to define ten new conserved cytogenetic segments and expand two others, thus leading to the identification of a total of 26 conserved segments between horse ...
Patel JR, Didlick S, Bateman H.Currently, there is no recommended immunoprophylaxis against febrile respiratory diseases due to equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) and -4 (EHV-4) in horses below age 5-6 months. This is because of interference by maternally-derived antibody (MDA) of vaccines. Objective: Unweaned equine foals are an important reservoir of EHV-1 transmission; therefore, we experimentally assessed the efficacy of a live EHV-1 vaccine in foals age 1.4-3.5 months with MDA. Methods: Following vaccination and challenge, parameters assessed were virus shedding in nasal mucus, leucocyte-associated viraemia, circulating viru...
Nemoto M, Bannai H, Ochi A, Niwa H, Murakami S, Tsujimura K, Yamanaka T, Kokado H, Kondo T.Getah virus is mosquito-borne and causes disease in horses and pigs. We sequenced and analyzed the complete genomes of three strains isolated from horses in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, in 2016. They were almost identical to the genomes of strains recently isolated from horses, pigs, and mosquitoes in Japan.
Tomizawa N, Nishimura R, Sasaki N, Nakayama H, Kadosawa T, Senba H, Takeuchi A.Nineteen wobbling foals (17 males and 2 females) showing lameness of hindlimbs at 6 to 21 months of age were investigated radiographically and histopathologically. Minimum sagittal diameter (MSD), minimum flexion diameter (MFD) and minimum dural sagittal diameter (MDD) were measured on plain radiograms or myelograms taken at neutral and flexed positions as indicators of narrowed vertebral canal. After necropsy, the cervical spines and the spinal cord were examined macroscopically and respectively the relationships between radiographic findings and the corresponding morphological lesions were e...
Davies HM, Gale SM, Baker ID.The aim of this study was to determine if changes in the shape of the third metacarpal bone (MC3) during the first preparation for racing in young Thoroughbred racehorses could be measured radiographically. Lateral radiographs of each MC3 were taken when the horses commenced training, every 2 weeks for 10 weeks, and again at 6 months after the start of training. The width of the dorsal cortex (DC), palmar cortex (PC), and medulla (M) were measured at a position 2.5 cm distal to the nutrient foramen before the subject of each radiograph was identified. The following ratios were calculated: z = ...
Reyner CL, Wagner B, Young JC, Ainsworth DM.To examine gene expression of selected cytokines in pulmonary mononuclear cells isolated from healthy horses and horses susceptible to recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), and to determine whether interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-23 were associated with pulmonary inflammation. Methods: 6 RAO-susceptible and 5 healthy horses. Methods: Bronchoalveolar lavage cells were retrieved from horses that were stabled and fed dusty hay for 24 hours. Lavage cells devoid of neutrophils were incubated for 24 hours with solutions of PBS, hay dust, lipopolysaccharide, or B-glucan. Gene expression of IL-17, IL-23 (p19...
Journal of proteomicsMarch 26, 2022
Volume 261 104571 doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2022.104571
Koziy RV, Bracamonte JL, Yoshimura S, Chumala P, Simko E, Katselis GS.Septic arthritis (SA) is a life-threatening condition in horses, and identifying eradication of infection in equine SA is challenging. This study explored the discovery of putative biomarkers for the eradication of joint infection in horses. We performed proteomics analysis of synovial fluid (SF) and plasma from horses with experimental SA, non-septic lipopolysaccharide-induced arthritis, and controls. The point of eradication of infection in horses with SA was determined previously. We compared spectral intensities between groups as well as before and after the eradication of infection. Twent...
Furuoka H, Ito H, Hamada M, Suwa T, Satoh H, Itakura C.The endocrine cell components in the pancreatic islets of the following 4 pancreatic regions of the horse were investigated by immunohistochemical methods: lobus pancreatis sinister (left lobe); lobus pancreatis dexter (right lobe); and 2 regions of Corpus pancreatis (body), the duodenal lobe which lies along the cranial duodenal flexure and descending duodenum, and the intermediate lobe which is situated around the portal vein. The islets in the left and intermediate lobes contained a central mass of glucagon cells surrounded by insulin cells, a few somatostatin cells and sporadic pancreatic ...
Goraya K, Iqbal Z, Sajid M, Muhammad G, Ain QU, Saleem M.Plants have widely been used and documented for their therapeutic potential in many parts of the world. There are, however, few reports on the use of plants for the treatment of diseases of equines. To this end, participatory epidemiology and rapid rural appraisal techniques were used to document the plants having pharmacotherapeutic significance against different ailments of equines in selected population of Punjab, Pakistan. Methods: A survey was conducted to interview a total of 450 respondents (150 from each of the districts of Faisalabad, Lahore and Sargodha of Pakistan) to collect inform...
Kam YN, McKenzie K, Coyle M, Bertin FR.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is a common endocrinopathy of horses diagnosed with a thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test. Objective: Describe the repeatability of TRH stimulation in horses with and without PPID in winter and autumn. Methods: Twenty adult horses; 6 controls and 6 with PPID tested in autumn, 8 controls and 6 with PPID tested in winter with 3 controls and 3 with PPID tested in both seasons. Methods: Thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation was performed on 2 consecutive occasions, 1 week before and 1 week after the winter solstice and the autumn ...
Trostle SS, Dubielzig RR, Beck KA.Nine horses with clinical and radiographic findings of cervical vertebral malformation that were necropsied and examined using frozen cervical spinal cord cross sections were reviewed. Only cases with actual distortion of the spinal cord due to compression were selected. The goal of the study was to determine the morphologic features responsible for narrowing of the spinal canal and compression of the spinal cord. In individual cases, bony changes are associated with osteochondrosis and osteomyelitis of the dorsal articular facets and osteosclerosis of the dorsal cervical lamina. Soft tissue p...
Casey MB, Tremaine WH.With the advent of detailed oral examination in horses using dental mirrors and rigid endoscopy, secondary dentinal lesions are observed more frequently. More information regarding the association of secondary dentinal defects with apical dental disease would improve the sensitivity of oral examination as a diagnostic aid for pulpitis. Objective: To assess prevalence and severity of secondary dentinal defects observed on examination of occlusal surfaces of cheek teeth (CT) from horses showing clinical signs of pulpitis compared to asymptomatic controls. Methods: Records from all cases of equin...
Wimmer-Scherr C, Taminiau B, Renaud B, van Loon G, Palmers K, Votion D, Amory H, Daube G, Cesarini C.Equine atypical myopathy (AM) is caused by hypoglycin A (HGA) and methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG) intoxication resulting from the ingestion of seeds or seedlings of some Acer tree species. Interestingly, not all horses pasturing in the same toxic environment develop signs of the disease. In other species, it has been shown that the intestinal microbiota has an impact on digestion, metabolism, immune stimulation and protection from disease. The objective of this study was to characterize and compare fecal microbiota of horses suffering from AM and healthy co-grazers. Furthermore, potential d...
Crowe CA, Ravenhill PJ, Hepburn RJ, Shepherd CH.Historically, artificial insemination (AI) using frozen semen has been perceived to have poorer success rates and be more labour intensive than using chilled semen. A retrospective study was therefore conducted to compare the conception rate achieved by AI between chilled and frozen semen, using fixed time insemination protocols over 2 breeding seasons. Objective: Artificial insemination using chilled semen produces a higher conception rate than that achieved with frozen semen. Methods: Mares (n = 251) were inseminated with either chilled (n = 112) or frozen (n = 139) semen in the 2006 and 200...
Watson ED, Stokes CR, David JS, Bourne FJ.The bactericidal and phagocytic activities of blood neutrophils suspended in uterine washings and the mobilization of neutrophils into the uterine lumen were studied in ovariectomized mares receiving oestradiol benzoate (N = 4), progesterone (N = 4) or oily vehicle (N = 4). Uterine lavage was performed sequentially up to 144 h after induction of endometritis by intrauterine infusion of glycogen (1%). There was no significant difference between the 3 groups in speed of mobilization of neutrophils into the uterus in the first 6 h after infusion but there were significantly more uterine luminal n...
Wilson JH, Olson EJ, Haugen EW, Hunt LM, Johnson JL, Hayden DW.Progressive multisystemic disease caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis was diagnosed in a 17-year-old Quarter horse broodmare. The mare had been treated unsuccessfully with antibiotics for mastitis 3 months postpartum. The disease progressed to exudative cutaneous lesions affecting the ventrum, pectoral region, and limbs accompanied by weight loss across several months. Yeast bodies were observed in swabs of the cutaneous exudate, suggesting a clinical diagnosis of blastomycosis. Following referral, pleural effusion, cavitated lung lesions, and hyperproteinemia were identified, and the mare was ...
Raidal SL, Catanchin CSM, Burgmeestre L, Quinn CT.Respiratory insufficiency and pulmonary health are important considerations in equine neonatal care. As the majority of foals are bred for athletic pursuits, strategies for respiratory support of compromised foals are of particular importance. The administration of supplementary oxygen is readily implemented in equine practice settings, but does not address respiratory insufficiency due to inadequate ventilation and is no longer considered optimal care for hypoxia in critical care settings. Non-invasive ventilatory strategies including continuous or bi-level positive airway pressure are effect...
Buechner-Maxwell VA.In recent years, equine neonatal medicine has made significant advances. The importance of nutritional support for the sick neonatal foal has been recognized, and methods of providing that sup-port have been developed. Today, the clinician has many options when designing a nutritional plan for the neonatal foal. When the foal's gut permits, enteral diets are an inexpensive source of nutrients. Under conditions where the gut requires rest, methods for delivering nutrients by the parenteral route have also been developed. In this article, the nutrition of the normal and sick foal is described. G...
White RT, Jelocnik M, Klukowski N, Haque MH, Sarker S.Chlamydia psittaci is a zoonotic pathogen that infects birds, humans, and other mammals. Notably, recent studies suggested the human-to-human transmission of C. psittaci, and this pathogen also causes equine reproductive loss in Australia. Molecular studies in Australia to date have focused on and described clonal sequence type (ST)24 strains infecting horses, wild psittacine, and humans. In contrast, the genetic identity of C. psittaci strains from captive psittacine hosts is scarce. In 2022, C. psittaci was detected in the faeces of a healthy captive blue-fronted parrot (Amazona aestiva). Ge...
Wu L, Ou J, Cai S, Ji J, Ren Z, Shao R, Li S.Equine Hepacivirus (EqHV) is a newly discovered equine virus that is classified under the Hepacivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family. There are three sub-types of EqHV worldwide namely; sub-types 1-3. The majority of EqHV sub-type 1 strains were found in China. While different sub-types have been found in Japan and USA, therefore, to investigate whether the other sub-types of EqHV strains were present in China, a total of 60 horse serum samples were collected and screened for EqHV RNA through RT-PCR. The results revealed that 19 serum samples were RNA-positive (19/60) and the EqHV detection ...
Kloock T, Pickles KJ, Roberts V, Uhlendorf F, Twele L, Wilkens HL, Stehle E, Feige K, Niebuhr T.In horses with trigeminal-mediated headshaking (TMHS), clinical signs are likely to be expression of neuropathic facial pain. Currently, subjective assessment of disease severity is used as measure of compromise of animal's welfare. Objective: To develop and validate a precise scoring system for TMHS: History, Rest and Exercise Score (HRE-S). The HRE-S consists of three subscores: history score (H-S), resting score (R-S) and exercise score (E-S). Methods: Retrospective observational study. Methods: Seven masked observers with different experience used HRE-S to score 40 video recordings taken d...
Cohen ND, Parson EM, Seahorn TL, Carter GK.Medical records of 116 horses admitted to the Texas Veterinary Medical Center between Jan 1, 1984 and Dec 31, 1991 with duodenitis/proximal jejunitis (DPJ) were reviewed. The prevalence of laminitis was 28.4% (33/116; 95% confidence interval: 20.2 to 36.6%). The prevalence of DPJ and DPJ-associated laminitis did not appear to vary significantly by year during the study period. Anamnesis, physical examination, clinicopathologic data, and initial treatment recorded at the time of admission were reviewed to determine risk factors associated with development of laminitis associated with DPJ. A tre...
Malik P, Pálfi V, Bálint A.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is a major pathogen of horses with worldwide distribution that can cause various clinical signs ranged from mild respiratory disease to neurological symptoms. Comparison of neuropathogenic and non-neuropathogenic EHV-1 strains revealed that a single non-synonymous nucleotide substitution (A/G2254) in the ORF30 region is associated with the altered functions of the viral DNA polymerase and therefore the neuropathogenicity of EHV-1 virus strains. The aim of the present study was the development of a new differentiation method of this particular single nucleotide poly...
Bidwell LA, Bowker RM.To evaluate morphologic changes of the stratum internum of hooves from near-term fetal, newborn, and yearling horses. Methods: Feet from 27 near-term equine fetuses, 19 newborn foals, and 8 yearlings. Methods: Primary epidermal laminae (PEL) of the stratum internum were examined for evidence of architectural changes. Results: In near-term fetuses, the PEL had a homogeneous appearance and symmetric distribution around the hoof wall with no significant differences in PEL density between the toe and quarters. However after birth, branched laminae at the toe formed within the first few weeks, whic...
Gambini A, Jarazo J, Karlanian F, De Stéfano A, Salamone DF.The current limitations for obtaining ovaries from slaughterhouses and the low efficiency of in vivo follicular aspiration necessitate a complete understanding of the variables that affect oocyte developmental competence in the equine. For this reason, we assessed the effect on equine oocyte meiotic competence and the subsequent in vitro cloned embryo development of 1) the time interval between ovary collection and the onset of oocyte in vitro maturation (collection-maturation interval time) and 2) the pregnancy status of the donor mares. To define the collection-maturation interval time, coll...
