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.
Passman SN, Cheetham J, Bonassar LJ, Ducharme NG, Rawlinson JJ.Upper airway obstruction is a common problem in the performance horse as the soft tissues of the larynx collapse into the airway, yet there is a paucity of information on biomechanical properties for the structural cartilage components. Objective: To measure the geometry and compressive mechanical properties of the hyaline cartilage to improve understanding of laryngeal function and morphology. Methods: A total of 11 larynges were harvested from Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses. During gross dissection, linear dimensions of the cricoid were obtained. From both the cricoid and arytenoid...
Trope GD, Anderson GA, Whitton RC.The effect of palmar osteochondral disease lesions on performance of Thoroughbred (TB) racehorses is unclear. There is a need to describe patterns of radiopharmaceutical uptake (IRU) in fetlock joints of TB racehorses and to evaluate post scintigraphy performance. Objective: IRU in the metacarpal (MC) and metatarsal (MT) condyles is more common than IRU in the parasagittal grooves and is associated with poorer post diagnosis performance than controls. Methods: Location of IRU within the fetlock region was identified and graded subjectively in TB racehorses. Performance variables were determine...
Taylor SD, Leib SR, Wu W, Nelson R, Carpenter S, Mealey RH.Using the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) lentivirus model system, we previously demonstrated protective effects of broadly neutralizing immune plasma in young horses (foals) with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). However, in vivo selection of a neutralization-resistant envelope variant occurred. Here, we determined the protective effects of purified immunoglobulin with more potent broadly neutralizing activity. Overall, protection correlated with the breadth and potency of neutralizing activity in vitro. Four of five SCID foals were completely protected against homologous challen...
Mari G, Castagnetti C, Rizzato G, Mislei B, Iacono E, Merlo B.Stallions are not selected for fertility but for other criteria (pedigree, conformation, performances, progeny), therefore valuable but subfertile stallions with poor semen quality are frequently used in commercial breeding programs. The object of this study was to evaluate whether sperm selection through a silane-coated silica colloid gradient centrifugation, with or without the addition of seminal plasma of a high fertile stallion, could improve the pregnancy rates of an oligospermic valuable stallion in a commercial breeding program. In 2008 breeding season (experiment 1, n=104 mares), simp...
Sod GA, Riggs LM, Mitchell CF, Martin GS, Gill MS.To compare the number of cycles to failure of 4.5 mm broad dynamic compression plates (DCP), 4.5 mm broad limited-contact dynamic compression plates (4.5-LC-DCP), and 5.5 mm broad limited-contact dynamic compression plates (5.5-LC-DCP) having a rough (denoted by a prefix R-) versus a standard smooth contact surface for the fixation of osteotomized equine 3rd metacarpal (MC3) bones. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Fifteen pairs of adult equine cadaveric MC3 bones. Methods: Fifteen pairs of equine MC3 were divided into 3 test groups (5 pairs each) for comparison of (1) R-DCP fixation with DCP fi...
Sponseller BA, Sponseller BT, Alcott CJ, Kline K, Hostetter J, Reinertson EL, Fales-Williams A.Syringomyelia and hydromyelia are cavitary lesions of the spinal cord that may be acquired or congenital. These lesions are not frequently reported in large animal species. The presenting complaints, clinical, gross pathological, and histopathologic findings of 2 cases of syringomyelia and 1 case of hydromyelia in horses are described. La syringomyélie et l’hydromyélie sont des lésions cavitaires de la colonne vertébrale qui peuvent être acquises ou congénitales. Ces lésions ne sont pas fréquemment signalées chez les espèces de grands animaux. Les plaintes de présentation et les ...
Hilton H, Nieto JE, Moore PF, Harmon FA, Naydan DK, Snyder JR.To determine expression of cyclooxygenase (COX) genes 1 and 2 (also called prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthases 1 and 2) and stability of housekeeping gene expression during low-flow ischemia and reperfusion in the jejunum of horses. Methods: 5 healthy adult horses. Methods: Horses were anesthetized, and two 30-cm segments of jejunum were surgically exteriorized. Blood flow was maintained at baseline (untreated) values in 1 (control) segment and was decreased to 20% of baseline (low-flow ischemia) for 75 minutes, followed by 75 minutes of reperfusion, in the other (experimental) segment. Biops...
Earle-Richardson GB, Jenkins PL, Scott EE, May JJ.Agriculture ranks as one of the most hazardous industries in the nation. Ongoing injury surveillance is key to identifying and preventing major sources of injury. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the total number and types of injuries identified from community reporting versus two newly available medical data systems. These new systems are important because they are less time consuming and expensive to maintain. Methods: Farm injury case records from 2007 were collected for 10 NY counties from the following sources: ambulance reports, hospital data, and community surveilla...
Viljoen A, Saulez MN, Carstens A, Gummow B.Clinical use of diagnostic ultrasound at point-of-care or emergency situations, although common, has not been well documented in veterinary medicine. Medical records of after-hour emergency equine admissions during a 10-year period were reviewed and horses that received ultrasound scans were identified. Data sheets for each ultrasound scan performed during emergency clinical evaluation were collected and reviewed. Data extracted included anatomical region imaged, body system affected, documented ultrasonographic diagnosis and final diagnosis. Six hundred and nine records were available of whic...
Megid Gomaa NA, Köller G, Fritz Schusser G.To measure serum alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity in horses with acute intestinal obstruction and to determine the diagnostic and prognostic utility of this analyte. Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: University Veterinary Hospital. Methods: Thirty healthy horses (control group) and 77 horses with acute intestinal obstruction, including 36 horses with nonstrangulating obstruction (23 with left ventral colon impaction and 13 with left dorsal displacement [G1], 22 with small intestinal strangulation [G2], and 19 with colon torsion [G3]). Methods: Serum ADH activity was assaye...
Chang HT, Rumbeiha WK, Patterson JS, Puschner B, Knight AP.Chronic ingestion of yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) or Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens) causes nigropallidal encephalomalacia (NPE) in horses with an abrupt onset of neurologic signs characterized by dystonia of lips and tongue, inability to prehend food, depression, and locomotor deficits. The objectives of this study were to reexamine the pathologic alterations of NPE and to conduct an immunohistochemistry study using antibodies to tyrosine hydroxylase and α-synuclein, to determine whether NPE brains show histopathologic features resembling those in human Parkinson disease...
Pinn TL, Cushing T, Valentino LM, Koch SA.A 15-year-old gray Arabian gelding presented for evaluation of a lateral limbal mass extending across approximately 30% of the cornea. Grossly, the raised mass appeared nonpigmented, smooth, and irregular in shape, with an area of central necrosis and serosanguinous discharge. The mass was removed via lamellar keratectomy and histopathologic evaluation revealed features characteristic of hemangiosarcoma (HSA), including irregular vascular channels lined by a plump spindle cell population. Immunohistochemistry results showed that the neoplastic cells lining the vascular channels present diffuse...
Scherzer J, Davis C, Hurley DJ.The major difficulty in providing the benefits of embryo cryopreservation for equine agriculture is the mismatch between the optimal embryo age for collection from the mare (7-8 days after ovulation was detected) and the optimal age for freezing under current methods (6.5 days after ovulation). To overcome this limitation, we tested a method to enhance penetration of cryopreservative across the capsule and trophoblast of day 7 and 8 embryos combined with rapid freezing by vitrification. Six small embryos (<300 μm in diameter) were collected on day 6-7 after ovulation and twelve larger embryos...
Sod GA, Riggs LM, Mitchell CF, Martin GS.To compare in vitro monotonic biomechanical properties of an axial 3-hole, 4.5 mm narrow locking compression plate (ELCP) using 5.0 mm locking screws and 5.5 mm cortical screws in conjunction with 2 abaxial transarticular 5.5 mm cortical screws inserted in lag fashion (ELCP-TLS) with an axial 3-hole, 4.5 mm narrow dynamic compression plate (DCP) using 5.5 mm cortical screws in conjunction with 2 abaxial transarticular 5.5 mm cortical screws inserted in lag fashion (DCP-TLS) for equine proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint arthrodesis. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Cadaveric adult equine forel...
Li B, He XL, Zhao YP, Wang XJ, Manglai D, Zhang YR.Coat color can be used not only in identifying individuals and species, but also in diagnosing certain diseases. The coat color of horse mainly depends on the distribution and proportion of eumelanin and phaeomelanin, generated by melanocytes, which are regulated by the genes such as MC1R, ASIP, KIT, TYRP, and EDNRB. In addition, STX17, MATP, and PMEL17 also play a role in the formation of coat color of horse. In this review, the action mechanism of candidate genes for coat color and association of DNA sequence polymorphism of these candidate genes with color pattern phenotypes and melanoma we...
Hashimoto M, Nambo Y, Kondo T, Watanabe K, Orino K.In mammal circulation, ferritin-binding proteins (FBPs) are thought to be involved in clearance of circulating ferritin after complex formation with it through receptor-mediated uptake. However, there is no report on fetal FBP in fetal circulation. Although iron concentrations of fetal horse plasma were higher than those of adult horse plasma, plasma ferritin concentrations and ferritin-binding activities were found to be significantly lower in fetus than in adult. FBPs were purified from fetal or adult horse plasma on horse spleen ferritin-Sepharose 4B affinity column. Partially affinity-puri...
Wong CH, Tang FP, Wan TS.The authors' laboratory at one time employed four liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric (LC/MS) methods for the detection of a large variety of drugs in equine urine. Drug classes covered by these methods included anti-diabetics, anti-ulcers, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, sedatives, corticosteroids, anabolic steroids, sulfur diuretics, xanthines, etc. With the objective to reduce labour and instrumental workload, a new ultra performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric (UPLC/MS/MS) method has been developed, which encompasses all target analytes detected by the origina...
McMichael M, Smith SA, McConachie EL, Lascola K, Wilkins PA.In several species, there is a strong correlation between indicators of red cell mass (RCM) and thromboelastometry results. The horse has a reliable, temporary, polycythemia in response to phenylephrine infusion. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of an in-vivo increase in circulating RCM on thromboelastometry results in an equine model of transient polycythemia. Six healthy research horses had whole blood thromboelastometry with contact activator and tissue factor initiation after recalcification of citrated samples. Additional samples were frozen for thrombin-antithrombin (TAT). Compl...
Jiang CG, Gao X, Ma J, Lin YZ, Wang XF, Zhao LP, Hua YP, Liu D, Zhou JH.Preliminary studies revealed that the gene of the gp45 transmembrane protein (TM) of the attenuated equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) vaccine strain EIAV(FDDV13) had a high frequency of a premature stop codon at position 261W, which generated a 154-residue truncation at the C-terminus. EIAV(FDDV-TM36), a recombinant virus with the TM truncated at the intracytoplasmic (CT) domain due to the presence of a stop codon, was constructed based on EIAV(FDDV)3-8, which is a proviral derivative of the vaccine. EIAV(FDDV-TM36) had a significantly reduced replication capability compared to EIAV(FDDV)3...
Dunowska M, Howe L, Hanlon D, Stevenson M.The significance of infection with Equid herpesvirus 2 (EHV-2) remains unresolved, mainly due to its widespread distribution, and frequent isolation of the virus not only from diseased animals, but also from clinically normal horses. It has been suggested that EHV-2 exerts its effects on the host indirectly, through predisposition to secondary infections. The aim of this study was to determine kinetics of EHV-2 infection among foals and to investigate the role that EHV-2 may play in development of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia on one farm. Serial blood samples were collected from 43 foals over a ...
Nyberg KA, Vinnerås B, Lewerin SS, Kjellberg E, Albihn A.To investigate the inactivation of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and the faecal indicator Enterococcus faecalis in horse manure:soil mixtures by application of hydrated lime (Ca(OH)(2)). Results: In laboratory incubations, the inhibitory effect of different concentrations of Ca(OH)(2), as well as different application techniques, was tested. Other variables were horse manure:soil ratio, incubation temperature (6 and 14°C) and soil type (sand/clay). Bacterial enumeration by the plate count method in samples taken at increasing intervals revealed that Ca(OH)(2) effectively reduced Sal...
Hansmann F, Herder V, Ernst H, Baumgärtner W.This report is the first description of a spinal epidermoid cyst (EC) in a SJL mouse and gives an overview on the occurrence of ECs in animals including dogs, horses, mice and rats. The EC was not detected grossly and the mouse did not display clinical signs or an altered rotarod performance. Microscopically, there was an oval cyst lined by stratified squamous epithelium that was attached to the dorsolateral meninges and caused moderate compression of the adjacent lumbar spinal cord. ECs in mice and rats are mainly located in the caudal part of the spinal cord with a variable, strain-dependent...
Tozaki T, Hill EW, Hirota K, Kakoi H, Gawahara H, Miyake T, Sugita S, Hasegawa T, Ishida N, Nakano Y, Kurosawa M.Using 1710 Thoroughbred racehorses in Japan, a cohort study was performed to evaluate the influence of genotypes at four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on equine chromosome 18 (ECA18), which were associated in a previous genome-wide association study for racing performance with lifetime earnings and performance rank. In males, both g.65809482T>C and g.65868604G>T were related to performance rank (P= 0.005). In females, g.65809482T>C (P = 1.76E-6), g.65868604G>T (P=6.81E-6) and g.66493737C>T (P=4.42E-5) were strongly related to performance rank and also to lifetime ...
Gramiccia M.The leishmanioses are diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, parasites infecting numerous mammal species, including humans, and transmitted by the bite of phlebotomine sand flies. They are a large group of diseases ranging over inter-tropical zones of America and Africa, and extend into temperate regions of Latin America, Europe and Asia. Pet animals are found infected with different Leishmania species but Leishmania infantum is the most widespread being dogs the main reservoir of zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis (ZVL). Dogs are very susceptible to this parasite and may suffer fro...
Kirkpatrick JF, Lyda RO, Frank KM.Wildlife, free-ranging and captive, poses and causes serious population problems not unlike those encountered with human overpopulation. Traditional lethal control programs, however, are not always legal, wise, safe, or publicly acceptable; thus, alternative approaches are necessary. Immunocontraception of free-ranging wildlife has reached the management level, with success across a large variety of species. Thus far, the immunocontraceptive research and management applications emphasis have been centered on porcine zona pellucida and gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccines. Contraceptive succ...
Adalbert R, Cahalan S, Hopkins EL, Almuhanna A, Loreto A, Pór E, Körmöczy L, Perkins J, Coleman MP, Piercy RJ.Neurological disorders are prevalent in horses, but their study is challenging due to anatomic constraints and the large body size; very few host-specific in vitro models have been established to study these types of diseases, particularly from adult donor tissue. Here we report the generation of primary neuronal dorsal root ganglia (DRG) cultures from adult horses: the mixed, dissociated cultures, containing neurons and glial cells, remained viable for at least 90 days. Similar to DRG neurons in vivo, cultured neurons varied in size, and they developed long neurites. The mitochondrial movem...
Ensink JM, Bosch G, van Duijkeren E.Tissue chambers, implanted subcutaneously in the neck in six ponies, were inoculated with Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus in order to determine the clinical efficacy of prophylactic administration of trimethoprim/sulfadiazine (TMP/SDZ) against this infection. The TMP/SDZ treatment consisted of one intravenous (i.v.) injection of 5 mg/kg TMP and 25 mg/kg SDZ and the same dose of TMP/SDZ per os (p.o.), both given 3 h before inoculation. The oral dose was then repeated every 12 h for 5 days. TMP/SDZ concentrations in tissue chamber fluid (TCF) were above 10 times MIC at the moment of inoc...
Symonds KD, MacAllister CG, Erkert RS, Payton ME.To evaluate the musculoskeletal analgesic effect of etodolac administered PO every 12 or 24 hours in chronically lame horses by use of force plate analysis. Methods: 22 horses with navicular syndrome. Methods: Horses received etodolac (23 mg/kg, PO, q 12 h; n = 7), etodolac (23 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h; 8), or corn syrup (20 mL, PO, q 24 h; control treatment; 7) for 3 days. Combined forelimb peak vertical ground reaction force (PVF) was measured via force plate analysis before the first treatment (baseline) and at 6, 12, 24, and 36 hours after the last treatment. Differences in mean PVF (mPVF) betwee...
Mirbahar KB, McDonell WN, Bignell W, Eyre P.Pulmonary function tests were performed in seven conscious, standing horses. Changes in pulmonary mechanics and ventilation volumes were measured after inhalation challenge with saline (baseline), histamine (1% w/v solution for 5 min) and carbachol (0.5% w/v solution for 3 min). Comparisons between baseline and posthistamine values revealed a significant (P less than 0.05) increase in nonelastic work of breathing (Wb), maximum change in transpulmonary pressure (max delta Ppl), and pulmonary resistance (RL), while dynamic compliance (Cdyn) decreased (P less than 0.05). Tripelennamine completely...
Litva A, Robinson CS, Archer DC.Crib-biting/windsucking behaviour has important consequences for equine health and welfare. Lay perceptions of health and illness are of interest to medical sociologists, providing important information to medical practitioners, but have infrequently been applied in veterinary research. Objective: To demonstrate how lay epidemiology can be applied within veterinary research by exploring the lay perceptions regarding the causes of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour in horses. Methods: Informants were recruited from professional and amateur horse owners who had or had not owned/cared for a horse ...
Kotschwar AB, Baltacis A, Peham C.This study was performed to investigate the forces and pressure distribution under different saddle pads when an excessively wide saddle is used. Eighteen sound horses were ridden on a treadmill at walk and trot. The horses were equipped with a dressage saddle with an excessively wide saddle tree and four different pads (gel, leather, foam and reindeer-fur) used sequentially. For comparison, one measurement was made without a saddle pad. A pressure mat under the pad was used for the collection of kinetic data. Kinematics from the right fore-hoof were required to synchronise the data with the s...
Blaue D, Schedlbauer C, Starzonek J, Gittel C, Brehm W, Blüher M, Pfeffer M, Vervuert I.Human obesity is linked with systemic inflammation. However, it is still controversial if equines produce more inflammatory cytokines with increasing body weight and if the production of those show breed type specific patterns. The main objective of this study was to determine if diet induced obesity is associated with increased inflammatory signatures in adipose tissue of equines and if a breed predisposition exists between ponies and horses. Additionally, we aimed to identify adipose tissue depot differences in inflammatory cytokine expression. Nineteen healthy, non-overweight and metabolica...
Thoefner MB, Ersbøll BK, Jansson N, Hesselholt M.A prospective survey of horses with colic referred to a university hospital was undertaken to elaborate on a simple clinical decision support system capable of predicting whether or not horses require surgical intervention. Cases were classified as requiring surgical intervention or not on the basis of intraoperative findings or necropsy reports. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify predictors with the strongest association with treatment needed. The classification and regression tree (CART) methodology was used to combine the variables in a simple classification system. The pe...
Woodie JB, Ruggles AJ, Bertone AL, Hardy J, Schneider RK.To determine whether fracture fragment dimensions, suspensory ligament damage, and racing status at the time of injury were associated with outcome in Standardbred horses with apical fracture of the proximal sesamoid bone. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 43 Standardbred racehorses. Methods: Medical records, racing records, and radiographs were reviewed, and ultrasonographic findings were scored. Measurements of the fractured portion of the proximal sesamoid bone were made. Results: Seventy-four percent (32/43) of horses were pacers, and 26% (11/43) were trotters. Statistical differences...
Fornal A, Radko A, Piestrzyńska-Kajtoch A.Short tandem repeat (STR) loci, i.e. microsatellites are a class of genetic markers commonly used for population studies and parentage control. This study determined the usefulness of microsatellite markers recommended by International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG) for identification and pedigree analysis in horses based on the example of Polish Hucul horse population (Equus caballus). The set of seventeen microsatellites loci was tested (AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG10, HTG4, HTG6, HTG7, VHL20, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, LEX3) for 216 individuals. All samples were genotyp...
de Linde Henriksen M, Andersen PH, Thomsen PD, Plummer CE, Mangan B, Heegaard S, Toft N, Brooks DE.To study the equine deep stromal abscesses (DSA) with focus on the duration of the corneal disease, medical treatment, season of presentation, clinical appearance, and the degree of corneal vascularization. Methods: Equine DSA diagnosed, biopsied, and surgically treated at the University of Florida Veterinary Medical Center (UFVMC) from 2004 to 2009 were identified. The medical record, clinical photographic images, and microbiology results for each case were evaluated. Frequency and prevalence calculation as well as qualitative data analysis was performed for clinical and microbiological data....
Ferrucci F, Zucca E, Croci C, Di Fabio V, Ferro E.The severity of the erosive and ulcerative lesions of the squamous gastric mucosa in 10 standardbred racehorses in training was classified according to a standard scoring system. Each horse was then treated orally for 30 days with 50 g/100 kg bodyweight daily of a pectin-lecithin complex mixed into the feed. At the end of the period of treatment, the gastric lesions were re-evaluated gastroscopically and the scores were compared with those assigned at the previous evaluation. In three of the horses the gastric ulcerations had healed completely, and in six others the lesions had improved signif...
Selberg K, Easley JT.Dental and sinus disorders are relatively common and of major clinical importance in equine medicine. Advanced diagnostic imaging has become an integral part of equine veterinary medicine. Advanced imaging has progressed the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of dental- and sinus-related diseases. As a clinician, it is important to realize the value of advanced diagnostic imaging. Although computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are both significantly more expensive compared with other diagnostic tools, the financial cost of inaccurate diagnosis and treatment can often result i...
Jackson K, Kelty E, Staszyk C, Tennant M.Peripheral caries may cause significant oral pain and pathology and is very prevalent within the Western Australia horse population. Associations with periodontal disease have been indicated; however, further work is needed to assess the anatomical and histological aspects of the conditions, to better understand the pathophysiology. Objective: To assess the anatomical and histopathological changes associated with equine cheek teeth peripheral caries and disease of the periodontium to better understand the pathogenesis and any association between the conditions. Methods: Cross-sectional epidemi...
Kowalczyk DF, Gunson DE, Shoop CR, Ramberg CF.To study the effects of environmental exposure to zinc and cadmium in immature foals, five pregnant ponies were raised within 2.9 km of the New Jersey Zinc Smelter in Palmerton, Pennsylvania. The mares and their foals were kept outdoors on timothy hay and orchard grass. The foals were examined daily for signs of illness and blood samples were taken monthly for estimation of serum zinc, copper, and ceruloplasmin levels. The foals were sacrificed at 2.5, 4.5, 8.5, 13.5, and 18.5 months of age. Necropsy revealed generalized osteochondrosis in joints of the limbs and cervical vertebrae, lymphoid h...
Forbes G, Sorich E, Nath LC, Church S, Savage CJ, Bailey SR.This study evaluated the inflammatory mediator activin A in horses with acute abdominal disease and compared this putative novel biomarker with serum amyloid A (SAA). Thirty-three adult horses referred for evaluation of acute abdominal disease were grouped into three lesion categories, non-strangulating, strangulating or inflammatory. Eleven healthy adult horses served as controls. Serum activin-A was significantly increased in animals with inflammatory or strangulating lesions compared with controls. Horses with non-strangulating, strangulating or inflammatory lesions had significantly elevat...
Kinoshita Y, Niwa H, Uchida-Fujii E, Nukada T.Mycoplasma felis causes conjunctivitis in cats and respiratory diseases in horses. We report here the complete genome assembly of equine Mycoplasma felis strain Myco-2, which was isolated from an ill horse in Japan.
Kirchhoff H, Ammar AM, Heitmann J, Dubenkropp H, Schmidt R.Sera from horses with respiratory disease (RD) have been investigated using the complement fixation test, indirect hemagglutination test, enzyme immune assay, and the metabolic inhibition test, and sera from mares after abortion, using the complement fixation test, indirect hemagglutination test and enzyme immune assay, for antibodies against Mycoplasma equirhinis, M subdolum, M. equigenitalium, M. pulmonis, M. felis, Acholeplasma laidlawii, A. hippikon and A. equifetale. Antibodies were found against all mycoplasma and acholeplasma species tested, more often against acholeplasmas. The antibod...
Daniels SP, Proudman CJ.The ovicidal activity of benzimidazole (BZ) anthelmintics is unique and not seen in other drug classes. Such ovicidal efficacy is not widely reported for equine cyathostomins, nor has this activity been tested in the face of BZ resistance. Although the product label states that fenbendazole is for use against BZ-susceptible cyathostomins, susceptibility testing is rarely performed. In this field-based study, the ovicidal efficacy of fenbendazole in horses (n=39) harbouring BZ-resistant cyathostomins was compared when dosed at 7.5mg/kg body weight (BW) orally, as a single dose per os (n=21) or ...
Allen CA, Payne SL, Harville M, Cohen N, Russell KE.The study of the equine immune system and inflammatory responses, by measuring cytokine expression, can provide important insight into disease pathogenesis in the horse. A set of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) assays for the equine cytokines IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha were validated using QPCR primers and probes which were generated for the equine IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha and 18S genes. Amplification efficiency, intra-assay and inter-assay variation were determined using 10-fold dilutions of plasmid for each gene. Under these condit...
Malone ED, Kannan MS, Brown DR, Turner TA, Trent AM.To determine the major neurotransmitters that regulate contractile activity in the jejunum of horses. Methods: Jejunal specimens from 65 horses without gastrointestinal tract lesions. Methods: Jejunal smooth muscle strips, oriented in the plane of the circular or longitudinal muscular layer, were suspended isometrically in muscle baths. Neurotransmitter release was induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS) delivered at 30 and 70 V intensities and at various frequencies on muscle strips maintained at low or high muscle tone. To detect residual nonadrenergic-noncholinergic neurotransmission,...
Songsri J, Mala W, Wisessombat S, Siritham K, Cheha S, Noisa N, Wongtawan T, Klangbud WK. O157:H7 is enterohemorrhagic , which produces verocytotoxin or Shiga toxin. It is a well-known cause of severe diseases in humans worldwide. Cattle and other ruminants are the main reservoirs of this organism. Sports animals, such as fighting bulls, riding horses, and fighting cocks, are economic animals in Southern Thailand. This study aimed to identify O157:H7 from the rectal swabs of these sports animals and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of isolated bacteria. Unassigned: The rectal swabs were collected from 34 fighting bulls, 32 riding horses, and 31 fighting cocks. ...
Pouyet M, Bonilla AG.To describe the technique to perform diagnostic standing scapulohumeral joint needle arthroscopy with a 1.2-mm-diameter arthroscope in horses. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Eight thoracic limbs in phase 1 and six horses in phase 2. Methods: In phase 1, the feasibility of the technique was evaluated by using a craniolateral arthroscopic approach. An evaluation of the visible structures of the scapulohumeral joint was performed with both a needle arthroscope and a 4-mm-diameter arthroscope. In phase 2, the technique was performed in six healthy sedated horses to validate the technique in...
Koivunen AL, Maisi P, Fang W, Sandholm M.To clarify the role of proteolytic enzymes in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in horses, and to investigate new possibilities for treatment of this disease by interfering in the proteolytic process. Methods: Effect of antiproteolytic activity of selected protease inhibitors on tracheal aspirates was studied in vitro, and the inhibition profiles were compared with those of purified proteases. Methods: Respiratory tract secretions with antiproteolytic activity from 9 horses with COPD. Methods: Caseinolytic agar-diffusion assay. Results: The protease-inhibition pr...
McCluskey BJ, Pelzel-McCluskey AM, Creekmore L, Schiltz J.Vesicular stomatitis is a viral disease primarily affecting horses and cattle when it occurs in the United States. Outbreaks in the southwestern United States occur sporadically, with initial cases typically occurring in Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona and subsequent cases occurring in a northward progression. The viruses causing vesicular stomatitis can be transmitted by direct contact of lesioned animals with other susceptible animals, but transmission is primarily through arthropod vectors. In 2012, an outbreak of vesicular stomatitis in the United States occurred that was caused by Vesicular...
Yamanaka T, Tsujimura K, Kondo T, Hobo S, Matsumura T.We investigated the efficacy of the oral administration of oseltamivir phosphate (OP) in horses experimentally infected with equine influenza A virus (H3N8). Nine horses were divided into three horses each of control, treatment and prophylaxis groups. An administration protocol for the treatment group (2 mg/kg of body weight, twice a day for five days) was started immediately after the onset of pyrexia (above 38.9 degrees C). An administration protocol for the prophylaxis group (2 mg/kg of body weight, once a day for five days) was started on a day before viral inoculation. In the treatment gr...
Ek N, Braend M.Comparisons of Pr protein amounts in horse sera have been performed using .’s (1965) immunodiffusion technique. Relative values against a chosen standard of 100 % were determined for a total of 435 horses. There was considerable variation between horses, the highest Pr value being 125 and the lowest 50 % of the standard. In animals of the same Pr phenotype the mean Pr values were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in foals than in mares. In Norwegian Trotter horses the Pr value of Pr NN animals was significantly higher than that of Pr SS phenotypes, whereas the mean Pr values of Pr SS was sig...
