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Topic:Veterinary Research
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.
An accessory bypass tract masked by the presence of atrial fibrillation in a horse. Accessory bypass tracts are rarely documented in horses. Here, we present a case of an accessory bypass tract which was initially masked by the presence of atrial fibrillation. Evidence of ventricular pre-excitation was recognized after cardioversion to normal sinus rhythm and the horse was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. In people, atrial fibrillation in the presence of an accessory bypass tract is considered dangerous due to the risk of sudden cardiac death. Although we did not consider this horse safe to ride, he continues to compete successfully and has not had recurrence of...
[Comparative behaviour studies in horses infested with flying insects treated with insecticide or repellent substances]. The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of flying insects (Order Diptera) on the behaviour of grazing horses in relation to the use of insecticide and repellent substances. The investigations were done between June and August in 2008 in 3 periods of 7 days each. As insecticide and repellent two substances were used: "Well-care emulsion" (Co. Essex Tierarznei, München, GER) containing Permethrin and "Bremsen-Frei-Plus" (Co. Dr. Schaette AG, Bad Waldsee, GER) based on etheric oils. Both groups were compared with a non treated control group in a crossover-design. Each group (n = 3-5) w...
Seroepidemiological survey of trypanozoon infection in horses in the suspected dourine-infected Bale highlands of the Oromia region, Ethiopia. This paper presents the results of a seroepidemiological survey of trypanozoon infection in horses carried out between September 2007 and June 2008. The survey was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of anti-trypanozoon antibodies in 880 serum samples collected randomly from selected horse-breeding districts of the Bale highlands of Ethiopia. The seroprevalence of trypanozoon infection was found to be 173 (19.66%) and 140 (15.91%) for the CATT/T. evansi and LATEX/T. evansi tests, respectively. The high seroprevalence of trypanozoon infection strongly indicates that the infection is endem...
Repetitive stimulation of the common peroneal nerve as a diagnostic aid for botulism in foals. Botulism is a potentially fatal paralytic disorder for which definitive diagnosis is difficult. Objective: To determine if repetitive stimulation of the common peroneal nerve will aid in the diagnosis of botulism in foals. Methods: Four control and 3 affected foals. Methods: Validation of the test in healthy foals for its comparison in foals with suspected botulism. Controls were anesthetized and affected foals were sedated to avoid risks of anesthesia. The common peroneal nerve was chosen for its superficial location and easy access. Stimulating electrodes were placed along the common peronea...
Cardiac troponin I concentrations in ponies challenged with equine influenza virus. Myocarditis is thought to occur secondary to equine influenza virus (EIV) infections in horses, but there is a lack of published evidence. Objective: We proposed that EIV challenge infection in ponies would cause myocardial damage, detectable by increases in plasma cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations. Methods: Twenty-nine influenza-naïve yearling ponies: 23 were part of an influenza vaccine study (11 unvaccinated and 12 vaccinated), and were challenged with 10⁸ EID₅₀ EIV A/eq/Kentucky/91 6 months after vaccination. Six age-matched healthy and unvaccinated ponies concurrently housed...
Insulin resistance selectively alters cell-surface glucose transporters but not their total protein expression in equine skeletal muscle. Insulin resistance (IR) has been widely recognized in humans, and more recently in horses, but its underlying mechanisms are still not well understood. The translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the cell surface is the limiting step for glucose uptake in insulin-sensitive tissues. Although the downstream signaling pathways regulating GLUT translocation are not well defined, AS160 recently has emerged as a potential key component. In addition, the role of GLUT12, one of the most recently identified insulin-sensitive GLUTs, during IR is unknown. Objective: We hypothesized that cell-su...
Autologous chondrocyte implantation drives early chondrogenesis and organized repair in extensive full- and partial-thickness cartilage defects in an equine model. Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) has been used clinically for over 15 years and yet definitive evidence of chondrocyte persistence and direct impact on cartilage repair in full-thickness lesions is scant and no data are available on ACI in partial-thickness defects in any animal model. This study assessed the effect of chondrocytes secured using periosteal overlay in partial- and full-thickness cartilage defects in the equine model. Paired cartilage defects 15 mm in diameter were made in the patellofemoral joint of 16 horse and repaired with ACI or periosteal flap alone. Response wa...
Modulating effects of acepromazine on the reactive oxygen species production by stimulated equine neutrophils. To investigate the effect of acepromazine (ACP) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by stimulated equine neutrophils. Methods: Ex vivo biochemical experiments. Methods: Isolated neutrophils from healthy untreated horses. Methods: Neutrophils were incubated with ACP at concentrations of 10(-4), 10(-5) or 10(-6) M and then stimulated with phorbol-myristate-acetate (PMA) before measurement of lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL). In a second experiment neutrophils were incubated in the presence of α-keto-γ methylthiobutyric acid (KMB) and treated with ACP at concentrations of 10(-4...
Lower shedding of strongylid eggs by Warmblood horses with recurrent airway obstruction compared to unrelated healthy horses. An association between equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and increased resistance to intestinal parasites has been demonstrated in descendants of an RAO-affected stallion. It was hypothesised that members of another high-incidence RAO family (F) and unrelated RAO-affected Warmblood horses (UA) would shed fewer strongylid eggs than unrelated RAO-unaffected pasture mates (PM) under the same environmental conditions. Faecal worm egg counts were performed on faecal samples (63 F, 86 UA, 149 PM) and classified into three categories: 0, 1-100 and >100 eggs per gram. While results for F di...
Comparison of the cytotoxic effects of bupivacaine, lidocaine, and mepivacaine in equine articular chondrocytes. To compare the chondrotoxicity of bupivacaine, lidocaine, and mepivacaine in equine articular chondrocytes in vitro. Methods: Prospective, experimental study. Methods: Equine articular chondrocytes. Methods: Primary cultured equine chondrocytes were exposed to 0.5% bupivacaine, 2% lidocaine, or 2% mepivacaine for 30 or 60 minutes. After treatment, cell viability was evaluated by trypan blue exclusion and the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay in a dose dependent manner. Apoptosis and necrosis of chondrocytes were analyzed with the double stain...
Equine major histocompatibility complex class I molecules act as entry receptors that bind to equine herpesvirus-1 glycoprotein D. The endotheliotropism of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) leads to encephalomyelitis secondary to vasculitis and thrombosis in the infected horse central nervous system (CNS). To identify the host factors involved in EHV-1 infection of CNS endothelial cells, we performed functional cloning using an equine brain microvascular endothelial cell cDNA library. Exogenous expression of equine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I heavy chain genes conferred susceptibility to EHV-1 infection in mouse NIH3T3 cells, which are not naturally susceptible to EHV-1 infection. Equine MHC class I molecule...
Does work affect personality? A study in horses. It has been repeatedly hypothesized that job characteristics are related to changes in personality in humans, but often personality models still omit effects of life experience. Demonstrating reciprocal relationships between personality and work remains a challenge though, as in humans, many other influential factors may interfere. This study investigates this relationship by comparing the emotional reactivity of horses that differed only by their type of work. Horses are remarkable animal models to investigate this question as they share with humans working activities and their potential diff...
Efficacy of a 2-dose regimen of a sustained release ceftiofur suspension in horses with Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus bronchopneumonia. The efficacy and safety of sustained release ceftiofur administered twice, 4 days apart, for treatment of horses with naturally acquired Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (Strep. zoo.) pneumonia was evaluated in a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial. The study included 373 horses (278 treated and 95 placebos) with naturally acquired pneumonia. Inclusion in the statistical analyses for treatment efficacy for Strep. zoo. required recovery of ≥10(4) CFU/mL of Strep. zoo. on the primary isolation plate which resulted in 201 cases (145 treated and 56 p...
Long-term effects of intermittent equine parathyroid hormone fragment (ePTH-1-37) administration on bone metabolism in healthy horses. Intermittent administration of parathyroid hormone (PTH) is an anabolic therapy for osteoporotic conditions in humans. This study evaluated the effects of equine PTH fragment (ePTH-1-37) administration on bone metabolism in 12 healthy horses. Six horses each were treated once daily for 120days with subcutaneous injections of 0.5μg/kg ePTH-1-37 or placebo. Blood was collected to determine ionized calcium (Ca(++)), total Ca (Ca(T)), inorganic phosphorus, serum equine osteocalcin (eOC), carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, and carboxy-termin...
Differential expression of inwardly rectifying K+ channels and aquaporins 4 and 5 in autoimmune uveitis indicates misbalance in Müller glial cell-dependent ion and water homeostasis. Reactive gliosis is a well-established response to virtually every retinal disease. Autoimmune uveitis, a sight threatening disease, is characterized by recurrent relapses through autoaggressive T-cells. The purpose of this study was to assess retinal Müller glial cell function in equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), a spontaneous disease model resembling the human disease, by investigating membrane proteins implicated in ion and water homeostasis. We found that Kir2.1 was highly expressed in diseased retinas, whereas Kir4.1 was downregulated in comparison to controls. Distribution of Kir2.1 appea...
Emerging tropical diseases in Australia. Part 5. Hendra virus. Hendra virus (HeV) was first isolated in 1994, from a disease outbreak involving at least 21 horses and two humans in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra, Australia. The affected horses and humans all developed a severe but unidentified respiratory disease that resulted in the deaths of one of the human cases and the deaths or putting down of 14 of the horses. The virus, isolated by culture from a horse and the kidney of the fatal human case, was initially characterised as a new member of the genus Morbillivirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. Comparative sequence analysis of part of the matrix prote...
Genetic diversity of Actinobacillus lignieresii isolates from different hosts. Genetic diversity detected by analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) of 54 Actinobacillus lignieresii isolates from different hosts and geographic localities is described. On the basis of variances in AFLP profiles, the strains were grouped in two major clusters; one comprising strains isolated from horses and infected wounds of humans bitten by horses and another consisting of strains isolated from bovine and ovine hosts. The present data indicate a comparatively higher degree of genetic diversity among strains isolated from equine hosts and confirm the existence of a sep...
The healing effects of a topical phytogenic ointment on insect bite hypersensitivity lesions in horses. Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is the most common cause of pruritus in horses and is a serious welfare issue for affected animals. In this study, the effect of a topical phytogenic ointment on the healing of cutaneous lesions was investigated in a double-blind trial involving 26 horses with I B H. The number of lesions and their total surface area were recorded on days 0, 7, and 21 in horses treated for 3 weeks with either verum or placebo ointment. After unblinding of treatment assignment, the horses that had been treated with the placebo ointment received the verum preparation for an add...
The equine neonatal intensive care laboratory: point-of-care testing. Rapid evaluation and intervention is a requirement and a characteristic of patient management in neonatal intensive care units, and this applies for equine neonates also. Appropriate interventions are based on solid knowledge of age, maturity, and species-specific differences in reference ranges. Point-of-care (POC) testing devices speedup decision making regarding treatments and interventions. However, there are potential limitations of these devices when applied to age groups and species beyond those they were specifically developed for. This article discusses the age-specific differences in...
The regenerative medicine laboratory: facilitating stem cell therapy for equine disease. This article focuses on the emerging field of equine regenerative medicine with an emphasis on the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for orthopedic diseases. We detail laboratory procedures and protocols for tissue handling and MSC isolation, characterization, expansion, and cryopreservation from bone marrow, fat, and placental tissues. We provide an overview of current clinical uses for equine MSCs and how MSCs function to heal tissues. Current laboratory practices in equine regenerative medicine mirror those in the human field. However, the translational use of autologous and allogeneic M...
Evaluation of immune responses following infection of ponies with an EHV-1 ORF1/2 deletion mutant. Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection remains a significant problem despite the widespread use of vaccines. The inability to generate a protective immune response to EHV-1 vaccination or infection is thought to be due to immunomodulatory properties of the virus, and the ORF1 and ORF2 gene products have been hypothesized as potential candidates with immunoregulatory properties. A pony infection study was performed to define immune responses to EHV-1, and to determine if an EHV-1 ORF1/2 deletion mutant (ΔORF1/2) would have different disease and immunoregulatory effects compared to wild type EH...
Supplementation of equine early spring transitional follicles with luteinizing hormone stimulates follicle growth but does not restore steroidogenic activity. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that supplementation of growing follicles with LH during the early spring transitional period would promote the development of steroidogenically active, dominant follicles with the ability to respond to an ovulatory dose of hCG. Mares during early transition were randomly assigned to receive a subovulatory dose of equine LH (in the form of a purified equine pituitary fraction) or saline (transitional control; n = 7 mares per group) following ablation of all follicles >15 mm. Treatments were administered intravenously every 12 h from the day th...
Analysis of bioactive eicosanoids in equine plasma by stable isotope dilution reversed-phase liquid chromatography/multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. Oxidative metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA) are implicated in inflammation. Thus, we evaluated cycloxygenases (COXs) and lipoxygenases (LOs) mediated metabolism of AA to eicosanoids in equine plasma. Eicosanoids were extracted from plasma by two liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) steps; first was by chloroform/isopropanol and second by methyl-tert-butyl ether. For identification and quantification of 25 eicosanoids, a highly specific, selective and sensitive stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography (LC) multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mass spectrometric (MS) method was developed. To avo...
Effects of timing of induced luteolysis in embryo donor mares on reproductive performance and pregnancy rate in recipient mares. The objective was to evaluate the effects of giving prostaglandin F₂(α) (PGF) to donor mares 48 h prior to embryo collection. Non-lactating donor mares (n = 20 estrous cycles in 10 mares), ranging from 2.5 to 10 y of age and 400 to 500 kg of body weight were used from September 2004 to February 2005 in the southern hemisphere (Brazil). Donor mares were randomly assigned in a cross-over design study. During a Treated cycle, 7.5 mg PGF was given 48 h prior to embryo collection, whereas in the Control cycle, 7.5 mg PGF was given at embryo collection. In Treated Cycles, serum progesterone conce...
Evaluation of the cyclooxygenase selectivity of robenacoxib and its effect on recovery of ischemia-injured jejunal mucosa in horses. To determine the cyclooxygenase (COX) selectivity of robenacoxib and its effect on recovery of jejunal mucosa following ischemic injury in horses. Methods: 12 healthy horses. Methods: Half the maximal inhibition (EC₅₀) of robenacoxib for COX-1 and COX-2 activity was established in bloods samples from 6 horses via measurement of thromboxane B₂ (TXB₂) and prostaglandin E₂ concentrations, respectively; COX selectivity was subsequently calculated. Six other horses were anesthetized, and ischemia was induced in the jejunum for 2 hours. Control and ischemia-injured mucosa were collected an...
Effects of preparation method, shear force, and exposure to collagen on release of growth factors from equine platelet-rich plasma. To test the hypotheses that preparation method, exposure to shear force, and exposure to collagen affect the release of growth factors from equine platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Methods: PRP obtained from 6 horses. Methods: PRP was prepared via 2 preparation methods (tube and automated) and subjected to 6 treatment conditions (resting, detergent, exposure to shear via 21- and 25-gauge needles, and exposure to collagen [10 and 20 μg/mL]). Concentrations of platelet-derived growth factor, isoform BB (PDGF-BB); transforming growth factor β, isoform 1 (TGFβ₁); and insulin-like growth factor, iso...
The developmental and acute phases of insulin-induced laminitis involve minimal metalloproteinase activity. Metalloproteinases have been implicated in the pathogenesis of equine laminitis and other inflammatory conditions, through their role in the degradation and remodelling of the extracellular matrix environment. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors are present in normal equine lamellae, with increased secretion and activation of some metalloproteinases reported in horses with laminitis associated with systemic inflammation. It is unknown whether these enzymes are involved in insulin-induced laminitis, which occurs without overt systemic inflammation. In this study, gene expressi...
Phosphoinositides direct equine infectious anemia virus gag trafficking and release. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate [PI(4,5)P(2) ], the predominant phosphoinositide (PI) on the plasma membrane, binds the matrix (MA) protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) with similar affinities in vitro. Interaction with PI(4,5)P(2) is critical for HIV-1 assembly on the plasma membrane. EIAV has been shown to localize in internal compartments; hence, the significance of its interaction with PI(4,5)P(2) is unclear. We therefore investigated the binding in vitro of other PIs to EIAV MA and whether intracellular association with comp...
