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.
Kuroda T, Minamijima Y, Kinman CK, Takahashi Y, Ebisuda Y, Inoue K, Ishikawa H, Mita H, Tamura N, Nukada T, Toutain PL, Ohta M.Quinidine (QND) sulfate is an effective treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF) in horses, and several dosage regimens have been proposed to address its wide variability in response and potential adverse effects. The purpose of this study was to analyze the variability in plasma quinidine concentrations using population pharmacokinetics to determine an effective and safe dosage regimen for Thoroughbred horses. Unassigned: Six healthy Thoroughbred horses were treated with 20 mg/kg quinidine sulfate dihydrate (16.58 mg/kg QND base) administered PO or 5 mg/kg quinidine hydrochloride monohydr...
Raidal SL, van Diggelen M, Catanchin CSM, Lehmann HS, Quinn CT.Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) provides effective respiratory support in foals, but face masks are poorly tolerated and associated with hypercapnia. Bi-nasal prongs might be a more effective device interface in foals. Objective: To compare bi-nasal prongs and masks for NIV in foals with pharmacologically induced respiratory insufficiency. Methods: Six healthy foals. Methods: In a randomized cross-over study, sedated foals received NIV delivered by mask or bi-nasal prongs, with the treatment repeated using the alternative device interface after a 3-day rest period. After periods of spontaneous v...
Schwarz E, Jebbawi F, Keller G, Rhiner T, Fricker A, Waldern N, Canonica F, Schoster A, Fettelschoss-Gabriel A.Eosinophils play a key role in allergic diseases such as insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH). Together with Th2 cells, they shape the course of inflammation in associated type I/IVb allergies. Therefore, a virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccine targeting equine interleukin-5 (eIL-5), eIL-5-CuMV-TT, was developed to interfere with the IL-5 dependency of eosinophils by inducing the production of anti-self-IL-5 antibodies and alleviating clinical signs in IBH-affected horses. A previous study highlighted the presence of two eosinophil subsets, steady-state resident eosinophils (rEos) and inflamma...
Hoey S, Fogarty U, McAllister H, Puggioni A, Cloak B, Richard H, Skelly C, Laverty S.Articular cartilage can be directly imaged using ultrasonography. The fetlock is a common site of osteochondrosis, with the sagittal ridge of the third metacarpal bone most commonly affected. In osteochondrosis, cartilage thickening may be an initial finding. This postmortem study investigated the ability of ultrasonography to accurately measure the dorsodistal articular cartilage of the third metacarpal bone in young horses, compared to computed tomographic arthrography (CTA) and histological measurements. A total of 33 metacarpophalangeal joints from 18 horses between the ages of 12 days and...
Hellstrom E, McKinney-Aguirre C, Gonzalez L, Ziegler A, Blikslager A.Inflammatory postoperative conditions of equine colic (acute abdomen) contribute not only to increased client cost, patient discomfort, and hospitalization time, but in many cases, prove to be life-threatening. A unique population of intestinal cells, enteric glia, are increasingly acknowledged for their roles in sensing the gastrointestinal environment and communicating with surrounding cell types. Interactions between enteric glia and intestinal epithelia may prove critical in establishing how equine enteric glia can alter the mucosal barrier to modulate inflammation in health and colic. To ...
Argue BJ, Ahern BJ.The veterinary yearling pre-sale repository radiographs have the potential to impact both vendor and prospective purchaser. The primary aim of this study was to determine inter-observer agreement for orthopaedic lesions identified in thoroughbred yearling repository radiographs. A secondary goal was to determine agreement when using a pre-defined risk rating classification. Unassigned: Three experienced specialist equine surgeons (2 ACVS & 1 FANZCVS) interpreted thirty repository radiographs once each for radiographic abnormalities. Each radiographic abnormality was given an associated ris...
Buschmann E, Van Steenkiste G, Duytschaever M, Segers P, Ibrahim L, van Loon G, Decloedt A.Radiofrequency ablation is a promising technique for arrhythmia treatment in horses. Due to the thicker myocardial wall and higher blood flow in horses, it is unknown if conventional radiofrequency settings used in human medicine can be extrapolated to horses. The study aim is to describe the effect of ablation settings on lesion dimensions in equine myocardium. To study species dependent effects, results were compared to swine myocardium. Right ventricular and right and left atrial equine myocardium and right ventricular swine myocardium were suspended in a bath with circulating isotonic sali...
Martano M, Power K, Cuccaro B, Razzuoli E, Maiolino P, Restucci B.The equine sarcoid is the most common skin neoplasia of fibroblastic origin in horses, characterized by an excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix produced by sarcoid fibroblasts under hypoxic condition. Neoplastic cells can adapt to hypoxia by using alternative energy sources, particularly those that arise from fatty acid oxidation (FAO). The Carnitine Palmitoyl Transferase 1A (CPT1A) belongs to Carnitine System (CS) and promotes the entrance of fatty acids into the mitochondria for β-oxidation. In this study, CPT1A expression was comparatively addressed in 25 equine sarcoids and 5 no...
Parkinson NJ, Ward A, Malbon AJ, Reardon RJM, Kelly PG.Equine sarcoids are common non-metastasising skin tumours in horses, associated with bovine papillomavirus (BPV) infection. Six subtypes are recognised (occult, verrucose, nodular, fibroblastic, mixed and malevolent lesions), with variable clinical behaviour. The pathophysiology underlying varying tumour phenotype is poorly understood, and previous data on associations with viral load have been conflicting. To better understand this clinical variation, we investigated associations between tumour subtype and viral load, viral early protein gene expression, and expression of 10 host genes by qua...
Share ER, Mastellar SL, Suagee-Bedore JK, Eastridge ML.The measurement of fecal cortisol/corticosterone metabolites (FCMs) is often used to quantify the stress response. The sampling method is relatively non-invasive, reduces concern for elevation of cortisol from the sampling method, and has been shown to measure cortisol more consistently without the daily diurnal rhythm observed in blood. Commercial ELISA (enzyme-linked immunoassay) kits offer benefits over previously validated immunoassay methods but lack validation. The objective of this study was to evaluate a commercial ELISA kit (Arbor Assays DetectX Cortisol ELISA kit, K003-H1, Ann Arbor,...
Lessiak U, Melchert M, Walter I, Kummer S, Nell B, Tschulenk W, Pratscher B.Angiogenesis plays a crucial role in various physiological and pathological conditions. However, research in equine angiogenesis is relative limited, necessitating the development of suitable models. To effectively analyze angiogenesis in-vitro, it is essential to target the specific cells responsible for this process, namely endothelial cells. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) are one of the most used models for studying angiogenesis in humans. Serving as an equivalent to HUVECs, we present a comprehensive isolation protocol for equine umbilical vein endothelial cells (EqUVECs...
Frontiers in allergySeptember 30, 2024
Volume 5 1467245 doi: 10.3389/falgy.2024.1467245
Graner A, Mueller RS, Geisler J, Bogenstätter D, White SJ, Jonsdottir S, Marti E.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is an IgE-mediated allergic dermatitis of horses caused by bites of spp., sharing some common features with human atopic dermatitis. Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) using whole-body extracts has limited efficacy. This study aimed to evaluate AIT with a pool of major recombinant allergens in a prospective, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. Unassigned: The IBH lesion score was assessed during a pre-treatment year and first treatment year (May-October) in 17 horses and in May and July of a second treatment year. Nine horses were immunized subcutaneously ...
Cole RC, DeGraves FJ, Schumacher J, Brown J.To determine the effect of 1.5 mL 2% mepivacaine, 0.75 mL 2% mepivacaine, and a combination of 0.75 mL 2% mepivacaine with epinephrine (1:200,000 solution) administered over each palmar digital nerve (PDN) to 6 horses with naturally occurring lameness caused by digital pain. Methods: In a crossover study design, 6 horses with forefoot-related lameness were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups. Each group received, on different study days, a PDN block using 1.5 mL of 2% mepivacaine, 0.75 mL 2% mepivacaine, or 0.75 mL of a combination of 2% mepivacaine and epinephrine (1:200,000 solution) injected...
In this paper, we report a comprehensive and consistent annotation of the locus encoding the β-chain of the equine T-cell receptor (TRB), as inferred from recent genome assembly using bioinformatics tools. The horse TRB locus spans approximately 1 Mb, making it the largest locus among the mammalian species studied to date, with a significantly higher number of genes related to extensive duplicative events. In the region, 136 TRBV (belonging to 29 subgroups), 2 TRBD, 13 TRBJ, and 2 TRBC genes, were identified. The general genomic organization resembles that of other mammals, with a V cluster o...
Stutsel M, Jordan L, Smith C, Lee WY, Symonds N, Bell R, Young A.Foot-related lameness is common in Standardbred and Thoroughbred racehorses. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides information on both the soft tissue and osseous structures of the distal extremity. The aim of this study was to determine whether abnormalities identified on distal limb MRI differed between these two racehorse populations. Methods: The records of Standardbred and Thoroughbred racehorse distal extremity MRI examinations conducted at Camden Equine Centre and Ballarat Veterinary Practice between 2013 and 2023 were retrieved. Horses were included if pain causing lameness had bee...
Dubey JP, Gupta A, Calero-Bernal R, de Araujo LS, García-Gil ML, Battle J, Ankarah A, Van Why K, Brown JD, Rosenthal BM.The protozoan Sarcocystis neurona can cause severe disease in horses, marine mammals, and several other animal species in North America. The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is its definitive host, and the raccoon (Procyon lotor) has been considered its primary intermediate host in the USA. Although canids have not previously been identified as important intermediate hosts for this parasite, we here report several natural cases in the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). We identified muscular infections in 11 (23.9 %) of 46 gray foxes from Pennsylvania, USA. In hematoxylin and eosin ...
Best ATK, Morgan JM, Burgy CLD, Flynn H, Barter LS, Cassano JM.This study aimed to evaluate the effects of including midazolam to a common equine standing sedation protocol for routine oral examination. Twelve horses underwent two examinations at least seven days apart. Horses were randomly assigned to receive midazolam intravenously (IV) (0.02mg/kg) or a placebo injection of saline (2-2.5mL IV). Five minutes later, detomidine (0.01mg/kg) and butorphanol (0.01mg/kg) were administered IV and horses were placed in standing stocks. A veterinarian blinded to the treatment protocol used a descriptive scoring system to assess degree of ataxia, acceptance of spe...
Cabrera G, Cabezas C, Estay-Olea D, Stoore C, Baquedano MS, Paredes R, Hidalgo C.Liver fluke infection, caused by the trematode Fasciola hepatica, is a parasitic zoonotic disease affecting various mammals, including humans, and has significant implications for public, animal, and ecosystem health. This study provides the first genetic characterization of F. hepatica in Chile, focusing on the complete mitochondrial gene cox1. Samples were collected from two different host species: cattle and horses. Our findings revealed that 70 % of detected haplotypes were found in either cattle or horses, which coincides with their geographical origin. Interestingly, the use of full-len...
Van Mol B, Oosterlinck M, Janssens S, Buys N, Pille F.Various environmental and genetic risk factors are linked to the pathogenesis of equine osteochondrosis and osteochondral fragments in the fetlock joint. Therefore, a scoping review was conducted to describe current evidence linking genetic factors and environmental factors of these osteochondral disorders. This article constitutes the first part of this scoping review and focuses on environmental factors, with the second part addressing genetic factors. To identify potentially relevant papers online bibliographical databases PubMed and Web of Science were utilised, supplemented with articles ...
Yang HW, Hu T, Ait-Ali T.Lawsonia intracellularis is the etiological agent of proliferative enteropathy (PE) in pigs, horses and wide range of mammals. Little is known about the role of innate immune response during L. intracellularis infection. In this study, we investigated the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)-regulated immune response against infection of a clinical strain Dkp23 and a live-attenuated Enterisol vaccine strain in PK-15 cells. We found that expression of NF-κB target genes TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6 and IL-8 were modulated during the course of infection. At 5 dpi, there was a significant increase in p65 NF-κB ...
Zedda M, Babosova R, Gadau S, Lepore G, Succu S, Farina V.Fractures of long bones in limbs are rare traumatic events in horses. This study investigates whether the incidence and types of fractures can be related to the histomorphometric features of the radius and tibia, which experience different biomechanical stresses and exhibit varying incidences and types of fractures. Clinical observations suggest that, in adults, slightly transverse and comminuted fractures are present in the radius, while the tibia shows a higher frequency of longitudinal and spiral fractures. Microscopic observations reveal no apparent distinctive characteristi...
Loup B, André F, Leuenberger N, Marchand A, Barnabé A, Delcourt V, Garcia P, Popot MA, Bailly-Chouriberry L.Detection and monitoring of biomarkers related to doping is particularly suitable for the development of analytical strategies dedicated to indirect detection of banned substances. Previous studies in horses have already allowed the investigation of transcriptomic biomarkers in equine blood associated with reGH and rHuEPO administrations. Our most recent developments continue to focus on the discovery and monitoring of transcriptomic biomarkers for the control of ESAs, and a collaborative study with WADA-accredited doping control laboratories has recently been initiated to conduct a pilot stud...
Holmes CM, Wagner B.Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) enters through the upper respiratory tract (URT). Mucosal immunity at the URT is crucial in limiting viral infection and morbidity. Here, intranasal immune cells were collected from horses (n = 15) during an experimental EHV-1 infection. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were the major intranasal cell populations before infection and increased significantly by day six and fourteen post-infection, respectively. Nasal mucosal T cells were further characterized in healthy horses. Compared to peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), mucosal CD8+ T-cell percentages were elev...
de Oliveira UV, Varjão JL, de Jesus Deiró AG, Maciel BM, Silva FL, Pinheiro AM, Gondim LFP, Munhoz AD.The aim of this study was to isolate from equids destined for slaughter in a Brazilian slaughterhouse. A total of 354 equids were analyzed, with blood samples collected from all the animals and samples of masseter muscle and brain tissue collected from 319 animals. A serological test was conducted to detect equids with specific antibodies for . Molecular detection of by nested PCR was performed on the tissue samples collected. Tissue samples were tested by murine bioassay in an attempt to isolate either the parasite or the parasite DNA. Real-time PCR was performed on the brain samples from 1...
Neufang L, Ramos J, Eda S, Flatland B, Giori L.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is a neurodegenerative disease of senior horses. Loss of dopaminergic inhibition of the melanotropes of the pars intermedia leads to increased concentrations of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived peptides. Diagnosis is challenging due to pre-analytical variables, such as sample storage, handling, and time to analysis. Our objective was to develop an ELISA for ACTH measurement, which could ultimately form the basis for a stall-side equine ACTH test. We selected 2 ACTH-specific monoclonal antibodies, CBL57 and EPR20361-248, based on the recognition o...
Tuniyazi M, Tang R, Hu X, Zhang N.Laminitis is a serious health condition that can cause severe pain and lameness in horses. Due to lack of understanding of laminitis, treatments often fail to achieve the desired results. In recent years, we have begun to recognize that laminitis may involve a complex interaction between local and systemic inflammation. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota has been linked in the development of systemic inflammation, and our previous findings suggest that the development of laminitis is closely linked to the production of harmful metabolites of the gut microbiota. In addition, it was found that loca...
Malisauskas M, Ostman J, Darinskas A, Zamotin V, Liutkevicius E, Lundgren E, Morozova-Roche LA.In amyloid diseases, it is not evident which protein aggregates induce cell death via specific molecular mechanisms and which cause damage because of their mass accumulation and mechanical properties. We showed that equine lysozyme assembles into soluble amyloid oligomers and protofilaments at pH 2.0 and 4.5, 57 degrees C. They bind thioflavin-T and Congo red similar to common amyloid structures, and their morphology was monitored by atomic force microscopy. Molecular volume evaluation from microscopic measurements allowed us to identify distinct types of oligomers, ranging from tetramer to oc...
Chavatte-Palmer P, Velazquez MA, Jammes H, Duranthon V.Epidemiological studies in humans and animal models (including ruminants and horses) have highlighted the critical role of nutrition on developmental programming. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that the nutritional environment during the periconceptional period and foetal development can altered the postnatal performance of the resultant offspring. This nutritional programming can be exerted by maternal and paternal lineages and can affect offspring beyond the F1 generation. Alterations in epigenetic mechanisms have been proposed as the causative link behind the programming trajectories obse...
Merchant KA, Thompson DE, Xu QH, Williams RB, Loring RF, Fayer MD.Two-dimensional (2D) infrared vibrational echoes were performed on horse heart carbonmonoxymyoglobin (MbCO) in water over a range of temperatures. The A(1) and A(3) conformational substates of MbCO are found to have different dephasing rates with different temperature dependences. A frequency-frequency correlation function derived from molecular dynamics simulations on MbCO at 298 K is used to calculate the vibrational echo decay. The calculated decay shows substantial agreement with the experimentally measured decays. The 2D vibrational echo probes protein dynamics and provides an observable ...
Pihl TH, Nielsen MK, Olsen SN, Leifsson PS, Jacobsen S.Strongylus vulgaris is re-emerging in horses kept under surveillance-based parasite control regimens. Information on nonstrangulating intestinal infarction associated with S. vulgaris is needed to improve recognition of the condition. Objective: To describe the typical clinical presentation, laboratory findings, gross pathology, treatment and outcome of horses with nonstrangulating intestinal infarction. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Nonstrangluating intestinal infarction was diagnosed in 30 horses with a localised intestinal infarction with concurrent signs of S. vulgaris mig...
Snider TA, Sepoy C, Holyoak GR.The equine endometrial biopsy, an important tool in equine reproduction science, has experienced a rich period of increasing knowledge, development, and application over the past 40 y. Much of the foundational work in this field was conducted by Dr. Robert M. Kenney. In view of his recent passing, this review is dedicated to our alumnus, Dr. Robert M. Kenney (OSU, 1954). In this manuscript, we pay tribute to Kenney-eponymous for the equine endometrial biopsy grading system-by reviewing the procedure. We present this review in three parts: 1) how observational data are acquired; 2) how these da...
Hillmann A, Ahrberg AB, Brehm W, Heller S, Josten C, Paebst F, Burk J.Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have gained tremendous attention as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of orthopedic diseases. Promising results have been obtained after application of MSCs for treatment of tendon and joint disease in the equine model, making it appear favorable to use these results as a basis for the translational process of the therapy. However, while the horse is considered a highly suitable model for orthopedic diseases, knowledge is lacking regarding the level of analogy of equine MSCs and their human counterparts. Therefore, the aim of this study...
Hultén C, Sandgren B, Skiöldebrand E, Klingeborn B, Marhaug G, Forsberg M.The acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) has proven potentially useful as an inflammatory marker in the horse, but the knowledge of SAA responses in viral diseases is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate SAA as a marker for acute equine influenza A2 (H3N8) virus infection. This is a highly contagious, serious condition that inflicts suffering on affected horses and predisposes them to secondary bacterial infections and impaired performance. Seventy horses, suffering from equine influenza, as verified by clinical signs and seroconversion, were sampled in the acute (the first 48 h...
Bannai H, Ochi A, Nemoto M, Tsujimura K, Yamanaka T, Kondo T.As we reported previously, Getah virus infection occurred in horses at the Miho training center of the Japan Racing Association in 2014. This was the first outbreak after a 31-year absence in Japan. Here, we report a recurrent outbreak of Getah virus infection in 2015, sequential to the 2014 one at the same site, and we summarize its epizootiological aspects to estimate the risk of further outbreaks in upcoming years. Results: The outbreak occurred from mid-August to late October 2015, affecting 30 racehorses with a prevalence of 1.5% of the whole population (1992 horses). Twenty-seven (90.0%)...
Södersten F, Ekman S, Eloranta ML, Heinegård D, Dudhia J, Hultenby K.The structure and organisation of the extracellular matrix, and in particular the axial alignment of type I collagen fibrils, are essential for the tensile strength of tendons. The resident tenocytes synthesize and maintain the composition of the extracellular matrix, which changes with age and maturation. Other components of the extracellular matrix include less abundant collagen types II, III, V, VI, XII, proteoglycans and glycoproteins. Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is an abundant non-collagenous pentameric glycoprotein in the tendon, which can bind to collagen types I and II. ...
Cordeiro Rde A, de Oliveira JS, Castelo-Branco Dde S, Teixeira CE, Marques FJ, Bittencourt PV, Carvalho VL, Bandeira Tde J, Brilhante RS, Moreira JL....Candida tropicalis has been associated with invasive candidiasis, being the first or second most common non-Candida albicans Candida species isolated in humans with candidemia and candiduria, as well as being frequently isolated from healthy animals. This study aimed to characterize C. tropicalis isolates (n = 64) obtained from several animal species regarding antifungal susceptibility and production of virulence factors. The isolates were obtained from the microbiota of healthy animals (goats, n = 25; sheep, n = 6; psittacines, n = 14; rheas, n = 6; horses, n = 2; sirenians, n = 5; shrimp, n ...
Gilger BC, Malok E, Cutter KV, Stewart T, Horohov DW, Allen JB.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), a chronic, recurrent inflammation primarily of the anterior uveal tract, is the most common cause of blindness in horses. Recently, T-lymphocytes have been found to be the most numerous cell type to infiltrate the anterior uveal of horses with ERU. In the present study, we characterized the T-lymphocyte population in the anterior uveal tract of eyes of horses with chronic ERU by evaluating the microscopic appearance (histopathologic features), the T-lymphocyte subsets, and the relative levels and amounts of T-lymphocyte cytokine mRNA in the anterior uvea. Seven ...
Tzelos T, Barbeito JS, Nielsen MK, Morgan ER, Hodgkinson JE, Matthews JB.Parasitic nematodes, particularly cyathostomins, are ubiquitous in grazing horses world-wide. Considerable burdens of cyathostomin larvae can encyst in the large intestinal wall. The most recommended treatment against these pathogenic stages is moxidectin. Information is required on how effective moxidectin is against cyathostomin populations in different regions. The objectives here were to determine the efficacy of moxidectin treatment and estimate the strongyle egg reappearance period (ERP) after treatment in several equine populations, to confirm the type of strongyle nematodes present and...
Caniglia CJ, Schramme MC, Smith RK.Collagen fibril size is decreased in repair tissue following tendon injury compared to normal tendon matrix in horses. Mesenchymal stem cells have been suggested to promote regeneration of tendon matrix rather than fibrotic repair following injury, although this concept remains unproven. Objective: To explore the hypothesis that implantation of autologous mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow into a surgically created central core defect in the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) of horses would induce the formation of a matrix with greater ultrastructural similarities to tendon...
Bailey KE, Gilkerson JR, Browning GF.Equine rotaviruses were first detected in foals over 30 years ago and remain a major cause of infectious diarrhoea in foals. During this time, there has been substantial progress in the development of sensitive methods to detect rotaviruses in foals, enabling surveillance of the genotypes present in various horse populations. However, there has been limited epidemiological investigation into the significance of these circulating genotypes, their correlation with disease and the use of vaccination in these animal populations. Our knowledge of the pathogenesis of rotavirus infection in foals is ...
Young JJ, Coulombier D, Domanović D, Zeller H, Gossner CM.West Nile virus (WNV) infection is notifiable in humans and equids in the European Union (EU). An area where a human case is detected is considered affected until the end of the mosquito transmission season (week 48) and blood safety measures have to be implemented. We used human and equine case notifications between 2013 and 2017 to define the WNV distribution in the EU and to investigate the relevance of using equine cases as a complementary trigger for blood safety measures. Adding areas with equine cases to the definition of an affected area would have a major impact on blood safety measur...
Rebordão MR, Galvão A, Szóstek A, Amaral A, Mateus L, Skarzynski DJ, Ferreira-Dias G.Endometrosis is a degenerative chronic process, characterized by paramount fibrosis development in mare endometrium. This condition is one of the major causes of subfertility/infertility in mares. As in other organs, fibrosis might be a pathologic sequel of many chronic inflammatory diseases. However, aetiology and physiopathologic mechanisms involved in endometrial fibrosis are still controversial. This review presents new hypotheses based on our newest data. As the first line of innate immune defence, systemic neutrophils arrive in the uterus at mating or in the presence of pathogens. A nove...
de Vries AA, Glaser AL, Raamsman MJ, de Haan CA, Sarnataro S, Godeke GJ, Rottier PJ.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is an enveloped, positive-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Arteriviridae of the order Nidovirales. The unsegmented, infectious genome of EAV is 12,704 nt in length [exclusive of the poly(A) tail] and contains eight overlapping genes that are expressed from a 3'-coterminal nested set of seven leader-containing mRNAs. To investigate the importance of the overlapping gene arrangement in the viral life-cycle and to facilitate the genetic manipulation of the viral genome, a series of mutant full-length cDNA clones was constructed in which either EAV open readi...
Raudsepp T, Santani A, Wallner B, Kata SR, Ren C, Zhang HB, Womack JE, Skow LC, Chowdhary BP.We herein report a detailed physical map of the horse Y chromosome. The euchromatic region of the chromosome comprises approximately 15 megabases (Mb) of the total 45- to 50-Mb size and lies in the distal one-third of the long arm, where the pseudoautosomal region (PAR) is located terminally. The rest of the chromosome is predominantly heterochromatic. Because of the unusual organization of the chromosome (common to all mammalian Y chromosomes), a number of approaches were used to crossvalidate the results. Analysis of the 5,000-rad horse x hamster radiation hybrid panel produced a map spannin...
Gu J, MacHugh DE, McGivney BA, Park SD, Katz LM, Hill EW.The wild progenitors of the domestic horse were subject to natural selection for speed and stamina for millennia. Uniquely, this process has been augmented in Thoroughbreds, which have undergone at least 3 centuries of intense artificial selection for athletic phenotypes. While the phenotypic adaptations to exercise are well described, only a small number of the underlying genetic variants contributing to these phenotypes have been reported. Objective: A panel of candidate performance-related genes was examined for DNA sequence variation in Thoroughbreds and the association with racecourse per...
Costa DG, Marvulo MF, Silva JS, Santana SC, Magalhães FJ, Filho CD, Ribeiro VO, Alves LC, Mota RA, Dubey JP, Silva JC.Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, state of Pernambuco, Brazil, which has a varied biodiversity including alien species or sinantropic animals. The objective here was to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in domestic and wild animals from Fernando de Noronha archipelago, Brazil. Between July 2007 and May 2010, blood samples were collected from 764 animals (533 domestic and 231 wild animals). Sera were tested by the indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT) or the modified agglutination test (MAT), or by both. Antibodies to T. g...
Buling A, Criado-Fornelio A, Asenzo G, Benitez D, Barba-Carretero JC, Florin-Christensen M.The haemoparasites Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina affect cattle over vast areas of the tropics and temperate parts of the world. Microscopic examination of blood smears allows the detection of clinical cases of babesiosis, but this procedure lacks sensitivity when parasitaemia levels are low. In addition, differentiating between similar haemoparasites can be very difficult. Molecular diagnostic procedures can, however, overcome these problems. This paper reports a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay involving the use of SYBR Green. Based on the amplification of a small fragment of the cytochrome...
Schuurman W, Gawlitta D, Klein TJ, ten Hoope W, van Rijen MH, Dhert WJ, van Weeren PR, Malda J.If chondrocytes from the superficial, middle, and deep zones of articular cartilage could maintain or regain their characteristic properties during in vitro culture, it would be feasible to create constructs comprising these distinctive zones. Objective: Zone-specific characteristics of zonal cell populations will disappear during 2-dimensional expansion but will reappear after 3-dimensional redifferentiation, independent of the culture technique used (alginate beads versus pellet culture). Methods: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Equine articular chondrocytes from the 3 zones were expan...
Karagianni AE, Kapetanovic R, McGorum BC, Hume DA, Pirie SR.Alveolar macrophages (AMs) constitute the first line of defence in the lung of all species, playing a crucial role in the regulation of immune responses to inhaled pathogens. A detailed understanding of the function and phenotype of AMs is a necessary pre-requisite to both elucidating their role in preventing opportunistic bacterial colonisation of the lower respiratory tract and developing appropriate preventative strategies. The purpose of the study was to characterise this important innate immune cell at the tissue level by making functional and phenotypic comparisons with peritoneal macrop...
Pinchbeck GL, Morrison LJ, Tait A, Langford J, Meehan L, Jallow S, Jallow J, Jallow A, Christley RM.The Gambia has an increasing population of equidae largely used for agriculture and transportation. A review of cases at The Gambian Horse and Donkey Trust (GHDT) indicated that a common reason for presentation is a poorly defined medical condition often attributed to trypanosomosis. There are few reports describing the prevalence or the range of clinical signs associated with infection with different species of trypanosomes in horses and donkeys, but given the importance of these animals, the role of trypanosomosis requires investigation. Results: In total 241 animals from the Central River D...
The Journal of parasitologyFebruary 24, 2001
Volume 86, Issue 6 1276-1280 doi: 10.1645/0022-3395(2000)086[1276:COTLCO]2.0.CO;2
Dubey JP, Saville WJ, Lindsay DS, Stich RW, Stanek JF, Speert CA, Rosenthal BM, Njoku CJ, Kwok OC, Shen SK, Reed SM.Sarcocystis neurona is the most important cause of a neurologic disease in horses, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). The complete life cycle of S. neurona, including the description of sarcocysts and intermediate hosts, has not been completed until now. Opossums (Didelphis spp.) are definitive hosts, and horses and other mammals are aberrant hosts. In the present study, laboratory-raised domestic cats (Felis domesticus) were fed sporocysts from the intestine of a naturally infected opossum (Didelphis virginiana). Microscopic sarcocysts, with a maximum size of 700 x 50 microm, developed...
Anniballi F, Fiore A, Löfström C, Skarin H, Auricchio B, Woudstra C, Bano L, Segerman B, Koene M, Båverud V, Hansen T, Fach P, Tevell Aberg A....Botulism is a severe neuroparalytic disease that affects humans, all warm-blooded animals, and some fishes. The disease is caused by exposure to toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum and other botulinum toxin-producing clostridia. Botulism in animals represents a severe environmental and economic concern because of its high mortality rate. Moreover, meat or other products from affected animals entering the food chain may result in a public health problem. To this end, early diagnosis is crucial to define and apply appropriate veterinary public health measures. Clinical diagnosis is based on...
Branly T, Bertoni L, Contentin R, Rakic R, Gomez-Leduc T, Desancé M, Hervieu M, Legendre F, Jacquet S, Audigié F, Denoix JM, Demoor M, Galéra P.Articular cartilage presents a poor capacity for self-repair. Its structure-function are frequently disrupted or damaged upon physical trauma or osteoarthritis in humans. Similar musculoskeletal disorders also affect horses and are the leading cause of poor performance or early retirement of sport- and racehorses. To develop a therapeutic solution for horses, we tested the autologous chondrocyte implantation technique developed on human bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on horse BM-MSCs. This technique involves BM-MSC chondrogenesis using a combinatory approach based on the associ...
Smith JJ, Ross MW, Smith RK.The purpose of this study was to investigate the response of suspensory ligament fibroblasts (SLF) to in vitro stimulation using acellular bone marrow (ABM), platelet rich plasma (in vitro PRP), and serum as potential treatment modalities for suspensory desmitis. Blood, bone marrow, and suspensory ligaments were collected from five horses. SLF were harvested, grown until confluent, and stimulated with various concentrations of ABM, PRP, equine serum, foetal bovine serum, and medium (control). The responses to the treatments were assessed using a combination of radio-labeling for total protein ...
Physick-Sheard PW, McGurrin MK.A lack of information on normal heart rhythm at maximal effort hampers investigation of poor performance and sudden death in Standardbred racing. Objective: To characterize rhythm variations during scheduled racing in clinically normal Standardbred horses. Methods: Two hundred and eighty-eight Standardbred horses competing in 40 scheduled races at a Southern Ontario racetrack. Methods: Observational study, convenience sampling: Heart rhythm was monitored by ECG from harnessing to postrace recovery and assessed visually and by examining heart rate intervals. Rhythm variations were used as respo...
Anastasiou A, Hall LD.Cramer-Rao theory and computer simulations were used to show that the errors involved in calculating the magnetization and relaxation parameters of a two-component system decrease with: (1) increasing SNR, (2) increasing number of echoes used in the fitting procedure, and (3) increasing ratio of the relaxation times of the two components, T(22)/T(21). Images of bi-compartmental phantoms of known T(2) values were acquired using an optimized imaging sequence, and an optimized fitting algorithm was used to calculate the T(2) values of the two components by fitting the resulting images to a bi-exp...
