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.
Vázquez FJ, Argüelles D, Muñoz JA, Genton M, Méndez Angulo JL, Climent F, Roquet I, Iglesias M, Velloso Álvarez A, Vitoria A, Bulnes F, Saitua A....Inguinal hernias (IHs) and ruptures are a relatively common condition in horses, occurring in foals (congenital) and adult (acquired) animals. A retrospective observational analysis was conducted on 40 cases that underwent laparoscopic surgery to close the VRs using barbed sutures alone or combined with other techniques. Signalment, clinical presentation, surgery, and follow-up data were obtained. In total, fifty-nine VRs were closed using barbed sutures (alone or in combination with other methods), with six cases performed prophylactically and forty-four due to acquired IH. Of the forty-four ...
Paranjape VV, Knych HK, Berghaus LJ, Giancola S, Cathcart J, Reed RA.Anatomical location-dependent differences in transdermal opioid penetration are well described in human patients. Although this has been investigated in horses with fentanyl, there is no literature available on location-dependent plasma buprenorphine concentrations when administered as a transdermal matrix-type patch. Unassigned: This study aims to compare the plasma concentrations achieved from the matrix-type transdermal buprenorphine patches placed at different anatomical sites (metacarpus, gaskin, and ventral tail base) in healthy adult horses. Unassigned: This is a randomized experimental...
Mönki J, Mykkänen A.Mild-moderate and severe equine asthma (MEA and SEA) are prevalent inflammatory airway conditions affecting horses of numerous breeds and disciplines. Despite extensive research, detailed disease pathophysiology and the differences between MEA and SEA are still not completely understood. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology, broadly used in clinical practice and in equine asthma research, has limited means to represent the inflammatory status in the lower airways. Lipidomics is a field of science that can be utilized in investigating cellular mechanisms and cell-to-cell interactions. Studies ...
Fresa K, Catandi GD, Whitcomb L, Gonzalez-Castro RA, Chicco AJ, Carnevale EM.Obesity is a complex disease associated with augmented risk of metabolic disorder development and cellular dysfunction in various species. The goal of the present study was to investigate the impacts of obesity on the metabolic health of old mares as well as test the ability of diet supplementation with either a complex blend of nutrients designed to improve equine metabolism and gastrointestinal health or L-carnitine alone to mitigate negative effects of obesity. Mares (n = 19, 17.9 ± 3.7 years) were placed into one of three group: normal-weight (NW, n = 6), obese (OB, n = 7...
Verhaar N, Grages AM, Bienert-Zeit A, Schwieder A, Reineking W, Hewicker-Trautwein M, Kästner S, Geburek F.Ancillary diagnostic methods to enhance the accuracy of viability assessment have not been established for use in clinical practice. Objective: To assess intestinal microperfusion measured by Laser Doppler Flowmetry and Spectrophotometry (LDFS) in naturally occurring small intestinal strangulations of different origins and to compare this between viable and non-viable segments. Methods: Prospective clinical trial. Methods: Forty horses undergoing colic surgery for naturally occurring small intestinal strangulations were included. Tissue oxygen saturation (tSO), haemoglobin (tHB) and blood flow...
Scharf A, Cheng TY, Urion R, Hostnik E.The objective of this study was to optimize an MRI-based diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) protocol for imaging the plantar nerves at the level of the tarsus in normal equine limbs. Methods: 12 pelvic cadaver limbs from horses without evidence of proximal suspensory pathology were imaged with a 3T MRI system. Methods: For diffusion-weighted imaging, b values of 600, 800, and 1,000 s/mm2 were tested. Data were processed with DSI Studio. Cross-sectional areas of the medial and lateral plantar nerve along the plantar tarsus were recorded. The length and number of fiber tracts, signal-to-noise ratio,...
Brown KA, Gregorio EN, Barot D, Usimaki A, Linardi RL, Missanelli JR, You Y, Robinson MA, Ortved KF.To determine the effects of prolonged administration of the oral NSAIDs phenylbutazone and firocoxib on concentrations of cytokines and growth factors in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and autologous protein solution (APS). Methods: 6 adult University owned horses. Methods: Horses were randomized to receive phenylbutazone (1 g, orally, q 12 h) or firocoxib (57 mg, orally, q 24 h) for 6 days. Blood was obtained and processed for APS (Pro-Stride) and PRP (Restigen) before the administration of NSAIDs and at 7 days (1 day following cessation of NSAIDs). Horses underwent a two-week washout period, dur...
Cequier A, Vázquez FJ, Vitoria A, Bernad E, Fuente S, Serrano MB, Zaragoza MP, Romero A, Rodellar C, Barrachina L.The effectiveness and safety of allogeneic mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) can be affected by patient's immune recognition. Thus, MSC immunogenicity and their immunomodulatory properties are crucial aspects for therapy. Immune responses after allogeneic MSC administration have been reported in different species, including equine. Interactions of allogenic MSCs with the recipient's immune system can be influenced by factors like matching or mismatching for the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) between donor-recipient, and by the levels of MHC expression in MSCs. The latter can vary u...
Dupont J, Roman Dura B, Salciccia A, Serteyn D, Sandersen C.To study the changes in dynamic compliance (C), ventilation/perfusion (V˙/ Q˙) mismatch and haemodynamic variables in hypoxaemic anaesthetized horses whose PaO increased following salbutamol inhalation. Methods: Retrospective, clinical, cohort study. Methods: A group of 73 client-owned horses treated with salbutamol when PaO <100 mmHg (13.3 kPa) during anaesthesia. Methods: Horses were divided into two groups: responders (R), where PaO after salbutamol ≥1.2 PaO before treatment (i.e. ≥20% increase), and non-responders (NR), where PaO after salbutamol <1.2 PaO before treatment. Demographi...
Nakajima K, Kasuya K, Senba H, Tagami K, Kinoshita Y, Niwa H.Strangles is a globally widespread, commonly diagnosed and important infectious disease of equids caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. equi. We performed whole genome sequencing of 19 S. equi isolates collected from imported horses at the Japanese border. Of these isolates, 15 isolates were obtained from clinical cases and 4 were from subclinical cases. The 19 isolates were grouped into 3 Bayesian analysis of population structure (BAPS) groups by the core genome single nucleotide polymorphism analysis corresponding to exporting country, SeM typing, or exporter of the horses. The 19 isolates pos...
Derbala MK, Sargious MAN, Hagag NM, Pycock JF, Abu-Seida AM.Twin pregnancy in mares is one of the leading causes of abortions. Abortion invariably impacts both fetuses. This report describes an unusual case of a twin surviving to term following the abortion of its co-twin at 9 months in a 7-year-old Egyptian Arabian mare. At the time of abortion at 9 months of gestation, the size of the aborted fetus was equivalent to one of approximately 5 months of age while the age of the live co-twin was 9 months. Both fetuses were males. A skin sample was collected from the aborted fetus and hair samples were collected from the dam, sire and live foal for parentag...
Shokrollahi S, Mohammadi R, Sarrafzadeh-Rezaei F, Jalilzadeh-Amin G, Hashemi-Asl SM.The aim of this study was to compare the sedative and cardiovascular effects of the combination of xylazine-acepromazine versus xylazine-pregabalin - in horses. Four healthy crossbred horses were included in the study and assigned to two treatments. In treatment I (T1), the animals received xylazine hydrochloride (1.00 mg kg) in combination with acepromazine maleate (0.05 mg kg) intravenously. In treatment II (T2), the animals received intragastric administration of pregabalin (4.00 mg kg) followed by xylazine hydrochloride (1.00 mg kg) intravenously after 60 min. Head height above ground (HHA...
Takahashi Y, Takahashi T, Mukai K, Ebisuda Y, Ohmura H.Understanding how muscle activity changes with different surface grades during canter is essential for developing training protocols in Thoroughbreds because canter is their primary gait in training and races. We measured the spatiotemporal parameters and the activation of 12 surface muscles in the leading limb side of 7 Thoroughbreds. Horses were equipped with hoof strain gauges and cantered at 10 m/s on a treadmill set to grades of -4%, 0%, 4%, and 8%, randomly, for 30 seconds each without a lead change. Integrated electromyography (iEMG) values during stance and swing phases were calculated...
Guenther MC, Borowicz PP, Hirchert MR, Semanchik PL, Simons JL, Fridley J, White-Springer SH, Hammer CJ.The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is the receptor responsible for bidirectional transport of immunoglobulin G (IgG) across cells, maintenance of IgG levels in serum, and assisting with antigen presentation. Unfortunately, little is known about FcRn in horses. Therefore, the objective of this study was to provide fundamental information regarding the location of FcRn in equine tissues. Tissues were collected from six horses of mixed breed, age, and sex immediately following euthanasia. Sampling locations included the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract (GIT), other visceral organs, cornea, ...
Renaudin C, Wensley F, Morgan J, Cassano J, Spriet M.Fetal age in Quarter Horses can be predicted within 2 weeks from 100- to 200- days of gestation using femur length, biparietal diameter (cranium diameter) and eye approximated volume. However, as pregnancy advances, the femur and cranium become too large to be imaged in their entirety using ultrasound and the corresponding biometric parameters can no longer be measured. In this longitudinal study, the proximal phalanx (P1) was evaluated as a novel biometric parameter for late gestation to predict fetal age and bone maturation. Transrectal ultrasound was performed in ten pregnant mares with kno...
Bogdan AM, Mitrea IL, Ionita M.Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA) is a tick-borne disease affecting horses worldwide, caused by . The disease ranges from non-specific clinical signs to fatal outcomes. This paper aimed to analyze EGA cases reported in peer-reviewed journals, particularly on clinico-pathological findings, diagnosis, and therapeutic management. Overall, 189 clinical cases from 31 publications were included in the study. Extensive symptomatology for the EGA cases was reported, of which mostly was fever (90.30%), followed by limb edema (48.51%), anorexia (41.79%), depression (32.84%), icterus (22.39%), ataxi...
Dubuc J, Schneider MJ, Dubuc V, Richard H, Pinsard M, Bancelin S, Legare F, Girard C, Laverty S.Investigate meniscal extracellular matrix degradation. Equine menisci ( = 34 from 17 horses) were studied. Site-matched sections were cut and scored from three regions (ROIs; = 102) and stained for histology, proteoglycan (safranin O and fast green), aggrecan, and collagen cleavage (NITEGE, DIPEN, and C1,2C antibodies, respectively). Picrosirius red and second harmonic generation microscopy were performed to investigate collagen ultrastructure. A total of 42 ROIs met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. The median (range) ROI histological score was 3 (0-9), providin...
Data in briefJune 10, 2024
Volume 55 110603 doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2024.110603
Groot M, Schmidtová D, Fernandes R.This paper presents an archaeozoological dataset listing numbers of identified fragments for domestic cattle, sheep/goat, pig and horse from archaeological sites in the Netherlands dating from the Bronze Age to the Early Medieval period (c. 2000 BC - AD 1050) [1]. In addition to fragment numbers per species, the geo-referenced dataset includes chronological information, site descriptions, and bibliographic references. Data were collected from tables listing numbers of bone fragments per animal species as found in published and unpublished reports. Number of identified bone fragments per animal...
Gandini M, Cerullo A, Giusto G.Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common complication after celiotomy in horses, leading to increased morbidity and costs. Increased concern about antibiotic resistance justifies evaluation of alternative preventive approaches, such a Manuka honey which has displayed antimicrobial properties. Pectin-Honey Hydrogels (PHH), composed by Manuka honey and pectin provide a moist wound environment and microbial growth inhibition. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of PHHs in preventing SSI in horses subjected to emergency laparotomy. Horses undergoing laparotomy were evaluated. H...
van Veggel ECS, Vanderperren K, Selberg KT, Bergman HJ, Hoogelander B.This study evaluates the change in an MRI of the proximal metacarpal region in a group of sport horses that returned to work. This retrospective analysis evaluated 18 limbs represented by 17 horses. Results: The hyperintense signal within the dorsal collagenous part of the proximal suspensory ligament (PSL) on T1W/T2*W GRE sequences decreased or stayed the same in the majority of cases. The hyperintense STIR signal within the dorsal collagenous part of the PSL resolved in the majority of the patients, and the third metacarpal bone (McIII) hyperintense STIR signal resolved in all patients. The ...
Aleman M.Inflammatory myopathies or myositis encompass diseases characterized by the presence of inflammatory cellular infiltrates, mainly polymorphonuclear cells and/or lymphocytes, in muscle. This is in contrast to most forms of muscle disease characterized by myodegeneration that results in macrophage infiltration. Inflammatory myopathies could have infectious or noninfectious causes. Noninfectious causes consist of primary (genetic, autoimmune) or acquired immune-mediated disease. Focal, multifocal or diffuse, acute or recurrent forms of disease can occur. This article will mainly review immune-med...
Veiga IB, Affolter VK, Moore PF, Maia-Nussbaumer PJ, Gerber V, Unger L, Dettwiler M.This report describes a multicentric intermediate-size B-cell lymphoma with epitheliotropism in a Freiberger mare affecting multiple mucous membranes, skin and internal organs. The clonal neoplastic B-cell population was accompanied by numerous reactive polyclonal small T cells. Differential diagnoses for these unusual findings are discussed. 本报告描述了一种多中心性中等大小B细胞淋巴瘤, 其在弗雷伯格母马中具有驱上皮性, 影响多处粘膜、皮肤和内脏。克隆性肿瘤B细胞群伴有大量反应性多克隆小T细胞。就这些异常发现对鉴别诊...
Hardwick JL, Ahern BJ, Crawford KL, Allen KJ, Franklin SH.Yearling laryngeal function (YLF) is frequently assessed at the time of sale and the outcomes of these assessments can have significant economic implications. The YLF of horses that subsequently underwent a prosthetic laryngoplasty (PL) is unknown. Objective: We hypothesised horses with YLF ≥grade II.2 would be at increased risk of requiring PL, compared with YLF
Leemans B, Gadella BM, Marchand JHEAM, Van Soom A, Stout TAE.We recently developed re-differentiated equine oviduct epithelial cell (REOEC) monolayers demonstrating various in vivo morphological characteristics, but lacking secondary ciliation. In this study, we evaluated the effects of fetal bovine serum, reproductive steroid hormones, Wnt- and Notch ligands and inhibitors, and different EOEC seeding densities, in both conventional wells and on microporous membranes, on EOEC morphology and, in particular, secondary ciliation. REOEC monolayers were assessed by confocal microscopy after combined staining of nuclei, cilia and the cytoskeleton. Only Wnt li...
Elisabeth Müller C.A study comprising 74 colic and 74 control horses admitted to an animal hospital was performed. Faecal samples were collected and analysed for dry matter concentration, particle size distribution using wet-sieving, and sand presence through a sand sedimentation test. Data on horse breed, age, gender and basic feeding variables was collected and analysed using χ-tests. Faecal dry matter concentration, particle size distribution and sand score was compared between colic and non-colic horses, and between horses with different colic types, using one-way ANOVA. Results showed that colic and non-co...
Williams RAJ, Criollo Valencia HA, López Márquez I, González González F, Llorente F, Jiménez-Clavero MÁ, Busquets N, Mateo Barrientos M....West Nile virus (WNV) is a re-emerging flavivirus, primarily circulating among avian hosts and mosquito vectors, causing periodic outbreaks in humans and horses, often leading to neuroinvasive disease and mortality. Spain has reported several outbreaks, most notably in 2020 with seventy-seven human cases and eight fatalities. WNV has been serologically detected in horses in the Community of Madrid, but to our knowledge, it has never been reported from wild birds in this region. To estimate the seroprevalence of WNV in wild birds and horses in the Community of Madrid, 159 wild birds at a wildli...
Donard LA, Vinardell T, Boussauw B, Pollaris E.Sinus osteotomy is currently performed in equine surgery with conventional surgical methods, such as trephines and oscillating bone saw, leading to subsequent trauma to the bone during cutting. Piezoelectric devices are now used in maxillofacial surgery in humans as a standard tool as it is less traumatic than the oscillating bone saw and shortens the healing period. The aim of this study was to show that the piezoelectric device can be used for equine sinus surgery, compare its use with the oscillating bone saw, and describe the outcome of cases involving osteotomy performed with a piezoelect...
Ichikawa Y, Borjigin L, Enkhtuul B, Khurtsbaatar O, Aoshima K, Kobayashi A, Batbaatar V, Kimura T.Glanders, a highly contagious and often fatal disease affecting equids, is caused by Burkholderia mallei. Although sporadic cases of equine glanders have recently been documented in Mongolia, genome sequencing and molecular studies of the bacteria within this region are lacking. This study provided the first molecular characterization of B. mallei isolated from four native Mongolian horses from two different provinces in 2019 and 2022 by applying whole-genome sequencing with two SNP types (previously developed genotyping with 15 SNP markers that provide global coverage of the B. mallei populat...
Collins EN, Barr EM, Westermeyer H, Gilger BC, Oh A.To determine the predictive value of corneal ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) findings for the outcome of equine corneal disease. Methods: 46 horses with a clinical diagnosis of either infectious ulcerative keratitis or stromal abscess. Methods: Corneal UBM (VevoMD; UHF70; VisualSonics) of horses with infectious corneal disease presenting to the North Carolina State University Equine Ophthalmology Service from 2019 to 2023 were evaluated. Size and depth of lesion, presence of Descemet membrane disruption (DMD), corneal thickness, and aqueous humor cell counts (AHCC) were assessed. Comparisons of...
Zwart L, Potgieter CA, Clift SJ, van Staden V.African horse sickness is a serious equid disease caused by the orbivirus African horse sickness virus (AHSV). The virus has ten double-stranded RNA genome segments encoding seven structural and three non-structural proteins. Recently, an additional protein was predicted to be encoded by genome segment 9 (Seg-9), which also encodes VP6, of most orbiviruses. This has since been confirmed in bluetongue virus and Great Island virus, and the non-structural protein was named NS4. In this study, in silico analysis of AHSV Seg-9 sequences revealed the existence of two main types of AHSV NS4, designat...
Schemann K, Taylor MR, Toribio JA, Dhand NK.A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 759 Australian horse owners to determine their biosecurity practices and perceptions one year after the 2007 equine influenza outbreak and to investigate the factors influencing these perceptions and practices. A web link to an online questionnaire was sent to 1224 horse owners as a follow-up to a previous study to obtain information about biosecurity perceptions and practices, impacts of the 2007 EI outbreak, demographic information and information about horse industry involvement. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine...
Li F, Leroux C, Craigo JK, Cook SJ, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is genetically one of the simplest lentiviruses in that the viral genome encodes only three accessory genes, tat, rev, and S2. Although serological analyses demonstrate the expression of the S2 protein in persistently infected horses, the role of this viral gene remains undefined. We recently reported that the S2 gene is not essential for EIAV replication in primary equine macrophages, as EIAV mutants lacking the S2 gene replicate to levels similar to those of the parental virus (F. Li, B. A. Puffer, and R. C. Montelaro, J. Virol. 72:8344-8348, 1998). We n...
Love EJ, Murrell J, Whay HR.This review evaluates the thermal and mechanical nociceptive threshold testing techniques that have been used in horses and discusses them with reference to their applications, limitations and the factors which can influence both the testing procedure itself and the animal's responses. Methods to optimise the reliability and repeatability of the testing procedures are suggested and the potential clinical applications discussed. Methods: Web of Science and Medline. Conclusions: Thermal and mechanical nociceptive threshold testing techniques have valuable roles in both the identification of alte...
Selim A, Khater H.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is caused by Theileria equi and/or Babesia caballi and has economic importance particularly in equines reared in poor management systems. This study is based on cELISA test to study the seroprevalence of EP among 370 horses and 150 donkeys in four Governorates north Egypt. Additionally, its risk factors were studied for the first time. The seroprevalence rates 36.5 %, 20 %, and 5.6 % for T. equi, B. caballi, and mixed infections, respectively. The highest antibody levels against T. equi were detected in Kafr ElSheikh (40 %) and Giza (40.1 %) Governorates, whereas thos...
Ireland JL, Clegg PD, McGowan CM, McKane SA, Pinchbeck GL.With growing numbers of aged horses, geriatric medicine is becoming increasingly important in equine veterinary practice; however, there is a paucity of information on the UK equine geriatric population. Objective: To describe the demographic characteristics of the equine geriatric population and to assess management practices undertaken by owners of geriatric horses (aged≥15 years). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, surveying a randomly selected sample of veterinary registered owners with horses aged≥15 years, using a self-administered postal questionnaire. Results: Horses a...
Dall'Olio S, Fontanesi L, Nanni Costa L, Tassinari M, Minieri L, Falaschini A.Myostatin (MSTN) is a negative modulator of muscle mass. We characterized the horse (Equus caballus) MSTN gene and identified and analysed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in breeds of different morphological types. Sequencing of coding, untranslated, intronic, and regulatory regions of MSTN gene in 12 horses from 10 breeds revealed seven SNPs: two in the promoter, four in intron 1, and one in intron 2. The SNPs of the promoter (GQ183900:g.26T>C and GQ183900:g.156T>C, the latter located within a conserved TATA-box like motif) were screened in 396 horses from 16 breeds. The g.26C an...
Holmes TQ, Brown AF.Equestrian sports, including racing (e.g., flat, steeple-chasing, harness or donkey derby); show-jumping; cross-country; dressage; polo; polocrosse; endurance; carriage driving; vaulting and hunting; are hugely popular in the UK, and they involve a significant number of people, both as participants and spectators, and tens of thousands of equids. In this paper, we discuss animal welfare as a complex and disputed issue, clarifying what the term means and how it can be measured. We review many aspects of welfare risk to equids used for sport, addressing issues encountered throughout their lives,...
Baz M, Paskel M, Matsuoka Y, Zengel J, Cheng X, Jin H, Subbarao K.Since it is difficult to predict which influenza virus subtype will cause an influenza pandemic, it is important to prepare influenza virus vaccines against different subtypes and evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of candidate vaccines in preclinical and clinical studies prior to a pandemic. In addition to infecting humans, H3 influenza viruses commonly infect pigs, horses, and avian species. We selected 11 swine, equine, and avian H3 influenza viruses and evaluated their kinetics of replication and ability to induce a broadly cross-reactive antibody response in mice and ferrets. The swin...
Spier SJ, Leutenegger CM, Carroll SP, Loye JE, Pusterla JB, Carpenter TE, Mihalyi JE, Madigan JE.To develop and use a sensitive molecular assay for detecting the phospholipase D (PLD) exotoxin gene of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in an attempt to identify insect vectors that may be important in transmission of clinical disease in horses. Methods: 2,621 flies of various species. Methods: A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based fluorogenic 5' nuclease (TaqMan) system (ie, TaqMan PCR assay) was developed for the detection of the PLD gene in insects. Flies were collected monthly (May to November 2002) from 5 farms in northern California where C. pseudotuberculosis infection in...
Diarra M, Fall M, Fall AG, Diop A, Seck MT, Garros C, Balenghien T, Allène X, Rakotoarivony I, Lancelot R, Mall I, Bakhoum MT, Dosum AM, Ndao M....The African horse sickness epizootic in Senegal in 2007 caused considerable mortality in the equine population and hence major economic losses. The vectors involved in the transmission of this arbovirus have never been studied specifically in Senegal. This first study of the spatial and temporal dynamics of the Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) species, potential vectors of African horse sickness in Senegal, was conducted at five sites (Mbao, Parc Hann, Niague, Pout and Thies) in the Niayes area, which was affected by the outbreak. Methods: Two Onderstepoort light traps were used at each s...
Haussler KK.The clinical assessment of pain is subjective; therefore, variations exist between practitioners in their ability to identify and localize pain. Due to differing interpretations of the signs or severity of pain equine practitioners may assign varying levels of clinical significance and treatment options. There is a critical need to develop better tools to qualify and quantify pain in horses. Palpation is the most common method to detect local tenderness or sensitivity. To quantify this applied pressure, pressure algometry has been used to gradually apply pressure over specified landmarks until...
Votion DM, Linden A, Saegerman C, Engels P, Erpicum M, Thiry E, Delguste C, Rouxhet S, Demoulin V, Navet R, Sluse F, Serteyn D, van Galen G, Amory H.The emergent nature of atypical myopathy or atypical myoglobinuria (AM) necessitates precise description of its clinical and epidemiologic features. Objective: To define key features of AM to help practitioners recognize the disease and to advise owners to take preventive measures. Methods: Belgian cases of AM confirmed by histology (CC horses; n = 57) from autumn 2000 to spring 2005 were included in the study. Co-grazing horses (Co-G horses; n = 77) that remained free of any abnormal clinical signs constituted a control group. Methods: History, environmental characteristics, clinical signs, a...
Damiani AM, de Vries M, Reimers G, Winkler S, Osterrieder N.A particularly severe equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) abortion outbreak occurred at a breeding farm in northern Germany. Sixteen of 25 pregnant mares that had received regular vaccination using an inactivated vaccine aborted and two gave birth to weak non-viable foals in a span of three months, with 89% of cases occurring within 40 days after the initial abortion case. Virological examinations revealed the presence of EHV-1 in all cases of abortion and serological follow-up in mares confirmed recent infection. Molecular studies identified a neuropathogenic variant (Pol/ORF30 A2254 to G2254) ...
Goetting-Minesky MP, Makova KD.In mammals, males undergo a greater number of germline cell divisions compared with females. Thus, the male germline accumulates more DNA replication errors, which result in male mutation bias-a higher mutation rate for males than for females. The phenomenon of male mutation bias has been investigated mostly for rodents and primates, however, it has not been studied in detail for other mammalian orders. Here we sequenced and analyzed five introns of three genes (DBX/DBY, UTX/UTY, and ZFX/ZFY) homologous between X and Y chromosomes in several species of perissodactyls (horses and rhinos) and of...
Jones E, Viñuela-Fernandez I, Eager RA, Delaney A, Anderson H, Patel A, Robertson DC, Allchorne A, Sirinathsinghji EC, Milne EM, MacIntyre N....Laminitis is a common debilitating disease in horses that involves painful disruption of the lamellar dermo-epidermal junction within the hoof. This condition is often refractory to conventional anti-inflammatory analgesia and results in unremitting pain, which in severe cases requires euthanasia. The mechanisms underlying pain in laminitis were investigated using quantification of behavioural pain indicators in conjunction with histological studies of peripheral nerves innervating the hoof. Laminitic horses displayed consistently altered or abnormal behaviours such as increased forelimb lifti...
Schuler LA, Khaitsa ML, Dyer NW, Stoltenow CL.To characterize an outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in horses in North Dakota in 2002, evaluate vaccine effectiveness, and determine horse characteristics and clinical signs associated with infection. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 569 horses. Methods: Data were obtained from veterinary laboratory records, and a questionnaire was mailed to veterinarians of affected horses. Results: Affected horses were defined as horses with typical clinical signs and seroconversion or positive results of virus isolation; affected horses were detected in 52 of the 53 counties and concentrate...
Stover SM, Pool RR, Martin RB, Morgan JP.The dorsal cortex of the equine third metacarpal mid-diaphyseal bone was characterised during growth by the histological and microradiographic examination of specimens from 30 horses ranging in age from 2 months to 8 y. Bone from horses aged less than 6 months was characterised by rapid periosteal apposition of circumferential trabeculae of woven bone that were next connected by radial trabeculae to the parent cortex. Deposition of lamellar bone on the inner trabecular surfaces resulted in rows of primary osteons. Replacement of primary bone occurred only after 4 months of age and preferential...
Damborg P, Marskar P, Baptiste KE, Guardabassi L.The objective of this longitudinal study was to investigate the occurrence and genetic background of faecal Escherichia coli resistant to cefotaxime (CTX) in horses receiving broad-spectrum antimicrobial prophylaxis after admission to a veterinary teaching hospital. The ten horses enrolled in the study were treated with cefquinome either alone (n=4) or in combination with metronidazole (n=3) or other antimicrobial agents (n=3). CTX-resistant coliforms in faeces collected before, during and after treatment were quantified on selective MacConkey agar supplemented with CTX, and a colony isolated ...
Scior T, Alexander C, Zaehringer U.There is literature evidence gathered throughout the last two decades reflecting unexpected species differences concerning the immune response to lipid IVa which provides the opportunity to gain more detailed insight by the molecular modeling approach described in this study. Lipid IVa is a tetra-acylated precursor of lipid A in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in Gram-negative bacteria. Lipid A of the prototypic E. coli-type is a hexa-acylated structure that acts as an agonist in all tested mammalian species by innate immunorecognition via the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid d...
Leblond A, Sandoz A, Lefebvre G, Zeller H, Bicout DJ.Geographic information system and remote sensing technologies were used to identify landscape features associated with risk of West Nile virus transmission as defined by the presence of confirmed horse cases. SPOT-4 images of Camargue area were used to generate a map of landscape categories of epidemic foci and the geographic information system was employed to determine the proportion of landscape components surrounding 10 horse case sites and 17 control sites. The spatio-temporal analysis of the cases outbreak gave the best results for a spatial window of 9 km and a temporal window of 18 days...
Carslake HB, Pinchbeck GL, McGowan CM.Many diagnostic tests for insulin dysregulation use reference intervals established with an insulin radioimmunoassay (RIA) that is no longer available. A chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) is commonly used for the measurement of serum insulin concentration in clinical practice but requires further validation, especially at clinically relevant reference intervals. Objective: To evaluate the CLIA for measurement of equine insulin and compare it to the previously validated, but now unavailable RIA. Methods: Equine serum samples (n = 78) from clinical and experimental studies. Methods: In this ex...
Bamberg WM, Pape WJ, Beebe JL, Nevin-Woods C, Ray W, Maguire H, Nucci J, Massung RF, Gershman K.Coxiella burnetii is a bacterium located worldwide that can cause Q fever when inhaled. We describe an outbreak of Q fever associated with a horse-boarding ranch that had acquired two herds of goats. We conducted case finding and cohort studies among persons who boarded horses on the ranch and ranchers and among residents in the surrounding community, and conducted sampling of the goats and environment, to determine risk factors for infection and guide public health interventions. Sixty-six ranchers and persons who boarded horses on the ranch were interviewed; 62 (94%) were not professional ra...
Luo QH, Chen ML, Chen ZL, Huang C, Cheng AC, Fang J, Tang L, Geng Y.The aminolycoside Gentamicin is a widely used antibiotic, applied in equine medicine. Despite its clinical use, concerns remain regarding the potential toxic side-effects, such as nephrotoxicity. Early detection of renal damage is critical in preclinical drug development. This study was aimed to determine whether kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) may be early indicators in the assessment of Gentamycin-induced nephrotoxicity. Methods: In our study, a model of Gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in male Sprague Dawley rats treated for up to 7 da...
Petersen MR, Skive B, Christoffersen M, Lu K, Nielsen JM, Troedsson MH, Bojesen AM.Endometritis in horses caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) may be underdiagnosed due to traditional diagnostic methods lacking sensitivity and specificity. We serendipitously identified a bacterial growth medium (bActivate) that appeared capable of inducing growth of dormant S. zooepidemicus, which subsequently allowed detection by standard diagnostics. To assess the effect of bActivate we compared its ability to activate dormant S. zooepidemicus in a group of potentially infected subfertile mares with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). All mares had to test ...
Björnsdóttir S, Frey R, Kristjansson T, Lundström T.Oral lesions related to the use of the bit and bridle are reported to be common findings in horses worldwide and represent an important animal welfare issue. In order to provide an overview of bit-related lesions in Icelandic competition horses, a field examination of the rostral part of the oral cavity was performed in 424 competition horses coming to the two major national horse events in Iceland in 2012. Records from repeated examination of 77 horses prior to the finals were used to assess potential risk factors. Results: Mild lesions were recorded in 152 horses (36%) prior to the prelimina...
Schurink A, Wolc A, Ducro BJ, Frankena K, Garrick DJ, Dekkers JC, van Arendonk JA.Insect bite hypersensitivity is a common allergic disease in horse populations worldwide. Insect bite hypersensitivity is affected by both environmental and genetic factors. However, little is known about genes contributing to the genetic variance associated with insect bite hypersensitivity. Therefore, the aim of our study was to identify and quantify genomic associations with insect bite hypersensitivity in Shetland pony mares and Icelandic horses in the Netherlands. Methods: Data on 200 Shetland pony mares and 146 Icelandic horses were collected according to a matched case-control design. C...
Mach N, Midoux C, Leclercq S, Pennarun S, Le Moyec L, Rué O, Robert C, Sallé G, Barrey E.Emerging evidence indicates that the gut microbiome contributes to endurance exercise performance. Still, the extent of its functional and metabolic potential remains unknown. Using elite endurance horses as a model system for exercise responsiveness, we built an integrated horse gut gene catalog comprising ~25 million unique genes and 372 metagenome-assembled genomes. This catalog represents 4179 genera spanning 95 phyla and functional capacities primed to exploit energy from dietary, microbial, and host resources. The holo-omics approach shows that gut microbiomes enriched in Lachnospiraceae...
Gibson JS, Slater JD, Awan AR, Field HJ.Six specific pathogen-free foals shown to be free of equine herpesvirus-1 and 4 (EHV-1 and -4) and lacking in maternally-derived antibodies were used to investigate the pathogenesis of EHV-1 in horses. Following primary intranasal inoculation with EHV-1 all foals showed signs of a mild, self-limiting upper respiratory tract infection. A leucopenia was observed, comprising both a lymphopenia and neutropenia. Virus was isolated from nasal mucus and buffy coat cells over several days during the clinical episode and after the animals became clinically normal. Notwithstanding the mildness of the cl...
Garcia-Villar R, Toutain PL, Alvinerie M, Ruckebusch Y.The pharmacokinetic disposition of xylazine hydrochloride is described after both intravenous and intramuscular injection of a single dose, in four domestic species: horse, cattle, sheep and dog, by an original high performance liquid chromatographic technique. Remarkably small interspecific differences are reported. After intravenous administration, systemic half-life (t1/2 beta) ranged between 22 min (sheep) and 50 min (horse) while the distribution phase is transient with half-life (t1/2 alpha) ranging from 1.2 min (cattle) to 5.9 min (horse). The peak level of drug concentration in the pla...
