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.
Mattei DN, Harman RM, Van de Walle GR, Smith R, Grivel JC, Abdelalim EM, Vinardell T.Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have regenerative and immunomodulatory potential and may be used to treat injured tissues. Pregnancy has been associated with increased MSCs in the peripheral circulation in multiple species, but to date, there are no reports on this matter in horses. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pregnancy on isolation efficiency and proliferation capacity of equine MSCs derived from the peripheral blood (PB) of mares. Venous blood samples were collected at the 11th month of gestation and 1 month after delivery from clinically healthy Arabian mares that presented ...
Wadbled L, Finck C, Santschi EM, Morehead JP, Fogarty U, Lemirre T, Beauchamp G, Richard H, Laverty S.Assess femorotibial features in foals with and without medial femoral condyle (MFC) subchondral radiolucencies (SR+ and SR-). Methods: 3 independent, sequential radiographic studies were performed. Study 1 retrospectively measured femorotibial morphological parameters in repository radiographs (SR- and SR+). Study 2 qualitatively compared drawings of intercondylar notch shape in postmortem radiographs (SR-). Study 3 prospectively measured femorotibial parameters in 1-month-old foals (SR-). In studies 1 and 3, 13 morphologic parameters were measured. Limb directional asymmetry was assessed in 2...
Pereira R, Gillespie S, Rapezzano G, Withers J, Duz M, Foote A.A 15-month-old, grey, Thoroughbred filly presented for investigation of a 6-week history of corneal oedema and blepharospasm on the right eye (OD). The filly was otherwise healthy. Following ophthalmic examination, glaucoma on the OD was diagnosed. A space occupying mass within the anterior chamber was documented on transpalpebral ultrasonographic examination. This mass obliterated most of the anterior intraocular structures on the peripheral nasal side (corneal endothelium and drainage angle), leading to secondary glaucoma. After systemic and topical treatment addressing secondary glaucoma, t...
Perry EB, Handlos GC, Fenton JM.Anise has demonstrated equine palatability but its olfactory effect is underexplored. The objective was to investigate the effect of the aroma of anise on consumptive behavior. Stock-type horses (n = 8) were used in a crossover 6-day preference test. Palatability stocks were utilized. Bowls containing oats were situated on plates holding gauze soaked with 0.375 ml of anise or corn oil (control). Variables included first diet sniffed (FS), first consumed (FC), first action (FA), and amount consumed (AC). Each trial was video-recorded. Behavior data were analyzed using chi square and Kruskal...
Sanigavatee K, Poochipakorn C, Huangsaksri O, Wonghanchao T, Rodkruta N, Chanprame S, Wiwatwongwana T, Chanda M.Athletic horses are usually retired from equestrian competition at an advanced age. Aged horses may then continue to have regular exercise or are sedentary. The comparison of autonomic regulation between sedentary aged horses (SAH) and trained aged horses (TAH) after retirement remains unpublished. This study compared daily heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability between 11 SAH and 11 TAH over 22 hours (07.00 h to 05.00 h on an alternate day) and during the day and night. An increase in mean beat-to-beat (RR) intervals (p < 0.01-0.0001) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) index (p &...
Onzere CK, Bastos RG, Bishop RP, Suarez CE, Fry LM. () is an apicomplexan parasite that causes severe hemolytic anemia in equids. Presently, there is inadequate knowledge of the immune responses induced by in equid hosts impeding understanding of the host parasite relationship and development of potent vaccines for control of infections. The objective of this study was to evaluate the host-parasite dynamics between merozoites and infected horses by assessing cytokine expression during primary and secondary parasite exposure, and to determine whether the pattern of expression correlated with clinical indicators of disease. Our findings showe...
Ferreira JD, Méndez-Angulo JL.Several tooth extraction techniques are described in equine literature, and oral extraction techniques in standing sedated horses are popular among equine practitioners. The objectives of this study were to develop the corkscrew technique for cheek tooth extraction (CSET) in equine cadaver heads and evaluate this technique in clinical cases. We hypothesized that the CSET could be performed safely to extract cheek teeth in standing sedated horses. First, the CSET was attempted and developed in eight equine cadaver heads. Second, the CSET was performed in clinical cases between 2016 and 2020, an...
Lang JJ, Li X, Micheler CM, Wilhelm NJ, Seidl F, Schwaiger BJ, Barnewitz D, von Eisenhart-Rothe R, Grosse CU, Burgkart R.Femoral fractures are often considered lethal for adult horses because femur osteosynthesis is still a surgical challenge. For equine femur osteosynthesis, primary stability is essential, but the detailed physiological forces occurring in the hindlimb are largely unknown. The objective of this study was to create a numerical testing environment to evaluate equine femur osteosynthesis based on physiological conditions. The study was designed as a finite element analysis (FEA) of the femur using a musculoskeletal model of the loading situation in stance. Relevant forces were determined in the mu...
Mady EA, Osuga H, Toyama H, El-Husseiny HM, Inoue R, Murase H, Yamamoto Y, Nagaoka K.The gut microbiota (GM) is essential for mammalian health. Although the association between infant GM and breast milk (BM) composition has been well established in humans, such a relationship has not been investigated in horses. Hence, this study was conducted to analyze the GM formation of foals during lactation and determine the presence of low-molecular-weight metabolites in mares' BM and their role in shaping foals' GM. The fecal and BM samples from six pairs of foals and mares were subjected to 16S ribosomal RNA metagenomic and metabolomic analyses, respectively. The composition of foal G...
Green de Freitas M, Gonçalves Lino Borges D, Henrique Conde M, Takemi Muchon Nakatani M, Francieli Tutija J, Fuzaro Scaléa GO, Reckziegel GH....The aim of the present study was to validate methods of stool sample conservation for the egg hatch test (EHT). This study involved the use of a bovine naturally infected predominantly by Cooperia spp. and one equine naturally infected predominantly by cyathostomins characterized as susceptible to benzimidazoles in the EHT. Fecal samples were submitted to three treatments: aerobic methods (anaerobic storage in plastic bottles, anaerobic storage in vacuum-sealed bags or aerobic storage in plastic bags), under two temperature conditions (room temperature and refrigeration) analyzed at four diffe...
Witkowska-Piłaszewicz O, Malin K, Dąbrowska I, Grzędzicka J, Ostaszewski P, Carter C.Domestic horses routinely participate in vigorous and various athletic activities. This enables the horse to serve as a model for studying athletic physiology and immunology in other species, including humans. For instance, as a model of physical efforts, such as endurance rides (long-distance running/aerobic exercise) and races (anaerobic exercise), the horse can be useful in evaluating post-exercise response. Currently, there has been significant interest in finding biomarkers, which characterize the advancement of training and adaptation to physical exercise in the horse. The parallels in c...
Nelson GR, Mama KR, Weiner D, McKemie DS, Kass PH, Steinmetz SJ, Knych HK.This study describes the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, including antinociceptive effects, of a transdermal buprenorphine solution in horses. It was hypothesized that transdermal application would lead to sustained blood concentrations and antinociceptive effects with fewer adverse effects compared with intravenous (IV) injection. Methods: Prospective nonrandomized four-part parallel experimental study. Methods: A group of eight horses (three mares and five geldings) aged 6-12 years. Methods: Horses were administered incremental doses of 15, 30 and 45 μg kg of buprenorphine transderma...
Rusenova N, Rusenov A, Chervenkov M, Sirakov I.The aim of this study was to analyze the seroprevalence of West Nile virus (WNV) among equids in Bulgaria, confirm the results of a competitive ELISA versus the virus neutralization test (VNT) and investigate some predisposing factors for WNV seropositivity. A total of 378 serum samples from 15 provinces in northern and southern Bulgaria were tested. The samples originated from 314 horses and 64 donkeys, 135 males and 243 females, aged from 1 to 30 years. IgG and IgM antibodies against WNV protein E were detected by ELISA. ELISA-positive samples were additionally tested via VNT for WNV and Usu...
Ducrocq M, Kamus L, Richard H, Beauchamp G, Janvier V, Laverty S.Stifle osteoarthritis (OA) lesions are most common in the medial femorotibial (MFT) compartment. Their characterisation and mapping will inform equine veterinarians towards an accurate diagnosis of OA. Objective: Investigate and map micro-CT (μCT) changes in the hyaline articular cartilage (HAC) in the medial femoral condyle (MFC) and medial tibial plateau (MTP). Methods: Ex vivo cadaveric. Methods: Stifles (n = 7 OA and 17 control [CO]) were retrieved from a tissue bank. The MFC and MFT were imaged with μCT. Regions of interest (ROIs) were cranial (MFCcr; MTPcr) and caudal (MFCca; MTPca...
Normand C, Thieulent CJ, Fortier C, Sutton G, Senamaud-Beaufort C, Jourdren L, Blugeon C, Vidalain PO, Pronost S, Hue ES.Equid herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4) is a common respiratory pathogen in horses. It sporadically induces abortion or neonatal death. Although its contribution in neurological disorders is not clearly demonstrated, there is a strong suspicion of its involvement. Despite preventive treatments using vaccines against EHV-1/EHV-4, the resurgence of alpha-EHV infection still constitutes an important threat to the horse industry. Yet very few studies have been conducted on the search for antiviral molecules against EHV-4. A screening of 42 antiviral compounds was performed in vitro on equine fibroblast cells ...
Laus F, Bazzano M, Spaterna A, Laghi L, Marchegiani A.Metabolomics can allow for the comprehensive identification of metabolites within biological systems, at given time points, in physiological and pathological conditions. In the last few years, metabolomic analysis has gained popularity both in human and in veterinary medicine, showing great potential for novel applications in clinical activity. The aim of applying metabolomics in clinical practice is understanding the mechanisms underlying pathological conditions and the influence of certain stimuli (i.e., drugs, nutrition, exercise) on body systems, in the attempt of identifying biomarkers th...
Wagner B.Host immune analyses require specific reagents to identify cellular and soluble components of the immune system. These immune reagents are often species-specific. For horses, various immunological tools have been developed and tested by different initiatives during the past decades. This article summarizes the development of well characterized monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for equine immune cells, immunoglobulin isotypes, cytokines, and chemokines.
Pearson G.This year BVA Live will, for the first time, feature farm animal and equine CPD. Among the varied topics on offer, Gemma Pearson will be presenting an introduction to equine behavioural medicine, examining the link between emotional and physical health in horses.
Hewitt-Dedman CL, Kershaw LE, Schwarz T, Del-Pozo J, Duncan J, Daniel CR, Cillán-García E, Pressanto MC, Taylor SE.Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has been used to investigate metabolic changes within human bone. It may be possible to use MRS to investigate bone metabolism and fracture risk in the distal third metacarpal/tarsal bone (MC/MTIII) in racehorses. Objective: To determine the feasibility of using MRS as a quantitative imaging technique in equine bone by using the H spectra for the MC/MTIII to calculate fat content (FC). Methods: Observational cross-sectional study. Methods: Limbs from Thoroughbred racehorses were collected from horses that died or were subjected to euthanasia on racecourses...
Klymiuk MC, Balz N, Elashry MI, Wenisch S, Arnhold S.Nanoparticles including extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stem cells are of increasing interest for research and clinical use in regenerative medicine. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including also previously named exosomes, provide a promising cell-free tool for therapeutic applications, which is probably a safer approach to achieve sufficient healing. Storage of EVs may be necessary for clinical applications as well as for further experiments, as the preparation is sometimes laborious and larger quantities tend to be gained. For this purpose, nanoparticles were obtained from mes...
Laufkötter S, Längerer L, Wehrend A.This study presents the individual course of estradiol-17ß and progesterone concentrations in blood during the reproductive cycle in mares in order to point out physiological differences between individual animals and to aid in the interpretation of hormone values. Methods: Concentrations of estradiol-17ß and progesterone were determined in seven mares over the course of their cycle. One mare was excluded from the study due to a physiologically deviating cycle. In addition, the mares' ovaries were examined via ultrasound on a daily basis in order to match the hormone values to morphological ...
Emmerich IU.In 2023, no new active pharmaceutical ingredients were released on the German market for horses and food-producing animals. Two established veterinary active pharmaceutical ingredients became available for additional species: The phosphorus compound butafosfan was also approved for horses, dogs, and cats and the mineral sodium chloride as an isotonic sodium chloride solution was also approved for rabbits and guinea pigs. In addition, for small animals, there were new releases of an agent (pergolidmesilate) in a novel pharmaceutical formulation and a lower content of the active ingredient, one ...
Valle AP, Brown KA, Reilly P, Ciamillo SA, Davidson EJ, Stefanovski D, Stewart HL, Ortved KF.Lameness examinations are commonly performed in equine medicine. Advancements in digital technology have increased the use of video recordings for lameness assessment, however, standardization of ideal video angle is not available yielding videos of poor diagnostic quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of video angle on the subjective assessment of front limb lameness. A randomized, blinded, crossover study was performed. Six horses with and without mechanically induced forelimb solar pain were recorded using 9 video angles including horses trotting directly away and ...
Soliman R, Yousef M, Gelil SA, Aboul-Ella H.Strangles is a highly contagious disease of the equine upper respiratory tract caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies. Streptococcus equi subsp. equi (S. equi) and Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) was isolated, as local, hot, and field strains, from horses clinically suffering from respiratory distress. The isolated Streptococci were identified using bacteriological and molecular techniques. Four formulations of inactivated S. equi vaccines were developed and evaluated. The first formulation was prepared using the S. equi isolates, adjuvanted with MONTANIDE GEL adjuv...
Leduc L, Leclère M, Lavoie JP.Although horses with asthma share similar clinical signs, the heterogeneity of the disease in terms of severity, triggering factors, inflammatory profile, and pathological features has hindered our ability to define biologically distinct subgroups. The recognition of phenotypes and endotypes could enable the development of precision medicine, including personalized, targeted therapy, to benefit affected horses. While in its infancy in horses, this review outlines the phenotypes of equine asthma and discusses how knowledge gained from targeted therapy in human medicine can be applied to evaluat...
Sielhorst J, Koether K, Volkmann N, Blanco M, Vicioso R, Baade S, Kemper N, de Mestre AM, Sieme H.Little is known about the incidence and outcome of high-risk pregnancies in equine practice and clinical studies on spontaneous occurring placentitis cases and treatments are missing. Therefore, the aims of this retrospective field study were to (1) describe the incidence and severity of ultrasonographic assessed placental abnormalities (UPA) in 4,192 pregnancies on a large commercial warmblood stud farm in 2017 - 2019 and (2) characterize these UPA cases and their pregnancy outcome. UPA severity (Placental abnormality score (PSc) 1-3; low to high), nine treatment regimens (TM1-9) used in UPA ...
Cendejas PM, Goodman AG.West Nile virus (WNV) is capable of causing severe neurologic disease in both humans and equines, making it a disease of importance in both human medicine and veterinary medicine. No targeted treatments exist for WNV infection in either humans or equines. Infection is treated symptomatically through management of symptoms like fever and seizures. As treatment for WNV is purely supportive, the response to WNV has focused primarily on methods of disease prevention. To this end, research efforts have yielded several effective vaccines for equine use as well as numerous conventional mosquito contr...
Guedes JRB, Vendruscolo CP, Tokawa PKA, Carvalho AM, Johnson PJ, Faleiros RR.Postural adaptation is a prominent feature in horses affected by laminitis. Laminitis induces intense pain, especially in the forelimbs, prompting affected horses to assume a caudally displaced trunk posture, resulting in the hyperflexion of the thoracolumbar spine. This study assessed the nature and prevalence of thoracolumbar injuries in horses with chronic laminitis compared to horses without it. Sixty horses were used (thirty laminitic and thirty non-laminitic) of different athletic purposes and ages (2-20 years). The experimental protocol entailed a single assessment of horses' thoracolum...
Kwak YB, Yoon J, Yoo HH.SR9009, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ (PPARδ) agonist, is known for its potential benefits in energy homeostasis. It failed to receive the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approval and its illegal distribution has raised concerns. As a result, it has been classified as a prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). This study emphasizes the application of the in-silico molecular networking technology to analyze phase I drug metabolites in horses, distinguishing it from conventional ...
Esterl-Byrne LL, Huseman CJ, Haynes C, Kinman LA, Jones TN.The welfare of unwanted horses presents a significant concern for the equine industry. However, there is a lack of research on how unwanted horses are affected by major crises. The drastic changes that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic presented ample opportunity to investigate how unwanted horses are impacted by challenging circumstances. Study objectives were to evaluate the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the unwanted horse population and determine the current perceptions of horses in-transition. A 23-question online survey designed using Qualtrics was administered electronically to adults ...
Dennis SJ, Meyers AE, Guthrie AJ, Hitzeroth II, Rybicki EP.African horse sickness (AHS) is a debilitating and often fatal viral disease affecting horses in much of Africa, caused by the dsRNA orbivirus African horse sickness virus (AHSV). Vaccination remains the single most effective weapon in combatting AHS, as there is no treatment for the disease apart from good animal husbandry. However, the only commercially available vaccine is a live-attenuated version of the virus (LAV). The threat of outbreaks of the disease outside its endemic region and the fact that the LAV is not licensed for use elsewhere in the world, have spurred attempts to develop an...
Sutton GA, Dahan R, Turner D, Paltiel O.A validated tool for assessing the severity of acute abdominal pain is needed for the effective management of colic in horses. Two behaviour-based colic pain scales were constructed by combining together mathematical and judgemental approaches. The mathematical approach identified easily-recognised pain behaviours to select as items. The judgemental approach further modified the items and weighted them based on expert-opinion. Thirty equine practitioners assessed the level of pain demonstrated in 23 film clips of clinical cases exhibiting signs of acute abdominal pain prospectively using a 10c...
Ahuir-Baraja AE, Cibot F, Llobat L, Garijo MM.More than 50 years after anthelmintic resistance was first identified, its prevalence and impact on the animal production industry continues to increase across the world. The term "anthelmintic resistance" (AR) can be briefly defined as the reduction in efficacy of a certain dose of anthelmintic drugs (AH) in eliminating the presence of a parasite population that was previously susceptible. The main aim of this study is to examine anthelmintic resistance in domestic herbivores. There are numerous factors playing a role in the development of AR, but the most important is livestock management. T...
Chirnside ED, de Vries AA, Mumford JA, Rottier PJ.Complementary DNAs encoding ORFs 2 to 7 equine arteritis virus (EAV) have been cloned into the expression vector pGEX to produce glutathione-S-transferase fusion proteins. Recombinant proteins were affinity purified and screened in ELISA with equine sera to identify immunoreactive polypeptides. The large envelope glycoprotein (GL) was identified as the most reactive to EAV-positive equine sera and an immuno-dominant epitope was mapped between amino acids 55 and 98 by subcloning and expression. A fusion protein covering this region and a GL-specific synthetic peptide (residues 75 through 97) in...
Wiedmeyer CE, Johnson PJ, Cohn LA, Meadows RL, Kerl ME, Tessman RK, Perlis J, DeClue AE.With the emergence of continuous glucose monitoring systems being used to provide a detailed glucose picture in humans, a commercially available system (CGMS(R), Medtronic Minimed, Northridge, CA) was examined for use in veterinary species. Methods: Adult, clinically normal horses (n = 7), cats (n = 3), dogs (n = 4), and cows (n = 5) were studied. Cats (n = 4), dogs (n = 5), and one horse with diabetes were included in the study. Several of the normal horses, including the horse with diabetes, and one cow were subjected to an intravenous glucose tolerance test. The CGMS was attached to each an...
Gao W, Chan Y, You M, Lacap-Bugler DC, Leung WK, Watt RM.This study explored the range of bacterial taxa present within healthy subgingival (below the gum-line) niches in the horse oral cavity using 16S rRNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing. Pooled subgingival plaque samples were collected from approximately 200 sulcus sites from two horses (EQ1, EQ2) for analysis. A total of 14,260 quality-filtered pyrosequencing reads were obtained, which were assigned to 3875 operational taxonomic units (OTUs; 99% identity cut-off); 1907 OTUs for EQ1 and 2156 OTUs for EQ2. Diverse taxa from 12 phyla were identified, including Actinobacteria (3.17%), Bacteroidetes (25...
Hollis AR, Wilkins PA, Palmer JE, Boston RC.Bacteremia in sick foals is associated with survival, but the association of bacteremia and diarrhea is not reported. Objective: Neonatal foals with diarrhea will commonly be bacteremic. Methods: One hundred and thirty-three neonatal foals. Methods: Records of all foals <30 days of age presenting with diarrhea between January 1990 and September 2007 were reviewed. Results: Sixty-six of 133 foals (50%) were bacteremic at admission, with 75 isolates from the 66 samples. The blood culture from a further 18 foals (13.5%) grew coryneform bacteria. Nine foals (6.8%) had 2 or more organisms grown on ...
Saiz JC.West Nile virus (WNV) is a widely distributed enveloped flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes, which main hosts are birds. The virus sporadically infects equids and humans with serious economic and health consequences, as infected individuals can develop a severe neuroinvasive disease that can even lead to death. Nowadays, no WNV-specific therapy is available and vaccines are only licensed for use in horses but not for humans. While several methodologies for WNV vaccine development have been successfully applied and have contributed to significantly reducing its incidence in horses in the US, n...
Egenvall A, Tranquille CA, Lönnell AC, Bitschnau C, Oomen A, Hernlund E, Montavon S, Franko MA, Murray RC, Weishaupt MA, Weeren vR, Roepstorff L.Orthopaedic, or other, injuries in sports medicine can be quantified using the 'days-lost to training' concept. Both the training regimen and the surface used in training and racing can affect the health of racehorses. Our aim was to associate 'days-lost to training' in elite-level show-jumpers to horse characteristics, training and management strategies, and the time spent working on various training and competition surfaces. We designed a longitudinal study of professional riders in four European countries. Data were recorded using training diaries. Reasons for days-lost were classified into...
Klein C.Maintenance of pregnancy is dependent on the exchange of signals between the conceptus and the endometrium. The objective of this study was to use next-generation sequencing to determine transcriptome blueprints of the conceptus and endometrium 16 days after ovulation in the horse. There were 7760 and 10 182 genes expressed in the conceptus and endometrium, respectively, of which 7029 were present in both. Genes related to developmental processes were enriched among conceptus-specific transcripts, whereas many endometrium-specific genes had known roles in cell communication, cell adhesion and ...
Tilley P, Sales Luis JP, Branco Ferreira M.As recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is progressive and as medical history is frequently unknown by owners, it's important to suggest a score model to characterize RAO stages for a more accurate diagnosis and treatment. The authors correlated clinical (CS), endoscopic (ES), thoracic X-ray (XRS) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALFS) scores in horses with RAO, in an attempt to establish relevance of each factor's contribution for the characterization of RAO stages and to suggest a staging method. Thirty horses with RAO and ten healthy controls were studied. Pearson correlation coefficients w...
Fenner K, Hyde M, Crean A, McGreevy P.Owner-reported behavioural observations form an essential part of the veterinarians' diagnosis and treatment plan. The way we train and manage horses affects their behaviour and, in turn, their health and welfare. Current horse training and management practices are largely driven by traditional techniques and longstanding methodologies. These approaches generally lack an evidence base for evaluation purposes. The absence of evidence and evaluation contributes to the persistent use of risky practices and this, in turn, increases risk of potential harms for both horse and rider, and fuels questi...
MacLeay JM, Sorum SA, Valberg SJ, Marsh WE, Sorum MD.To determine incidence, effect on performance, and management practices associated with exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) in Thoroughbreds. Methods: Medical records for 984 Thoroughbreds and a survey of trainers of horses with and without ER. Methods: Medical records for 984 Thoroughbreds stabled at a midwestern racetrack were examined to determine the incidence of ER during the 1995 racing season. A retrospective questionnaire was administered to trainers to determine management practices associated with ER in 59 Thoroughbreds with ER and 47 control Thoroughbreds in training. Multiple logistic r...
Boemer F, Detilleux J, Cello C, Amory H, Marcillaud-Pitel C, Richard E, van Galen G, van Loon G, Lefère L, Votion DM.Equine atypical myopathy (AM) is caused by hypoglycin A intoxication and is characterized by a high fatality rate. Predictive estimation of survival in AM horses is necessary to prevent unnecessary suffering of animals that are unlikely to survive and to focus supportive therapy on horses with a possible favourable prognosis of survival. We hypothesized that outcome may be predicted early in the course of disease based on the assumption that the acylcarnitine profile reflects the derangement of muscle energetics. We developed a statistical model to prognosticate the risk of death of diseased a...
Franzén P, Aspan A, Egenvall A, Gunnarsson A, Karlstam E, Pringle J.Anaplasma phagocytophilum infects several mammalian species, and can persist in sheep, dogs, and calves. However, whether this organism persists in horses or induces long-term clinical abnormalities is not known. Objective: To evaluate whether A. phagocytophilum can persist in horses and to document clinical findings for 3 months after complete recovery from acute disease. Methods: Five clinically normal adult horses that had recovered spontaneously from experimentally induced acute disease caused by a Swedish equine isolate of A. phagocytophilum. Methods: Horses were monitored for up to 129 d...
Sun TC, Riggs CM, Cogger N, Wright J, Al-Alawneh JI.Reports of fractures in racehorses have predominantly focused on catastrophic injuries, and there are limited data identifying the location and incidence of fractures that did not result in a fatal outcome. Objective: To describe the nature and the incidence of noncatastrophic and catastrophic fractures in Thoroughbreds racing at the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) over seven racing seasons. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Data of fractures sustained in horses while racing and of race characteristics were extracted from the HKJC Veterinary Management Information System (VMIS) and Ra...
Raudsepp T, Durkin K, Lear TL, Das PJ, Avila F, Kachroo P, Chowdhary BP.Male-to-female 64,XY sex reversal is a frequently reported chromosome abnormality in horses. Despite this, the molecular causes of the condition are as yet poorly understood. This is partially because only limited molecular information is available for the horse Y chromosome (ECAY). Here, we used the recently developed ECAY map and carried out the first comprehensive study of the Y chromosome in XY mares (n=18). The integrity of the ECAY in XY females was studied by FISH and PCR using markers evenly distributed along the euchromatic region. The results showed that the XY sex reversal condition...
Bressan FF, Bassanezze V, de Figueiredo Pessôa LV, Sacramento CB, Malta TM, Kashima S, Fantinato Neto P, Strefezzi RF, Pieri NCG, Krieger JE....Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have enormous potential in developmental biology studies and in cellular therapies. Although extensively studied and characterized in human and murine models, iPSCs from animals other than mice lack reproducible results. Herein, we describe the generation of robust iPSCs from equine and bovine cells through lentiviral transduction of murine or human transcription factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc and from human and murine cells using similar protocols, even when different supplementations were used. The iPSCs were analyzed regarding morphology, gene and...
Borjesson DL, Peroni JF.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...
Ferris RA, McCue PM, Borlee GI, Glapa KE, Martin KH, Mangalea MR, Hennet ML, Wolfe LM, Broeckling CD, Borlee BR.Bacteria in a biofilm community have increased tolerance to antimicrobial therapy. To characterize the role of biofilms in equine endometritis, six mares were inoculated with -engineered strains isolated from equine uterine infections. Following establishment of infection, the horses were euthanized and the endometrial surfaces were imaged for luminescence to localize adherent -labeled bacteria. Samples from the endometrium were collected for cytology, histopathology, carbohydrate analysis, and expression of inflammatory cytokine genes. Tissue-adherent bacteria were present in focal areas bet...
Rivero JL, Serrano AL, Barrey E, Valette JP, Jouglin M.Combined methodologies of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), immunoblotting, traditional myofibrillar ATPase (mATPase) histochemistry and immunocytochemistry of whole biopsied samples were used to study myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms in the equine gluteus medius muscle. The ELISA technique allowed the quantification of the three MHC isoforms known to be present in different horse muscles: slow (MHC-I) and two fast (termed MHC-IIA and MCH-IIX). The SDS-PAGE method resolved MHCs in three bands: MHC-I, MHC-IIX and M...
Björnsdóttir S, Harris SR, Svansson V, Gunnarsson E, Sigurðardóttir ÓG, Gammeljord K, Steward KF, Newton JR, Robinson C, Charbonneau ARL....Iceland is free of the major infectious diseases of horses. However, in 2010 an epidemic of respiratory disease of unknown cause spread through the country's native horse population of 77,000. Microbiological investigations ruled out known viral agents but identified the opportunistic pathogen subsp. () in diseased animals. We sequenced the genomes of 257 isolates of to differentiate epidemic from endemic strains. We found that although multiple endemic clones of were present, one particular clone, sequence type 209 (ST209), was likely to have been responsible for the epidemic. Concurrent ...
Beisel CE, Edwards JF, Dunn LL, Rice NR.Transcription of pathogenic equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) in an acutely infected horse was examined by using the polymerase chain reaction and nucleotide sequencing. Four spliced transcripts were identified in liver tissue, in contrast to the multiplicity of alternatively spliced messages reported for in vitro-propagated human immunodeficiency virus, simian immunodeficiency virus, and, to a lesser extent, EIAV. Nucleotide sequence analysis demonstrated that three of these mRNAs encode known viral proteins: the envelope precursor, the product of the S2 open reading frame, and the regula...
Traversa D, Castagna G, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Meloni S, Bartolini R, Geurden T, Pearce MC, Woringer E, Besognet B, Milillo P, D'Espois M.This paper reports a survey conducted in France during 2011 to evaluate the efficacy of commonly used anthelmintics against horse cyathostomins. A total of 40 farms and 1089 horses were screened for the presence of cyathostomins. All farms but one were positive, with an overall animal infection rate of 53.7%, ranging from 9% to 83% on individual farms. On 445 horses from 30 of these farms, a faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) was performed to evaluate the efficacy of oral formulations of fenbendazole (FBZ), pyrantel embonate (PYR), ivermectin (IVM) and moxidectin (MOX). Calculation of the...
Szóstek-Mioduchowska AZ, Baclawska A, Okuda K, Skarzynski DJ.Equine endometrosis (endometrial fibrosis) is a degenerative chronic process that occurs in the uterus of the mare and disturbs proper endometrial function. Fibrosis is attributed to excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. The turnover of ECM is mediated by matrix metallopeptidases (MMP). Previously, it was shown that cytokines modulate MMP expression in other tissues and may regulate fibrosis indirectly by attracting inflammatory cells to the site of inflammation and directly on various tissues. However, the regulation of MMP expression in equine endometrosis is still r...
Irvine KL, Hopkins LJ, Gangloff M, Bryant CE.TLR2 recognises bacterial lipopeptides and lipoteichoic acid, and forms heterodimers with TLR1 or TLR6. TLR2 is relatively well characterised in mice and humans, with published crystal structures of human TLR2/1/Pam3CSK4 and murine TLR2/6/Pam2CSK4. Equine TLR4 is activated by a different panel of ligands to human and murine TLR4, but less is known about species differences at TLR2. We therefore cloned equine TLR2, TLR1 and TLR6, which showed over 80% sequence identity with these receptors from other mammals, and performed a structure-function analysis. TLR2/1 and TLR2/6 from both horses and hu...
Vázquez-Morón S, Avellón A, Echevarría JE.The Lyssavirus genus includes seven species or genotypes named 1-7. Rabies genotypes correlate with geographical distribution and specific hosts. Co-circulation of different lyssaviruses, imported cases, and the presence of unknown viruses, such as Aravan, Khujand, Irkut and West Caucasian Bat Virus, make it necessary to use generic methods able to detect all lyssaviruses. Primer sequences were chosen from conserved regions in all genotypes in order to optimise a generic RT-PCR. Serial dilutions of 12 RNA extracts from all seven Lyssavirus genotypes were examined to compare the sensitivity of ...
Song SD, Barker SC, Shao R.The genus Haematopinus contains 21 species of blood-sucking lice, parasitizing both even-toed ungulates (pigs, cattle, buffalo, antelopes, camels and deer) and odd-toed ungulates (horses, donkeys and zebras). The mitochondrial genomes of the domestic pig louse, Haematopinus suis, and the wild pig louse, Haematopinus apri, have been sequenced recently; both lice have fragmented mitochondrial genomes with 37 genes on nine minichromosomes. To understand whether the composition of mitochondrial minichromosomes and the gene content and gene arrangement of each minichromosome are stable within the g...
Mares-Guia MA, Rozental T, Guterres A, Gomes R, Almeida DN, Moreira NS, Barreira JD, Favacho AR, Santana AL, Lemos ER.Over the last recent years, the number of Q fever cases have has increased throughout the world. An epidemiological investigation was performed in the area in which the first molecular documentation of Q fever in Brazil was previously reported. Methods: Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and PCR of Coxiella burnetii targeting the htpAB gene were performed in samples from 14 dogs (blood); 1 cat (blood); 10 goats (blood, milk, vaginal swab and anal swab); 3 sheep (blood); and 2 horses (blood). Results: Two dogs, two sheep and five goats were seroreactive. DNA was amplified from 6 milk and 2...
Donadeu FX, Schauer SN.Relatively little is known about the physiological roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) during follicular development. Previous evidence from in vitro studies suggests specific roles for a subset of miRNAs, including miR-21, miR-23a, miR-145, miR-503, miR-224, miR-383, miR-378, miR-132, and miR-212, in regulating ovarian follicle development. The objective of this study was to gain insight on the involvement of these miRNAs during follicle maturation. Follicular fluid was aspirated from dominant follicles (>32 mm) during the ovulatory season (July to October) and the anovulatory season (January to M...
