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.
Pereira Lopes A, Emanuel da Silva R, Sousa Santos L, de Morais Nobre ML, de Araujo Sousa PS, Almeida Rocha J, Veras Quelemes P, de Araujo-Nobre AR....The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial, antibiofilm and modulating activities of trans-trans-farnesol (tt-farnesol) on two strains of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi and two strains of S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus, pathogenic or commensal bacteria of horses. Tt-farnesol showed bactericidal activity against all tested strains, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) between 8 and 4 μg/mL. The sesquiterpene caused significant damage to the bacterial membrane, and its antibacterial activity did not appear to depend on oxidat...
Lenarz J, Smit IH, Rhodin M, Lischer C, Fugazzola MC.Intramuscular vaccination is a routine component of equine medicine, but local muscle soreness may transiently affect gait symmetry. Objective data on vaccination-associated gait changes in horses are lacking. Objective: To investigate whether intramuscular vaccination induces measurable gait asymmetries depending on injection site, to inform recommendations on vaccination site selection and short-term exercise management. Methods: In this prospective, randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled study, eighteen clinically sound Warmblood horses were enrolled and received an intramuscular vaccinati...
Rosa MCB, Campos MEST, Albuquerque AS, Braz MS, Mapele RO, de Oliveira MCG, Toma HS, Ferraz PFP, Pereira RN, Raymundo DL.Skin wounds in horses, particularly in the distal extremities, often heal slowly due to mechanical stress, compromised perfusion, and excessive fibroplasia. This study evaluated the effects of topical Croton lechleri (CL) cream, alone or in combination with nitroglycerin, on the healing of skin wounds in the metatarsal region of horses. Six mares received six standardized wounds in each region and were treated with: saline solution, nitroglycerin (0.1 or 1 mg/mL), CL (1 or 10 µg/mL), or CL + nitroglycerin (10 µg/mL + 1 mg/mL). Wound contraction, histology, and bacterial culture were evaluate...
Wójtowicz A, Sadowska A, Myszczyński K, Molcan T, Kaczmarek MM, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A.Fibrosis remains incompletely understood, particularly in terms of how immune mediators shape stromal programs. We used a spontaneous large‑animal model-endometrosis (equine endometrial fibrosis) to define how interleukin‑4 (IL‑4) reprograms fibroblasts from healthy and fibrotic endometrium. Primary fibroblasts were exposed to IL‑4 (10 ng/mL) for 48 or 96 h. At 48 h, bulk transcriptomes revealed 1307 differentially expressed genes (DEGs; 648 up, 659 down) and 1271 DEGs (645 up, 626 down) in fibroblasts derived from endometria without or with endometrosis, respectively. Enrichment an...
Granello ME, Young JM, Cleff DB, Banks EBM, Trumble TN.To describe characteristics of postoperative peritoneal fluid following exploratory laparotomy for naturally-occurring gastrointestinal lesions in horses. Methods: Prospective, observational cohort study. Methods: A total of 26 client-owned horses that underwent exploratory laparotomy for naturally-occurring gastrointestinal lesions. Methods: Abdominocentesis was performed pre- or intraoperatively, and at three time points postoperatively (24, 72, and 168 h). Peritoneal lactate, total protein (TP), total nucleated cell count (TNCC), cytology, and systemic lactate were performed at each time ...
An SJ, Sohn Y, Forbes E, Ryu SH.Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a common developmental orthopedic condition in Thoroughbred racehorses and although arthroscopic surgery is widely used for treatment, its long-term effects on race performance remain unclear. This retrospective study evaluated the effect of OCD surgery on race performance, compared the predictive power of pedigree and management variables and applied interpretable machine learning methods for forecasting race performance outcomes. Data were collected from 75 Thoroughbreds that underwent OCD surgery between 2015 and 2017 and 257 maternal siblings without reco...
Shroff K, Underwood C, Stefanovski D, Hopster K, Slack J.To determine transthoracic impedance (TTI) in adult horses using an exponential biphasic defibrillator and investigate patient and technique factors influencing TTI. Unassigned: A randomized crossover design with 2 phases was used. Phase 1: TTI was measured in dorsal and lateral recumbency, with and without manual pressure on the electrodes in deceased horses immediately following euthanasia. Phase 2: TTI was measured in dorsal recumbency during inspiration and expiration using anesthetized live horses sourced from 2 terminal studies. Mixed-effects linear regression modeling was performed to a...
Boeger L, Volkmann N, Probst J, Kemper N, Venner M.The emergence of antimicrobial resistance raises concerns about using antibiotics in veterinary medicine, particularly in cases of bronchopneumonia in foals diagnosed early based on a screening programme. Many subclinical foals recover spontaneously, thus, interest in more restrictive antibiotic usage is increasing. Objective: To determine whether initiating antimicrobial therapy at a later stage of bronchopneumonia decreases antimicrobial usage without compromising successful resolution of pathology in affected foals. Methods: A total of 1200 warmblood foals born in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 ...
Mählmann K, Lischer CJ.This technical note describes the use of a manual graphic roadmap (MGR) to assist fluoroscopic guidance during transarterial coil embolization (TACE) for guttural pouch (GP) arterial hemorrhage. Horses underwent MGR-assisted TACE at the Equine Clinic, Free University of Berlin, between 2012 and 2024. Surgery was performed under general anesthesia with fluoroscopic guidance. Following the initial angiogram, a transparent foil was secured to the fluoroscopy monitor, and an assistant traced the vascular anatomy with a waterproof marker to create the MGR, which then served as a guide for catheter ...
Campos Schweitzer A, Mespoulhes-Rivière C, Perkins JD, Ducharme NG, Piercy RJ, Lynch N, Rossignol F.To evaluate functional and histopathologic outcomes of standing selective laryngeal reinnervation using the spinal accessory nerve (SAN) in horses with experimentally induced recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN). Methods: Five Thoroughbred mares. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Methods: The horses underwent left recurrent laryngeal neurectomy followed 8 weeks later by selective laryngeal reinnervation using the SAN. Follow-up evaluations at 4.5, 6, 8, and 12 months included treadmill exercising endoscopy, ultrasonography of intrinsic laryngeal muscles, and percutaneous electrical stimul...
Aimonetti E, Genton M, Lischer CJ, Rossignol F.To determine the benefit of using a three-dimensional (3D)-printed titanium aiming device for placing two 5.5-mm transarticular screws during proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) arthrodesis in equine species. Methods: Ex vivo study. Methods: A total of 40 cadaveric forelimbs from adult horses. Methods: A senior surgeon and a first-year resident each performed 20 constructs: 10 using the device and 10 using a freehand technique. Procedure duration and number of intraoperative radiographs were recorded. Final radiographs were evaluated by an ECVS-certified surgeon unaware of treatment group, b...
Strugava L, Serighelli-Júnior G, Stadler LM, Flores LADS, Minozzo GA, Dornbusch LPTC, Moreno JCD, Dornbusch PT.Rectal amputation is a surgical approach indicated for the management of severe rectal lacerations or extensive rectal prolapse when transmural compromise or primary repair is unfeasible. These conditions, although uncommon, present substantial challenges in equine practice due to the anatomical complexity of the pelvic region and the potential for life-threatening complications if not adequately addressed. This study aimed to describe and standardize a reproducible surgical technique for rectal amputation in horse cadavers. Six equine cadavers (mean body mass, 441.83± 66.84 kg) were position...
Aliani C, Lorenzetto Bologna C, Francia P, Bocchi L.Standing equine computed tomography (CT) acquisitions are susceptible to residual postural sway, which can introduce view-inconsistent motion and degrade image quality. External optical tracking based on ChArUco fiducials is a promising, low-cost strategy to enable projection-wise motion compensation, yet quantitative guidance on how camera-marker geometry affects pose-estimation performance remains limited. This CT-motivated benchtop study characterizes how the relative camera-ChArUco configuration influences both the accuracy (bias with respect to ground truth) and the precision (repeatabili...
K-Jánosi K, Sztojka A, Kis IE, Biksi I, Bakos Z, Kaszab E, Mag T, Albert E.In 2024, a highly fatal outbreak of equine salmonellosis occurred in a Hungarian equine referral hospital, resulting in the death or euthanasia of four out of five affected horses. () subsp. serovar Typhimurium was identified as the primary causative agent from equine faecal, reflux, and post-mortem intestinal content samples, while one case involved Coeln. Extensive environmental sampling during the outbreak also yielded multiple serovars. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a high degree of genetic relatedness among the Typhimurium isolates, confirming nosocomial transmission. The source ...
Gallacher K, Woolford L, Gilbert RO, Santos LC, McLeod J, Hebart M, Agne GF, du Preez S, Kind KL.Assessment of the endometrium is an essential component of a breeding soundness examination in mares. The current reference standard for evaluating equine endometrial health is histopathological assessment of an endometrial biopsy, however, inconsistencies may arise when a single blinded biopsy is used. Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is non-invasive and enables real-time in-vivo imaging of the endometrium across multiple locations within the uterine lumen. An initial study revealed variation in CLE image quality between mares. Objective: This study aimed to compare the quality of endometr...
Zimmerman-Cameron SR, Colbath AC, Caruso MA, Hoffman RM, Logan AA.Navicular syndrome is characterized by palmar foot pain and is a common cause of lameness in horses. Palmar digital neurectomy (nerving) removes sensation to the heel region of the hoof and may serve as a treatment for navicular-afflicted horses, while analgesia (blocking) results in temporary loss of sensation. Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effect of loss of sensation in the heel on the forelimb area and force while tracking on soft and hard ground at the walk and trot. Methods: Three horses that scored a 0 or 1 on the AAEP lameness scale were fitted to Tekscan...
Häussling MPP, Steinberg T, Büttner K, Hannig C, Hannig M, Lemke L, Zierau O, Staszyk C.Destructive lesions of the peripheral and infundibular cementum are increasingly recognized in equine dentistry. While similarities to human caries have been noted, current evidence does not conclusively support this classification. This study aims to assess the prevalence, distribution, and potential risk factors associated with these lesions in a defined horse population. Unassigned: A total of 114 horses from northern Germany underwent standardized oral examination between 2021 and 2023. Clinical data on peripheral and infundibular lesions, diastemata, and influencing factors such as age an...
Bish-Jones AR, Papich MG, Orsini JA.This study describes the pharmacokinetics of ertapenem, a carbapenem antimicrobial that has not been previously studied in equids. Administered as a 30 mg/kg intravenous bolus to six healthy horses, serial blood and synovial samples were obtained over 8 h after administration. Pharmacokinetic analysis of plasma and synovial fluid was performed. In plasma, the AUC was 353.10 h × μg/mL (CV = 49.02%), Vss 79.34 mL/kg (CV = 22.85%), CL 84.96 mL/h/kg (CV = 31.31%) and t1/2 2.03 h (CV = 15.32%). In synovial fluid, the AUC was 524.10 h × μg/mL (CV = 16.03...
Hallowell KL, van Eps AW, Kulp JC, Schnabel LV.Lipemia is a common comorbidity in horses with obesity or equine metabolic syndrome, but the impact of lipemia on the measurement of insulin and adiponectin has not been evaluated. Objective: To evaluate endogenous and exogenous lipemic interference with equine insulin and adiponectin measurements via several commercial assays. Methods: Endogenous lipemia was evaluated using plasma and serum samples with triglyceride concentrations of 1000 mg/dL (n = 6 each). Sample insulin concentrations were determined via fluorescence enzyme immunoassay (FEIA), ELISA, and lateral flow assay (LFA). ...
Kamr A, Fortin-Trahan R, Arroyo LG, Hostnik LD, Gomez DE, Toribio RE.Hypocalcemia is frequent in horses with colitis. Information on serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations and its association with bone turnover biomarkers in horses with colitis is lacking. We aimed to determine the association between serum bone resorption biomarkers (C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen [CTX-I]) and bone formation (osteocalcin [OCN]) with blood PTH, total calcium (tCa), ionized calcium (iCa), phosphorus (Pi), and total magnesium (tMg) concentrations, and mortality in horses with acute colitis. A total of 163 horses were divided into colitis (n = 127) and healt...
Amaral A, Cerveira-Pinto M, Santos C, Kordowitzki P, Skarzynski D, Ferreira-Dias G, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A.Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 is a pro-fibrotic cytokine that affects extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and fibroblast activity. 17β-Estradiol (E), the dominant ovarian steroid during the follicular phase (FLP) of the estrous cycle, can also influence ECM remodeling and fibrosis, through prostaglandin (PG) synthesis. PGs have opposing roles in fibrosis, with PGE₂ showing anti-fibrotic effects and PGF₂α promoting fibrosis. Equine endometrosis, whose main pathological feature is fibrosis, is marked by chronic inflammation and ECM accumulation, and may involve mediators like TGF-...
Markowitz JS.Equibase (EQB) race charts provide the official record of North American Thoroughbred races and often document catastrophic injury, euthanasia, or equine-ambulance transport. Because chart documentation and regulatory classification differ, fatalities occurring > 72 hours after a race fall outside international regulatory definitions applied by the Equine Injury Database (EID) and may not appear in EID aggregates. EQB charts confirm horse identity, race participation, finishing status, and last recorded start. Horseracing Wrongs (HRW), an advocacy group, publishes horse-level fatality data tha...
Folgmann MS, Stock KF, Feige K, Delling U.Current studies on the health status of young German Warmblood stallions are lacking. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of radiographic findings at licensing examinations of Warmblood candidate stallions and quantify the environmental influences on the distribution of recorded findings. Methods: In this retrospective observational study, records of 1693 radiographic examinations performed on 1678 German Warmblood stallions presented for licensing in 2018-2020 were reviewed. Data were provided by all German Warmblood horse-breeding associations and their official veterinarians. The collecti...
Díaz-Alvarado T, Alcala-Canto Y, Elghandour MMMY, Salem MZM, Mariezcurrena-Berasain MD, Salem AZM.Gastrointestinal endoparasitic diseases, particularly those caused by some strongyles, represent one of the main health challenges in equine production. The prolonged use of synthetic anthelmintics has led to the development of resistance, which has prompted the search for more sustainable therapeutic alternatives. However, plant extracts rich in secondary metabolites are emerging as a promising option. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro anthelmintic activity of aqueous extracts and bioactive compounds (total phenols and saponins) from Azadirachta indica and Cn...
Donato GG, Necchi D, Gionechetti F, Ala U, Nebbia P, Robino P, Stella MC, Vandaele H, Pallavicini A, Nervo T.In the past, bacteria detected in the mare's uterus were generally interpreted as a sign of endometritis, since the uterus was considered a sterile environment. This assumption has been challenged by the introduction of culture-independent molecular techniques, particularly 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, which have demonstrated that healthy mares harbor an endometrial microbiota. The aim of this study was to characterize the endometrial microbiota of healthy mares and to determine whether microbial composition differs between estrus and diestrus. Endometrial samples were collected from eleven h...
Kremer H, Bartling B.The nasal vestibule of numerous horses is pigmented. In the ventral part of the nasal vestibule, this pigmentation is often disturbed resulting in a clearly depigmented area. As nasal discharge passes this area, our study aimed at the practical quantification of the depigmented area in the nasal vestibule of horses and the analysis of its relation to nasal discharge and other parameters.This study included 74 horses (59 warmblood horses, 15 ponies) with pigmented nasal vestibule. When a depigmentation was found to be present in the ventral part, this area was photographed and quantified by use...
Castillo JDCR, Forte L, Elghandour MMMY, Maggiolino A, De Palo P, Ponce-Covarrubias JL, Salem AZM.Parasitic infections remain a major constraint to equine health and performance, and the worldwide rise of anthelmintic resistance is forcing a shift toward integrated parasite management and new complementary tools. Caesalpinia coriaria (Divi-divi) pods are exceptionally rich in tannins and have been proposed as a potential source of antiparasitic phytochemicals. This review summarizes the current evidence on C. coriaria, focusing on its relevance to equine gastrointestinal helminths. Most available data come from in vitro screening against ruminant nematode models (mainly Haemonchus contortu...
Márquez-Moya A, Carreras-Vico N, Sala-Ayala L, Martínez-Boví R, Cuervo-Arango J.Transvaginal ultrasound-guided follicular aspiration or ovum pick-up (OPU) has become the standard technique for oocyte collection in mares for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Although repeated follicular flushes and wall scraping are commonly used to improve oocyte recovery rate (ORR), the relative contribution of each remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the effects of multiple flushes versus controlled scraping time on ORR in mares. A controlled trial was conducted in two phases: (1) an ex vivo phase using slaughterhouse ovaries (n = 32), and (2) an in vivo phase in c...
Starrett A, Arnold CE, Burr A, Sarturi JO, Leatherwood JL, Pilla R, Awosile BB, Chaffin MK.To quantify gastrointestinal motility at 3 anatomic locations of the large colon in healthy horses fed 2 diets. Unassigned: 12 American Quarter Horses were enrolled in a prospective crossover study. Horses received either a complete pelleted diet fed at 1.35% body weight (BW) per day or Coastal Bermudagrass hay fed at 2% BW with 0.5% to 0.7% BW of complete pelleted feed. Each diet was fed for 13 days prior to motility assessment. Two ultrasonographers recorded the frequency of contractions at the sternal flexure of the large colon, left ventral colon, and cecum for 4 consecutive, 1-minute peri...
Ranera B, Lyahyai J, Romero A, Vázquez FJ, Remacha AR, Bernal ML, Zaragoza P, Rodellar C, Martín-Burriel I.Bone marrow and adipose tissue are the two main sources of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC). The aim of this work was to analyse the immunophenotype of 7 surface markers and the expression of a panel of 13 genes coding for cell surface markers in equine bone marrow and adipose tissue-derived MSCs obtained from 9 horses at third passage. The tri-lineage differentiation was confirmed by specific staining. Equine MSCs from both sources were positive for the MSC markers CD29 and CD90, while were negative for CD44, CD73, CD105, CD45 and CD34. The gene expression of these molecules was also evaluated by ...
Reperant LA, Rimmelzwaan GF, Kuiken T.Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of subtype H5N1 are remarkable because of their expanding non-avian host range and wide tissue tropism. They have caused severe or fatal respiratory and extra-respiratory disease in seven naturally infected species of carnivore. However, they are not unique in their ability to cross the species barrier, to cause clinical disease and mortality, or to replicate in extra-respiratory organs. Low pathogenic avian influenza viruses have crossed from birds to swine, horses, harbour seals, whales and mink; have resulted in severe respiratory disease and mortal...
Baptiste KE, Williams K, Willams NJ, Wattret A, Clegg PD, Dawson S, Corkill JE, O'Neill T, Hart CA.We determined the molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant staphylococci from animals and staff at a small animal and equine hospital. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) identical to human EMRSA-15 was found in dogs and hospital staff. In contrast, 5 distinct MRSA strains were isolated from horses but not from hospital staff.
Galli C, Lagutina I, Crotti G, Colleoni S, Turini P, Ponderato N, Duchi R, Lazzari G.Several animal species, including sheep, mice, cattle, goats, rabbits, cats, pigs and, more recently, mules have been reproduced by somatic cell cloning, with the offspring being a genetic copy of the animal donor of the nuclear material used for transfer into an enucleated oocyte. Here we use this technology to clone an adult horse and show that it is possible to establish a viable, full-term pregnancy in which the surrogate mother is also the nuclear donor. The cloned offspring is therefore genetically identical to the mare who carried it, challenging the idea that maternal immunological rec...
Onyiche TE, Suganuma K, Igarashi I, Yokoyama N, Xuan X, Thekisoe O.Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease caused by apicomplexan protozoan parasites, and . The disease is responsible for serious economic losses to the equine industry. It principally affects donkeys, horses, mules, and zebra but DNA of the parasites has also been detected in dogs and camels raising doubt about their host specificity. The disease is endemic in tropical and temperate regions of the world where the competent tick vectors are prevalent. Infected equids remain carrier for life with infection, whilst, infection with is cleared within a few years. This review focuses on...
Journal of medical entomologyOctober 5, 2006
Volume 43, Issue 5 936-946 doi: 10.1603/0022-2585(2006)43[936:hbahba]2.0.co;2
Balenghien T, Fouque F, Sabatier P, Bicout DJ.After 35 yr of disease absence, West Nile virus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, WNV) circulation has been regularly detected in the Camargue region (southern France) since 2000. WNV was isolated from Culex modestus Ficalbi, which was considered the main vector in southern France after horse outbreaks in the 1960s. Recent WNV transmissions outside of the Cx. modestus distribution suggested the existence of other vectors. To study potential WNV vectors, horse- and bird-baited traps and human landing collections of mosquitoes were carried out weekly from May to October 2004 at two Camargu...
Reef VB, Bonagura J, Buhl R, McGurrin MK, Schwarzwald CC, van Loon G, Young LE.Murmurs and arrhythmias are commonly detected in equine athletes. Assessing the relevance of these cardiovascular abnormalities in the performance horse can be challenging. Determining the impact of a cardiovascular disorder on performance, life expectancy, horse and rider or driver safety relative to the owner's future expectations is paramount. A comprehensive assessment of the cardiovascular abnormality detected is essential to determine its severity and achieve these aims. This consensus statement presents a general approach to the assessment of cardiovascular abnormalities, followed by a ...
Peregrine AS, Molento MB, Kaplan RM, Nielsen MK.Parascaris equorum and cyathostomins are currently considered the most important parasites of horses and have traditionally been controlled with anthelmintics belonging to three drug classes: benzimidazoles, the tetrahydropyrimidine pyrantel, and macrocyclic lactones. Unfortunately, resistance to benzimidazoles, and to a lesser extent pyrantel, is widespread in cyathostomins around the world. Furthermore, resistance to macrocyclic lactones appears to be in the early stages of development in cyathostomins in multiple locations. In contrast, P. equorum populations have remained susceptible to th...
Arrigo NC, Adams AP, Weaver SC.The eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) complex consists of four distinct genetic lineages: one that circulates in North America (NA EEEV) and the Caribbean and three that circulate in Central and South America (SA EEEV). Differences in their geographic, pathogenic, and epidemiologic profiles prompted evaluation of their genetic diversity and evolutionary histories. The structural polyprotein open reading frames of all available SA EEEV and recent NA EEEV isolates were sequenced and used in evolutionary and phylogenetic analyses. The nucleotide substitution rate per year for SA EEEV (1.2 x 10(-4...
Telford EA, Watson MS, Aird HC, Perry J, Davison AJ.The complete DNA sequence of equine herpesvirus 2 (EHV-2) strain 86/67 was determined. The genome is 184,427 bp in size and has a base composition of 57.5% G + C. Unusually for a herpesvirus, about a third of the sequence distributed in several large blocks appears not to encode proteins. The 79 open reading frames that were identified as probably polypeptide-coding are predicted to encode 77 distinct proteins. Amino acid sequence comparisons confirmed that EHV-2 is a gamma-herpesvirus that is genetically collinear with herpesvirus saimiri (HVS; a gamma 2-herpesvirus) and Epstein-Barr virus (E...
Santín M.Cryptosporidium spp. are frequent parasites of livestock and companion animals, raising questions about the clinical significance of such infections. Cryptosporidium infections have a wide spectrum of clinical signs that can vary from asymptomatic to serious infection to death. In neonatal ruminants, cryptosporidiosis is considered an important disease characterised by diarrhoea and mortality. In companion animals most infections are asymptomatic but severe clinical illness has also been reported in dogs, cats and horses. In birds, three main clinical forms of cryptosporidiosis are primarily s...
Ericsson AC, Johnson PJ, Lopes MA, Perry SC, Lanter HR.Horses are exquisitely sensitive to non-specific gastrointestinal disturbances as well as systemic and extraintestinal conditions related to gut health, yet minimal data are available regarding the composition of the microbiota present in the equine stomach, small intestine, and cecum and their relation to fecal microbiota. Moreover, there is minimal information regarding the concordance of the luminal and mucosal microbial communities throughout the equine gut. Illumina-based 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of the luminal and mucosal microbiota present in seven regions of the gastrointestin...
Warmuth V, Eriksson A, Bower MA, Barker G, Barrett E, Hanks BK, Li S, Lomitashvili D, Ochir-Goryaeva M, Sizonov GV, Soyonov V, Manica A.Despite decades of research across multiple disciplines, the early history of horse domestication remains poorly understood. On the basis of current evidence from archaeology, mitochondrial DNA, and Y-chromosomal sequencing, a number of different domestication scenarios have been proposed, ranging from the spread of domestic horses out of a restricted primary area of domestication to the domestication of numerous distinct wild horse populations. In this paper, we reconstruct both the population genetic structure of the extinct wild progenitor of domestic horses, Equus ferus, and the origin and...
Rubin CT, Lanyon LE.Rosette strain gauges were attached to the midshaft of the radius and tibia of two horses and two dogs, which ran on a treadmill through their entire range of speed and gait. The relative magnitudes of the principal strains on the opposite cortices of each bone remained constant through the stance phase of the stride, and their orientation varied by a maximum of only 14 degrees through the entire speed range. The maximum strain rate increased linearly with speed, but the peak strain magnitude was also dependent upon the gait used, increasing incrementally by up to 59% at the transition from wa...
White LM, Sussman MS, Hurtig M, Probyn L, Tomlinson G, Kandel R.To prospectively assess T2 mapping characteristics of normal articular cartilage and of cartilage at sites of arthroscopic repair, including comparison with histologic results and collagen organization assessed at polarized light microscopy (PLM). Methods: Study protocol was compliant with the Canadian Council on Animal Care Guidelines and approved by the institutional animal care committee. Arthroscopic osteochondral autograft transplantation (OAT) and microfracture arthroplasty (MFx) were performed in knees of 10 equine subjects (seven female, three male; age range, 3-5 years). A site of art...
Guo Y, Wang M, Kawaoka Y, Gorman O, Ito T, Saito T, Webster RG.In March 1989 a severe outbreak of respiratory disease occurred in horses in the Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces of Northeast China that caused up to 20% mortality in some herds. An influenza virus of the H3N8 subtype was isolated from the infected animals and was antigenically and molecularly distinguishable from the equine 2 (H3N8) viruses currently circulating in the world. The reference strain A/Equine/Jilin/1/89 (H3N8) was most closely related to avian H3N8 influenza viruses. Sequence comparisons of the entire hemagglutinin (HA), nucleoprotein (NP), neuraminidase (NA), matrix (M), and NS...
Dakin SG, Dudhia J, Smith RK.Injuries to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in equine athletes, but the healing response is poorly understood. One important drive for the healing of connective tissues is the inflammatory cascade, but the role of inflammation in tendinopathy has been contentious in the literature. This article reviews the processes involved in the healing of tendon injuries in natural disease and experimental models. The importance of inflammatory processes known to be active in tendon disease is discussed with particular focus on recent findings ...
Thorpe CT, Udeze CP, Birch HL, Clegg PD, Screen HR.Age-related tendinopathy is common in both humans and horses; the initiation and progression of which is similar between species. The majority of tendon injuries occur to high-strain energy storing tendons, such as the human Achilles tendon and equine superficial digital flexor (SDFT). By contrast, the low-strain positional human anterior tibialis tendon and equine common digital extensor (CDET) are rarely injured. It has previously been established that greater extension occurs at the fascicular interface in the SDFT than in the CDET; this may facilitate the large strains experienced during l...
Cupp EW, Zhang D, Yue X, Cupp MS, Guyer C, Sprenger TR, Unnasch TR.Uranotaenia sapphirina, Culex erraticus, and Cx. peccator were collected in an enzootic eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus focus in central Alabama (Tuskegee National Forest) from 2001 to 2003 and analyzed for virus as well as host selection. EEE virus was detected in each species every year except 2003, when pools of Cx. peccator were negative. Most (97%) of the 130 Cx. peccator blood meals identified were from ectothermic hosts; 3% were from birds. Among blood meals from reptiles (approximately 75% of the total), 81% were from Agkistrodon piscivorus (cottonmouth); all amphibian blo...
Li L, Giannitti F, Low J, Keyes C, Ullmann LS, Deng X, Aleman M, Pesavento PA, Pusterla N, Delwart E.Metagenomics was used to characterize viral genomes in clinical specimens of horses with various organ-specific diseases of unknown aetiology. A novel parvovirus as well as a previously described hepacivirus closely related to human hepatitis C virus and equid herpesvirus 2 were identified in the cerebrospinal fluid of horses with neurological signs. Four co-infecting picobirnaviruses, including an unusual genome with fused RNA segments, and a divergent anellovirus were found in the plasma of two febrile horses. A novel cyclovirus genome was characterized from the nasal secretion of another fe...
Puffer BA, Watkins SC, Montelaro RC.We have identified an interaction between the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) late assembly domain and the cellular AP-2 clathrin-associated adapter protein complex. A YXXL motif within the EIAV Gag late assembly domain was previously characterized as a sequence critical for release of assembling virions. We now show that this YXXL sequence interacts in vitro with the AP-50 subunit of the AP-2 complex, while the functionally interchangeable late assembly domains carried by the Rous sarcoma virus p2b protein and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 p6 protein, which utilize PPPY and PTAPP ...
Couetil L, Cardwell JM, Leguillette R, Mazan M, Richard E, Bienzle D, Bullone M, Gerber V, Ivester K, Lavoie JP, Martin J, Moran G, Niedźwiedź A....The 2019 Havemeyer Workshop brought together researchers and clinicians to discuss the latest information on Equine Asthma and provide future research directions. Current clinical and molecular asthma phenotypes and endotypes in humans were discussed and compared to asthma phenotypes in horses. The role of infectious and non-infectious causes of equine asthma, genetic factors and proposed disease pathophysiology were reviewed. Diagnostic limitations were evident by the limited number of tests and biomarkers available to field practitioners. The participants emphasized the need for more accessi...
Lindgren G, Backström N, Swinburne J, Hellborg L, Einarsson A, Sandberg K, Cothran G, Vilà C, Binns M, Ellegren H.Genetic studies using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have identified extensive matrilinear diversity among domestic horses. Here, we show that this high degree of polymorphism is not matched by a corresponding patrilinear diversity of the male-specific Y chromosome. In fact, a screening for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 14.3 kb of noncoding Y chromosome sequence among 52 male horses of 15 different breeds did not identify a single segregation site. These observations are consistent with a strong sex-bias in the domestication process, with few stallions contributing genetically to the do...
Frisbie DD, Morisset S, Ho CP, Rodkey WG, Steadman JR, McIlwraith CW.Microfracture of full-thickness articular defects has been shown to significantly enhance the amount of repair tissue. However, there is a suggestion that leaving calcified cartilage inhibits this repair response. Objective: Removal of the calcified cartilage with retention of subchondral bone enhances the amount of attachment of the repair tissue compared with retention of the calcified cartilage layer. Methods: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: There were 1-cm(2) articular cartilage defects made in 12 skeletally mature horses on the axial weightbearing portion of both medial femoral cond...
McCracken MJ, Kramer J, Keegan KG, Lopes M, Wilson DA, Reed SK, LaCarrubba A, Rasch M.Subjective evaluation of mild lameness has been shown to have poor interobserver reliability. Traditional methods of objective lameness evaluation require specialised conditions and equipment. Wireless inertial sensor systems have been developed to allow for simple, rapid, objective lameness detection in horses trotted over ground. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivities of an inertial sensor system and subjective evaluation performed by experienced equine practitioners at detecting lameness in horses. We hypothesised that the inertial sensor system would identify...
Stewart HL, Kawcak CE.Subchondral bone plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of osteochondral disease across veterinary species. The subchondral bone is highly adaptable, with the ability to model and remodel in response to loading stresses experienced by the joint. Repetitive stress injuries within the joint can result in primary or secondary pathologic lesions within the subchondral bone, which have been recognized to contribute to the development and progression of osteoarthritis. Recent advances in diagnostic imaging, particularly volumetric imaging modalities have facilitated earlier identification of subc...
Goodrich LR, Hidaka C, Robbins PD, Evans CH, Nixon AJ.Gene therapy with insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) increases matrix production and enhances chondrocyte proliferation and survival in vitro. The purpose of this study was to determine whether arthroscopically-grafted chondrocytes genetically modified by an adenovirus vector encoding equine IGF-1 (AdIGF-1) would have a beneficial effect on cartilage healing in an equine femoropatellar joint model. A total of 16 horses underwent arthroscopic repair of a single 15 mm cartilage defect in each femoropatellar joint. One joint received 2 x 10(7) AdIGF-1 modified chondrocytes and the contralateral...
