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.
Smith RK, Gerard M, Dowling B, Dart AJ, Birch HL, Goodship AE.Over-strain injury of the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is a common injury in the horse. Tendon appears to adapt to loads placed on it during development, but fatigue damage accumulates after skeletal maturity, which is inadequately repaired and predisposes to clinical tendinitis. In any population of horses, there is a wide variation in SDFT mechanical properties. A noncollagenous protein, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), is particularly abundant during growth in the equine SDFT and has been proposed to have an organisational role in the formation of collagenous matrices...
Guillaume D, Bruneau B, Briant C.The effects of two GnRH antagonists were tested in order to delay and/or synchronise ovulation in mares. Five mares received Antarelix (0.01 mg.kg(-1)), 5 mares received Cetrorelix (the same dose), 5 mares (control mares) received the vehicle intravenously, twice daily, for 8 days from the day the largest follicle reached 22 mm following prostaglandin administration. Ovulation was postponed in all mares injected with Antarelix (19.4 +/- 1.2 days after the beginning of the treatment) and in 2/5 mares injected with Cetrorelix (20 +/- 1 days) vs. 6.2 +/- 0.4 days in control mares. During the trea...
Guo X, Sugita S.Four cell types including the bipolar, amacrine, horizontal and Muller cells were investigated quantitatively in the inner nuclear layer of the retina in the horse. Cells were identified on the basis of the morphology and distribution of processes leaving from their somata, cytological features and positional features. The average percentages of the above 4 cell types were 44%, 24%, 1% and 29%, respectively. The average total cell densities in the inner nuclear layer in the visual streak, the nasal and temporal regions, the dorsal and ventral regions of the retina were also estimated. It is ex...
Yasuda R, Kawano J, Matsuo E, Masuda T, Shimizu A, Anzai T, Hashikura S.The prevalence of staphylococci that harbor the mecA gene responsible for methicillin resistance was examined in healthy breeding mares. Staphylococci often cause diseases of horses such as metritis, keratitis, and abscess. Methicillin-resistant staphylococci would make antibiotic treatments ineffective, so it may be significant to know the distribution of mecA-harboring staphylococci in mares. Isolation of mecA-harboring staphylococci was achieved from nares and pasterns of 100 mares in Hokkaido, Japan. From 13% of the mares, mecA-harboring staphylococci, including 15 isolates of Staphylococc...
Pommer AC, Rutllant J, Meyers SA.Cryopreservation requires exposure of sperm to extreme variations in temperature and osmolality. The goal of this experiment was to determine the osmotic tolerance levels of equine sperm by analyzing motility, viability, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and mean cell volume (MCV). Spermatozoa were incubated at 22 degrees C for 10 min in isosmolal TALP (300 mOsm/kg), or a range of anisosmolal TALP solutions (75-900 mOsm/kg), for initial analysis, and then returned to isosmolal conditions for 10 min for further analysis. Total sperm motility was lower (P < 0.05) in anisosmolal conditio...
Kaplan RM.Suppressive anthelmintic treatment strategies originally designed to control Strongylus vulgaris in horses were extremely successful in reducing morbidity and mortality from parasitic disease. Unfortunately, this strategy has inadvertently resulted in the selection of drug-resistant cyathostomes (Cyathostominea), which are now considered the principal parasitic pathogens of horses. Resistance in the cyathostomes to benzimidazole drugs is highly prevalent throughout the world, and resistance to pyrantel appears to be increasingly common. However, there are still no reports of ivermectin resista...
Pozor MA, McDonnell SM.For the purpose of establishing clinical reference values, this paper reports results of ultrasonographic examination and measurement of accessory sex glands, ampullae, and the pelvic urethra of 102 mature, healthy breeding stallions (2-29 years of age) of various size types (7 Miniature Horses, 27 small ponies, 53 light horses and 15 heavy horses). Examinations were done per rectum in mostly unsedated stallions using an Aloka 210 scanner with a 7.5 MHz linear veterinary transrectal transducer (Corometrics Medical Systems, Inc., North Wallingford, CT, USA). Most measures of accessory sex gland...
Rabuffo TS, Orsini JA, Sullivan E, Engiles J, Norman T, Boston R.To determine associations between age, sex, or medical treatment and prevalence and severity of gastric ulceration in Standardbred racehorses in training. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 224 Standardbred racehorses in training. Methods: Gastroscopy was performed on each horse, and mucosal ulceration was graded from 0 (normal mucosa, no lesions) to 3 (extensive, often coalescing, lesions with areas of deep ulceration). Associations between age, sex, or treatment and prevalence and severity of ulcers were evaluated. Results: Prevalence of gastric ulceration was 87%. Although there was l...
de Freitas CM, Leite RC, Lopes CM, Rodrigues DS, Paz GF, de Oliveira PR.Some reproductive parameters of adult stages of Amblyomma cajennense ticks were studied. The capacity of virgin females to reproduce by parthenogenesis was evaluated, during an experimental infestation, in absence of males, on a horse (Equus cabalus). Ticks were spread either completely free or in limited sites on the body of the animal. The engorged virgin females showed longer feeding periods and lighter body weights than those that had been fertilized. Some of these unmated females produced smaller egg masses, which had no embryonary development. On the other hand, females that had been ins...
McKellar QA, Gokbulut C, Muzandu K, Benchaoui H.The present study was designed to describe the pharmacokinetics and fecal excretion of fenbendazole (FBZ) and fenbendazole sulphoxide (FBZSO) and their metabolites in horses, to investigate the effects which concurrent feeding has on the absorption and pharmacokinetics of FBZ, and to determine the effect of coadministration of the metabolic inhibitor piperonyl-butoxide on the in vivo pharmacokinetics and in vitro liver microsomal metabolism of sulfide and sulfoxide benzimidazoles. The effect of piperonyl-butoxide on the enantiomeric genesis of the sulfoxide moiety was also investigated. Follow...
O'Meara B, Mulcahy G.We report the results of a survey to assess the attitudes of horse owners and managers of equine businesses in Ireland to the control of helminth parasites, and the extent to which veterinary practitioners are involved in providing advice on parasite control of horses. Replies to our questionnaire indicated that there is a high level of awareness on the need for helminth control, typically leading to several doses of anthelmintic being administered to each animal every year. While a majority of respondents (61%) were concerned about the issue of anthelmintic resistance, only a few were of the ...
Walker JA, Timoney JF.Streptococcus equi causes equine strangles, a purulent lymphadenopathy of the head and neck. An avirulent, non-encapsulated strain (Pinnacle) has been used widely in North America as an intranasal vaccine. The aim of the study was to create a specific mutation of the hyaluronate synthase (hasA) gene in Pinnacle to permanently abolish the production of capsule and provide an easily recognisable genetic marker. An internal fragment of hasA was generated by PCR and cloned into pTW100 (Microscience, UK). An encapsulated revertant of Pinnacle was then transformed with the recombinant plasmid by ele...
Koehler K, Stechele M, Hetzel U, Domingo M, Schönian G, Zahner H, Burkhardt E.This report describes a case of cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse in southern Germany. Diagnosis is based on histopathology, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. The protozoan was identified as Leishmania infantum via PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism. The horse did not show specific Leishmania antibodies. The lesions healed completely within 6 months without any specific treatment. Since neither the infected horse nor its dam had ever left their rural area, autochthonous infection in Germany cannot be excluded. Factors possibly influencing the epidemiological situatio...
Pinchbeck GL, Clegg PD, Proudman CJ, Morgan KL, Wood JL, French NP.We identified risk factors associated with falling during steeplechase racing. We used retrospective data from all steeplechase runs on UK racecourses during 1999: 10,866 starts with 647 horse falls. The relationship between continuous variables and falling was assessed using generalised additive models (GAMs). Polynomial fits then were included in a multilevel, multivariable logistic-regression model. The number of runners had a linear, positive association with the risk of falling. The distance of the race had a non-linear relationship with the risk of falling; the risk steadily increased in...
Barnés CM, Petoud S, Cohen SM, Raymond KN.The ability of ferritin as an Fe(II) detoxifier and Fe(III) storage protein is limited by its ability to recognize and incorporate Fe(II), which is then oxidized and mineralized at internal protein sites. The Cr(III) amine complex [Cr(N(CH(2)CH(2)NH(2))(3)(H(2)O)(OH)](2+) [abbreviated as Cr(TREN)] is a kinetically inert inhibitor of iron incorporation and mineralization in ferritin. Unlike other inhibitors, Cr(TREN) can only exchange its two aqua/hydroxy ligands. Competition studies between Cr(TREN) and Tb(III) binding have been performed in horse spleen ferritin (HoSF) to probe uptake of Fe(I...
McCluskey BJ, Mumford EL, Salman MD, Traub-Dargatz JJ.Approximately 20 sentinel premises in Colorado were visited quarterly during a 3-year prospective study to investigate the persistence of VS viruses in horses. A survey to assess management practices, health events, animal movements and environmental data was completed at each visit. Collection of serum samples and oral swabs along with a clinical examination of sentinel horses were performed at each visit. Serum samples were tested by 2 or more of 4 available serological tests. The data collected for two years (August 1998 to August 2000) are reported here. During this period there was seroco...
Watson ED, Thomassen R, Steele M, Heald M, Leask R, Groome NP, Riley SC.Dominant and subordinate follicles were collected from mares on the day after the dominant follicle reached 30 mm in diameter, to investigate regulation of folliculogenesis during spring transition and the breeding season. Concentrations of oestradiol-17beta, progesterone and inhibin A, but not inhibin isoforms with pro- and alpha C-immunoreactivity, were significantly higher in preovulatory follicles than in dominant anovulatory transitional follicles. Steroidogenic activity was regained gradually in the dominant follicles of successive anovulatory waves through spring transition. The dominan...
Van Eenoo P, Delbeke FT, Deprez P.Clenbuterol, a beta-adrenergic agonist, is used in the treatment of recurrent airway obstruction in horses. It is prohibited by horse racing authorities, because of its stimulating and growth-promoting properties. However, information on detection times of clenbuterol after administration by nebulization is lacking. In this study, a fast, sensitive quantitative GC-MS(2) method for the detection of clenbuterol in urine was developed. Alkaline liquid-liquid extraction was followed by derivatization to a cyclic methyl boronate derivative and analysis on a Finnigan MAT GCQ instrument. Method valid...
Melo e Silva SR, Vulcano LC.Collateral cartilage ossification of the distal phalanx in the Brazilian Jumper horse is a common finding. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and the degree of ossification of the collateral cartilages of the distal phalanx in Brazilian Jumper horses. In an analysis of 652 collateral cartilages from the front feet of 163 horses, 93% of these cartilages had collateral cartilage ossification (P < 0.005), and 7% of these cartilages did not have any type of ossification. In ossified cartilages, 86.4% had ossification beginning from the base, and 6.6% had a separate cente...
Bindeus T, Vrba S, Gabler C, Rand T, Stanek C.Major advantages of computed radiography are the potential reduction of dose and the possibility of postprocessing. In our study, we compared conventional radiographs to digital radiographs of the equine stifle by subjective evaluation of diagnostic quality when using a decreasing photon flux (mAs). Twelve equine stifle joints from horses of different weight and size were examined. Conventional and digital radiographs were performed identically in a caudocranial projection with the tube angled 15 degrees. A series of four radiographs was performed in each technique with an increasing photon fl...
Carver DA, Ball BA.Previous studies have demonstrated a detrimental effect of seminal plasma on the maintenance of motility of cooled equine spermatozoa; however, the mechanism for the adverse effect of seminal plasma during cooled storage remains undetermined. In goats, a glycoprotein component of bulbourethral gland secretion contains lipase activity that is detrimental to sperm motility when stored in skim milk-based extenders. The objective of the current study was to determine the amount of lipase activity in stallion seminal plasma and to determine the effect of added lipase on spermatozoal motility during...
Van Hoogmoed LM, Nieto JE, Snyder JR, Harmon FA.To evaluate the efficacy of intraluminal administration of a customized solution during low-flow ischemia and reperfusion in the jejunum of horses. Methods: Segments of jejunum obtained from 13 healthy adult horses. Methods: In isolated segments of jejunum maintained in an extracorporeal circuit, arterial flow was reduced to 20% of baseline for 40 minutes (ischemia) followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion. In 2 groups, a customized solution (concentrations, 12.5 and 25%, respectively) was placed in the lumen prior to low-flow ischemia and maintained during reperfusion. The control group received...
Daft BM, Barr BC, Gardner IA, Read D, Bell W, Peyser KG, Ardans A, Kinde H, Morrow JK.To determine sensitivity and specificity of western blot testing (WBT) of CSF and serum for diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) in horses with and without neurologic abnormalities. Methods: Prospective investigation. Methods: 65 horses with and 169 horses without neurologic abnormalities. Methods: CSF and serum from horses submitted for necropsy were tested for Sarcocystis neurona-specific antibody with a WBT. Results of postmortem examination were used as the gold standard against which results of the WBT were compared. Results: Sensitivity of WBT of CSF was 87% for horses w...
Sullivan EK, Klein LV, Richardson DW, Ross MW, Orsini JA, Nunamaker DM.To describe the pool-raft recovery system protocol and to evaluate the clinical outcome in horses that underwent recovery from general anesthesia using this system. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 393 horses that underwent recovery from general anesthesia in the pool-raft system. Methods: Anesthetic records were examined from horses recovered from anesthesia in the pool-raft system between January 1984 and December 2000. Complete medical records of horses were examined when available. Information regarding the anesthetic and recovery period was recorded. Horses first recovered from gene...
Milenkovic D, Oustry-Vaiman A, Lear TL, Billault A, Mariat D, Piumi F, Schibler L, Cribiu E, Guérin G.The aim of this study was to increase the number of type I markers on the horse cytogenetic map and to improve comparison with maps of other species, thus facilitating positional candidate cloning studies. BAC clones from two different sources were FISH mapped: homologous horse BAC clones selected from our newly extended BAC library using consensus primer sequences and heterologous goat BAC clones. We report the localization of 136 genes on the horse cytogenetic map, almost doubling the number of cytogenetically mapped genes with 48 localizations from horse BAC clones and 88 from goat BAC clon...
Sato F, Kanno T, Nagasawa S, Yanaihara N, Ishida N, Hasegawa T, Iwanaga T.We investigated the existence of chromogranin A (CgA) in salivary glands of the horse by Western blotting and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) using an antiserum against a peptide sequence of equine CgA. We also compared its cellular distribution between the horse and rat salivary glands with a tyramide signal amplification immunofluorescence technique. Western blotting gave three significant immunoreactive bands (74, 56 and 48 kDa) in adrenal medulla and three major salivary glands of horses. Immunoreactivities for CgA measured by EIA in horses were 154.05 +/- 41.46, 20.32 +/- 5.59 and 4.43 +/- 2.23 ...
Christensen H, Bisgaard M, Olsen JE.Members of Bisgaard taxon 11 have been isolated from horses. These bacteria are of importance in the veterinary clinic and also to the medical profession, since they may be isolated from infected wounds of humans bitten by horses. Six strains from different continents were identified as taxon 11, with 16S rRNA similarities between 98.0 and 99.7%. A single isolate that represented the so-called (+)L-arabinose-positive Actinobacillus equuli isolated from a diseased foal showed 99.9% 16S rRNA similarity to the type strain of A. equuli. DNA-DNA hybridizations showed that (+)L-arabinose-positive st...
van Dixhoorn ID, Meershoek LS, Huiskes R, Schamhardt HC.Motion of the navicular bone might play a role in the development of navicular disease in horses but is difficult to asses. In the present study, 3-dimensional motion of this bone was determined using roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis. Tantalum pellets were inserted, in vitro, in the bones of 6 forelimbs of mature Shetland ponies and kinematics were measured during vertical loading up to 2 kN. The motions of the navicular bone and coffin joint were limited to flexion/extension, there were no substantial out-of-plane motions. There was only little flexion between the navicular bone and th...
Li S, Li L, Sun Y, Khan MZ, Yu Y, Ruan L, Chen L, Zhao J, Jia J, Li Y, Wang C, Wang T.Equid herpesvirus type 8 (EqHV-8) is known to cause respiratory disease and miscarriage in horses and donkeys, which is a major problem for the equine farming industry. However, there are currently limited vaccines or drugs available to effectively treat EqHV-8 infection. Therefore, it is crucial to develop new antiviral approaches to prevent potential pandemics caused by EqHV-8. This study evaluates the antiviral and antioxidant effects of cepharanthine against EqHV-8 by employing both in vitro assays and in vivo mouse models to assess its therapeutic efficacy. To assess the effectiveness of ...
Martin-Pelaez S, Fuente A, Takahashi K, Perez IT, Orozco J, Okada CTC, Neto CR, Meyers S, Dini P.Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is the current clinical practice for the in vitro production of equine embryos. The use of conventional fertilization methods such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), has historically been associated with poor success in horses. However, recent improvements have led to better outcomes with IVF, though only when using fresh semen, which limits its use in clinical practice. IVF remains in its infancy in equine reproduction, and several unknowns remain about the technique. One significant gap in knowledge concerns the morphokinetics of IVF embryos and how they...
Irwin-Huston JM, Bourebaba L, Bourebaba N, Tomal A, Marycz K.Musculoskeletal injuries and chronic degenerative diseases pose significant challenges in equine health, impacting performance and overall well-being. Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG) is a glycoprotein determining the bioavailability of sex hormones in the bloodstream, and exerting critical metabolic functions, thus impacting the homeostasis of many tissues including the bone. Unassigned: In this study, we investigated the potential role of SHBG in promoting osteogenesis and its underlying mechanisms in a model of equine adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs). An SHBG-knocked down model has b...
Ma L, Li J, He J, Jiang T, Hao Y, Bu Y.Cylicostephanus longibursatus is a common parasite in equine animals. Hosts infected by these nematodes might face disease or death. This study utilized next-generation sequencing technology to sequence the complete mitochondrial genome (mt genome) of C. longibursatus. Through bioinformatics techniques, the genomic base composition, codon usage, tRNA secondary structures, evolutionary relationships, and taxonomic status were analyzed. The results revealed that the mitochondrial genome of C. longibursatus is a double-stranded, 13,807-bp closed circular molecule with an AT content of 76.0%, indi...
Tasnim Y, Stanley C, Rahman MK, Awosile B.We aim to detect beta-lactamase-producing Citrobacter sedlakii from horses and compare the genomic characteristics with isolates from humans. Results: We characterized phenotypically and genotypically nine C. sedlakii isolates from the feces of horses and then compared them to human-derived isolates using whole genome sequencing and phylogenomic methods. Seven isolates (7/9) were ampicillin-resistant, while at least one isolate was resistant to ceftriaxone, gentamicin, meropenem, and streptomycin. All nine isolates were carriers of the chromosomal-mediated blaSED-1 beta-lactamase gene, which...
McMullen RJ.To review data on the advances in equine ophthalmic imaging that have been made during the past 5 years and highlight advantages of using multiple imaging modalities to improve clinical observational skills and improve diagnostic accuracy. Methods: A literature review from 2019 through 2024 of equine ophthalmic digital photography, fundus photography, ocular and orbital ultrasonography (US), ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), confocal microscopy (CM), spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), radiography, CT, and MRI. Results: Digital photography remains the cornerstone of equine oph...
Elkhenany HA, Linardi RL, Ortved KF.Osteoarthritis (OA) remains a challenging joint disorder necessitating effective anti-inflammatory interventions. In this study, our primary objective was to establish an in vitro protocol that replicates the clinical investigation of anti-inflammatory drugs intended for OA management. Focusing on recombinant IL-10 (r.IL-10) as a potential anti-inflammatory treatment, we designed and implemented two distinct protocols to evaluate the efficacy of r.IL-10 in modulating chondrocyte and synoviocyte inflammation.The experimental design involved sequential stimulation with IL-1β and TNF-α for 24 ...
Navas de Solis C, Solomon C, Durando M, Stefanovski D.Exercising arrhythmias can be clinically irrelevant or associated with poor performance, collapse and sudden cardiac death. Objective: To test if readable exercising ECGs can be recorded by grooms or riders and to describe arrhythmias in ECGs from different types of exercise in Eventing horses and investigate associations with type of workout, the presence of previous cardiac signs and intensity of exercise. Methods: Cohort study. Methods: Single lead exercising ECGs were obtained by riders or grooms during training and competition from a convenience sample of horses in training for Eventing c...
Liu Y, Zhou F, Zheng W, Bai T, Chen X, Guo L.The sleeping and eating behaviors of horses are important indicators of their health. With the development of the modern equine industry, timely monitoring and analysis of these behaviors can provide valuable data for assessing the physiological state of horses. To recognize horse behaviors in stalls, this study builds on the SlowFast algorithm, introducing a novel loss function to address data imbalance and integrating an SE attention module in the SlowFast algorithm's slow pathway to enhance behavior recognition accuracy. Additionally, YOLOX is employed to replace the original target detecti...
Farkas A, Thieme K, Soimala T, Jensen CK, Eule JC.This retrospective study evaluates the efficacy of povidone-iodine (PI) and polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) as preoperative antiseptics in equine ophthalmic procedures. Methods: Horses that underwent routine ophthalmic surgery and procedures. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from the medical records of equine patients undergoing ophthalmic procedures. Inclusion criteria were sampling for aerobic microbial culture at three different time points (T0: pre-irrigation, T1: post-irrigation, and T2: postoperatively) and T0 showing bacterial growth. Microbiological outcomes were assesse...
Samper JC, Hernandez Aviles JC, Ramirez-Agamez LF, Love CC, Gonzalez-Marin C, Fleury P, Dini P, De La Fuente A, Foss R, Campos FL, Ross PJ.The application of sex-sorted semen in horses has historically lagged the bovine industry due to differences in the reproductive physiology and grater variability in equine semen quality. Recent advancements, including SuperGen™ sorters and Ultraplus™ semen processing methods developed by STgenetics® (Navasota, Texas), have significantly improved the efficiency of the sex-sorting process and reduced the sperm damage previously reported. To facilitate the broader use sex-sorted semen in the equine industry, it is essential to address challenges such as shipping cooled semen to a central so...
Baghdadi HBA, Abdelsalam M, Attia MM.Strongylus vulgaris, a devastating parasitic nematode in equids, causes life-threatening verminous aneurysms that are challenging to diagnose early. This study pioneered integrating nanotechnology into an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (i-ELISA) system to enhance the sensitivity and specificity for detecting S. vulgaris larval antigens in equine serum samples, with PCR confirmation of the species. A conventional i-ELISA and an innovative nano-based ELISA were developed using excretory-secretory antigens from adult S. vulgaris worms. The nano-ELISA incorporated gold nanoparticles (1...
Duarte CR, Raimundo A, Sousa JP, Fernandes O, Santos R.This systematic review aimed to determine the prevalence of lower back pain (LBP) in equestrian athletes (EAs) and identify associated risk factors. Following the PRISMA guidelines, observational studies published between 2004 and 2024 in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and German were included. The review identified relevant studies through the Web of Science, EBSCO, MEDLINE, and SCOPUS (last search performed on 30 October 2024), yielding 14 studies with a total of 4527 participants. The question format for the included studies specified the population as equestrian athletes, the exposure as eq...
Ana A, Agnieszka S, Marta CP, Pawel K, Dariusz S, Graça FD, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A.Equine endometrosis is a major cause of infertility in mares and is characterized by degenerative, functional and fibrotic changes in the endometrium with increased collagen (COL) deposition. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 is one of the major pro-fibrotic factors involved in the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in the equine endometrium. It has been demonstrated that ovarian steroids, specifically 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4), not only regulate the cyclicity of the estrous cycle, but also have been implicated as anti- or pro-fibrotic factors. Thi...
Wang TC, Wakshlag JJ, Jager MC, Schwark WS, Trottier NL, Chevalier JM, Pearson G, Cercone M.To compare the pharmacokinetics of cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) in horses and to evaluate the safety of their chronic administration. Methods: CBD- and CBDA-rich oil (1 mg/kg) were administered orally twice daily to 7 adult horses over 6 weeks in a randomized, crossover design with a 2-week washout period. A 12-hour pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted on day 1 of each 6-week trial, followed by the measurement of peak and trough concentrations at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6. The cannabinoids safety was assessed via daily physical examination, periodic bloodwork, and liver biopsy ...
Crisà A, Cardinali I, Giontella A, Silvestrelli M, Lancioni H, Buttazzoni L.Lipizzan is a famous horse breed dating back to 1580 when the original stud of Lipica was established by the Hasburg Archduke Charles II. Currently, the Italian State Stud of Lipizzan Horses (ASCAL) is a conservation nucleus managed through strict mating rules where mitochondrial DNA sequences are used to verify the correct assignment of mares to a historical pedigree maternal lineage. Here, we analyzed the D-loop sequences of Lipizzan horses from the ASCAL in Monterotondo (Rome, Italy) in order to confirm their pedigree assignment to known female founder families. The concurrent investigation...
Barot D, Usimaki A, Linardi RL, Arensberg CM, Ortved KF.Quantify the concentration of α2-macroglobulin (A2M), immunomodulatory cytokines, and TGF-β1 factors in 4 commercially available autologous blood-based products including conditioned A2M (CA2M; Alpha2EQ; Astaria Global), autologous protein solution (APS; Pro-Stride; Zoetis), platelet-rich plasma (PRP; Restigen; Zoetis), and autologous conditioned plasma (ACP; Arthrex ACP). We hypothesized that CA2M would have higher concentrations of A2M and lower concentrations of cytokines and growth factors compared to APS, PRP, and ACP. Unassigned: Blood was obtained from 6 healthy, adult horses and proc...
Clayton HM, Hobbs SJ, Rhodin M, Hernlund E, Peterson M, Bos R, Bragança FS.Prior to international competitions, dressage horses are evaluated for fitness to compete while trotting in hand on a firm surface. This study compares the kinematics of experienced dressage horses trotting under fitness-to-compete conditions vs. performing collected and extended trot when ridden on a sand-fiber arena surface. The hypotheses are that the vertical range of motion (ROM) and left-right asymmetries in minimal and maximal heights of axial body segments at ridden trot exceed those when trotting in hand. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) attached mid-dorsally to the head, withers, an...
Cetintav B, Yalcin A.Colic is a leading cause of mortality in horses, demanding precise and timely interventions. This study integrates machine learning and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to predict survival outcomes in horses with colic, using clinical, procedural, and diagnostic data. Random forest and XGBoost emerged as top-performing models, achieving F1 scores of 85.9% and 86.1%, respectively. SHAP (Shapley additive explanations) was employed to provide interpretable insights, offering both global and local explanations for model predictions. The analysis revealed that key features, such as pulse r...
Roustaei A, Masoudifard M, Azari O, Keshipour H, Koohestani O.The effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX), as a sedative drug, on echocardiographic measurements have been investigated in many species but not in horses. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the echocardiographic and clinical effects of two sedative doses of DEX in healthy horses. Six female crossbred horses weighted 250-330 kg underwent echocardiography before and after sedation by intravenous administration of a low dose of 3.5 μg/kg (LD) and a high dose of 7 μg/kg (HD) of DEX. A significant increase (p≤ 0.05) was observed in the diameters of the pulmonary artery and the left atrium measu...
François AC, Cesarini C, Taminiau B, Renaud B, Kruse CJ, Boemer F, van Loon G, Palmers K, Daube G, Wouters CP, Lecoq L, Gustin P, Votion DM.Hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine are protoxins responsible for atypical myopathy in equids. These protoxins are converted into toxins that inhibit fatty acid β-oxidation, leading to blood accumulation of acylcarnitines and toxin conjugates, such as methylenecyclopropylacetyl-carnitine. The enzymes involved in this activation are also present in some prokaryotic cells, raising questions about the potential role of intestinal microbiota in the development of intoxication. Differences have been noted between the faecal microbiota of cograzers and atypical myopathy-affected horses. Ho...
Haussler KK, le Jeune SS, MacKechnie-Guire R, Latif SN, Clayton HM.The defining characteristic of laterality is the dominance of one side of the brain controlling specific functions of paired organs or on one side of the body. Structural and functional asymmetries are ubiquitous in horses and range from anatomical features (e.g., the length of long bones) to the gathering of sensory information (e.g., which eye is used to observe unfamiliar scenes) and motor functions (e.g., left-right differences in locomotion). There is a common tendency to assign observed structural or functional asymmetries to lateralization, which often involves more than a simple left-r...
Leishmaniosis is a vector-borne and zoonotic disease with major sanitary implications at global scale. In Europe, Leishmania infantum is the only endemic etiologic agent, which has been previously reported in a wide range of mammal. However, the information about the role of equids in the L. infantum epidemiology is limited. We aimed to assess the seroprevalence and identify potential risk factors associated with L. infantum seropositivity in equine populations across several European countries. A total of 1364 equids, including 1005 horses, 240 donkeys and 119 mules/hinnies from Spain, Italy,...
Gaspari G, Lange-Consiglio A, Cremonesi F, Desantis S.Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important mediators of cell-cell communication thanks to their ability to transfer their bioactive cargo, thus regulating a variety of physiological contexts. EVs derived from amniotic mesenchymal/stromal cells (eAMC-EVs) are internalized by equine endometrial cells (eECs) with positive effects on regenerative medicine treatments. As the cellular uptake of EVs is influenced by the glycan profile of both EVs and target cells, this study is focused on the role of surface glycans in the uptake of eAMC-EVs by recipient eECs. Equine ECs were obtained by enzymatic di...
Byambaragchaa M, Park SH, Park MH, Kang MH, Min KS.Equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) hormone, comprising highly glycosylated α- and β-subunits, elicits responses similar to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in non-equid species. This study aimed to establish a mass production of recombinant eCG (rec-eCG) using CHO DG44 cells. Single-chain rec-eCG β/α was expressed in CHO DG44 cells. FSH- and LH-like activities were evaluated in CHO-K1 and HEK 293 cells expressing the equine LH/CG receptor (eLH/CGR), rat LH/CGR (rLH/CGR), and rFSHR. pERK1/2 activation and β-arrestin 2 recruitment were assessed in PathHunter ...
Carvalho JRG, Sales NAA, Littiere TO, Costa GB, Castro CM, Polisel EEC, Orsi JB, Ramos GV, Santos IFC, Gobatto CA, Manchado-Gobatto FB, Ferraz GC.Several studies have explored alternatives to enhance the performance, health, and safety of sports horses. One promising method involves the use of vibrating platforms (VP), which offer passive exercise stimulation via mechanical oscillations distributed throughout the body. This type of exercise is referred to as whole-body vibration (WBV) and is an emerging strategy for accelerating muscle recovery. This study examined the dynamics of proteins responsible for transporting monocarboxylates (MCT1 and MCT4), and their relationship with lactatemia and acid-base balance in connection with WBV re...
Sultan T, Chaudhary AK, Mehta JS, Mehra R, Manuja A, Talluri TR, Bhattacharya TK.Sperm cryopreservation is one of the most important procedures in the development of biotechnologies for assisted reproduction. Cryopreservation of stallion spermatozoa tends to cause plasma membrane damage due to the low ratio of cholesterol to phospholipids. Different substances and compounds can be added to semen extenders to improve sperm quality. Objective: To investigate the effect of supplementing semen extender with zinc nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on cooled and frozen-thawed spermatozoa of Marwari stallion. Methods: A total of 20 ejaculates from four Marwari ...
Nagy A, Dyson SJ.There is no description of comparative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fan-beam computed tomography (CT) findings in the fetlock of lame sports horses. Objective: To document low-field MRI and fan-beam CT diagnoses in the lame and nonlame limbs of sports horses with fetlock region pain, and to evaluate whether combined imaging provides superior information to either technique alone. Methods: Retrospective descriptive study. Methods: Clinical records of sports horses with pain causing lameness localised to the metacarpo/metatarsophalangeal joint region that had undergone fan-beam CT and lo...
Nielsen MK, Bartholdy ID, Kristensen KS, Borrye JC, Meilvang KSS, Rendtorff CEK, Hjortflod MD, Fuglbjerg V, Karlsson M, Petersen HH, Toft K....Equine strongylids are ubiquitous and can cause severe health issues. Anthelmintic resistance is widely common in cyathostomin parasites, and recent studies have documented increasing incidence of resistance to the macrocyclic lactone drug class. Several European countries have implemented prescription-only restrictions of anthelmintic usage by law to reduce anthelmintic treatment intensity and decrease the selection pressure for drug resistance. However, long term outcomes of this approach have not been thoroughly evaluated. The aim was to determine ivermectin efficacy in strongylids by means...
Wang J, Ren W, Li Z, Li L, Wang R, Ma S, Zeng Y, Meng J, Yao X.The impact of exercise on human metabolism has been extensively studied, yet limited research exists on the effects of high-intensity racing on equine metabolism. The aim of this study was to screen the effect of a 5000 m race on lipids and proteins in the plasma of Yili horses for the breeding of racehorses. Blood samples were collected from the top three finishers, and lipidomics and proteomics analyses were performed. Lipidomic analysis identified 10 differential lipids. Compared to pre-race levels, phosphatidylethanolamine (18:0/16:0) (PE (18:0/16:0)) and phosphatidylcholine (18:0/18:2) (P...
