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.
Kropich-Grant JN, Wiley KE, Manyweathers J, Thompson KR, Brookes VJ.Hendra virus disease (HeVD) is an emerging zoonosis in Australia, resulting from the transmission of Hendra virus (HeV) to horses from Pteropus bats. Vaccine uptake for horses is low despite the high case fatality rate of HeVD in both horses and people. We reviewed evidence-based communication interventions to promote and improve HeV vaccine uptake for horses by horse owners and conducted a preliminary evaluation of potential drivers for HeV vaccine uptake using the Behavioural and Social Drivers of Vaccination (BeSD) framework developed by the World Health Organization. Six records were eligi...
Kuckova S, Smirnova TA, Straka D, Meledina A, Santrucek J, Humpolakova K, Hoskova M, Cejnar P, Hynek R.The aim of this work is to offer an alternative or complementary analytical tool to the time-consuming and expensive methods commonly used for the recognition of animal species according to their hair. The paper introduces a simple and fast way for species differentiation of animal hairs called in-sample digestion. A total of 10 European animal species, including cat, cow, common degu, dog, fallow deer, goat, horse, sika deer, rabbit, roe deer, and 17 different breeds of dogs were examined using specific tryptic cleavage directly in hair followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-...
Harris IT, Maddock C, Farnworth M, Nankervis K, Perrett J, Pyatt AZ, Blanchard RN.Adverse trends in reproductive function are a concern in humans, companion, livestock, and wildlife species. This study indicates that equine populations are at risk of a comparable decline in sperm progressive motility. There is increasing evidence reporting geographically sensitive adverse trends in human semen quality, with parallel trends observed in the dog sentinel. Despite significant economic and welfare complications associated with poor testicular function, trends in current equine populations are undetermined. Given the predictive value of sperm progressive motility (PMOT) in male f...
Bannai H, Kambayashi Y, Nemoto M, Yamanaka T, Tsujimura K.Using 85 sera collected from horses that had been experimentally infected with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) and 200 field sera collected from racehorses in Japan, we compared 4 agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) kits for serologic detection of EIAV antibodies from Idexx, VMRD, IDvet, and the National Engineering Research Center of Veterinary Biologics, China (NECVB). The positive control lines were sufficiently clear in all kits for evaluation to be made, with slight differences in sharpness: NECVB was the sharpest, followed by VMRD, IDvet, and Idexx. The test results for all 285 samples...
van Heule M, Monteiro HF, Bazzazan A, Scoggin K, Rolston M, El-Sheikh Ali H, Weimer BC, Ball B, Daels P, Dini P.In spite of controversy, recent studies present evidence that a microbiome is present in the human placenta. However, there is limited information about a potential equine placental microbiome. In the present study, we characterized the microbial population in the equine placenta (chorioallantois) of healthy prepartum (280 days of gestation, n = 6) and postpartum (immediately after foaling, 351 days of gestation, n = 11) mares, using 16S rDNA sequencing (rDNA-seq). In both groups, the majority of bacteria belonged to the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidota. T...
Ricard RM, Burton J, Chow-Lockerbie B, Wobeser B.Chlamydiae are reported to cause abortion in several species, however the association between Chlamydia sp. and equine abortions is poorly understood. A zoonotic transfer event of C. psittaci from aborted equine tissues in Australia has emphasized the need to better understand the prevalence of this pathogen in equine populations. The prevalence of chlamydia in equine abortions in North America has not been investigated thoroughly. We examined 99 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded placental samples submitted between 2009 and 2020 from equine abortions in Western Canada using chlamydia-specific ...
Martins AV, Corrêa LL, Ribeiro MS, Lobão LF, Dib LV, Palmer JPS, de Moura LC, Knackfuss FB, Uchôa CMA, Molento MB, Barbosa ADS.The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of helminths in Thoroughbred horses in Rio de Janeiro; make correlations with risk factors for these infections; and compare the efficiency of three floatation solutions applied in the quantitative Mini-FLOTAC technique. Fecal samples from 520 horses were collected from six training centers between 2019 and 2021. These were subjected to the Mini-FLOTAC technique using three solutions: NaCl (density = 1.200 g/mL), ZnSO4 (1.350 g/mL) and ZnSO4 (1.200 g/mL); and also to qualitative techniques. Information on the horses' sex and age of hors...
Gothe LMR, Ganzenberg S, Ziegler U, Obiegala A, Lohmann KL, Sieg M, Vahlenkamp TW, Groschup MH, Hörügel U, Pfeffer M.Since 2018, autochthonous West Nile virus (WNV) infections have been regularly reported in eastern-central Germany. While clinically apparent infections in humans and horses are not frequent, seroprevalence studies in horses may allow the tracing of WNV and related flaviviruses transmission, such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and Usutu virus (USUV), and consequently help to estimate the risk of human infections. Hence, the aim of our study was to follow the seropositive ratio against these three viruses in horses in Saxony, Saxony Anhalt, and Brandenburg and to describe their geograp...
Fan Y, Lou J, Tam CC, Wen W, Conrad F, Leal da Silva Alves P, Cheng LW, Garcia-Rodriguez C, Farr-Jones S, Marks JD.Equine-derived antitoxin (BAT) is the only treatment for botulism from botulinum neurotoxin serotype G (BoNT/G). BAT is a foreign protein with potentially severe adverse effects and is not renewable. To develop a safe, more potent, and renewable antitoxin, humanized monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were generated. Yeast displayed single chain Fv (scFv) libraries were prepared from mice immunized with BoNT/G and BoNT/G domains and screened with BoNT/G using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Fourteen scFv-binding BoNT/G were isolated with K values ranging from 3.86 nM to 103 nM (median K 2...
Carroll SL, Sykes BW, Mills PC.Behaviour-related issues are common in horses. Many 'undesirable behaviours' pose important safety concerns for the human handlers / riders / carers, as well as welfare concerns for the horse. Undesirable behaviours can also devalue a horse, or result in the horse being re-homed, relinquished, or euthanased. Undesirable behaviours occur for a range of reasons. These include physiological causes, poor management, and the use of inappropriate or poorly applied handling and training techniques. The potential contribution of each of these aspects must be considered when attempting to reduce or eli...
Freeman DE, Bauck AG.Repeat celiotomy can be lifesaving in horses with a surgically treatable postoperative obstruction, although guidelines for its use are lacking, except for uncontrollable postoperative pain. Overdiagnosis of ileus as the cause of postoperative obstruction could delay a second surgery so the disease progresses beyond a manageable level of severity. Although many horses respond favorably to repeat celiotomy, complications can be severe and life threatening, such as incisional infection and adhesions. Repeat celiotomy does not seem to exacerbate postoperative ileus, despite additional surgical ma...
Bookbinder L, Prisk A.Gastrointestinal colic is the most common primary care equine emergency and affects nearly one of four horses per year. Colic is a significant welfare concern for equine patients and a financial and emotional burden for owners. The primary care practitioner is instrumental in identifying critical cases quickly and making appropriate management recommendations to improve patient outcomes.
Smith HL, Berglund AK, Robertson JB, Schnabel LV, McMullen RJ, Gilger BC, Oh A.The objective of the study was to determine the effect of gentamicin on CD3+ T-lymphocyte proliferation and cell viability using an in vitro cell culture model as a means of investigating the mechanism of action of low-dose intravitreal gentamicin injection. Methods: Three adult horses with no evidence of ophthalmic or systemic disease. Methods: Peripheral blood lymphocytes were treated with gentamicin at concentrations 37.5 μg/mL, 112.5 μg/mL, 187 μg/mL, 375 μg/mL, or 750 μg/mL then stimulated to proliferate with concanavalin A (ConA). 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and c...
Yocom A, Contino E, Kawcak C.Bisphosphonates are a group of drugs that can reduce bone resorption by incorporating into the crystal structure of exposed hydroxyapatite where they are taken up by osteoclasts. Bisphosphonates have several other mechanisms of action including reducing pain and inflammation and altering macrophage function. There are two types of bisphosphonates-nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous, the latter of which is used in horses. This article provides a literature-based review of the proposed mechanisms of action and therapeutic uses of bisphosphonates including a brief review of bone response to disease. ...
Barton CK, Hughes KL, Cowan C, Nout-Lomas YS, Nelson BB.A 21-year-old Quarter Horse mare presented with a chronic, progressively worsening left pelvic limb lameness of 3 weeks duration. The initial examination identified a consistent lameness at a walk. Neurological examination showed sensory and gait abnormalities consistent with left femoral nerve dysfunction. The horse minimally advanced the leg cranially and had a shortened stride length at the walk. During the stance phase, the heels of the left hind foot did not contact the ground and the horse quickly took weight off of the limb. Diagnostic imaging (ultrasound and nuclear scintigraphy) exami...
Condon V, Wilson B, Fleming PJS, Kennedy BPA, Keeley T, Barwick J, McGreevy P.Feral horses, also known as brumbies, are widely distributed across Australia with some populations being managed largely by human intervention. Rehoming of suitable feral horses following passive trapping has wide community acceptance as a management tool. However, there is little information about the number and relative economic value of feral horses compared with cohorts in the riding horse market. We examined 15,404 advertisements of horses for sale in 53 editions of Horse Deals, published from February 2017 to July 2022. Despite the considerable media attention and public scrutiny surrou...
Plasil M, Oppelt J, Klumplerova M, Bubenikova J, Vychodilova L, Janova E, Stejskalova K, Futas J, Knoll A, Leblond A, Mihalca AD, Horin P.The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) with its class I and II genes plays a crucial role in the immune response to pathogens by presenting oligopeptide antigens to various immune response effector cells. In order to counteract the vast variability of infectious agents, MHC class I and II genes usually retain high levels of SNPs mainly concentrated in the exons encoding the antigen binding sites. The aim of the study was to reveal new variability of selected MHC genes with a special focus on MHC class I physical haplotypes. Long-range NGS to was used to identify exon 2-exon 3 alleles in th...
Bizley SC, Dudhia J, Smith RKW, Williams AC.Oral and parenteral drug delivery in horses can be difficult. Equine-specific transdermal drug formulations offer improved ease of treatment; development of such formulations requires a deeper understanding of the structural and chemical tissue barrier of horse skin. Objective: To compare the structural composition and barrier properties of equine skin. Methods: Six warmblood horses (two males, four females) with no skin diseases. Methods: Routine histological and microscopic analyses were carried out with image analysis for skin from six different anatomical locations. In vitro drug permeatio...
Logan AA, Snyder AJ, Nielsen BD.The effects of gait and diameter have been studied independently, but rarely together in equine circular exercise studies. This study aimed to determine the impact of diameter (10-m or 15-m) at various gaits (walk, trot, and canter) on stride frequency or forelimb stance duration. Nine mature horses were outfitted with Tekscanâ„¢ Hoof Sensors on their forelimbs during circular and straight-line exercise at various gaits on a clay and sand arena surface. Statistical analysis was performed in SAS 9.4 with fixed effects of exercise type, recording, leg, and breed (PROC GLIMMIX, p < 0.05 significa...
Reed SA, Streff LN.The field of equine sports medicine and rehabilitation provides a career opportunity for students interested in remaining in the horse industry but not focused on a career as a veterinarian. However, throughout the United States, there are limited educational opportunities for undergraduate students to prepare for this career. The objective of this work was to determine what skills and theoretical knowledge professionals in the equine rehabilitation industry deemed most useful for employment in the equine rehabilitation industry, and, using that information, develop a curriculum to meet these ...
Kaplan RM, Denwood MJ, Nielsen MK, Thamsborg SM, Torgerson PR, Gilleard JS, Dobson RJ, Vercruysse J, Levecke B.The faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) remains the method of choice for establishing the efficacy of anthelmintic compounds in the field, including the diagnosis of anthelmintic resistance. We present a guideline for improving the standardization and performance of the FECRT that has four sections. In the first section, we address the major issues relevant to experimental design, choice of faecal egg count (FEC) method, statistical analysis, and interpretation of the FECRT results. In the second section, we make a series of general recommendations that are applicable across all animals ad...
Rockow M, Griffenhagen G, Landolt G, Hendrickson D, Pezzanite L.In the past decade, there has been a considerable increase in the recognition of antimicrobial resistance in equine practice. The objective of this study was to survey the current clinical use of antimicrobials for a commonly performed surgical procedure (exploratory celiotomy) with the goal of understanding how recent literature and changes in microbial resistance patterns may have impacted antimicrobial selection practices. An electronic survey was distributed to veterinary professionals within the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and the American College of Veterinar...
Guyard KC, Montavon S, Bertolaccini J, Deriaz M.Quantitative information on how well a horse clears a jump has great potential to support the rider in improving the horse's jumping performance. This study investigated the validation of a GPS-based inertial measurement unit, namely Alogo Move Pro, compared with a traditional optical motion capture system. Accuracy and precision of the three jumping characteristics of maximum height (Zmax), stride/jump length (lhorz), and mean horizontal speed (vhorz) were compared. Eleven horse-rider pairs repeated two identical jumps (an upright and an oxer fence) several times ( = 6 to 10) at different hei...
During husbandry, domestic animals are exposed to many factors that can influence their circadian physiology organization leading to an increase in animals' discomfort. Thermal homeostasis is at the basis of animal wellness, the aim of the present study was to investigate the daily fluctuation of serum concentrations of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in association with the daily fluctuation of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and clock gene Per2 in healthy horses housed in individual box, to improve the knowledge on this matter. Seven clinically healthy female Italian Saddle horse...
Chevalier JM, Pearson GB.The objective of this study was to report clinical outcomes of horses with naturally occurring full-thickness skin lacerations treated with an amorphous silicate dressing. We hypothesized that wounds treated with an amorphous silicate dressing would have minimal complications and lesion resolution without formation of exuberant granulation tissue. 11 client-owned horses. Clinical records of 11 horses with distal limb wounds treated with an amorphous silicate dressing were collected from participating veterinarians across the US. Wound healing progression was monitored by the veterinarian and o...
Pimenta J, Pinto AR, Saavedra MJ, Cotovio M.Horses are considered as reservoirs of multidrug resistant bacteria that can be spread through the environment and possibly to humans. The aim of this study was to characterize the oral Gram-negative microbiota of healthy horses and evaluate their antimicrobial susceptibility profile in a One Health approach. For this purpose, samples were collected from the gingival margin of healthy horses, free of antimicrobial therapy, cultured in selective mediums, identified, and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Fifty-five Gram-negative isolates were identified, with 89.5% being zoonotic and 62% ...
Aboashia FA, Alatrag F, Elmarimi A.Hematological and biochemical values are widely used in veterinary clinics for disease prognosis, nutritional and therapeutic monitoring, as well as in understanding the disease process in farm animals, including equines. This study aims to assess the alterations in hematological and biochemical parameters in pure Arabian horses infested with internal parasites. Samples of feces and blood were collected from 20 adult mares. Fecal samples were proceeded by flotation test. The blood samples were analyzed for hematological and biochemical parameters to determine their means ± standard error (M Â...
Anwaar F, Ijaz M, Rasheed H, Shah SFA, Haider SAR, Sabir MJ.The purpose of the current study was to investigate the nasal colonization and drug resistance profile of Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) in donkeys (n =63), mules (n = 42), and horses (n = 98). MRSA and VRSA were confirmed based on phenotypic and molecular methods, followed by phylogenetic analysis. Furthermore, the association of various animal and management-based risk factors with S. aureus colonization was also evaluated. The presence of nuc gene on polymerase chain reaction showed an overall prevalence of 42.86%...
Kumbhani TR, Raval SH, Parmar RS, Patel JG, Bechara VJ, Sindhi PI, Modh SP.A 6-year-old Marwari mare presented with recurrent vulvar growth. The growth was surgically excised, fixed and processed routinely. Microscopically, neoplasm showed proliferation of epithelial and myoepithelial cells with tubulopapillary pattern. On immunohistochemistry, myoepithelial cells showed strong immunoreactivity with smooth muscle actin alpha and p63. On basis of histopathology and immunohistochemistry, tumour was diagnosed as complex apocrine carcinoma. This case report describes first confirm vulvar complex apocrine carcinoma in equines.
Oelrichs PB, Calanasan CA, MacLeod JK, Seawright AA, Ng JC.Regular ingestion of Eupatorium adenophorum [Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.)] or Crofton weed causes chronic pulmonary disease in horses mainly in Australia, New Zealand, and the Himalayas. The disease is characterized by pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, emphysema, alveolar epithelisation and reduced tolerance to exercise. Horses apparently are the only animals affected and there are numerous reports of farms losing all their horses. The disorder was produced experimentally in horse feeding trials, and it was shown that characteristic lesions occurred in the lungs. In studies with laboratory an...
Ashraf Kharaz Y, Zamboulis D, Sanders K, Comerford E, Clegg P, Peffers M.Exploring the tendon proteome is a challenging but important task for understanding the mechanisms of physiological/pathological processes during ageing and disease and for the development of new treatments. Several extraction methods have been utilised for tendon mass spectrometry, however different extraction methods have not been simultaneously compared. In the present study we compared protein extraction in tendon with two chaotropic agents, guanidine hydrochloride (GnHCl) and urea, a detergent, RapiGestâ„¢, and their combinations for shotgun mass spectrometry. An initial proteomic analysi...
Norton EM, Schultz NE, Rendahl AK, Mcfarlane D, Geor RJ, Mickelson JR, McCue ME.Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a complex clinical disorder with both environmental and genetic factors contributing to EMS phenotypes. Estimates of heritability determine the proportion of variation in a trait that is attributable to genetics. Objective: To provide heritability estimates for nine metabolic traits associated with EMS in two high-risk breeds. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: High-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype data was used to estimate the heritability (h ) of nine metabolic traits relevant to EMS in a cohort of 264 Welsh ponies and 286 M...
Lesimple C, Sankey C, Richard MA, Hausberger M.Domestic animals are highly capable of detecting human cues, while wild relatives tend to perform less well (e.g., responding to pointing gestures). It is suggested that domestication may have led to the development of such cognitive skills. Here, we hypothesized that because domestic animals are so attentive and dependant to humans' actions for resources, the counter effect may be a decline of self sufficiency, such as individual task solving. Here we show a negative correlation between the performance in a learning task (opening a chest) and the interest shown by horses toward humans, despit...
Licka T, Kapaun M, Peham C.Equine lameness is commonly evaluated when the horse is being ridden, but the influence of the rider on the lameness has not been documented. Objective: To document the effect of 2 riders of different training levels on the vertical movement of the head and croup. Methods: Twenty mature horses were ridden at trot by an experienced dressage rider and a novice rider, as well as trotted in hand. Kinematic measurements of markers placed on the horse's head and sacral bone were carried out. The asymmetries of the vertical head and sacral bone motion were calculated as lameness parameters and compar...
Iqbal J, Dudhia J, Bird JL, Bayliss MT.The synthesis of proteoglycans was measured in normal equine articular cartilage of ages 9 months to 20 years and the effect of TGF-beta1 on this activity was investigated. The rate of incorporation of [(35)S]Na(2)SO(4) decreased with age as did the responsiveness of the tissue to the growth factor. The enhanced synthesis of proteoglycan induced at all ages by TGF-beta1 was down-regulated by IL-1 beta and retinoic acid. The expression of mRNA for TGF-beta1, 2, and 3 was also measured, and although the level of TGF-beta1 was highest at all ages, the expression of each growth factor decreased wi...
de Laat MA, Pollitt CC, Kyaw-Tanner MT, McGowan CM, Sillence MN.The reason why a sustained high concentration of insulin induces laminitis in horses remains unclear. Cell proliferation occurs in the lamellae during insulin-induced laminitis and in other species high concentrations of insulin can activate receptors for the powerful cell mitogen, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1. The first aim of this study was to determine if IGF-1 receptors (IGF-1R) are activated in the hoof during insulin-induced laminitis. Gene expression for IGF-1R and the insulin receptor (InsR) was measured using qRT-PCR, in lamellar tissue from control horses and from horses underg...
Wilsman NJ, Farnum CE, Reed-Aksamit DK.The incidence and structure of equine and murine chondrocytic cilia were studied using serial sections and transmission electron microscopy. Overall, 96% of all equine chondrocytes and 100% of all murine chondrocytes had one cilium. The structure of these cilia included rootlets, basal feet, alar sheets, and an axoneme of nine peripheral doublets which progressively bent and terminated as they coursed towards the tip of the ciliary shaft. Together with the previous studies on neonatal and adult canine chondrocytic cilia, we conclude that the structure and incidence of chondrocytic cilia does n...
Contreras-Aguilar MD, Hevia ML, Escribano D, Lamy E, Tecles F, Cerón JJ.This study aims to evaluate the effect of the presence of food and the material used in a panel of biomarkers in saliva of horses. For the food effect study, clean saliva was incubated with a known amount of food consisting of oats, hay or grass. Significant changes were observed when saliva was incubated with oats for total protein (P = .050) and phosphorus (P = .008), with grass for total protein (P = .037), salivary alpha-amylase (sAA, P = .018), total esterase (TEA, P = .018), butyrilcholinesterase (BChE, P = .037), adenosine deaminase (ADA, P = .037), and total bilirubin (PÂ...
St-Laurent G, Morin G, Archambault D.A reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assay was developed for the detection of equine arteritis virus (EAV) in cell culture supernatant and in horse semen. Four different sets of oligonucleotide primers complementary to sequences located in the 3' end of the polymerase gene (open reading frame [ORF] 1b) and to sequences representing the entire ORFs 3, 4, and 7, which encode for nonstructural (ORFs 3 and 4) or viral nucleocapsid (ORF 7) proteins, were compared for their abilities to amplify the targeted EAV sequences by the RT-PCR procedure. The sensitivities of the RT-PCR for amplification of EAV s...
Ginther OJ.Movement of the conceptus within the uterine lumen of barren mares was studied by daily ultrasound examinations on days 11-20 and by rectal palpation on days 15-48 (Experiment 1) and by ultrasound examinations 3 or 4 times per day at 2-4 hour intervals on days 11-16 (Experiment 2). In addition, broodfarm records were analyzed to compare side of ovulation with side of embryo attachment (Experiment 3). The vesicle was found in opposite uterine horns for 43% of the successive, daily, ultrasound examinations on days 11 and 12, 12 and 13, 13 and 14, and 14 and 15; 24% of the successive examinations...
Johnson DJ, Ostlund EN, Pedersen DD, Schmitt BJ.A traditional single-stage reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) procedure is effective in determining West Nile (WN) virus in avian tissue and infected cell cultures. However, the procedure lacks the sensitivity to detect WN virus in equine tissue. We describe an RT-nested PCR (RT-nPCR) procedure that identifies the North American strain of WN virus directly in equine and avian tissues.
Sebola DC, Oguttu JW, Kock MM, Qekwana DN.Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are associated with increased mortality, morbidity, and an economic burden due to costs associated with extended hospital stays. Furthermore, most pathogens associated with HAIs in veterinary medicine are zoonotic. This study used published data to identify organisms associated with HAIs and zoonosis in veterinary medicine. Furthermore, the study also investigated the antimicrobial-susceptibility profile of these bacterial organisms. Unassigned: A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Revie...
Knowles EJ, Harris PA, Elliott J, Menzies-Gow NJ.It is recommended that the oral sugar test (OST) for insulin dysregulation (ID) be performed after an overnight fast, but fasting is impractical in ponies kept solely at pasture. There are few data on OST repeatability and reliability in ponies. Objective: To report 1) whether OST results obtained in the morning after an overnight fast or without fasting in the afternoon (FASTING/FED) can be used interchangeably, 2) time of highest insulin concentration T [insulin], repeatability and reliability of insulin response to the OST when FASTING or FED and 3) dichotomous agreement (ID/normal) within ...
Mfitilodze MW, Hutchinson GW.A postmortem survey of 57 horses in tropical northern Queensland revealed 41 (89%) infected with intestinal strongyles. Thirty-five strongyle species (8 large strongyles and 27 small strongyles [Cyathostominae]) were recorded of which 9 species are reported from Australia for the first time. The 14 most prevalent small strongyles were Cyathostomum catinatum (in 76% of horses), Cyathostomum coronatum (65%), Cyathostomum pateratum (33%), Cyathostomum labiatum (30%), Cylicostephanus calicatus (70%), Cylicostephanus longibursatus (67%), Cylicostephanus goldi (43%), Cylicostephanus minutus (26%), C...
Linz D, Hesselkilde E, Kutieleh R, Jespersen T, Buhl R, Sanders P.Atrial fibrillation is triggered by the pulmonary veins in humans. Although atrial fibrillation is known to occur in other species, the mechanisms of disease in these are not known. Here we present evidence for pulmonary vein triggers in the horse, where 3D HD Grid mapping was undertaken in the conscious state in the absence of fluoroscopy.
Baker GJ, Moustafa MA, Boero MJ, Foreman JH, Wilson DA.The caudal cruciate ligament assists the medial femorotibial ligament in supporting the medial aspect of the femorotibial joint. It also limits the outward rotation of the tibia during weight bearing. In two lame horses tearing of the caudal portion of the femoral attachment of the caudal cruciate ligament was recorded together with cracking and tearing of the medial meniscus. In one case, synovitis and restrictive fibrous periarthritis were the sequelae of secondary stifle sepsis.
Barrachina L, Remacha AR, Romero A, Vázquez FJ, Albareda J, Prades M, Ranera B, Zaragoza P, MartÃn-Burriel I, Rodellar C.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are gaining relevance for treating equine joint injuries because of their ability to limit inflammation and stimulate regeneration. Because inflammation activates MSC immunoregulatory function, proinflammatory priming could improve MSC efficacy. However, inflammatory molecules present in synovial fluid or added to the culture medium might have deleterious effects on MSCs. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of inflammatory synovial fluid and proinflammatory cytokines priming on viability and plasticity of equine MSCs. Equine bone marrow ...
Pant GR.Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an emerging disease of animals and humans in Nepal. A serological study for antibody to JE virus was conducted in Nepal from September 2003 to August 2004 by collecting 280 sera from pigs, ducks, and horses covering 10 districts of the country. These sera were tested by performing competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of antibodies against JE virus. The total number of tested sera was 280, of which 43.92% were found positive for the presence of antibodies against JE virus infection in Nepal. Sero-prevalence of JE in pigs, ducks, and horse...
Bertram JE, Gosline JM.Tensile moduli and J-integral fracture toughness values were determined for horse hoof-wall keratin at four hydration levels. The stiffness of hoof-wall was influenced by water content to a greater degree than is the stiffness of other mammalian hard keratins. Young's modulus increased from 410 MPa at 100% relative hydration (RH) to 14.6 GPa at 0% RH. Fracture toughness was maximal (22.8 kJ m-2) at an intermediate hydration (75% RH), which represents a two-fold increase over both fully hydrated and dehydrated material. Maximum fracture toughness occurred at a hydration level which is within th...
Liu SH, Li K, Hu DF.A survey was conducted on the detection of the larval Gasterophilus species in 90 equines via necropsy or after administering oral ivermectin in Xinjian, China, from 2008 to 2013. All 90 (100%) equines were infested by larval Gasterophilus, and 3723second instar larvae (L2) and 63,778 third instar larvae (L3) were collected from faecal samples and the digestive tract, a ratio of L2:L3=1:17. Over 84.45% of the animals contained ≤1500 larvae and 7.78% had >2000 larvae. The highest totals of L2 and L 3 larvae in any one animal were 1208 in Mongolian wild ass (Equus hemionus hemionus), 2491 in P...