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.
Vereecke N, Vandekerckhove A, Theuns S, Haesebrouck F, Boyen F.Actinobacillus equuli is mostly associated with disease in horses and is most widely known as the causative agent of sleepy foal disease. Even though existing phenotypic tools such as biochemical tests, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) can be used to identify members of the Actinobacillus genus, these methods struggle to differentiate between certain species and do not allow strain, virulence, and antimicrobial susceptibility typing. Hence, we performed in-depth analysis of 24 equine Actinobacillus isolate...
Nts'aoana ME, Molapo S, Kompi P, Phalatsi M.Parasitic infection is one of the major problems in equines which negatively influence their health. It hinders working performance of equines. This study was conducted to evaluate donkey owners' knowledge and control measures on prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs) in three agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Maseru district. A total of 144 donkey owners were selected for individual interviews through a stratified random sampling. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to analyze data. The significance (p <0.05) of different AEZs was tested using a post-hoc cell-wise ad...
Carstensen H, Nissen SD, Saljic A, Hesselkilde EM, van Hunnik A, Hohl M, Sattler SM, Fløgstad C, Hopster-Iversen C, Verheule S, Böhm M, Schotten U....Atrial fibrillation (AF) is more prevalent in athletes, and currently, the mechanisms are not fully understood. Atrial fibrillation inducibility and stability was investigated in trained and untrained Standardbred racehorses. The horses underwent echocardiography for evaluation of atrial size. High-density mapping during AF was performed, and the presence of structural remodeling, as well as the expression of inflammatory and pro-inflammatory markers in the atria, was studied. Atrial fibrillation sustained significantly longer after tachypacing in the trained horses, whereas no difference in A...
Yang P, Bi Q, Li Y, Liao J, Ding Y, Huang D, Luo X, Huang Y, Yao C, Zhang J, Wei W, Li Z, Meng J, Guo D.In this study, a novel pseudo-targeted peptidomics strategy, integrating the transition list generated by an in-house software (Pep-MRMer) and the retention time transfer by high-abundance ion-based retention time calibration (HAI-RT-cal), was developed to screen marker peptides of gelatins from five closely related animal species, including porcine, bovine, horse, mule, and donkey. Five marker peptides were screened from the molecular phenotypic differences of type I collagen. Furthermore, a simple and robust 10 min multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method was established and performed well ...
Bergmann W, Vernooij JCM, Grinwis GCM, Gröne A.Osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) of articular process joints (APJs) is involved in cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy (CVM). Biomechanical forces, important in development of OCD, depend on joint conformation. Oval and flat APJ surfaces are considered normal. Objective: To identify and grade gross shape variation of cervical and cranial thoracic APJ surfaces and determine association with histological evidence of osteochondrosis. Methods: Case series. Methods: Eight hundred and four cervical and cranial thoracic APJ surfaces of 30 foals were evaluated for shape(s) and grades, and were co...
Berman N, Tirosh-Levy S, Steinman A, Minderigiu A, Blinder E, Leszkowicz Mazuz M. is a tissue cyst forming coccidia, which affects multiple host species worldwide. Equine besnoitiosis is characterized mainly by generalized skin lesions and cysts in the scleral conjunctiva. Recent reports revealed exposure to in equines in Europe and the United States. However, the exposure to spp. in the Israeli equine population was never investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence and associated risk factors for besnoitiosis in equids in Israel. A cross-sectional serosurvey was performed using serum samples of apparently healthy horses ( = 347), donkeys ( = 9...
Hofstee W.Vet and owner of Unicorn Trails Wendy Hofstee explains how she developed a horse-riding holiday business alongside a successful career in emergency veterinary work.
Fujiwara Y, Kusakabe KT, Baba K, Sasaki N.Currently, treatment for peripheral nerve injuries in horses primarily relies upon physical therapy and anti-inflammatory drugs. In humans, various treatments using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are being attempted. Therefore, in this study, Schwann-like cell differentiation cultures of equine MSCs were prepared using fetal bovine serum (FBS) and equine platelet lysate (ePL). ePL increased the platelet count to 1 × 10/μl, the optimal concentration for culture. In both groups, an elongated morphology at both ends, characteristic of Schwann cells, was observed under the microscope. Real-time...
Golombieski L, Bassi das Neves G, Casa MDS, Costa GCS, Miletti LC, Saito ME, Fonteque JH.Campeiro horse is a breed locally adapted to the Santa Catarina plateau region and its main characteristic is the gait, it is known as "Marchador das Araucárias." It is a breed considered in danger of extinction, being fundamental the search for the preservation of this important genetic resource. Surra, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma evansi, is among the diseases that affect horses. However, there are no data on the prevalence of infection in Campeiro horses. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. evansi in Campeiro horses, correlate hematology and serum biochemistry, and id...
Abood DA, Dawood MS, Mohammed LE, Karim AJ.Certain advantages of donkeys are still not listed as for other equine species. Moreover, donkeys lack comprehensive scientific studies. The present study examines the histological architecture and histochemical characteristics of the esophagus in the Iraqi local breed donkey (). Unassigned: Eight esophagus samples were collected from a local breed donkey. Tissue specimens (~1 cm) were collected from the cervical, thoracic, and abdominal regions of the esophagus and processed via routine histological technique. The tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Massons Trichrome, and...
Blangy-Letheule A, Vergnaud A, Dupas T, Rozec B, Lauzier B, Leroux AA.Sepsis is a life-threatening disease defined as an organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to an infection. Early diagnosis and prognosis of sepsis are necessary for specific and timely treatment. However, no predictive biomarkers or therapeutic targets are available yet, mainly due to the lack of a pertinent model. A better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms associated with sepsis will allow for earlier and more appropriate management. For this purpose, experimental models of sepsis have been set up to decipher the progression and pathophysiology of human seps...
de Moura TCM, Arruda LCP, Cahú TB, Bezerra RS, Carneiro GF, Guerra MMP.Semen cryopreservation ensures the storage of stallion genetics for an unlimited time. The improvement of extenders with new antioxidant substances can optimize the properties of post-thawed semen. The study aimed to investigate the addition effect of medium-molecular-weight carboxymethylchitosan (CQm) derivates to freezing diluent of stallion sperm after freezinf/thawing. Twice a week, five ejaculates of four stallions were obtained, totalizing 20 ejaculates. Semen was diluted in commercial freezing extender (Botucrio) supplemented with CQm: control (0), 0.75, 1.5, and 3 mg/mL. Samples were ...
Maxwell L, McCarrel TM, Hay S, Cole C.The antifibrinolytic agent aminocaproic acid (ACA) is occasionally used prior to episodes of intense training in racehorses suffering from exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Although a previous study indicated that the drug is cleared rapidly in horses, some racetrack practitioners claim that recent adverse analytical findings for ACA in postrace samples were from ACA administrations 5-7 days before the race. The purpose of this study was to re-examine the pharmacokinetics of ACA in horses to address this apparent conundrum. Eight exercise-conditioned thoroughbred horses were administere...
Istanbullugil FR, Risvanli A, Salikov R, Bayraktar M, Kadiraliyeva N, Zhunushova A, Yilmaz O, Yuksel BF, Turanli M, Uz M, Asinbekovic MI.Immune compatibility between mare and foal is one of the important topics of reproductive immunology. At this point, although there are many studies on antibodies, there are not many publications on the relationship between the cytokine levels of mare, foal and milk and the effects of milk composition on this relationship. Here we investigate the relationship between Th1/Th2 cytokine balance and milk composition in Kyrgyz mares and foals. Samples were taken soon after the foal was born and on days 5, 10 and 20 after birth. Th1 (IFN-γ, IL-2, TNF-α) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10) cytokine levels ...
Alpoim-Moreira J, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A, Słyszewska M, Rebordão MR, Skarzynski DJ, Ferreira-Dias G.Endometrosis negatively affects endometrial function and fertility in mares, due to excessive deposition of type I (COL1) and type III (COL3) collagens. The pro-fibrotic transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) induces myofibroblast differentiation, characterized by α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression, and collagen synthesis. In humans, fibrosis has been linked to epigenetic mechanisms. To the best of our knowledge, this has not been described in mare endometrium. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the in vitro epigenetic regulation in TGF-β1-treated mare endometrial fibroblasts an...
Brown KA, Davidson EJ, Johnson AL, Stefanovski D, Wulster KB, Ortved K.Caudal cervical articular process joint osteoarthritis (CAPJ OA) leads to career-altering clinical signs in the horse. Oblique radiographs and standing cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) facilitate the assessment of this area, however, the variability of interpretation of these images is currently unknown. This retrospective, secondary analysis, methods comparison study investigated interobserver agreement between clinicians and modality in grades of CAPJ OA on lateral and oblique radiographs and CBCT. We hypothesized that agreement between clinicians' grades of CAPJ OA would be lowest for o...
Jindra C, Hainisch EK, Brandt S.Horses and other equid species are frequently affected by bovine papillomavirus type 1 and/or 2 (BPV1, BPV2)-induced skin tumors termed sarcoids. Although sarcoids do not metastasize, they constitute a serious health problem due to their BPV1/2-mediated resistance to treatment and propensity to recrudesce in a more severe, multiple form following accidental or iatrogenic trauma. This review provides an overview on BPV1/2 infection and associated immune escape in the equid host and presents early and recent immunotherapeutic approaches in sarcoid management.
de Favare GM, de Almeida Cipriano I, do Carmo TA, Mena MO, Guelpa GJ, do Amarante AFT, de Soutello RVG.The indiscriminate use of drugs to control gastrointestinal helminths in horses can lead to serious consequences for the animals, which represents a growing problem for health, animal welfare and productivity. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the anthelmintic efficacy of ivermectin in naturally infected horses in the western region of the state of São Paulo. From May 2021 to April 2022, 123 naturally infected adult horses in 12 equine breeding farms (7 to 14 animals per farm) were evaluated with the fecal egg count reduction test. The horses had not been treated with anthelminti...
Hunt J, Rice M, Henry T.A retrospective cohort study to describe a novel use of a mechanically retained, rigid obturator (RO) to manage maxillary and mandibular persistent pathologic oral communications (PPOCs). This study included 22 horses with PPOC with at least 6 months of follow-up after treatment with a RO. The RO was made with a flowable, bis-acryl-based composite resin. Medical records were analyzed, including case details, obtained imaging, surgical reports, and follow-up information. There were 10 horses that had follow-up examinations by the authors and 8 horses by the referring veterinarian; in 4 horses, ...
Cameron-Whytock HA, Parkin TDH, Hobbs SJ, Brigden CV, Bennet ED.Equestrian eventing is a dangerous Olympic sport, with 16 rider and 69 horse fatalities at competition in the last 10 years. Despite this, there is limited research that aims to improve safety within the sport. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for horse falls, which are the leading cause of rider fatality within the sport. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Competition data between January 2005 and December 2015 were analysed. Descriptive statistics followed by univariable logistic regression to identify risk factors for inclusion in a multivariabl...
Bernardino PN, Pusterla N, Conrad PA, Packham AE, Tamez-Trevino E, Aleman M, James K, Smith WA.Among the recognized neurologic diseases in horses, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) has been reported around the world and still presents challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Horses can present with clinical neurologic signs consistent with EPM while testing negative for the two main causative agents, Sarcocystis neurona or Neospora hughesi, and may still be clinically responsive to anti-parasitic drug therapy. This context led to our hypothesis that another protozoal parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which is known to cause toxoplasmosis in other mammalian species, is a potential pathog...
Scarlet D, Malama E, Fischer S, Knutti B, Bollwein H.Persistent breeding-induced endometritis (PBIE) is a major cause of subfertility in horses and the susceptibility is increased by several factors. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of clinical uterine findings and PBIE therapies, respectively, on pregnancy rate in mares. The analysis included records from 220 mares (390 cycles) inseminated at an artificial insemination (AI) center in Switzerland. Gynecological examinations were performed repeatedly before and after AI to determine cervical tone, uterine edema, and intrauterine fluid accumulation. Pregnancy rate was lower (p < ...
Ginther OJ.Examples of research discoveries and first reports on mare reproduction by the O.J. Ginther team are (1) determined daily circulating concentrations of four hormones during the estrous cycle, (2) showed that mares can be induced to ovulate and superovulate by hormone treatment during both ovulatory and anovulatory seasons, (3) demonstrated that prostaglandin F2α was the luteolysin in mares, (4) described the mare's elaborate hormonal and biochemical mechanism for selecting the ovulatory follicle from a pool of like follicles, (5) developed the method for diagnosing fetal sex by Day 60 using l...
Bevevino KE, Cohen ND, Gordon SG, Navas de Solis C.A point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) protocol for evaluation of the cardiac and respiratory systems in horses does not exist. Objective: (a) Describe the windows of a POCUS protocol for cardiorespiratory assessment of horses (CRASH); (b) Estimate the number of acoustic windows that can be acquired by a sonographer-in-training; (c) Estimate the time required to complete the protocol for specific groups of horses; (d) Describe the sonographic abnormalities detected in horses presented with cardiovascular, respiratory, or systemic disease. Methods: Twenty-seven healthy horses, 14 horses competing i...
Hansen S, Otten ND, Spang-Hanssen L, Bendorff C, Jacobsen S.Studies in people have found neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) concentrations are increased in asthma and can be used to distinguish between asthma subtypes. NGAL has not yet been investigated in equine asthma (EA). Objective: To investigate the ability of NGAL concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and serum to distinguish between control horses, horses with mild-moderate EA (MEA) and horses with severe EA (SEA). Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Methods: Details of endoscopic examination including tracheal mucus score (TMS, scale 0-5) and BAL cytolog...
Sundra T, Kelty E, Rendle D.An extended-release injectable omeprazole formulation (ERIO) has become a popular treatment for equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) where it is available; however, published data are limited and optimal treatment regimens have not been determined. Objective: To compare effects of treatment on ESGD and EGGD when an ERIO formulation is administered at either 5- or 7-day intervals. Methods: Retrospective clinical study. Methods: Case records and gastroscopy images of horses with ESGD or EGGD treated with ERIO were reviewed. Images were anonymised and...
Salamanca-Carreño A, Parés-Casanova PM, Crosby-Granados RA, Vélez-Terranova M, Bentez-Molano J.The skull is divided into neurocranium and splanchnocranium, and its variation allows ecomorphological studies to learn about possible evolutionary and adaptive characteristics. The basicranial organization of the neurocranium and splanchnocranium modules was studied in a sample of 31 skulls from adult Araucanian horses by means of 2D geometric morphometric techniques. The neurocranium and splanchnocranium modules on the ventral aspect were analyzed separately using a set of 31 landmarks. The RV coefficient (the multivariate analog of a correlation) was estimated to analyze the independence of...
Wright AL, Earley ET, Austin C, Arora M.Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH) is a common, painful and poorly understood disease. Enamel, dentin and cementum accumulate both essential and toxic trace elements during mineralization. Characterization of the spatial accumulation pattern of trace elements may provide insight into the role that toxic elements play and inform biological processes affecting these hard dental tissues for future research. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to map the distribution of multiple trace elements and heavy metals across equin...
Tyrnenopoulou P, Fthenakis GC.Antibiotic administration is a standard therapeutic practice for the treatment of reproductive disorders of equids. This might lead to undesirable microbial imbalance and could favour the acquisition of antibiotic resistance. Therefore, it is imperative for clinicians to understand patterns of antibiotic resistance when considering and developing treatment regimes. Continued engagement of clinicians with novel alternative approaches to treat reproductive infections would be essential in order to address this rising threat within the One Health perspective. The objectives of the present review ...
Carregaro AB, Luna SP, Mataqueiro MI, de Queiroz-Neto A.To investigate spontaneous locomotor activity (SLA) and antinociceptive effects of buprenorphine in horses. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: Horses received each of 3 treatments (10 mL of saline [0.9% NaCl] solution, 5 microg of buprenorphine/kg, or 10 microg of buprenorphine/kg). Treatments were administered IV. Order of treatments was randomized, and there was a 10-day interval between subsequent treatments. Spontaneous locomotor activity was investigated in a behavioral box by use of infrared photoelectric sensors connected to a computer, which detected movement of each horse. Anti...
Murray RC, Vedi S, Birch HL, Lakhani KH, Goodship AE.It was hypothesised that subchondral bone thickness, hardness and remodelling are influenced by exercise intensity, and by location within a joint. Dorsal carpal osteochondral injury is a major cause of lameness in horses undergoing high intensity training. This project aimed to determine the subchondral bone thickness, formation, resorption and hardness at sites with high and low incidence of pathology in 2 year-old horses undergoing 19 weeks high intensity treadmill training or low intensity exercise, and to compare these factors between exercise groups. Dorsal and palmar test sites were ide...
Pascottini OB, Aurich C, England G, Grahofer A.Endometritis is a leading cause of sub- and infertility in domestic animal species. The healthy uterus is colonized by commensal bacteria, viruses and yeast/fungi that represent the nonpathogenic microbiota. A shift in the number or type of organisms accompanied by immune dysfunction, however, may trigger uterine infection and inflammation. Metritis is associated with inflammation of all uterine layers (endometrium, myometrium and perimetrium), whereas endometritis is a more superficial inflammation involving solely the endometrium. Endometritis generally occurs at two time points in domestic ...
Wood JL, Burrell MH, Roberts CA, Chanter N, Shaw Y.The likelihood of finding evidence of inflammation in 551 tracheal washes collected endoscopically from 278 Thoroughbred racehorses increased with the number of bacterial colony forming units (cfu) per ml of wash (P < 0.001). The aerobic bacteria Streptococcus zooepidemicus, Pasteurella/Actinobacillus-like species and Streptococcus pneumoniae were significantly associated with lower airway inflammation whereas coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp., alpha-haemolytic Streptococcus spp., Acinetobacter spp., Bacillus spp., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, non-haemolytic Streptococcus spp...
Lilliehöök I, Tvedten H.The Sysmex XT-2000iV is a laser-based, flow cytometric hematology system that stains nucleic acids in leukocytes with a fluorescent dye. A 4-part differential is obtained using side fluorescence light and laser side scatter. Objective: The purpose of this study was to validate the Sysmex XT-2000iV for determining differential leukocyte counts in blood from ill dogs, cats, and horses. Methods: Blood samples from diseased animals (133 dogs, 65 cats, and 73 horses) were analyzed with the Sysmex XT-2000iV (Auto-diff) and the CELL-DYN 3500. Manual differentials were obtained by counting 100 leukocy...
Turlej RK, Fiévez L, Sandersen CF, Dogné S, Kirschvink N, Lekeux P, Bureau F.As granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) mediated delay of granulocyte apoptosis contributes to the accumulation of inflammatory cells at the site of inflammation in many diseases, we sought to determine whether asthma is also associated with a GM-CSF dependent increase in lung granulocyte survival. Moreover, because GM-CSF mediates its effects through activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5), we also investigated the potential role of STAT5 in allergic inflammation. Methods: Blood granulocytes were recovered from six healthy and six heaves a...
van der Meide NM, Roders N, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Schaap PJ, van Oers MM, Leibold W, Savelkoul HF, Tijhaar E.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is an IgE-mediated (Type I) hypersensitivity reaction induced by allergens from biting midges of the Culicoides spp. The aim of the present study was to identify, clone and express recombinant allergens from C. obsoletus, the main species found feeding on horses in the Netherlands, by sequence homology searches on the C. obsoletus specific RNA database, with previously described allergens from C. nubeculosus and C. sonorensis. BLAST searches with these described allergens resulted in similarity hits with 7 genes coding for C. obsoletus allergens. These allerg...
Minke JM, Fischer L, Baudu P, Guigal PM, Sindle T, Mumford JA, Audonnet JC.In this study, experimental canarypox virus (ALVAC) and plasmid DNA recombinant vaccines expressing the gB, gC and gD glycoproteins of EHV-1 were assessed for their ability to protect conventional ponies against a respiratory challenge with EHV-1. In addition, potential means of enhancing serological responses in horses to ALVAC and DNA vaccination were explored. These included co-administration of the antigen with conventional adjuvants, complexation with DMRIE-DOPE and co-expression of the antigen along with equine GM-CSF. Groups of EHV primed ponies were vaccinated twice intra-muscularly wi...
Li C, White SH, Warren LK, Wohlgemuth SE.Skeletal muscle function, aerobic capacity, and mitochondrial (Mt) function have been found to decline with age in humans and rodents. However, not much is known about age-related changes in Mt function in equine skeletal muscle. Here, we compared fiber-type composition and Mt function in gluteus medius and triceps brachii muscle between young (age 1.8 ± 0.1 yr, n = 24) and aged (age 17-25 yr, n = 10) American Quarter Horses. The percentage of myosin heavy chain (MHC) IIX was lower in aged compared with young muscles (gluteus, P = 0.092; triceps, P = 0.012), while the percentages of MHC I (gl...
Hellander-Edman A, Makdoumi K, Mortensen J, Ekesten B.Corneal ulcers are one of the most common eye problems in the horse and can cause varying degrees of visual impairment. Secondary infection and protease activity causing melting of the corneal stroma are always concerns in patients with corneal ulcers. Corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL), induced by illumination of the corneal stroma with ultraviolet light (UVA) after instillation of riboflavin (vitamin B2) eye drops, introduces crosslinks which stabilize melting corneas, and has been used to successfully treat infectious ulcerative keratitis in human patients. Therefore we decided to study i...
Nielsen MK, Branan MA, Wiedenheft AM, Digianantonio R, Garber LP, Kopral CA, Phillippi-Taylor AM, Traub-Dargatz JL.The widespread occurrence of anthelmintic resistance in equine parasites across the world has led to recommendations of fecal egg count-based parasite programs to reduce treatment intensity and thereby delay further development of resistance as much as possible. The most recent study describing equine parasite control in the United States was conducted 20 years ago, and little is known about current strategies employed. This study was part of the National Animal Health Monitoring Systems (NAHMS) Equine 2015 Study, and aimed to describe equine parasite control strategies in the U.S. and evalu...
Ortiz-Escribano N, Bogado Pascottini O, Woelders H, Vandenberghe L, De Schauwer C, Govaere J, Van den Abbeel E, Vullers T, Ververs C, Roels K....The success rate for vitrification of immature equine oocytes is low. Although vitrified-warmed oocytes are able to mature, further embryonic development appears to be compromised. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare two vitrification protocols, and to examine the effect of the number of layers of cumulus cells surrounding the oocyte during vitrification of immature equine oocytes. Methods: Experimental in vitro and in vivo trials. Methods: Immature equine oocytes were vitrified after a short exposure to high concentrations of cryoprotective agents (CPAs), or a long exposure to l...
Sears KP, Kappmeyer LS, Wise LN, Silva M, Ueti MW, White S, Reif KE, Knowles DP.Theileria equi infection, exotic to the United States has reemerged through intravenous (iatrogenic) and tick-borne transmission. Surveillance at the US-Mexico border identified a new species, Theileria haneyi, (T. haneyi) (EP = Eagle Pass, Texas) which warranted additional investigation due to inability to detect by PCR targeting of T. equi ema-1 and EMA-1-cELISA validated for T. equi. Infection dynamics of T. haneyi were evaluated, including ability to superinfect in the presence of T. equi-Texas (T. equi), the isolate responsible for the reemergence of T. equi in the U S. Experimental i...
Hagen A, Lehmann H, Aurich S, Bauer N, Melzer M, Moellerberndt J, Patané V, Schnabel CL, Burk J.Translation of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-based therapies is advancing in human and veterinary medicine. One critical issue is the culture of MSC before clinical use. Using fetal bovine serum (FBS) as supplement to the basal medium is still the gold standard for cultivation of many cell types including equine MSC. Alternatives are being explored, with substantial success using platelet lysate-supplemented media for human MSC. However, progress lags behind in the veterinary field. The aim of this study was to establish a scalable protocol for equine platelet lysate (ePL) produc...
Wilson WD, Madigan JE.Diagnosis of bacterial septicemia was confirmed by results of bacteriologic culture of antemortem blood samples and/or necropsy specimens obtained from 47 foals up to 8 days old. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from all 47 foals, and mixed infections with more than one organism were involved in 26 (55%). Escherichia coli, Actinobacillus spp, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the most frequent isolates, infecting 55, 34, and 23% of foals, respectively. Gram-positive bacteria and anaerobic bacteria were isolated only from foals with mixed infections with gram-negative organisms. Clostridium pe...
Axon JE, Carrick JB, Barton MD, Collins NM, Russell CM, Kiehne J, Coombs G.To evaluate if methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is present in the horse population in Australia. Methods: A two-part retrospective study of laboratory submissions of microbial culture results from horses. Methods: Part A: medical records of 216 horses that had MRSA screening performed on nasal swabs collected over a 30-day period at admission to the Scone Equine Hospital Clovelly Intensive Care Unit were retrieved. Part B: laboratory records from 2004 to 2009 of culture submissions to the Scone Veterinary Laboratory were reviewed and cultures that grew MRSA were identified. T...
Spadari A, Gialletti R, Gandini M, Valle E, Cerullo A, Cavallini D, Bertoletti A, Rinnovati R, Forni G, Scilimati N, Giusto G.The occurrence of colic could be influenced by the characteristics of a population, geographical area, and feeding management. The aim of this study was to report the short-term postoperative complications and survival rates and to identify factors that might affect the outcome of horses that underwent colic surgery in three Italian surgical referral centres. Data of horses subjected to colic surgery in three referral centres (2018-2021) were analysed. Comparisons of the outcomes were performed using a Mann-Whitney or a Chi square test. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) c...
Rosales R, Rangel-Rivas A, Escalona A, Jordan LS, Gonzatti MI, Aso PM, Perrone T, Silva-Iturriza A, Mijares A.The focus of this study was the detection of equine piroplasmosis in Distrito Capital, Miranda, Aragua, Guárico and Apure States from Venezuela, using two methods: Competitive-Inhibition ELISA and multiplex PCR and the analysis of the possible differences in occurrence in relation to the primary purpose of the horses, which is related to varied degrees of exposure to tick. Antibody levels to Babesia caballi and Theileria equi were assessed in 694 equine serum samples using Competitive-Inhibition ELISA, while PCR assays were performed in 136 horses, using two sets of oligonucleotides to establ...
Denwood MJ, Love S, Innocent GT, Matthews L, McKendrick IJ, Hillary N, Smith A, Reid SW.The faecal egg count (FEC) is the most widely used means of quantifying the nematode burden of horses, and is frequently used in clinical practice to inform treatment and prevention. The statistical process underlying the FEC is complex, comprising a Poisson counting error process for each sample, compounded with an underlying continuous distribution of means between samples. Being able to quantify the sources of variability contributing to this distribution of means is a necessary step towards providing estimates of statistical power for future FEC and FECRT studies, and may help to improve t...
Beech J, Boston RC, McFarlane D, Lindborg S.To measure plasma ACTH, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (aloha-MSH), and insulin concentrations during various photoperiods between February and October in horses and ponies with and without pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Methods: Cohort study. Methods: 13 clinically normal (control) ponies, 14 clinically normal (control) horses, 7 ponies with PPID, and 8 horses with PPID. Methods: Blood samples were collected from February through October during 8 photoperiods: 1, February 13 through March 2; 2, April 4 through 6; 3, June 19 through 22; 4, August 6 through 7; 5, August 14 ...
Paillot R, Daly JM, Juillard V, Minke JM, Hannant D, Kydd JH.Equine cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses to equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) are well characterised but little is known about the cytokine response after infection or vaccination. EHV-1 is common in horses and infects lymphocytes in vivo. This virus was used as a model to measure the synthesis of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) by equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after in vivo infection and/or in vitro stimulation with EHV-1. Both flow cytometry and ELISPOT assays were used to quantify equine IFN-gamma using a mouse anti-bovine IFN-gamma monoclonal antibody (clone CC302; shown to...
Mshelia PW, Kappmeyer L, Johnson WC, Kudi CA, Oluyinka OO, Balogun EO, Richard EE, Onoja E, Sears KP, Ueti MW.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is an infectious, tick-borne disease caused by the hemoprotozoan parasites, Theileria equi, Babesia caballi, and a recently reported new species, T. haneyi. Infections by these apicomplexan parasites limit performance and cause economic losses for the horse industry. Equine piroplasmosis is widespread in the northern regions of Nigeria, where an increasing portion of the animal population is composed of horses. This disease has remained epidemiologically challenging, especially as the movement of horses increases across Nigeria. In this study, blood samples from 300 h...
McGowan CM, Frost R, Pfeiffer DU, Neiger R.Serum insulin concentration and its use as a prognostic indicator in horses with equine Cushing's syndrome (ECS) have been poorly documented. Objective: To examine daily insulin variations in horses with ECS and the effect of treatment using trilostane, a competitive inhibitor of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Further, we aimed to examine the relationship between baseline serum insulin concentration and survival in horses with ECS. Methods: Basal serum insulin concentrations were measured in 20 confirmed ECS cases by taking blood at regular 4 h intervals for 24 h (1200, 1600, 2000, 2400, ...
Schurink A, da Silva VH, Velie BD, Dibbits BW, Crooijmans RPMA, Franҫois L, Janssens S, Stinckens A, Blott S, Buys N, Lindgren G, Ducro BJ.Many common and relevant diseases affecting equine welfare have yet to be tested regarding structural variants such as copy number variations (CNVs). CNVs make up a substantial proportion of total genetic variability in populations of many species, resulting in more sequence differences between individuals than SNPs. Associations between CNVs and disease phenotypes have been established in several species, but equine CNV studies have been limited. Aim of this study was to identify CNVs and to perform a genome-wide association (GWA) study in Friesian horses to identify genomic loci associated w...
Keegan KG, Pai PF, Wilson DA, Smith BK.In horses at a trot, the head moves up and down twice in one stride. In horses with unilateral forelimb lameness this movement is asymmetric. Computer-assisted kinematic analysis of vertical head movement can be used to quantify objectively lameness in horses in clinical trials. However, in mild lameness, absolute measurements of vertical head height may not be sensitive enough to detect small differences in lameness, and extraneous head movement by the horse due to curiosity, excitement or nervousness interferes with the accurate measurement of vertical head movement asymmetry. We describe a ...
Hübert PH, Birkenmaier S, Rziha HJ, Osterrieder N.The equine herpesvirus type-1 modified live-vaccine strain RacH (256th passage on porcine embryonic kidney cells) was investigated by restriction-enzyme analysis and compared to representative plaque isolates of the 12th passage (RacL11, RacL22) and 185th passage (RacM24, RacM36). The restriction patterns of all Rac plaque isolates differed compared with reference strain Ab4. The left UL terminus was shortened by 0.1 kbp and a missing BamHI site led to the fusion of the f and t fragments. In some Rac derivatives, losses of restriction sites without deletions were observed: 1. One BamHI site lo...
Kornicka K, Śmieszek A, Węgrzyn AS, Röcken M, Marycz K.Endocrine disorders, including equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), are a serious issue in veterinary medicine and horse breeding. Furthermore, EMS was shown to affect the cytophysiological properties of adipose-derived stem cells, reducing their therapeutic potential. However, it was shown that those cells can be rejuvenated while using a combination of two chemicals: 5-azacytydine (AZA) and resveratrol (RES). In the present study, we decided to evaluate the immunomodulatory properties of AZA/RES-treated adipose-derived stem cells (ASC) isolated from EMS horses (ASC). Thus, we co-cultured ASC wit...
Novilla MN.Monensin, lasalocid, salinomycin, narasin and maduramicin are carboxylic ionophores intended for use as anticoccidial drugs for poultry and as growth promotants for ruminants. Generally, ionophores have been found safe and effective in the target animals receiving recommended dosage levels. However, toxic syndromes can result from overdosage and misuse situations. More information and reports of adverse reactions are available for monensin than the other ionophores because of monensin's longstanding and widespread use in the poultry and livestock industries. Care must be exercised in the diagn...
