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.
Terschuur JA, Coomer RPC, Handel I, Pressanto MC, McKane SA.Skin closure of laparotomy incisions using topical 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (2-OCA) mesh provides a secure bactericidal barrier in humans, which may reduce the risk of postoperative incisional complications. However, the benefits of using this mesh have not been objectively assessed in horses. Methods: From 2009 to 2020, three methods of skin closure were used following laparotomy for acute colic, including metallic staples (MS), suture (ST) and cyanoacrylate mesh (DP). The closure method was not randomised. Owners were contacted 3 months or more after the surgery to record any postop...
Prutton AM, Lenaghan HAH, Baillie S.Simulation in veterinary education is an important means of providing a safe, welfare-friendly way for students to hone their skills prior to performing procedures on live animals. Students may not get many chances to practice passing a nasogastric tube and checking for reflux in live horses during clinical rotations and extra-mural studies. A low-cost equine nasogastric intubation model was created at the University of Surrey, allowing students to practice passing a tube and checking for reflux. Thirty-two equine veterinarians evaluated the model for realism, and its potential usefulness in t...
Koch DW, Schnabel LV, Reynolds J, Berry CR.Limb lymphedema in horses can be debilitating and painful. Pneumatic compression therapy has shown significant benefits for people suffering from lymphedema. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a novel, equine-specific pneumatic compression device on the lymphatic flow of healthy horse forelimbs as determined by Tc-99m sulfur colloid lymphoscintigraphy. Methods: 6 healthy Thoroughbreds. Methods: In a randomized crossover design, horses underwent bilateral forelimb lymphoscintigraphy following subcutaneous injection of Tc-99m sulfur colloid at the coronary band as untreat...
Poh KC, Cole ZT, Smarsh DN, Springer HR, Kelly K, Kenny LB, Machtinger ET.To evaluate the safety of repeated applications of permethrin concentrations (0% control, 1.5%, 5%, and 10%) to the necks and faces of horses and assess the efficacy and longevity of permethrin as an equine tick repellent. Methods: 5 healthy adult Quarter Horses. Methods: Each treatment was applied to the neck of each horse (0.01 m2) 4 times a day, for up to 10 days. An 8-mm biopsy was taken to evaluate postexposure dermal responses. Any treatments that were not withdrawn were applied to a quadrant of the horse's face 4 times a day, for up to 5 days. For tick bioassays, a treatment was applied...
Yokomori T, Ohnuma A, Tozaki T, Segawa T, Itou T.Considering the personality traits of racehorses (e.g., flightiness, anxiety, and affability) is considered essential to improve training efficiency and decrease accident frequency, especially when retraining for a second career that may involve contact with inexperienced personnel after retiring from racing. Studies on human personality-related genes are frequently conducted; however, such studies are rare in horses because a consistent methodology for personality evaluation is lacking. Using the recently published whole genome variant database of 101 Thoroughbred horses, we compared horse ge...
Tang Z, Li X, Wang X, Zhang C, Zou L, Ren H, Liu W. () is one of the foremost pathogens responsible for diarrhea in foals. As antibiotic resistance increases, phages that specifically lyse bacteria are of great interest to us with regard to . In this study, a novel phage DCp1 was isolated from the sewage of a donkey farm. Phage DCp1 had a non-contractile short tail (40 nm in length) and a regular icosahedral head (46 nm in diameter). Whole-genome sequencing indicated that phage DCp1 had a linear double-stranded DNA genome with a total length of 18,555 bp and a G + C content of 28.2%. A total of 25 ORFs were identified in the genome, 6 of whic...
Scilimati N, Angeli G, Di Meo A, Dall'Aglio C, Pepe M, Beccati F.The radiographic, ultrasonographic, and scintigraphic findings of horses with thoracolumbosacral pain have been previously reported. In this study, the computed tomographic appearance of anatomical variations and pathological changes of the equine caudal lumbar region through a post-mortem examination were investigated. A total of 40 horses that had died or were submitted for euthanasia, for reasons unrelated to the study, were included in the study. From all the specimens, the modified vertebral system was adopted to evaluate and describe the four most caudal lumbar vertebrae, which were numb...
Karatt TK, Sathiq MA, Laya S, Philip M, Karakka Kal AK, Subhahar MB.An effective alternative to testosterone therapy is selective androgen receptor modulators, a class of compounds that has a tissue-specific effect on muscle and bone. These drugs, which enhance performance, pose a severe abuse risk in competitive sports. GLPG0492 is one of the selective androgen receptor modulators discovered in recent decades. This compound has a unique tissue-specific action for muscle and bone against steroid receptors and acts as a partial agonist for androgen receptors. This study examined GLPG0492 and its metabolites in vitro using equine liver microsomes. Liquid chromat...
Piras FM, Cappelletti E, Abdelgadir WA, Salamon G, Vignati S, Santagostino M, Sola L, Nergadze SG, Giulotto E.In mammals, centromeres are epigenetically specified by the histone H3 variant CENP-A and are typically associated with satellite DNA. We previously described the first example of a natural satellite-free centromere on Equus caballus chromosome 11 (ECA11) and, subsequently, on several chromosomes in other species of the genus Equus. We discovered that these satellite-free neocentromeres arose recently during evolution through centromere repositioning and/or chromosomal fusion, after inactivation of the ancestral centromere, where, in many cases, blocks of satellite sequences were maintained. H...
Albert E, Sahin-Tóth J, Horváth A, Papp M, Biksi I, Dobay O.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bearing the mecC gene (mecC-MRSA) has been reported from animals and humans in recent years. This study describes the first mecC-MRSA isolates of human and equine origin in Hungary (two isolates from horses and one from a veterinarian, who treated one of the infected horses, but was asymptomatic). MRSA isolates were identified by cultivation and PCR detection of the species-specific spa gene and mecA/mecC methicillin resistance genes. The isolates were characterized by antibiotic susceptibility testing, MLST, spa, SCCmec typing, PFGE and whole genome...
Easterwood L, Cohen ND.Evaluating the body temperature of horses is an essential tool for monitoring horse health and biosecurity in groups of horses. Temperatures of horses and foals are determined most often using rectal thermometry. Rectal thermometry has limitations that include safety considerations for horses and humans. Thus, we investigated the agreement between a noncontact infrared thermometer (NCIT) and a rectal digital thermometer in 142 horses and 34 foals. For each horse and foal, measurements using the NCIT were collected from the forehead (n = 2) or neck (n = 1) and with a rectal digital thermome...
Pezzanite LM, Chow L, Griffenhagen GM, Bass L, Goodrich LR, Impastato R, Dow S.Multiple biological therapies for orthopedic injuries are marketed to veterinarians, despite a lack of rigorous comparative biological activity data to guide informed decisions in selecting a most effective compound. Therefore, the goal of this study was to use relevant bioassay systems to directly compare the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity of three commonly used orthobiological therapies (OTs): mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), autologous conditioned serum (ACS), and platelet rich plasma (PRP). Unassigned: Equine monocyte-derived macrophages were used as the readout system to ...
Ryan CA, McNeal CD, Credille BC.Equine practitioners require recommendations that support antimicrobial stewardship and avoid generating resistance to medically important antibiotics. This review examines current inadequacies in antimicrobial stewardship standards within the veterinary community, related to antimicrobial categorisation and prescribing practices. Resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics in horses is also described. Properties of cephalosporin antibiotics are outlined and equine-specific studies of ceftiofur, a third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic with medical importance, are detailed. Readers are provided...
Elte Y, Acton K, Martin J, Nielen M, van Weeren R, Wolframm I.Individuals working in the field of veterinary care are regularly affected by their profession. High levels of responsibility to often provide life-saving health care to animals combined with having to manage owners' expectations and irregular working hours can cause considerable levels of work-related stress among professionals in equine veterinary practice. On the positive side, research also shows that working in the veterinary profession can have a positive impact on personal wellbeing and feelings of fulfillment. A limited number of studies has investigated work satisfaction and engagemen...
Pimentel F, McManus C, Soares K, Caetano AR, de Faria DA, Paiva SR, Ianella P.Optimization of DNA collection for National gene bank and conservation programs requires information on spatial and genetic distribution of animals countrywide. The relationship between genetic and geographic distances were examined in 8 Brazilian horse breeds (Baixadeiro, Crioulo, Campeiro, Lavradeiro, Marajoara, Mangalarga Marchador, Pantaneiro and Puruca) using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism markers and collection point locations. Mantel correlations, Genetic Landscape Shape Interpolation, Allelic Aggregation Index Analyses and Spatial autocorrelation tests indicated a nonrandom distributio...
Karamendin K, Abishov A, Kydyrmanov A, Akhmetzhanova M.In 2011, there was an outbreak of a disease with mass abortions among horses in southeastern Kazakhstan. The AK-2011 strain was isolated from an aborted fetus and subsequently identified as equid alphaherpesvirus 1. Here, we describe the nearly complete genome sequence of the AK-2011 strain, attenuated for vaccine development.
Petry S, Breuil MF, Duquesne F.Contagious equine metritis (CEM) detection by PCR is recognized by the European Union according to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 846/2014, and real-time PCR is now recommended by the World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Manual at the same level as the culture method. The present study highlights the creation of an efficient network of approved laboratories in France in 2017 for CEM detection by real-time PCR. The network currently consists of 20 laboratories. A first proficiency test (PT) was organized by the national reference laboratory for CEM in 2017 to evaluate th...
Carver C, Bruemmer J, Coleman S, Landolt G, Hess T.Laminitis associated with equine metabolic syndrome causes significant economic losses in the equine industry. Diets high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) have been linked to insulin resistance and laminitis in horses. Nutrigenomic studies analyzing the interaction of diets high in NSCs and gene expression regulating endogenous microRNAs (miRNA) are rare. This study's objectives were to determine whether miRNAs from dietary corn can be detected in equine serum and muscle and its impacts on endogenous miRNA. Twelve mares were blocked by age, body condition score, and weight and assigned to...
Siegers E, van den Broek J, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan M, Munsters C.Young Friesian stallions have to complete a 10-week training program (70-day test) for acceptance as a breeding stallion. Part one of this study showed that the 70-day test was too intense and led to reduced fitness. In the present (part two) study, the effects of an adapted training program were studied. Training frequency and minutes of cantering per week were lowered compared with part one. The external workload (EW) of sixteen stallions (3.4 ± 0.8 years) was monitored during the 6-weeks before testing (preparation period) as well as during the 70-day test. Standardized exercise tests (SET...
Gordon D, Clark-Price S, Keating S, Schaeffer DJ, Lascola KM.This study evaluated the effects of various flow rates and fractions of oxygen on arterial blood gas parameters and on the fraction of inspired oxygen (FO) delivered to the distal trachea. Oxygen was administered to 6 healthy, conscious, standing, adult horses via single nasal cannula positioned within the nasopharynx. Three flow rates (5, 15, 30 L/min) and fractions of oxygen (21, 50, 100%) were delivered for 15 minutes, each in a randomized order. FO was measured at the level of the nares and distal trachea. Adverse reactions were not observed with any flow rate. FO (nares and trachea) and P...
Paraschou G, Vogel PE, Lee AM, Trawford RF, Priestnall SL.Multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease (MEED) is a rare condition of equids characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of multiple organs. Clinical signs are variable depending on the affected organs. The most common clinical signs include chronic weight loss, diarrhoea and exfoliative dermatitis. Respiratory distress and raised liver enzymes are less frequently seen. The cause is unknown and the pathogenesis is poorly understood. There are less than 50 reported cases of horses with MEED. We now document the lesions in three donkeys with fluctuating or chronic loss of weight, letha...
You Y, Proctor RM, Haughan J, Missanelli JR, Robinson MA.Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic mu opioid receptor agonist, is banned in equine sports by the Association of Racing Commissioners International and the Fédération Équestre Internationale. The presence of fentanyl in equine blood has been confirmed during routine post-race screening for doping substances in the authors' laboratory. While fentanyl can be detected and confirmed in blood, it is rapidly metabolized, and screening for the metabolite N-[1-(2-phenethy-4-piperidinyl)] maloanilinic acid (PMA) in equine urine is expected to allow for a longer detection time. In this study, a quantitati...
Boisseau M, Mach N, Basiaga M, Kuzmina T, Laugier C, Sallé G.Equine strongyles encompass more than 64 species of nematode worms that are responsible for growth retardation and the death of animals. The factors underpinning variation in the structure of the equine strongyle community remain unknown. Methods: Using horse-based strongyle community data collected after horse deworming (48 horses in Poland, 197 horses in Ukraine), we regressed species richness and the Gini-Simpson index upon the horse's age, faecal egg count, sex and operation of origin. Using the Ukrainian observations, we applied a hierarchical diversity partitioning framework to estimate ...
Rohlf CM, Garcia TC, Fyhrie DP, le Jeune SS, Peterson ML, Stover SM.Mechanical properties of arena surfaces are extrinsic factors for musculoskeletal injury. Vertical impact forces of harrowed and compacted cushion were measured at five locations on 12 arena surfaces (five dirt, seven synthetic [dirt and fiber]). Eight variables related to impact force, displacement, and acceleration were calculated. Surface temperature, cushion depth and moisture content were also measured. The effects of surface material type (dirt/synthetic) and cushion compaction (harrowed/compacted) on vertical impact properties were assessed using an analysis of variance. Relationships o...
de Almeida Campos AC, Cicolo S, de Oliveira CM, Molina CV, Navas-Suárez PE, Dos Santos TP, da Silveira VB, Barbosa CM, Baccarin RYA, Durigon EL....No abstract available
Pusterla N, Barnum S, Lawton K, Wademan C, Corbin R, Hodzic E.Contemporary data on equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) genotype (non-neuropathogenic or N, neuropathogenic or D and new variant or H) in clinically diseased equids is important in order to determine the frequency of these genotypes and their association with disease expression. A total of 297 EHV-1 qPCR-positive swabs collected from 2019 to 2022 from horses with respiratory disease (EHV-1), neurological disease (equine herpesvirus-1 myeloencephalopathy [EHM]) and abortion were tested for the three different EHV-1 genotypes (N, D and H) using qPCR allelic discrimination assays. All submissions origi...
Bartolome Del Pino LE, Meana A, Zini M, Cersini A.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a vector borne disease caused by apicomplexans protists Babesia caballi (Nuttal et Strickland, 1910) and Theileria equi (Laveran, 1901). Carrier mares may transmit the infection transplacental resulting in neonatal piroplasmosis or abortions. This event has been described for T. equi by several authors over the world, but no evidence for B. caballi has been reported in Europe. In this study, vertical transmission for both parasites in an Italian breed mare has been confirmed using molecular and microscopic tools. Transplacental transmission is an underestimated pro...
Klecel W, Drobik-Czwarno W, Martyniuk E.Arabian show horses are well known for their exceptional beauty and elegance. The breed type, body conformation and movement are assessed during horse shows by licensed judges. The 5 judging categories are type, head and neck, body and topline, legs and movement, which are scored on a 20 point scale. It can be hypothesized that the scores in different categories are related to each other, and that the score for the most subjective type category depends on the scores for conformation categories. We analyzed 762 sets of average scores obtained by 583 unique horses at the World Championships. Cor...
Amaral A, Cebola N, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A, Rebordão MR, Kordowitzki P, Skarzynski D, Ferreira-Dias G.Myeloperoxidase is an enzyme released by neutrophils when neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are formed. Besides myeloperoxidase activity against pathogens, it was also linked to many diseases, including inflammatory and fibrotic ones. Endometrosis is a fibrotic disease of the mare endometrium, with a large impact on their fertility, where myeloperoxidase was shown to induce fibrosis. Noscapine is an alkaloid with a low toxicity, that has been studied as an anti-cancer drug, and more recently as an anti-fibrotic molecule. This work aims to evaluate noscapine inhibition of collagen type 1 (C...
Willette J, Gerras A, Sledge D, Koch D.A 13-year-old multiparous Quarter Horse mare was presented to the Michigan State University's, Large Animal Emergency service for dystocia. Clinical evaluation revealed a minimally dilated cervix on vaginal examination, with a palpable deceased fetus. Postmortem evaluation following owner-elected humane euthanasia revealed a circumferential, tan, fibrous band at the base of the uterine body that constricted the uterus and was adhered to the left and right ovaries. A routine histologic section of the incarcerating cord attached to the ovary consisted predominately of dense fibrous connective ti...
Rodríguez-Lázaro D, Lewis DA, Ocampo-Sosa AA, Fogarty U, Makrai L, Navas J, Scortti M, Hernández M, Vázquez-Boland JA.We developed a novel quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR) method for the soil actinomycete Rhodococcus equi, an important horse pathogen and emerging human pathogen. Species-specific quantification was achieved by targeting the chromosomal monocopy gene choE, universally conserved in R. equi. The choE Q-PCR included an internal amplification control (IAC) for identification of false negatives. A second Q-PCR targeted the virulence plasmid gene vapA, carried by most horse isolates but infrequently found in isolates from other sources. The choE-IAC and vapA assays were 100% sensitive and specific ...
Thompson RE, Johnson AK, Dini P, Turco MY, Prado TM, Premanandan C, Burton GJ, Ball BA, Whitlock BK, Pukazhenthi BS.The endometrium, the inner uterine lining, is composed of cell layers that come in direct contact with an embryo during early pregnancy and later with the fetal placenta. The endometrium is responsible for signals associated with normal reproductive cyclicity as well as maintenance of pregnancy. In the mare, functionally competent in vitro models of the endometrium have not been successful. Furthermore, the ability to study various reproductive processes in vitro may allow critical evaluation of signaling pathways involved in the reproductive diseases of animals that cannot be handled frequent...
Gerhard AP, Krücken J, Heitlinger E, Janssen IJI, Basiaga M, Kornaś S, Beier C, Nielsen MK, Davis RE, Wang J, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G.P-glycoproteins (Pgp) have been proposed as contributors to the widespread macrocyclic lactone (ML) resistance in several nematode species including a major pathogen of foals, Parascaris univalens. Using new and available RNA-seq data, ten different genomic loci encoding Pgps were identified and characterized by transcriptome-guided RT-PCRs and Sanger sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis revealed an ascarid-specific Pgp lineage, Pgp-18, as well as two paralogues of Pgp-11 and Pgp-16. Comparative gene expression analyses in P. univalens and Caenorhabditis elegans show that the intestine is the maj...
Borchers K, Wolfinger U, Ludwig H.Equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4) is a major respiratory pathogen of horses. Unlike most other members of the Alphaherpesvirinae, EHV-4 was regarded as non-neurotropic. Here, neural and lymphoid tissues of 17 horses have been analysed post-mortem. EHV-4 DNA was detected in 11 cases (65%) by PCR, exclusively in the trigeminal ganglia. In order to define the transcriptional activity, RNA preparations of 10 EHV-4 DNA-positive ganglia were investigated by nested RT-PCR. EHV-4-specific transcripts derived from genes 63 [herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) ICPO gene homologue] and 64 (HSV-1 ICP4 gen...
Peckle M, Pires MS, Dos Santos TM, Roier EC, da Silva CB, Vilela JA, Santos HA, Massard CL.The aim of this study was to detect Theileria equi (Laveran 1901) DNA in horses and ticks using real-time PCR and to list the factors associated with infection in animals located in the Seropedica and Petropolis municipalities of the state of Rio de Janeiro. We tested blood samples from 314 horses and samples from 300 ticks, including 191 Amblyomma cajennense, 104 Dermacentor nitens, and 5 Ixodida larvae. Factors inherent to the horse, the ownership, and animal management were obtained from an epidemiological questionnaire and were evaluated in association with the presence of T. equi DNA in t...
Barrey E, Bonnamy B, Barrey EJ, Mata X, Chaffaux S, Guerin G.MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small endogenous noncoding interfering RNA molecules (18-25 nucleotides) regarded as major regulators in eukaryotic gene expression. They play a role in developmental timing, cellular differentiation, signalling and apoptosis pathways. Because of the central function of miRNAs in the proliferation and differentiation of the myoblasts demonstrated in mouse and man, it is assumed that they could be present in equine muscles and their expression profile may be related to the muscle status. Objective: To identify miRNA candidates in the muscles of control and affected horses ...
Van Cleemput J, Poelaert KCK, Laval K, Impens F, Van den Broeck W, Gevaert K, Nauwynck HJ.Pollens are well-known triggers of respiratory allergies and asthma. The pollen burden in today's ambient air is constantly increasing due to rising climate change and air pollution. How pollens interact with the respiratory mucosa remains largely unknown due to a lack of representative model systems. We here demonstrate how pollen proteases of Kentucky bluegrass, white birch and hazel selectively destroy integrity and anchorage of columnar respiratory epithelial cells, but not of basal cells, in both ex vivo respiratory mucosal explants and in vitro primary equine respiratory epithelial cells...
Wagner B, Wimer C, Freer H, Osterrieder N, Erb HN.The recent increase in incidence, morbidity, and mortality of neurological disease induced by equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) has suggested a change of virulence of the virus. The exact mechanisms by which EHV-1 induces neurologic disease are not known. Environmental, viral, and host risk factors might contribute to neurological manifestation. Here, we investigated innate interferon-α (IFN-α), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-4 responses after infection of equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with EHV-1 using an available cytokine multiplex assay. Three viral strains representing ...
Constable PD.The strong ion approach provides a quantitative physicochemical method for describing the mechanism for an acid-base disturbance. The approach requires species-specific values for the total concentration of plasma nonvolatile buffers (A(tot)) and the effective dissociation constant for plasma nonvolatile buffers (K(a)), but these values have not been determined for human plasma. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to calculate accurate A(tot) and K(a) values using data obtained from in vitro strong ion titration and CO(2) tonometry. The calculated values for A(tot) (24.1 mmol/l) and K(a...
Clayton HM, Nauwelaerts S.In a standing horse the centre of pressure (COP), measured as the resultant vertical ground reaction force (GRF) of all supporting limbs, is adjusted in response to visual, vestibular and proprioceptive information. Stabilographic analysis measures balance by tracking COP movements in the horizontal plane. Loss of visual input affects stability of balance in people and has clinical implications in that instability inherent in some neurological diseases increases with the eyes closed. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the visual contribution to postural stability in horses. The hypo...
Lin C, Holland RE, Donofrio JC, McCoy MH, Tudor LR, Chambers TM.Equine influenza virus (EIV) is the leading cause of acute respiratory infection in horses worldwide. In recent years, the precise mechanism by which influenza infection kills host cells is being re-evaluated. In this report, we examined whether caspases, a group of intracellular proteases, are activated following EIV infection and contribute to EIV-mediated cell death. Western blotting analysis indicated that a nuclear target of caspase-3, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was proteolytically cleaved in EIV-infected MDCK cells, but not in mock-infected cells. In comparison with caspase-3 spe...
Fritz KL, Kaese HJ, Valberg SJ, Hendrickson JA, Rendahl AK, Bellone RR, Dynes KM, Wagner ML, Lucio MA, Cuomo FM, Brinkmeyer-Langford CL, Skow LC....Appaloosa horses are predisposed to equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), an immune-mediated disease characterized by recurring inflammation of the uveal tract in the eye, which is the leading cause of blindness in horses. Nine genetic markers from the ECA1 region responsible for the spotted coat color of Appaloosa horses, and 13 microsatellites spanning the equine major histocompatibility complex (ELA) on ECA20, were evaluated for association with ERU in a group of 53 Appaloosa ERU cases and 43 healthy Appaloosa controls. Three markers were significantly associated (corrected P-value <0.05): a SNP ...
Fritzen B, Rohn K, Schnieder T, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G.Increasing prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in equine nematodes calls for a reexamination of current parasite control programmes to identify factors influencing control efficacy and development of resistance. Objective: To investigate if associations occur between prevalence of parasitic nematodes and management practices. Methods: German horse farms (n = 76) were investigated in 2003 and 2004. Information on farm and pasture management with respect to endoparasite control measures obtained using a questionnaire survey. Faecal examinations were performed in parallel. Results: Horses (n = ...
Weishaupt MA.The skill to diagnose lameness in horses is paramount for every equine practitioner. Early recognition of locomotor deficiencies plays a central role in sports medicine management, preventing deterioration of the disease or catastrophic injuries. Horses use characteristic compensatory movements of specific body parts to decrease loading of the affected limb. This article describes the underlying changes in intra- and interlimb coordination and the resulting load redistribution between the limbs. This enables the practitioner to better understand the changes in movement associated with lameness...
Hofmaier F, Hauck SM, Amann B, Degroote RL, Deeg CA.Autoimmune uveitis is a sight-threatening disease in which autoreactive T cells cross the blood-retinal barrier. Molecular mechanisms contributing to the loss of eye immune privilege in this autoimmune disease are not well understood. In this study, the authors investigated the changes in the matrix metalloproteinase network in spontaneous uveitis. Methods: Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) MMP2, MMP9, and MMP14 expression and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-2 and lipocalin 2 (LCN2) expression were analyzed using Western blot quantification. Enzyme activities were examined with zymog...
Sack A, Oladunni FS, Gonchigoo B, Chambers TM, Gray GC. Worldwide, horses play critical roles in recreation, food production, transportation, and as working animals. Horses' roles differ by geographical region and the socioeconomic status of the people, but despite modern advances in transportation, which have in some ways altered humans contact with horses, potential risks for equine zoonotic pathogen transmission to humans occur globally. While previous reports have focused upon individual or groups of equine pathogens, to our knowledge, a systematic review of equine zoonoses has never been performed. Using PRISMA's systematic review guidelines...
Penedo MC, Millon LV, Bernoco D, Bailey E, Binns M, Cholewinski G, Ellis N, Flynn J, Gralak B, Guthrie A, Hasegawa T, Lindgren G, Lyons LA, Røed KH....A comprehensive male linkage map was generated by adding 359 new, informative microsatellites to the International Equine Gene Map half-sibling reference families and by combining genotype data from three independent mapping resources: a full sibling family created at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, United Kingdom, eight half-sibling families from Sweden and two half-sibling families from the University of California, Davis. Because the combined data were derived primarily from half-sibling families, only autosomal markers were analyzed. The map was constructed from a total of 766 marker...
Turtinen LW, Allen GP, Darlington RW, Bryans JT.The molecular and serologic relatedness of 2 recent respiratory tract isolates of equine herpesvirus type 1, designated T1 and T2, were compared with the Army 183, Kentucky-A hamster-adapted (KyA-ha), and L-M cell-adapted (KyA-LM) strains. Electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels revealed differences in virion structural proteins among 4 purified strains. Seven envelope glycoproteins (molecular weight of 93,000, 65,000, 62,000, 60,000, 36,000, 20,000, and 18,000) corresponding to virion proteins 13, 16, 17, 18, 23, 25, and 26a, respectively, found in both the Army 183 and KyA-ha strains had slig...
Henry S, Richard-Yris MA, Hausberger M.Whereas the way animals perceive human contact has been particularly examined in pet animals, a small amount of investigations has been done in domestic ungulates. It was nevertheless assumed that, as pet animals, non-aggressive forms of tactile contact were as well rewarding or positive for these species, even though the features of intraspecific relationships in pet animals and domestic ungulates may be to some extent different. We test here the hypothesis that horses may not consider physical handling by humans as a positive event. When comparing different early human-foal interactions, we ...
Ortega-Ferrusola C, González-Fernández L, Muriel A, Macías-García B, Rodríguez-Martínez H, Tapia JA, Alonso JM, Peña FJ.In an attempt to evaluate the possible relationship between the microbial flora in the stallion ejaculate and its ability to freeze,three ejaculates from five stallions were frozen using a standard protocol. Before freezing, an aliquot was removed for bacteriological analysis. Bacterial growth was observed in all the ejaculates studied. The isolated microorganisms were:Staphylococcus spp. and Micrococcus spp. (in all the stallions), beta-haemolytic Streptococcus (in stallions 3 and 4), Corynebacterium spp. (in stallions 1, 3-5), Rhodococcus spp. (in stallion number 2), Pseudomonas spp. (in sta...
Lane HE, Burns TA, Hegedus OC, Watts MR, Weber PS, Woltman KA, Geor RJ, McCutcheon LJ, Eades SC, Mathes LE, Belknap JK.Insulin dysregulation, obesity, and exposure to high-nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) forage are risk factors for equine metabolic syndrome-associated laminitis (EMSAL); high systemic insulin concentrations in EMSAL are proposed to induce cellular dysregulation in the digital lamellae through activation of the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor. Objective: To use a dietary challenge model (DCM) and a euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp (EHC) model to assess lamellar growth factor-related signalling. Methods: Lamellar phospho (P)-protein concentrations of signalling proteins important in gro...
Young LE, Rogers K, Wood JL.Cardiac murmurs associated with valvular regurgitation occur commonly in conditioned performance horses, but their association with athletic performance is unknown. Objective: Cardiac valvular regurgitation has a negative association with race performance. Methods: Five hundred and twenty-six "race fit" Thoroughbred racehorses engaged in either flat (race distance 1,000-2,500 m) or jump racing (race distance 3,200-6,400 m). Methods: Cardiac auscultation and color flow Doppler (CFD) echocardiography were performed on 777 occasions. The associations between the presence and severity of either an...
Schwarzwald CC, Schober KE, Bonagura JD.Noninvasive assessment of left ventricular (LV) function is incompletely studied in horses. Objective: The goals of this study were to investigate the feasibility, techniques, and reliability of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) for characterization of LV radial wall motion in healthy horses. Methods: Three Standardbreds, 3 Thoroughbreds; age 8-14 years; body weight 517-606 kg. Methods: Repeated echocardiographic examinations were performed by 2 observers in unsedated horses using TDI. Test reliability was determined by estimating measurement variability, within-day interobserver variability, and b...
Scheidegger MD, Gerber V, Bruckmaier RM, van der Kolk JH, Burger D, Ramseyer A.This study tested the hypothesis that adrenocortical function would be altered in horses with equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Twenty-six sport horses competing at national or international levels in eventing (n=15) or endurance (n=11) were subjected to a gastroscopic examination and an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test. Salivary cortisol concentrations were measured before (baseline) and after (30, 60, 90, 120 and 150min) IV ACTH injection (1μg/kg bodyweight). Within EGUS, two distinct diseases, equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine glandular gastric diseas...
Staiger EA, Tseng CT, Miller D, Cassano JM, Nasir L, Garrick D, Brooks SA, Antczak DF.The common equine skin tumors known as sarcoids have been causally associated with infection by bovine papillomavirus (BPV). Additionally, there is evidence for host genetic susceptibility to sarcoids. We investigated the genetic basis of susceptibility to sarcoid tumors on a cohort of 82 affected horses and 270 controls genotyped on a genome-wide platform and two custom panels. A Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) identified candidate regions on six chromosomes. Bayesian probability analysis of the same dataset verified only the regions on equine chromosomes (ECA) 20 and 22. Fine mapping us...
Wiebke M, Hensel B, Nitsche-Melkus E, Jung M, Schulze M.This review is part of the Festschrift in honor of Dr. Duane Garner and provides an overview of current techniques for cooled storage of semen from livestock animals. The first part describes the current state of the art of liquid semen preservation in boars, bulls, and stallions, including the diluents, use of additives, processing, temperature, and cooling of semen. The species-specific physiology and varying extents of cold shock sensitivity are taken into consideration. In addition, factors influencing the quality of cooled-stored semen are discussed. Methods, trends, and the most recent a...
Sprague LD, Zachariah R, Neubauer H, Wernery R, Joseph M, Scholz HC, Wernery U.The internationally mandatory complement fixation test (CFT) for testing of equine sera for the absence of glanders has repeatedly led to discrepant results. Not only do "false positive" sera pose a problem for the diagnostician and the animal health authorities but they can also result in significant financial losses for the animal owners.Due to the very low prevalence of glanders in the horse population it is of major importance to use tests with a high specificity to overcome unreliable predictive values. We have compared formalin-fixed B. mallei whole cell antigen and a well characterised ...
Gibney KB, Robinson S, Mutebi JP, Hoenig DE, Bernier BJ, Webber L, Lubelczyk C, Nett RJ, Fischer M.Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is one of the most severe arboviral encephalitides in North America. Before 2009, limited nonhuman EEE virus activity had been reported in Maine, all from the southernmost area of the state. No human case has been reported in a Maine resident. Methods: We review all EEE virus activity reported to Maine Centers for Disease Control in 2009 and describe current testing practices for possible human EEE cases. Results: In 2009, fatal cases of EEE were identified in 15 horses, 1 llama, and 3 flocks of pheasants in Maine, with activity extending into the central part...
