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.
Ross PF, Rice LG, Plattner RD, Osweiler GD, Wilson TM, Owens DL, Nelson HA, Richard JL.Ninety-eight samples of feeds associated with 44 cases of equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM) and 83 samples of feed associated with 42 cases of a porcine pulmonary edema syndrome (PPE) were analyzed for fumonisin B1 (FB1). For comparison purposes, 51 feed samples not associated with PPE or ELEM were also analyzed. Feed associated with ELEM contained FB1 ranging from less than 1 microgram/g to 126 micrograms/g with 75% of the cases having at least 1 sample above 10 micrograms/g. Feeds associated with PPE ranged from less than 1 microgram/g to 330 micrograms/g with 71% of the cases having at le...
Stewart RH, Reed SM, Weisbrode SE.We compared the frequency and severity of osteochondrosis lesions in young Thoroughbred horses with cervical stenotic myelopathy (CSM) vs that in clinically normal Thoroughbreds of the same age. All lesions of the cervical vertebrae and appendicular skeleton were classified histologically as osteochondrosis or nonosteochondrosis and were measured for severity. Minimal sagittal diameter was significantly smaller in horses with CSM from C2 through C6; no difference was detected at C7. Severity of cervical vertebral osteochondrosis was greater in the horses with CSM, however frequency was not dif...
Delbeke FT, Debackere M, Vynckier L.A high-performance liquid chromatographic method to measure urinary indomethacin levels is described. In 0.5 ml urine, 1 micrograms/ml of indomethacin could be detected. Alkaline hydrolysis of urine resulted in the decomposition of indomethacin. When two suppositories of Indocid corresponding to 200 mg indomethacin were administered rectally to four horses the drug was rapidly absorbed and remained detectable in urine from 1 to 12 h. The excretion rate peaked after 2-3 h while the maximal concentration ranged from 18.5 to 80.6 micrograms/ml. Only 8 to 16% of the indomethacin dose was eliminate...
den Boon JA, Snijder EJ, Chirnside ED, de Vries AA, Horzinek MC, Spaan WJ.The nucleotide sequence of the genome of equine arteritis virus (EAV) was determined from a set of overlapping cDNA clones and was found to contain eight open reading frames (ORFs). ORFs 2 through 7 are expressed from six 3'-coterminal subgenomic mRNAs, which are transcribed from the 3'-terminal quarter of the viral genome. A number of these ORFs are predicted to encode structural EAV proteins. The organization and expression of the 3' part of the EAV genome are remarkably similar to those of coronaviruses and toroviruses. The 5'-terminal three-quarters of the genome contain the putative EAV p...
Blythe LL, Craig AM, Lassen ED, Rowe KE, Appell LH.Plasma alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) values were monitored serially in 9 foals sired by a stallion with equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM) and in 5 age-matched control foals (sired by a clinically normal stallion) raised in the same environment for the first year of life. Clinical evaluation determined that 8 of the 9 foals sired by the stallion with EDM had neurologic deficits consistent with the disease on one or more occasions during the study period, whereas control foals had normal gait. From 6 weeks to 10 months of age, plasma alpha-tocopherol values in foals with signs of EDM ...
Guthrie AJ, Killeen VM, Mülders MS, Grosskopf JF.The ratio of the cardiopulmonary blood volume to stroke volume is called the cardiopulmonary flow index (CPFI). The CPFI can be determined indirectly from the simultaneous recording of a radiocardiogram and an electrocardiogram. The CPFI and cardiac output were measured simultaneously in horses (n = 10) that were diagnosed as having cardiac disease. The diseased subjects were probably all exposed to feed contaminated with the ionophore, salinomycin, and all showed clinical signs indicative of chronic toxic myocarditis. The results obtained from these subjects were compared with those from cont...
Guillemette JG, Matsushima-Hibiya Y, Atkinson T, Smith M.A gene for expression of horse heart myoglobin in Escherichia coli has been constructed in one step from long synthetic oligonucleotides. The synthetic gene contains an efficient translation initiation signal and used codons that are commonly found in E. coli. Unique restriction sites are placed throughout the gene. It has been inserted in a phagemid vector and is expressed from the lac promoter in E. coli at high efficiency, the soluble heme protein representing approximately 10% of soluble protein. Two versions of horse heart myoglobin were produced with aspartic acid or asparagine at residu...
Sharp DC, Grubaugh WR, Weithenauer J, Davis SD, Wilcox CJ.These experiments tested the hypothesis that administration of steroid hormones to ovariectomized (OVX) mares during the vernal transition to the breeding season would influence LH and FSH secretion. Circulating gonadotropin concentrations, response to exogenous GnRH, and pituitary gonadotropin content were monitored. Experiments 1 and 2 were conducted, beginning 10 March, and 3 February, respectively, utilizing a total of 30 long-term OVX pony mares. In experiment 1, mares were administered vehicle (n = 5) or estradiol-17 beta (E2, n = 5, 5 mg/3 ml sesame oil), twice daily for 16 days. Blood ...
Grosenbaugh DA, Hood DM, Amoss MS, Williams JD.Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors were detected in plasma membrane preparations of equine hoof wall laminar tissue at concentrations comparable to that of equine liver. Scatchard analysis of the equilibrium binding data suggested the presence of two classes of EGF binding sites in most of the controls (plasma membranes from clinically normal horses); a high-affinity class and a more numerous low-affinity class. The dissociation constant of the low-affinity class of EGF-specific receptors (KD = 1 x 10(-9)M) is in reasonable agreement with other values established for the EGF receptor. The...
Schönherr W.Francis CLATER presumably was born in 1754 near Nottingham. He became farrier after years of apprenticeships at Newark and Retford. In 1783 the first edition of his book "Every man his own farrier" was published. Within 50 years at least 30 editions were printed. This book was translated by PRETOT into French (1822), by S. von TENNECKER (1823) and by LENTIN (1834) into German and by TURNE (1838) into Russian language. Contents of some editions are compared and valued.
Dorman DC, Haschek WM.Toxicosis attributable to propylene glycol (1,2-propanediol) was suspected in an 8-year-old 450- to 500-kg male Quarter Horse. Clinical signs of toxicosis developed within 15 minutes of the accidental iatrogenic oral administration of 3.8 L of propylene glycol. Clinical signs of toxicosis included salivation, sweating, ataxia, and signs of pain. Additionally, at 24 hours after propylene glycol ingestion, the horse became increasingly atactic, had an abnormal breath odor, developed rapid shallow breathing, and was cyanotic. The horse died of apparent respiratory arrest 28 hours after the propyl...
Pickar JG, Spier SJ, Snyder JR, Carlsen RC.A recently described disorder in certain registered Quarter horses bears many clinical similarities to the muscle disease identified as hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HPP) in humans. Pathological changes in membrane permeability or Na(+)-K+ pump activity have been proposed to produce the muscle depolarization and inexcitability that characterize the condition in humans. Biopsies of external intercostal muscle from normal and affected horses were used to determine whether alterations in either permeability and/or pump activity could be linked to the pathology in horses. Affected horse muscle ...
Ullrich E, Selbitz HJ, Schieck R, Friedrich U, Schulz J.Clinical, bacteriological and serological examinations on a 6 years old pony mare were performed. Cytological alterations in the genital tract were also recorded. A cellular reaction was seen after infection with T. equigenitalis. This reaction is an evidence for infection but it is not specific for this organism. Cytological studies should be performed on mares especially in cases of latent infections to complete bacteriological examination and to prevent false positive or negative results.
Reeves MJ, Trotter GW, Kainer RA.The anatomical and functional communications of the synovial sacs of the equine stifle joint were evaluated in 50 stifle joints of 25 horses. Femoropatellar joint (FPJ) sacs were injected with 50 ml of gelatin-based dye and horses were then walked for 50 m. Horses were subsequently killed, the stifle joints dissected and the location of the dye recorded. Twenty-three horses (46 joints) had clinically normal stifle joints and in this group, anatomical communications of the stifle joints were bilaterally symmetrical in each horse. In 15 of these 23 horses (65 per cent), direct anatomical communi...
Hardy ME, Woode GN, Xu ZC, Williams JD, Conner ME, Dwyer RM, Powell DG.Equine group A rotaviruses isolated over a 10-year period in New York State, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Texas were compared serotypically and electropherotypically. All isolates were determined to be serotype 3 by reaction with hyperimmune antiserum to the serotype 3 H-2 strain of equine rotavirus. All displayed RNA electrophoretic migration patterns related to that of the H-2 strain but distinct from that of serotype 5 strain H-1. A serologic survey of 184 mares in Kentucky, which was done to determine the incidence of H-1 and H-2 infections, showed geometric mean serum neutralizing titers to ...
O'Keefe JS, Murray A, Wilks CR, Moriarty KM.Unpurified DNA derived from cultures of equine fetal kidney cells infected with either equine herpesvirus type 1 or equine herpesvirus type 4 was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction using one pair of oligonucleotide primers. Restriction endonuclease digestion of the amplified segments with PvuII, followed by electrophoresis, revealed restriction fragment length polymorphisms which enabled the two virus types to be differentiated.
Martens JG, Stephens KA, Kerchner LJ, Heck FC, Martens RJ.Plasma fibronectin concentrations were measured in clinically healthy mares and their neonatal foals, using a modified human fibronectin competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Ranges of plasma fibronectin were established in clinically healthy horses, and the assay was reliable and reproducible. Plasma fibronectin concentrations were similar in mares and foals, both before and after colostrum ingestion.
Ireland FA, Loch WE, Worthy K, Anthony RV.Pregnant pony mares in Group A (n = 4) received i.m. injections at 07:00 and 17:00 h of 0.8 mg bromocriptine/kg body weight 0.75 per day beginning on Day 295 of gestation and continuing until parturition. Group B (n = 4) was treated similarly, but perphenazine was administered orally at 0.375 mg/kg body weight twice a day beginning on Day 305 of gestation and continuing until parturition. Mares in Group C (n = 3) received i.m. injections of saline. Mean plasma prolactin and progesterone concentrations were greater (P less than 0.05) for mares in Group C than in Groups A and B from 295 to 309 d...
Ricketts SW, Alonso S.Paired endometrial biopsy samples were taken from 530 subfertile mares, before and after treatment (where indicated) and a period of sexual rest. Prognoses were made after each biopsy (Categories 1A-4A before treatment and Categories 1B-4B after treatment), using histopathological criteria similar to those described by Kenney and Doig (1986). Eighty-seven per cent of the mares were assigned to first biopsy prognosis Category 3A. The second biopsy prognosis produced a more even population distribution (10, 47, 40 and 3 per cent respectively for Category 1B, 2B, 3B and 4B mares). First biopsy Ca...
McFarlane JR, Czekala NM, Papkoff H.Six samples of pregnant zebra (z) serum from the first and second trimesters of pregnancy were analyzed by RIA and shown to have chorionic gonadotropin levels comparable to that of the mare (0.9-5.3 micrograms/ml); first trimester levels in most cases were higher than second trimester levels. A pool of the sera (10 ml) was fractionated by methods previously employed for the purification of equine (e) and donkey (d) chorionic gonadotropin to achieve a concentration of the zebra chorionic gonadotropin (zCG). A yield of 1.0 mg of glycoprotein was obtained. HPLC analysis of the material indicated ...
Whitcomb RW, Schneyer AL, Roser JF, Hughes JP.Using a LH radioligand receptor assay (RRA) previously validated for use in serum and an equine monoclonal RIA, we have distinguished a subset of subfertile stallions with an elevated RRA/RIA ratio. After purification of the active moiety by anion exchange chromatography and immunoprecipitation with the equine LH (eLH) monoclonal antibody, RRA activity remained in the supernatant. This activity was also recognized by a polyclonal LH antibody (GDN 15) with wide cross-species recognition. This active fraction was further purified by gel filtration chromatography and shown to displace labeled eLH...
Milne EM, Doxey DL, Kent JE, Pemberton A.Four acute phase proteins were assayed in the serum of normal horses and those with acute, subacute and chronic grass sickness, colic and inflammatory conditions, in order to investigate their diagnostic value in grass sickness. The grass sickness and inflammation group had a significantly increased haptoglobin concentration (P less than 0.01-P less than 0.001). Orosomucoid was elevated in acute, subacute and chronic grass sickness and inflammation (P less than 0.001, P less than 0.001, P less than 0.05 and P less than 0.05, respectively). Highest concentrations of haptoglobin and orosomucoid ...
Liu IK, Brown C, Myers RC, Hao YL.Ten foals of various breeds were deprived of colostrum from birth to 36 hours of age, then were allotted to 2 groups. Foals of group 1 (n = 6) were given 20 g (200 ml) of purified equine IgG IV in a 10% solution, and foals of group 2 (n = 4) were given 30 g (300 ml) of the same preparation. Total administration time for each 10 g of IgG in 100 ml was approximately 10 minutes. Serum IgG concentration in foals was assessed prior to, between 24 and 48 hours, and at 7 and 14 days after IgG administration. Between 24 and 48 hours after IgG administration, mean serum IgG concentration in group-1 foa...
Lavoie JP, Couture L, Higgins R, Laverty S.Bacterial isolations were reviewed from equine trachea, guttural pouch, uterus, wounds, abscesses, blood, synovial fluid, and abdominal fluid submitted to the Clinical Bacteriology Laboratory of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal for aerobic bacterial culture from 1986 to 1988. Of the 733 samples submitted, 324 (44%) were positive for bacterial growth, and 233 antimicrobial sensitivity tests were performed. Seventy-six percent of all positive samples yielded one bacterial species and two were isolated from 22% of positive samples. Streptococcus zooepidemicus, Esche...
Moyer W, Spencer PA, Kallish M.The relative incidence of dorsal metacarpal disease was examined in two groups of Thoroughbred racehorses training on dissimilar surfaces (dirt and wood fibre). The horses and training methods appeared to be similar. The incidence of disease was significantly greater in the group training on dirt. There was no significant difference in the age distribution of incidence between the two groups and there was no association of incidence with sex or age within the training group. The number of fast miles worked by the two groups prior to the onset of dorsal metacarpal disease was lower in the group...
Torbeck RL.This article reviews the type of equipment available, the examination techniques, and the interpretation of information derived from ultrasound in broodmare practice. The application of diagnostic ultrasound has found immediate acceptability and clinical usefulness in the genital evaluations of the broodmare.
of surveillance testing, April to June 2017International disease occurrence in the second quarter of 2017These are among matters discussed in the most recent quarterly equine disease surveillance report, prepared by Defra, the Animal Health Trust and the British Equine Veterinary Association.
This supplement contains a diverse selection of abstracts addressing clinical research from many disciplines. Topics that are particularly well represented this year include endocrinology, laminitis, critical care and spinal disease. The only consistent feature is the very high standard.
This year, BEVA has devoted an extra two sessions to abstracts, but despite this increased time, the selection process was difficult due to the large number of excellent submissions. Over the last 10 years or so, Clinical Research Abstracts have progressively risen in stature and it is now the go-to place f...