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.
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 ...
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
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...
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...
Assumpção TI, Lançoni R, Foschini M, Vieira CS.This study aimed to select high-quality spermatozoa by sperm separation by magnetic activation of the fresh equine semen, compared to density gradient centrifugation and evaluating cell quality after selection. The semen of 10 stallions was collected by the artificial vagina technique. The samples analyzed were: (1) fresh semen; (2) density gradient centrifugation (DGC); (3) separation by magnetic activation (MASS) (nonapoptotic portion NAP); (4) separation by MASS (apoptotic portion-APT). Was analyzed: motility (light microscopy), concentration (Neubauer chamber), semen morphology (humid cham...
Pereira MR, Trein CR, Webster A, Dallagnol B, Gonchoroski GZ, Pellegrini DP, Doyle R, Klafke G, Reck J.The apicomplexan hemoprotozoan Theileria equi is a tick-borne pathogen that causes disease in equids, and together with Babesia caballi, causes equine piroplasmosis (EP). Many ticks are associated with EP around the world, and in South America three species may be related: Dermacentor nitens, Amblyomma sculptum, and Rhipicephalus microplus, as they are commonly found in horses. Among the species cited above, only R. microplus is found in Rio Grande do Sul state, Southern Brazil. In addition, this state has the only area legally free of R. microplus in Brazil. This study aimed to compare the se...
Rumpel AS, De Carvalho AL, Vassoler JM, Schmidt ML, Mertz CC, Rozo CAC, Campos JK, Alievi MM. The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical properties of two minimally invasive arthrodesis techniques of the equine proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint (three transarticular 5.5-mm cortical screws [AO-3TLS] vs. two transarticular 7.0-mm headless cannulated multi-use compression screws [MUC-2TS]) in dynamic non-destructive testing and compression testing to failure. Methods: The experimental study included six pairs of cadaveric adult equine forelimbs; one limb from each horse was randomly assigned to one of the treatments, and the contralateral limb was submitted to the rem...
Gibson MJ, Legg KA, Gee EK, Rogers CW.Race day fatalities as a consequence of catastrophic musculoskeletal injury and cardiac failure are both a welfare concern and provide a challenge for the social perceptions of equine welfare within the racing industry. To reduce race day fatalities, the risk factors under New Zealand racing conditions need to be identified. The aim of this study was to examine race and horse-level risk factors for fatalities in New Zealand Thoroughbred flat racing using retrospective race day data from the 2011/12-2021/22 racing seasons. Horse and race-level factors associated with a suspected cardiac failure...
Elghryani N, McOwan T, Mincher C, Duggan V, de Waal T.Gastrointestinal helminths are ubiquitous in horse populations across the world. Intensive anthelmintic treatments have succeeded in controlling some of the pathogenic effects of these parasites. However, the success of anthelmintic drugs has been threatened by the development of widespread resistance to those most commonly used. To develop improved control strategies, information on helminth distribution patterns is needed, which can be obtained by identifying animals regarded as high egg shedders and taking age, gender, and other risk factors into account. The aim of this study was to determ...
Seo MG, Ouh IO, Kwak D.A clinical case of was reported for the first time in our previous study (2019) in a horse, a nondefinitive host. Although is a ruminant and not a zoonotic pathogen, it is responsible for persistent infections in horses. In this follow-up study, the prevalence of spp., including , was assessed in horse blood and lung tissue samples to fully understand spp. pathogen distribution and the potential risk factors of infection. Among 1696 samples, including 1433 blood samples from farms nationwide and 263 lung tissue samples from horse abattoirs on Jeju Island, a total of 29 samples (1.7%) teste...
Fanelli D, Moroni R, Bocci C, Camillo F, Rota A, Panzani D.Horses and donkeys differ phenotypically and karyotypically, although they can interbreed freely. Eight Standardbred mares and nine Amiata donkey jennies were included in the study. Semen was collected from two horses and two donkey stallions of proven fertility. A first pregnancy diagnosis was performed on day 10 after ovulation and repeated every day until embryo detection or until day 16. Irrespectively of the sire species, pregnancy rates in horse females (20/30, 66.7%) were significantly higher than in donkey females (19/70, 27.1%) (p < 0.05), while horse and donkey males did not affect p...
Rochais C, Lerch N, Gueguen L, Schmidlin M, Bonamy O, Grandgeorge M, Hausberger M.Tactile perception in humans varies between individuals and could depend on extrinsic factors such as working activity. In animals, there is no study relating the influence of animals' work and their tactile reactivity . We investigated horses' tactile reactivity using von Frey filament in different body areas and compared horses working only in equine-assisted interventions (EAI), in riding school (RS) lessons, and in both activities (EAI-RS). We further compared tactile actions by people with or without mental and/or developmental disorders during brushing sessions. The results indicated tha...
Hepworth-Warren KL, Nelson NC, Dembek KA, Young KAS.To compare thoracic ultrasonographic findings in healthy horses before and after general anesthesia for elective MRI utilizing a recently developed ultrasonographic scoring system to aid clinicians in the early identification of pneumonia following anesthesia. 13 adult horses > 3 years of age. Prior to anesthesia, horses underwent a thorough physical examination, CBC, thoracic radiography, and thoracic ultrasonography. Horses were then anesthetized for elective MRI, and thoracic ultrasonography was repeated within 3 hours after recovery. Thoracic ultrasonographic findings were scored utilizing...
Tinworth KD, Wynn PC, Boston RC, Harris PA, Sillence MN, Thevis M, Thomas A, Noble GK.Determining circulating equine insulin concentrations is becoming increasingly important in equine clinical practice and research. Most available assays are optimized for human medicine, but there is strong equine cross-reactivity because of the highly conserved nature of insulin. To identify an accurate and reliable assay for equine insulin, 6 commercial immunoassays were evaluated for precision, accuracy, and specificity. Only 1 assay initially reached the requisite standard: Mercodia Equine Insulin Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Plasma matrix interferences were identified when t...
Reed SM, Howe DK, Morrow JK, Graves A, Yeargan MR, Johnson AL, MacKay RJ, Furr M, Saville WJ, Williams NM.Recent work demonstrated the value of antigen-specific antibody indices (AI and C-value) to detect intrathecal antibody production against Sarcocystis neurona for antemortem diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Objective: The study was conducted to assess whether the antigen-specific antibody indices can be reduced to a simple serum : cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) titer ratio to achieve accurate EPM diagnosis. Methods: Paired serum and CSF samples from 128 horses diagnosed by postmortem examination. The sample set included 44 EPM cases, 35 cervical-vertebral malformation (CVM) ca...
Carstensen H, Kjær L, Haugaard MM, Flethøj M, Hesselkilde EZ, Kanters JK, Pehrson S, Buhl R, Jespersen T.Antiarrhythmic compounds against atrial fibrillation (AF) often have reduced efficacy and may display cardiac and/or noncardiac toxicity. Efficacy can be improved by combining 2 compounds with distinct mechanisms, and it may be possible to use lower doses of each compound, thereby reducing the likelihood of adverse side effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the effective doses of dofetilide and ranolazine can be reduced if the drugs are combined. Dofetilide, ranolazine, and a combination of these were administered in 4 incremental dosing regimens to horses with acutely ...
Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Cervantes I, Molina A, Gutiérrez JP, Valera M.Making a morphological pre-selection of Pura Raza Español horses (PRE) for dressage is a challenging task within its current breeding program. The aim of our research was to design an early genetic selection morphological linear traits index to improve dressage performance, using 26 morphological linear traits and six dressage traits (walk, trot, canter, submission, general impression - partial scores - and total score) as selection criteria. The data set included morphological linear traits of 10 127 PRE (4159 males and 5968 females) collected between 2008 and 2013 (one record per horse) and...
Robert C, Valette JP, Denoix JM.Electromyographic activity (EMG) was used to determine how hindlimb muscle activation patterns vary with speed and incline in the horse. EMG was recorded using surface electrodes over the gluteus medius and tensor fasciae latae muscles during treadmill locomotion at trot for different combinations of speed (3.5 to 6 m/s) and inclination (0, 3 and 6%). Raw EMG signals were processed to determine stride duration, activity onset and end, and integrated EMG (IEMG). Stride and stance phase duration decreased linearly with increasing speed. Stride duration was not influenced by the slope. Onset and ...
Secombe CJ, Tan RHH, Perara DI, Byrne DP, Watts SP, Wearn JG.Longitudinal evaluation of plasma endogenous ACTH concentration in clinically normal horses has not been investigated in the Southern Hemisphere. Objective: To longitudinally determine monthly upper reference limits for plasma ACTH in 2 disparate Australian geographic locations and to examine whether location affected the circannual rhythm of endogenous ACTH in the 2 groups of horses over a 12-month period. Methods: Clinically normal horses <20 years of age from 4 properties (institutional herd and client owned animals) in Perth (n = 40) and Townsville (n = 41) were included in the study. M...
Vieira RF, Vidotto O, Vieira TS, Guimaraes AM, Santos AP, Nascimento NC, Santos NJ, Martins TF, Labruna MB, Marcondes M, Biondo AW, Messick JB.The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of hemoplasmas in a rural Brazilian settlement's population of human beings, their dogs and horses, highly exposed to tick bites; to identify the tick species parasitizing dogs and horses, and analyze factors associated with their infection. Blood samples from 132 dogs, 16 horses and 100 humans were screened using a pan-hemoplasma SYBR green real-time PCR assay followed by a species-specific TaqMan real-time PCR. A total of 59/132 (44.7%) dog samples were positive for hemoplasmas (21 Mycoplasma haemocanis alone, 12 ' Candidatus Mycoplasma...
Helmstaedter V, Feurle GE, Forssmann WG.Equine pancreas was investigated with immunohistochemical methods to study the distribution of endocrine cells immunoreactive to anti-insulin, anti-glucagon, and anti-somatostatin. A-cells demonstrable by anti-glucagon are located in the center of Langerhans islets and frequently in the duct epithelium. Few A-cells are seen associated to acini. Anti-insulin reactive B-cells form a large zone around the center of the Langerhans islets in which some B-cells lie between exocrine cells and others, although few, are located in the duct epithelium. D-cells stained with anti-somatostatin serum form a...
Valberg SJ.Optimal function of skeletal muscle is essential for successful athletic performance. Even minor derangements in locomotor muscle function will impact power output, coordination, stamina, and desire to work during exercise. In this review, the presenting clinical signs, differential diagnoses, approach to diagnostic testing and treatment of muscle atrophy and weakness, focal muscle strain, and exertional myopathies are discussed. Exertional myopathies include polysaccharide storage myopathies, recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis, malignant hyperthermia, and myofibrillar myopathy.
Aupperle H, Ozgen SSchoon HA, Schoon D, Hoppen HO, Sieme H, Tannapfel A.The aims of this study were to investigate the steroid hormone receptor expression and the proliferation intensity during the equine endometrial cycle by immunohistological methods, established for routine examination of formalin-fixed, paraplast-embedded specimens. Endometrial biopsy specimens were obtained during one cycle from 7 mares. In comparison with the blood steroid hormone levels the quantity and distribution of oestrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) and the proliferation marker Ki-67 antigen expression were investigated. Rising 17beta-oestradiol concentrations in preoestrus ...
Finno CJ, Aleman M, Higgins RJ, Madigan JE, Bannasch DL.Genome-wide association (GWA) studies are widely used to investigate the genetic etiology of diseases in domestic animals. In the horse, GWA studies using 40-50,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in sample sizes of 30-40 individuals, consisting of only 6-14 affected horses, have led to the discovery of genetic mutations for simple monogenic traits. Equine neuroaxonal dystrophy is a common inherited neurological disorder characterized by symmetric ataxia. A case-control GWA study was performed using genotypes from 42,819 SNP marker loci distributed across the genome in 99 clinically phe...
Kullmann A, Holcombe SJ, Hurcombe SD, Roessner HA, Hauptman JG, Geor RJ, Belknap J.Recent research suggested that prophylactic digital cryotherapy (ICE) improved lameness scores, diminished histological changes and early laminar inflammatory signalling in horses following oligofructose administration. In clinical practice, horses at risk for sepsis-associated laminitis receive ICE. Evidence to support this practice is lacking. Objective: To determine factors associated with development of laminitis in horses diagnosed with colitis, including ICE. Methods: Multicentre retrospective case series. Methods: Medical records for horses admitted to 2 university hospitals diagnosed w...
Krishnan A, Wilson A, Sturgeon J, Siedlecki CA, Vogler EA.A systematic study of water-air (liquid-vapor, LV) interfacial tension gamma(lv) of blood plasma and serum derived from four different mammalian species (human, bovine, ovine and equine) reveals nearly identical concentration-dependence (dgamma(lv)/dlnC(B); where C(B) is plasma/serum dilution expressed in v/v concentration units). Comparison of results to a previously-published survey of purified human-blood proteins further reveals that dgamma(lv)/dlnC(B) of plasma and serum is surprisingly similar to that of purified protein constituents. It is thus concluded that any combination of blood-pr...
Textor JA, Tablin F.(1) To report the clinical and synovial effects of a platelet-rich product (PRPr) in normal equine joints, (2) to assess the persistence of platelets within synovial fluid after intra-articular injection, (3) to compare responses to different preparations of that product, and (4) to evaluate a gravity filtration system for PRPr preparation in horses. Methods: Experimental. Methods: A platelet-rich saline product (PRPr) was prepared from 7 normal horses using a proprietary preparation device and was divided into 3 treatments: resting, CaCl2 -activated (23 mM, final), and bovine thrombin-activ...
Turley SM, Thambyah A, Riggs CM, Firth EC, Broom ND.The palmar aspect of the third metacarpal (MC3) condyle of equine athletes is known to be subjected to repetitive overloading that can lead to the accumulation of joint tissue damage, degeneration, and stress fractures, some of which result in catastrophic failure. However, there is still a need to understand at a detailed microstructural level how this damage progresses in the context of the wider joint tissue complex, i.e. the articular surface, the hyaline and calcified cartilage, and the subchondral bone. MC3 bones from non-fractured joints were obtained from the right forelimbs of 16 Thor...
Labelle P, De Cock HE.Although metastases to the adrenals are common in humans, they have not been thoroughly studied in animals. The purpose of this retrospective study was to document the types of malignant tumors that metastasize to canine, feline, equine, and bovine adrenals, and the rate at which they do so. The average rate of adrenal involvement in metastatic cancer was 112/534 (21.0%) in dogs, 12/81 (14.8%) in cats, 18/67 (26.9%) in horses, and 5/16 (31.3%) in cattle. In dogs, 26 different tumor types metastasized to the adrenals. Pulmonary, mammary, prostatic, gastric, and pancreatic carcinomas, and melano...
Blakeslee JR, Olsen RG, McAllister ES, Fassbender J, Dennis R.Five horses were experimentally exposed to equine herpesvirus 2 strain LK. Two young foals developed chronic pharyngitis (98 and 232 days, respectively). Growth characteristics, cytopathic effects (CPE), inclusion body formation, ether sensitivity, and immunofluorescent analysis indicated that the virus recovered from infected animals was a herpesvirus serologically identical with, or at least antigenically related to EHV-2 strain LK. No significant complement-fixing (CF) or virus-neutralizing (VN) antibody responses were observed in adult horses while both foals demonstrated a rise in CF anti...
Rhodin M, Johnston C, Holm KR, Wennerstrand J, Drevemo S.A common opinion among riders and in the literature is that the positioning of the head and neck influences the back of the horse, but this has not yet been measured objectively. Objective: To evaluate the effect of head and neck position on the kinematics of the back in riding horses. Methods: Eight Warmblood riding horses in regular work were studied on a treadmill at walk and trot with the head and neck in 3 different predetermined positions achieved by side reins attached to the bit and to an anticast roller. The 3-dimensional movement of the thoracolumbar spine was measured from the posit...
Fureix C, Benhajali H, Henry S, Bruchet A, Prunier A, Ezzaouia M, Coste C, Hausberger M, Palme R, Jego P.Stereotypic behaviours, i.e. repetitive behaviours induced by frustration, repeated attempts to cope and/or brain dysfunction, are intriguing as they occur in a variety of domestic and captive species without any clear adaptive function. Among the different hypotheses, the coping hypothesis predicts that stereotypic behaviours provide a way for animals in unfavourable environmental conditions to adjust. As such, they are expected to have a lower physiological stress level (glucocorticoids) than non-stereotypic animals. Attempts to link stereotypic behaviours with glucocorticoids however have y...
Holmström M, Fredricson I, Drevemo S.The trotting gait of 4 approved Swedish Warmblood stallions with a mean gait score > or = 8.67 (maximum score = 10) at official performance tests was recorded by high speed film (approximately 250 frames/sec). Angular patterns and hoof trajectories of the left fore and hind limbs were analysed, and presented as mean and standard deviation curves. The horses had a mean stride duration of 794.0 msec (sd 13.7) and the mean diagonal advanced placement was +29.8 msec (sd 7.6). The variation in angular patterns between the horses was greatest during the swing phase. The trajectory of the hind hoof r...
Reed SK, Kramer J, Thombs L, Pitts JB, Wilson DA, Keegan KG.To compare results for initial body-mounted inertial sensor (BMIS) measurement of lameness in equids trotting in a straight line with definitive findings after full lameness evaluation. Methods: 1,224 equids. Methods: Lameness measured with BMIS equipment while trotting in a straight line was classified into categories of none, forelimb only, hind limb only, and 8 patterns of combined forelimb and hind limb lameness (CFHL). Definitive findings after full lameness evaluation were established in most horses and classified into types (no lameness, forelimb- or hind limb-only lameness, CFHL, or la...
Couto MA, Harwig SS, Cullor JS, Hughes JP, Lehrer RI.Endogenous, cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides known as defensins are prominent components of human, rabbit, and rat neutrophils, yet little is known about their occurrence in other mammalian species. Although we did not detect mature (i.e., processed) defensins in equine neutrophil granules, we found that these granules contained small amounts of other cysteine-rich peptides with antimicrobial activity. One of these, eNAP-1, was purified by a combination of gel permeation and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography from acid extracts prepared from the cytoplasmic granules of e...
Nitschke M, Korte T, Tielesch C, Ter-Avetisyan G, Tünnemann G, Cardoso MC, Veit M, Herrmann A.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is an enveloped, positive-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Arteriviridae. Infection by EAV requires the release of the viral genome by fusion with the respective target membrane of the host cell. We have investigated the entry pathway of EAV into Baby Hamster Kidney cells (BHK). Infection of cells assessed by the plaque reduction assay was strongly inhibited by substances which interfere with clathrin-dependent endocytosis and by lysosomotropic compounds. Furthermore, infection of BHK cells was suppressed when clathrin-dependent endocytosis was inhibited ...
Dupuis MC, Zhang Z, Druet T, Denoix JM, Charlier C, Lekeux P, Georges M.Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) is a major upper-airway disease of horses that causes abnormal respiratory noise during exercise and can impair performance. Etiopathogenesis remains unclear but genetic factors have been suspected for many decades. The objective of this study was to identify risk loci associated with RLN. To that end we genotyped 234 cases (196 Warmbloods, 20 Trotters, 14 Thoroughbreds, and 4 Draft horses), 228 breed-matched controls, and 69 parents with the Illumina Equine SNP50 BeadChip. Using these data, we quantified population structure and performed single-marker and...
Marenzoni ML, Stefanetti V, Danzetta ML, Timoney PJ.Although the first equine gammaherpesvirus was identified over 50 years ago, the isolation and characterization of other members of this virus group has been relatively recent. Even so, numerous clinical syndromes have been identified in equid species in association with these viruses. Equid gammaherpesviruses are a genetically heterogeneous viral subfamily, the function of which in host immune modulation and disease pathogenesis has not yet been elucidated. While they share similarities with gammaherpesviruses in humans, the role they play in their relationship with the host is the subject of...
Metzger J, Tonda R, Beltran S, Agueda L, Gut M, Distl O.Domestication has shaped the horse and lead to a group of many different types. Some have been under strong human selection while others developed in close relationship with nature. The aim of our study was to perform next generation sequencing of breed and non-breed horses to provide an insight into genetic influences on selective forces. Results: Whole genome sequencing of five horses of four different populations revealed 10,193,421 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 1,361,948 insertion/deletion polymorphisms (indels). In comparison to horse variant databases and previous reports, w...
Setterbo JJ, Garcia TC, Campbell IP, Reese JL, Morgan JM, Kim SY, Hubbard M, Stover SM.To compare hoof acceleration and ground reaction force (GRF) data among dirt, synthetic, and turf surfaces in Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: 3 healthy Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Forelimb hoof accelerations and GRFs were measured with an accelerometer and a dynamometric horseshoe during trot and canter on dirt, synthetic, and turf track surfaces at a racecourse. Maxima, minima, temporal components, and a measure of vibration were extracted from the data. Acceleration and GRF variables were compared statistically among surfaces. Results: The synthetic surface often had the lowest peak ...
