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.
de Almeida Campos AC, Cicolo S, de Oliveira CM, Molina CV, Navas-Suárez PE, Poltronieri Dos Santos T, da Silveira VB, Barbosa CM, Baccarin RYA....Equid herpesvirus (EHV) commonly affects horses causing neurologic and respiratory symptoms beside spontaneous abortions, meaning huge economic losses for equine industry worldwide. In foals, the virus can facilitate secondary infections by Rhodococcus equi, important in morbidity and mortality in equines. A total of five genotypes of EHV were previously described in Brazil including EHV-1, EHV-2, EHV-3, EHV-4, and EHV-5. EHV-2 genotype had only been previously described in Brazil in asymptomatic animals. We report the investigation of the dead of 11 foals in Middle-west region of Brazil showi...
Mukhopadhyay A, Cook SR, SanMiguel P, Ekenstedt KJ, Taylor SD.Gram-negative bacterial septicemia is mediated through binding of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mammalian toll-like receptor protein 4 (TLR4). TLR4 and its cognate protein, myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2) form a heterodimeric complex after binding LPS. This complex induces a cascade of reactions that results in increased proinflammatory cytokine gene expression, including TNFα, which leads to activation of innate immunity. In horses, the immune response to LPS varies widely. To determine if this variation is due to differences in TLR4 or MD2, DNA from 15 healthy adult horses with differe...
Labbe KA, Allshouse KA, Gilmour LJ, Arnold CE, Whitfield-Cargile CM, Griffin CE.Sinusitis is a common disease of horses yet there are a limited number of reports in the literature that describe the prevalence of infraorbital canal (IOC) pathology and headshaking behaviour in horses diagnosed specifically with primary sinusitis and secondary dental sinusitis. Given the impact that these behaviours can have on horses' intended athletic use, investigation is warranted. Objective: To determine the occurrence of IOC pathology in horses with concurrent primary or secondary dental sinusitis based on computed tomography (CT) findings and to assess whether the frequency of headsha...
Kohnen AB, Wiedenheft AM, Traub-Dargatz JL, Short DM, Cook KL, Lantz K, Morningstar-Shaw B, Lawrence JP, House S, Marshall KL, Rao S.Several studies have investigated antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli isolated from hospitalized horses, but studies conducted on community-based populations of equids are limited. The factors associated with AMR in these bacteria in the general horse population are not well understood. The primary objective of our study was to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella and describe antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella and E. coli from equids across the United States. The second objective was to identify associations between health management and biosecurity...
Hainisch EK, Jindra C, Kirnbauer R, Brandt S.Papillomaviruses (PVs) are a family of small DNA tumor viruses that can induce benign lesions or cancer in vertebrates. The observation that animal PV capsid-proteins spontaneously self-assemble to empty, highly immunogenic virus-like particles (VLPs) has led to the establishment of vaccines that efficiently protect humans from specific PV infections and associated diseases. We provide an overview of PV-induced tumors in horses and other equids, discuss possible routes of PV transmission in equid species, and present recent developments aiming at introducing the PV VLP-based vaccine technology...
Watkins AR, Ford M, van Eps AW, Stefanovski D, Parente EJ.This study investigated the elongation following cyclic loading on square knots of 5 USP multifilament long-chain ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene core (UHMWPE), 2 mm woven UHMWPE tape, and 5 USP braided polyester, with and without cyanoacrylate glue. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: n = 4. Methods: Three conditions (suture without knot, suture with knot, suture with knot + cyanoacrylate) were evaluated for each suture material on a mechanical test stand by measuring the increased length of the construct after cycling from 25 to 50N for 1000 repetitions at 20 mm/second. Knot...
Quattrini C, Scalco R, Vernau W, Dini P, Aleman M.Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is highly labile and delayed processing might alter results of analysis. Objective: To determine the effects of time and addition of autologous serum on cytological evaluation of CSF. Methods: Ten client-owned adult horses requiring euthanasia. Methods: Prospective study. Serum and CSF were collected from each horse before and within 10 minutes after euthanasia. CSF samples were divided into 15 aliquots (2 mL each); 1 aliquot was submitted for routine CSF analysis within 60 minutes of collection. Four drops of autologous serum were added to 7 of the aliquots, and ...
Henry ML, Wesolowski LT, Pagan JD, Simons JL, Valberg SJ, White-Springer SH.Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an essential component of the mitochondrial electron transfer system and a potent antioxidant. The impact of CoQ10 supplementation on mitochondrial capacities and the muscle proteome is largely unknown. This study determined the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on muscle CoQ10 concentrations, antioxidant balance, the proteome, and mitochondrial respiratory capacities. In a randomized cross-over design, six Thoroughbred horses received 1600 mg/d CoQ10 or no supplement (control) for 30-d periods separated by a 60-d washout. Muscle samples were taken at the end of each peri...
Charnock LN, Davidson MG, Keys DA, Gilger BC, McMullen RJ.To evaluate the normal refractive state in horses in NCSU and ECMR and determine the prevalence of naturally occurring refractive errors and their association with breed, age, coat color, iris color, sex, and geographic location. Methods: Horses from NCSU (January 2009-November 2012) and ECMR (January 2013-September 2016) underwent ophthalmic examination and streak retinoscopy. Location, color, breed, sex, and iris color were recorded. Gross and net refractive values for each meridian (horizontal and vertical), spherical refraction, astigmatism for both eyes, and anisometry were recorded, and ...
Frontiers in geneticsJanuary 23, 2023
Volume 14 1099896 doi: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1099896
Capomaccio S, Ablondi M, Colombi D, Sartori C, Giontella A, Cappelli K, Mancin E, Asti V, Mantovani R, Sabbioni A, Silvestrelli M. The Italian peninsula is in the center of the Mediterranean area, and historically it has been a hub for numerous human populations, cultures, and also animal species that enriched the hosted biodiversity. Horses are no exception to this phenomenon, with the peculiarity that the gene pool has been impacted by warfare and subsequent "colonization". In this study, using a comprehensive dataset for almost the entire Italian equine population, in addition to the most influential cosmopolitan breeds, we describe the current status of the modern Italian gene pool. The Italian dataset comprised 1,3...
Miglinci L, Reicher P, Nell B, Koch M, Jindra C, Brandt S.Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) seriously compromises the health and welfare of affected horses. Although robust evidence points to equine papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV2) causing genital lesions, the etiopathogenesis of equine SCC is still poorly understood. We screened a series of SCCs from the head-and-neck (HN), (peri-)ocular and genital region, and site-matched controls for the presence of EcPV2-5 and herpesvirus DNA using type-specific EcPV PCR, and consensus nested herpesvirus PCR followed by sequencing. EcPV2 DNA was detected in 45.5% of HN lesions, 8.3% of (peri-)ocular SCCs, and 100% of g...
Fjordbakk CT, Marques-Smith P.Interpretation of patellar ligament (PL) ultrasonography may be difficult, as hypoechoic or heterogenous echogenicity are common findings. Verifying suspected disease of equine PLs by histopathology is also problematic as descriptions of normal PL vascularity and histology are scarce. The current study describes the PL and infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) vascular pattern from computed tomography scans of barium perfused normal equine specimens (n = 8; age 10 days to 18 years), as well as routine histology to serve as a reference for future investigations into PL pathology and IFP disease. Re...
Gutiérrez-Cepeda L, Crespo F, Blazquez JC, Serres C.The Purebred Spanish Horse, according to our clinical experience, is characterized by having a high number of stallions that do not meet the international commercial recommendations for equine-sperm cryopreservation. This means that artificial insemination with frozen semen from these stallions is less widespread than in other breeds. In this study, we investigated if the incorporation of single-layer colloidal centrifugation prior to cryopreservation in clinical conditions could increase the number of ejaculates of Purebred Spanish stallions suitable for this processing, observing the influen...
Marycz K, Bourebaba N, Serwotka-Suszczak A, Mularczyk M, Galuppo L, Bourebaba L.Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is recognized as one of the leading cause of health threatening in veterinary medicine worldwide. Recently, PTP1B inhibition has been proposed as an interesting strategy for liver insulin resistance reversion in both equines and humans, however as being a multifactorial disease, proper management of EMS horses further necessities additional interventional approaches aiming at repairing and restoring liver functions. In this study, we hypothesized that in vitro induction of Eq_ASCs hepatogenic differentiation will generate a specialized liver progenitor-like cell...
Han H, Randhawa IAS, MacHugh DE, McGivney BA, Katz LM, Dugarjaviin M, Hill EW.Thousands of years of natural and artificial selection since the domestication of the horse has shaped the distinctive genomes of Chinese Mongolian horse populations. Consequently, genomic signatures of selection can provide insights into the human-mediated selection history of specific traits and evolutionary adaptation to diverse environments. Here, we used genome-wide SNPs from five distinct Chinese Mongolian horse populations to identify genomic regions under selection for the population-specific traits, gait, black coat colour, and hoof quality. Other global breeds were used to identify r...
Marshall K, Marsella R.Previous studies documented antibiotic resistance in horses but did not focus on skin specifically. We investigated antibiotic resistance and correlations between resistance patterns in skin infections. Records from 2009 to 2019 were searched for Staphylococcal infection and susceptibility results. Seventy-seven cases were included. Organisms identified were S. aureus (48/77), S. pseudintermedius (7/77), non-hemolytic Staphylococcus (8/77), beta-hemolytic Staphylococcus (6/77), and other species (8/77). Samples included pyoderma (36/77), wounds (10/77), abscesses (15/77), incision sites (5/77)...
Elbrønd VS, Thomsen MB, Isaksen JL, Lunde ED, Vincenti S, Wang T, Tranum-Jensen J, Calloe K.The Purkinje fibers convey the electrical impulses at much higher speed than the working myocardial cells. Thus, the distribution of the Purkinje network is of paramount importance for the timing and coordination of ventricular activation. The Purkinje fibers are found in the subendocardium of all species of mammals, but some mammals also possess an intramural Purkinje fiber network that provides for relatively instantaneous, burst-like activation of the entire ventricular wall, and gives rise to an rS configuration in lead II of the ECG. To relate the topography of the horse heart and the dis...
The protein journalJanuary 18, 2023
Volume 42, Issue 1 24-36 doi: 10.1007/s10930-023-10092-x
Rodríguez MC, Mussio PE, Villarraza J, Tardivo MB, Antuña S, Fontana D, Ceaglio N, Prieto C.Equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) is a glycoprotein hormone widely used in timed artificial ovulation (TAI) and superovulation protocols to improve the reproductive performance in livestock. Until recently, the only eCG products available in the market for veterinary use consisted in partially purified preparations of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG). Here, a bioactive recombinant eCG (reCG) produced in suspension CHO-K1 cells was purified employing different chromatographic methods (hydrophobic interaction chromatography and reverse-phase (RP)-HPLC) and compared with a RP-HPLC-purifi...
Qamar W, Alsayeqh AF.Third-world countries have a higher prevalence of food-related disorders than developed nations. Millions of people in underdeveloped countries are seriously at risk from the potential water supply contamination with protozoan diseases. is one of the important protozoans causing diseases in livestock and humans. Despite the standard tests for diagnosing this parasite and different treatment methods, the spread of these parasites is uncontrollable and rising every year due to other management disorders. In this review, we summarize etiopathogenesis and prevalence in Pakistan. We looked for pap...
Aitken RJ, Lambourne S, Medica AJ.A capacity to predict the likelihood of pregnancy following natural matings would be of considerable benefit to the Thoroughbred horse breeding industry. In this article, we describe a strategy for achieving this outcome through the analysis of dismount samples, that achieved an overall accuracy of 94.6%. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the analysis of dismount semen samples from Thoroughbred stallions could be used to predict whether a given mating would result in a pregnancy. The analysis was based on 143 matings of 141 mares by a cohort of 7 Thoroughbred stallions over a ...
Loublier C, Taminiau B, Heinen J, Lecoq L, Amory H, Daube G, Cesarini C.Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been used empirically for decades in equine medicine to treat intestinal dysbiosis but evidence-based information is scarce. This in vitro study aimed at assessing the effect of a commonly used pre-FMT processing method on the bacterial composition and viability of the fecal filtrate. Three samples of fresh equine manure (T0) were processed identically: the initial manure was mixed with 1 L of lukewarm water and chopped using an immersion blender to obtain a mixture (T1), which was left uncovered during 30 min (T2) and percolated through a sieve to ob...
Spann K, Barnum S, Pusterla N.EHV-1 vaccines are often administered intranasally during emergency situation such as outbreaks of equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy. However, there is currently no data available on the efficacy of such protocols, nor the diagnostic challenge when recently vaccinated horses become clinically infected and nasal secretions are collected to support a diagnosis of EHV-1 infection. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine if two commercially available EHV-1 vaccines, a killed-adjuvanted (Calvenza) and a modified-live (Rhinomune) EHV-1 vaccine, could induce a measurable systemic...
Gehlen H, Klein KS, Merle R, Lübke-Becker A, Stoeckle SD.Evaluation of the role of indicator pathogens in equine surgical site infection (SSI) and other infection-promoting factors. Cross-sectional study. Horses presenting with an open injury or surgical colic during 1.5 years. A nasal swab and a faecal sample were collected from every patient upon admission. Furthermore, a wound swab was collected from wounds of injured horses. Details on the wounds and procedures were documented. Laparotomy incisions and injuries were monitored for signs suggesting infection. In total, 156 horses presented because of a surgical colic (n = 48) or open injuries (n...
Sánchez de Medina A, Serrano-Rodríguez JM, Díez de Castro E, García-Valverde MT, Saitua A, Becero M, Muñoz A, Ferreiro-Vera C....Intravenous pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability of cannabidiol (CBD) with different formulations have not been investigated in horses and may represent a starting point for clinical studies. Objective: To describe pharmacokinetics after intravenous and oral administrations with oil and micellar formulations and simulate different treatments. Methods: Single intravenous experiment and two-way randomised oral experiments, Latin-square design. Methods: Eight healthy horses received intravenous CBD at 1.00 mg/kg dose, oral CBD in sesame oil and in micellar formulation, both at 10.00 mg/k...
Salz RO, Elliott CRB, Zuffa T, Bennet ED, Ahern BJ.Overstrain of the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is a common Thoroughbred racehorse limb injury requiring treatment. Objective: To determine whether treatment of SDFT lesions in flat Thoroughbred racehorses with autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) or allogenic adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (A-MSCs) is associated with improved likelihood of returning to racing, when compared to racehorses managed with a controlled exercise rehabilitation program (CERP) alone. Methods: Retrospective cohort study combining clinical treatment records with race records...
Knowles EJ, Hyde C, Harris PA, Elliott J, Menzies-Gow NJ.A chemiluminescent immunoassay is commonly employed to measure adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) concentrations to assist pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction diagnosis. In a previous study, seasonally-dependent assay cross-reactivity to endogenous equine corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide (CLIP, ACTH 18-39) was suspected. The present study aimed to demonstrate binding of endogenous equine CLIP to the capture antibody of the ACTH chemiluminescent immunoassay. Liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LCMS) methods were optimised to identify selected ions from synthetic human ACTH...
Li FI, Spence RJ, de Laat MA, Harris PA, Sonntag J, Menzies-Gow NJ, Durham AE, Bailey SR, Sillence MN.High concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) are used as an indicator of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), but other factors that may influence ACTH need to be understood, if diagnostic reference ranges for ACTH are to be used with confidence. Insulin dysregulation (ID) could be one such factor, as insulin affects pituitary hormones in other species. Objective: To test the hypothesis that a relationship exists between high insulin and high ACTH in aged (>15-year-old) animals with no clinical signs of PPID. Methods: A cohort study. Methods: Thirteen horses and eleven p...
Vitoria A, Romero A, Barrachina L, Fuente S, Gil L, de Blas I, Vázquez Bringas FJ.Most previously described techniques for laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty (IH) in horses require advanced laparoscopic skills. Our objective was to describe a new laparoscopic IH technique using a surgical anchoring system. Methods: Standing laparoscopic IH was performed unilaterally in eight experimental stallions, using the contralateral inguinal canal (IC) as a control. A polyether ether ketone harpoon was anchored in the craniolateral aspect of the vaginal ring, and an extracorporeal knot was used to fix the device. Clinical evaluation, including testicular palpation and lameness examina...
Vázquez FJ, Vitoria A, Gómez-Arrue J, Fuente S, Barrachina L, de Blas I, Romero A.First cannulation is a critical manoeuvre in equine laparoscopy. This retrospective study aimed at the comparison of the frequency and type of complications detected when using different human laparoscopy devices for laparoscopic access in standing horses, and the influence of body condition in such complications. Forty-four procedures were included, and retrieved data comprised cannula insertion technique, body condition, and type and frequency of complications. Laparoscopic access techniques were classified into five groups: P: pneumoperitoneum created using Veress needle prior to cannulatio...
de Souza AF, Paretsis NF, De Zoppa ALDV.The aim of this study was to determine the clinical outcomes reported in retrospective studies of proximal interphalangeal arthrodesis (PIA) in horses through a meta-analysis of retrospective studies. CAB Abstracts, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched. The primary outcomes included survival and surgical site infection (SSI) rates, return to activities, and time of hospital stay and casting. Subgroups were formed for fractures and other conditions. Meta-analyses were performed with fixed and random effects models to estimate proportions, mean values, and effect size ...
Stringer A, Lunn DP, Reid S.The working equid is of vital importance in many low-income countries
where horses, mules and donkeys are the primary means of transport and
traction. Notwithstanding basic husbandry and welfare needs, infectious
diseases compromise the health and welfare of these working animals,
which in turn threatens the livelihoods of the most vulnerable members
of society. A workshop on Infectious Diseases of Working Equids was held in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in November 2013, attended by 35 participants
representing academia, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs),
governmental institutions and the ...
Ohmura H, Jones JH.We investigated changes in heart rate (HR) and HR variability as a function of age in newborn foals to old Thoroughbred horses. Experiments were performed on a total of 83 healthy and clinically normal Thoroughbred horses. Resting HR decreased with age from birth. The relationship between age and HR fit the equation Y=48.2X(R=0.705); the relationship between age and HR for horses 0-7 years old fit the equation Y=44.1X(R=0.882). Seven-day-old horses had the highest HR values (106 ± 10.3 beat/min). The low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) powers increased with age in newborn to old horses...
Ojo KK, Dangoudoubiyam S, Verma SK, Scheele S, DeRocher AE, Yeargan M, Choi R, Smith TR, Rivas KL, Hulverson MA, Barrett LK, Fan E, Maly DJ....Sarcocystis neurona is the most frequent cause of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, a debilitating neurological disease of horses that can be difficult to treat. We identified SnCDPK1, the S. neurona homologue of calcium-dependent protein kinase 1 (CDPK1), a validated drug target in Toxoplasma gondii. SnCDPK1 shares the glycine "gatekeeper" residue of the well-characterized T. gondii enzyme, which allows the latter to be targeted by bumped kinase inhibitors. This study presents detailed molecular and phenotypic evidence that SnCDPK1 can be targeted for rational drug development. Recombinant ...
Aleman M, Magdesian KG, Peterson TS, Galey FD.A 4-month-old American Paint filly was evaluated because of sudden onset of ataxia that progressed to recumbency. Five additional horses from the same and neighboring premises developed signs of poor performance, generalized weakness, ataxia, and recumbency; 2 of those horses were also evaluated. A new batch of a commercial feed supplement had been introduced to the horses' diet on each farm within the preceding 3 days. Results: Other than recumbency, findings of physical and neurologic examinations of the foal were unremarkable. The other 2 horses had generalized weakness and mild ataxia, and...
Jones RL, Adney WS, Shideler RK.Clostridium difficile was isolated from the feces of 27 of 43 diarrheic foals (63%), and cytotoxin was detected in feces from 28 diarrheic foals (65%). The foals had not received any antimicrobial treatment before the onset of diarrhea. C. difficile was not isolated from feces of 18 normal foals without diarrhea and 62 adult horses (P less than 0.005). This finding of C. difficile and its toxins in association with diarrhea in foals adds another possible cause to the list of infectious agents which may cause diarrhea in foals.
The Bering Land Bridge (BLB) last connected Eurasia and North America during the Late Pleistocene. Although the BLB would have enabled transfers of terrestrial biota in both directions, it also acted as an ecological filter whose permeability varied considerably over time. Here we explore the possible impacts of this ecological corridor on genetic diversity within, and connectivity among, populations of a once wide-ranging group, the caballine horses (Equus spp.). Using a panel of 187 mitochondrial and eight nuclear genomes recovered from present-day and extinct caballine horses sampled acros...
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 ...
Lun ZR, Fang Y, Wang CJ, Brun R.Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi (surra) is a problem of great economic importance in livestock in China because it affects important working animals: buffaloes in the south and east, and horses and cattle in the north and west. In addition, buffaloes are an important source of meat and leather for the Chinese population. In the north and west, T. evansi is found mainly in camels, whereas in the east, the south and the southwest, it is primarily buffaloes, cattle and horses that are affected by this parasitic flagellate. Although trypanosomiasis is one of the most important parasit...
Watson ED.Post-breeding endometritis is a major cause of subfertility in the mare. Endometritis is a normal event in the immediate period after mating, but the presence of ultransonographically visible uterine fluid more than 12 h later is thought to be evidence of uterine pathology. In mares that are free of venerally transmitted endometritis, treatment is aimed at removing the intraluminal fluid. If the endometritis persists past day 5, when the embryo enters the uterine lumen, the cytotoxic environment will not be compatible with pregnancy. Reproductive anatomy, defective myometrial contractility, lo...
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 ...
Graves KT, Henney PJ, Ennis RB.Laminin 5 is a heterotrimeric basement membrane protein integral to the structure and function of the dermal-epidermal junction. It consists of three glycoprotein subunits: the alpha3, beta3 and gamma2 chains, which are encoded by the LAMA3, LAMB3 and LAMC2 genes respectively. A mutation in any of these genes results in the condition known as hereditary junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB). A 6589-bp deletion spanning exons 24-27 was found in the LAMA3 gene in American Saddlebred foals born with the skin-blistering condition epitheliogenesis imperfecta. The deletion confirms that this autoso...
Carbone KM, Rubin SA, Nishino Y, Pletnikov MV.Studies of the pathogenesis of neurobehavioral diseases following Borna disease virus infections have been increasing rapidly over the past ten years. Recent major advances have included a report of vertical transmission of the virus in its natural host, the horse, and a report of isolation of a novel variant, No/98, in that same species. In rats infected neonatally with the Borna disease virus that lack blood-borne inflammation in the brain, evidence of an "endogenous" brain inflammatory response is abundant, with elevated expression of cytokine and chemokine mRNA. Infection in these rats is ...
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...