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.
Shaffer SK, Stover SM, Fyhrie DP.Focal bone lesions are often found prior to clinically relevant stress-fractures. Lesions are characterized by low bone volume fraction, low mineral density, and high levels of microdamage and are hypothesized to develop when bone tissue cannot sufficiently respond to damaging loading. It is difficult to determine how exercise drives the formation of these lesions because bone responds to mechanical loading and repairs damage. In this study, we derive steady-state rate constants for a compartment model of bone turnover using morphometric data from fractured and non-fractured racehorse proximal...
Köhne M, Hofbauer L, Böttcher D, Tönissen A, Hegger A, Görgens A, Ulrich R, Sieme H.Bacterial endometritis is one of the major problems in equine reproduction and usually treated with antimicrobial drugs. The study aimed to compare the effects of intrauterine ozone application and systemic antibiotic treatment (trimethoprim-sulfadimethoxine) on intrauterine bacterial growth and possible side effects on the endometrium in a clinical setting. Mares ( = 30) with signs of endometritis (positive uterine bacterial culture and cytological findings) were assigned randomly to different treatments: intrauterine insufflation of an ozone-air-mix (240 ml, 80 μg ozone/ml) twice at a 48 h-...
Lee YR, Lee K, Byun JW, Kim H, So B, Ku BK, Kim HY, Moon BY.Clostridioides difficile is an etiological agent of enteric diseases in humans and animals. Animals are considered a potential reservoir due to the genetic and antimicrobial resistance similarities between human and animal C. difficile isolates. In this study, we evaluated the genetic characteristics and antimicrobial resistance profiles of C. difficile isolated from 942 fecal samples collected from horses in South Korea during 2019-2020. Methods: The C. difficile isolates were tested for toxin genes including tcdA (A), tcdB (B), and cdtAB (CDT) and deletions of the tcdC gene by PCR. In add...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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)...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Vidugiris GJ, Royer CA.The volume change for the transition from the native state of horse heart apomyoglobin to a pressure-induced intermediate with fluorescence properties similar to those of the well-established molten globule or I form was measured to be -70 ml/mol. Complete unfolding of the protein by pressure at pH 4.2 revealed an upper limit for the unfolding of the intermediate of -61 ml/mol. At 0.3 M guanidine hydrochloride, the entire transition from native to molten globule to unfolded state was observed in the available pressure range below 2.5 kbar. The volume change for the N-->I transition is relat...
Thean S, Elliott B, Riley TV.During a 24 month period from 2007 to 2009, 174 faecal specimens from horses in Australia (predominantly from Western Australia) were tested for Clostridium difficile. C. difficile was isolated from 14 (23 %) of 62 diarrhoeal animals (including 10 foals) and from none of 112 healthy adult horses. These isolates were toxin profiled by PCR for toxin A, toxin B and binary toxin, and ribotyped. Ten of the equine isolates were A(+)B(+)CDT(-). Other toxin profiles detected were A(-)B(-)CDT(+) (one isolate), A(+)B(+)CDT(+) (two isolates) and A(-)B(-)CDT(-) (three isolates). There were six different...
Bourély C, Cazeau G, Jarrige N, Jouy E, Haenni M, Lupo A, Madec JY, Leblond A, Gay E.To examine the relevance of co-resistance to amoxicillin and tetracycline as an indicator of multidrug resistance (MDR) in animal health. Methods: isolates collected between 2012 and 2016 by the French surveillance network for antimicrobial resistance in diseased animals (RESAPATH) were analyzed. The proportions of MDR isolates and the proportions of isolates presenting co-resistance to amoxicillin and tetracycline were calculated for seven animal species (cattle, horse, dog, swine, poultry, duck, and turkey). The degree of agreement between these two proportions was estimated by calculating ...
Wilson DA, Baker GJ, Boero MJ.Complications of celiotomy incisions were evaluated retrospectively in 274 horses that survived at least 1 month after surgery, or died or were euthanatized within 1 month of surgery, as a direct result of these complications. Horses were divided into four groups; group A, a ventral median celiotomy for intestinal disease; group B, ventral median celiotomy for nonintestinal disease; group C, repair of an umbilical hernia; and group D, celiotomy in a region other than the midline. Specific incisional complications were peri-incisional edema, drainage, incisional abscess, suture sinus, and dehis...
Cripps PJ, Eustace RA.Lateromedial radiographic projections were made from the feet of 25 normal horses and 3 angles and 3 distances were measured. From these, normal ranges of calculated variables were obtained. The width and length of each foot and the height of the horse at the withers was also measured. In view of its possible importance in clinical laminitis, particular attention was paid to 'founder' distance (D). This is the vertical distance between the proximal limit of the dorsal hoof wall and the proximal limit of the extensor process of the distal phalanx. There were significant differences between bree...
Swegen A.Maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) is a process by which an early conceptus signals its presence to the maternal system and prevents the lysis of the corpus luteum, thus ensuring a maternal milieu supportive of pregnancy continuation. It is a fundamental aspect of reproductive biology, yet in the horse, the mechanism underlying MRP remains unknown. This review seeks to address some of the controversies surrounding the evidence and theories of MRP in the equine species, such as the idea that the horse does not conform to the MRP paradigm established in other species or that equine MRP invo...
Ghafar A, Abbas G, King J, Jacobson C, Hughes KJ, El-Hage C, Beasley A, Bauquier J, Wilkes EJA, Hurley J, Cudmore L, Carrigan P, Tennent-Brown B....Faecal egg counting techniques (FECT) form the cornerstone for the detection of gastrointestinal parasites in equines. For this purpose, several flotation, centrifugation, image- and artificial intelligence-based techniques are used, with varying levels of performance. This review aimed to critically appraise the literature on the assessment and comparison of various coprological techniques and/or modifications of these techniques used for equines and to identify the knowledge gaps and future research directions. We searched three databases for published scientific studies on the assessment an...
Guruge KS, Manage PM, Yamanaka N, Miyazaki S, Taniyasu S, Yamashita N.The persistent metabolites of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) which have been detected in the tissues of both humans and wildlife, and human contamination by PFCs suggest differences in the exposure patterns to these compounds. However, studies focused on identifying human exposure pathways to PFCs are scarce. To provide a preliminary assessment of PFCs in farm animals such as chicken, cattle, pigs, goats and horses, blood and liver samples were collected from various regions in Japan. Additionally, dog sera samples representing pet animals were also employed for analysis. Perfluorooctane sulf...
Ghosh S, Das PJ, McQueen CM, Gerber V, Swiderski CE, Lavoie JP, Chowdhary BP, Raudsepp T.We explored the involvement of genomic copy number variants (CNVs) in susceptibility to recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), or heaves-an asthmalike inflammatory disease in horses. Analysis of 16 RAO-susceptible (cases) and six RAO-resistant (control) horses on a custom-made whole-genome 400K equine tiling array identified 245 CNV regions (CNVRs), 197 previously known and 48 new, distributed on all horse autosomes and the X chromosome. Among the new CNVRs, 30 were exclusively found in RAO cases and were further analyzed by quantitative PCR, including additional cases and controls. Suggestive as...
Zablotskij VT, Georgiu C, de Waal T, Clausen PH, Claes F, Touratier L.During its 20th annual meeting in Paris in May 1999, the OIE (World organisation for animal health) Ad Hoc Group on Non-Tsetse Transmitted Animal Trypanosomoses expressed the following concerns about dourine: the discrepancies in some of the results of the complement fixation test (CFT), which is the only international diagnostic test officially recognised by the International Organisation for the Transportation of Equidae; the persistence of suspected cases of dourine in some Asian, European and African countries; the impossibility of differentiating Trypanosoma equiperdum from Trypanosoma ev...
Vo AT, van Duijkeren E, Fluit AC, Gaastra W.To investigate the genotypic resistance of integron-carrying Salmonella Typhimurium isolates from horses and their genetic relationship. Methods: Sixty-one Salmonella isolates were screened for the presence of class 1 integrons by PCR. The gene cassettes of integron-positive isolates were detected by PCR, restriction fragment length polymorphism typing, and sequencing. The potential for the transfer of resistance determinants was investigated by conjugation experiments. The presence of Salmonella genomic island 1 (SGI1) or its variants was studied by PCR and nucleotide sequencing. PFGE was use...
Lauková A, Simonová M, Strompfová V, Styriak I, Ouwehand AC, Várady M.Faecal samples of 122 horses (from farms in Slovakia) were examined to select enterococci to study their probiotic potential for their further use as additives. Each gram of faeces contained 1.0-5.0 cfu (log 10) of enterococci. Of the 43 isolates, 25 (58.1%) were identified as Enterococcus faecium, 3 strains were (6.9%) Enterococcus mundtii and one strain was identified as E. faecalis. Fourteen isolates were not characterized further. A significant proportion of the isolates were resistant to kanamycin, vancomycin and gentamicin. Low urease activity of enterococci dominated. The values of lact...
Peña FJ, Ball BA, Squires EL.Multiparametric assessment of stallion sperm quality using flow cytometry can be a useful adjunct in semen evaluation; however, the availability of flow cytometers in veterinary practice is limited. The ability to preserve and transport sperm samples for later flow cytometric analysis using fixable probes would potentially facilitate this process. In the current study, we validated the combination of live/dead Zombie Green (a fixable dye used to assess live and dead sperm) and MitoTracker Deep Red (used to assess mitochondrial membrane potential). The assay was validated against classic, non-f...
Ocholi RA, Kwaga JK, Ajogi I, Bale JO.Isolation of brucellae from aborted fetuses, hygroma fluids, milk and vaginal swabs obtained from aborting cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and horses in Nigeria was carried out. A total of 25 isolates, obtained mainly from cattle, sheep and horses, were biotyped. All strains belonged to one species, Brucella abortus biovar 1. The epidemiological significance of this finding is discussed. Some preliminary observations on the zoonotic and public health implications of Brucella infection in Nigerian livestock are presented. A control programme involving improved management, animal movement restrictio...
Vandekerckhove AP, Glorieux S, Gryspeerdt AC, Steukers L, Van Doorsselaere J, Osterrieder N, Van de Walle GR, Nauwynck HJ.Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) replicates extensively in the epithelium of the upper respiratory tract, after which it can spread throughout the body via a cell-associated viremia in mononuclear leukocytes reaching the pregnant uterus and central nervous system. In a previous study, we were able to mimic the in vivo situation in an in vitro respiratory mucosal explant system. A plaquewise spread of EHV-1 was observed in the epithelial cells, whereas in the connective tissue below the basement membrane (BM), EHV-1-infected mononuclear leukocytes were noticed. Equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4...
Ghazy AA, Shaapan RM, Abdel-Rahman EH.A total of 420 serum samples collected from horses of different ages, sexes and breeds, located at some horse farms in Egypt, were used for serological studies. A crude antigen of the locally isolated Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites from horse tissues (LA) was used for the detection of T. gondii antibodies in horses. It showed good diagnostic efficiency (38.1%) by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). To increase this efficiency, an affinity purification process was performed. Two fractions were obtained from LA by CNBr-Sepharose 4B affinity column chromatography named; unbound (LAunb) and ...
Gerber V, Robinson NE, Venta RJ, Rawson J, Jefcoat AM, Hotchkiss JA.Increased mucin gene expression may be an important cause of mucus accumulation observed in recurrent airway obstruction (RAO)-affected horses. To date, however, no mucin gene sequences are available for the horse. Objective: To identify equine homologues of gel-forming mucins and investigate their expression at different airway generations of healthy and RAO-affected horses. Methods: Two equine homologues were identified by cloning and sequencing fragments of equine (eq)MUC5AC and eqMUC2. Results: Semiquantitative RT-PCR on RNA from airways (generations 1, 5, 10, 15; small airways and parench...
Fernández-Bellon H, Solano-Gallego L, Bardagí M, Alberola J, Ramis A, Ferrer L.Leishmania infantum infection has recently been described in horses in Europe. We report the results of a study on the immune response to L. infantum in horses living in an area endemic for leishmaniosis in NE Spain. Two ELISAs using protein A and anti-horse IgG conjugates were adapted to measure specific antibodies to L. infantum in horse sera. A lymphocyte proliferation assay (LPA) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to L. infantum antigen was also performed to detect specific cellular immune response to Leishmania. Anti-L. infantum antibodies were detected in the serum of 16 of the horses...
Rasmussen CD, Haugaard MM, Petersen MR, Nielsen JM, Pedersen HG, Bojesen AM.Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus is the pathogen most commonly isolated from the uterus of mares. S. zooepidemicus is an opportunistic pathogen and part of the resident flora in the caudal reproductive tract. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a genotypically distinct subpopulation of S. zooepidemicus is associated with endometritis in the mare, by genotyping and comparing uterine S. zooepidemicus strains with isolates from the vagina and clitoral fossa. Mares with (n=18) or without (n=11) clinical symptoms of endometritis were included. Uterine samples were obtained using...
Staiger EA, Al Abri MA, Pflug KM, Kalla SE, Ainsworth DM, Miller D, Raudsepp T, Sutter NB, Brooks SA.Conformation has long been a driving force in horse selection and breed creation as a predictor for performance. The Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) ranges in size from 1.5 to 1.7 m and is often used as a trail, show, and pleasure horse. To investigate the contribution of genetics to body conformation in the TWH, we collected DNA samples, body measurements, and gait/training information from 282 individuals. We analyzed the 32 body measures with a principal component analysis. Principal component (PC)1 captured 28.5% of the trait variance, while PC2 comprised just 9.5% and PC3 6.4% of trait vari...
Dyer J, Fernandez-Castaño Merediz E, Salmon KS, Proudman CJ, Edwards GB, Shirazi-Beechey SP.Dietary carbohydrates, when digested and absorbed in the small intestine of the horse, provide a substantial fraction of metabolisable energy. However, if levels in diets exceed the capacity of the equine small intestine to digest and absorb them, they reach the hindgut, cause alterations in microbial populations and the metabolite products and predispose the horse to gastrointestinal diseases. We set out to determine, at the molecular level, the mechanisms, properties and the site of expression of carbohydrate digestive and absorptive functions of the equine small intestinal brush-border memb...
Hendriks WK, Colleoni S, Galli C, Paris DB, Colenbrander B, Roelen BA, Stout TA.Advanced maternal age and in vitro embryo production (IVP) predispose to pregnancy loss in horses. We investigated whether mare age and IVP were associated with alterations in mitochondrial (mt) DNA copy number or function that could compromise oocyte and embryo development. Effects of mare age (<12 vs ≥12 years) on mtDNA copy number, ATP content and expression of genes involved in mitochondrial replication (mitochondrial transcription factor (TFAM), mtDNA polymerase γ subunit B (mtPOLB) and mitochondrial single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB)), energy production (ATP synthase-couplin...
Lepeule J, Bareille N, Robert C, Ezanno P, Valette JP, Jacquet S, Blanchard G, Denoix JM, Seegers H.Developmental Orthopaedic Disease (DOD) in limb joints of horses is frequent and is a common cause of pain and lameness. DOD is a multifactorial disease involving genetics, growth, feeding practices and exercise conditions leading to joint injuries. However, there is no clear understanding of the contribution of each factor. The aim of this cohort study was to assess the adjusted effects of breed and gender, growth, feeding practices and exercise conditions on the prevalence of DOD in the limbs of foals at weaning and on the prevalence restricted to osteochondrosis (OC). Twenty-one farms in No...
Azab W, Lehmann MJ, Osterrieder N.Herpesviruses enter cells either by direct fusion at the plasma membrane or from within endosomes, depending on the cell type and receptor(s). We investigated two closely related herpesviruses of horses, equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) and EHV-4, for which the cellular and viral determinants routing virus entry are unknown. We show that EHV-1 enters equine epithelial cells via direct fusion at the plasma membrane, while EHV-4 does so via an endocytic pathway, which is dependent on dynamin II, cholesterol, caveolin 1, and tyrosine kinase activity. Exchange of glycoprotein H (gH) between EHV-1...
White SJ, Moore-Colyer M, Marti E, Hannant D, Gerber V, Coüetil L, Richard EA, Alcocer M.Severe equine asthma (sEA), which closely resembles human asthma, is a debilitating and performance-limiting allergic respiratory disorder which affects 14% of horses in the Northern Hemisphere and is associated with increased allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) against a range of environmental proteins. A comprehensive microarray platform was developed to enable the simultaneous detection of allergen-specific equine IgE in serum against a wide range of putative allergenic proteins. The microarray revealed a plethora of novel pollen, bacteria, mould and arthropod proteins significant in t...
Washizu T, Tomoda I, Kaneko JJ.The fractionation of serum bile acids was performed in the dog, cow, horse, and human by high performance liquid chromatography equipped with an immobilized 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 alpha-HSD) column. There were significant differences in the bile acid compositions, conjugation patterns and quantities of each bile acid among these animals. Cholic acid was the major primary bile acid in the dog and cow, which constituted 62.9% and 83.5%, respectively, whereas chenodeoxycholic acid was the major acid in the horse and human, which constituted 68.4% and 46.3%, respectively. Taurine ...
Kuzmina TA, Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Dzeverin II, Kharchenko VA.The aims of the study were to determine fecundity of several strongylid species parasitizing domestic horses and analyze possible relations between numbers of eggs in female uteri and size of both the eggs and the nematodes as well as the influence of fecundity on proportion of species in the strongylid community. Twenty-five specimens from each of 15 strongylid species (Strongylus vulgaris, Strongylus edentatus, Triodontophorus serratus, Triodontophorus brevicauda, Triodontophorus tenuicollis, Cyathostomum catinatum, Coronocyclus coronatus, Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cylicocyclus insigne, Cylicoc...
Almeida S, Dorneles EMS, Diniz C, Abreu V, Sousa C, Alves J, Carneiro A, Bagano P, Spier S, Barh D, Lage AP, Figueiredo H, Azevedo V.Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is classified into two biovars, nitrate-negative biovar Ovis which is the etiologic agent of caseous lymphadenitis in small ruminants and nitrate-positive biovar Equi, which causes abscesses and ulcerative lymphangitis in equines. The aim of this study was to develop a quadruplex PCR assay that would allow simultaneous detection and biovar-typing of C. pseudotuberculosis. Methods: In the present study, genomes of C. pseudotuberculosis strains were used to identify the genes involved in the nitrate reduction pathway to improve a species identification three-pr...
