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.
Jones S, Blackmore DJ.The distribution of the isoenzymes of aspartate aminotransferase (AST, E.C. 2.6.1.1.) in equine tissues has been studied to ascertain whether the organ of origin may be identified when the total AST activity of serum is raised. Most tissues contain 3 isoenzymes of cytoplasmic origin (cAST) with isoelectric points of 5.6, 5.7 and 5.9, and one isoenzyme of mitochondrial (mAST) origin with an isoelectric point of 9. Serum from horses with azoturia contained an additional cytoplasmic subform with an isoelectric point of 5.8. This form could not be generated by ageing, freezing and thawing or bindi...
Atherton JG, Pitt TL.Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from equine clinical material were categorised according to their serotype and phage type. Epidemiological evidence showed that serotypes 02a, 03, 04, 06, 09 and 010 were the cause of genital and non-genital infections; somatic type 03 accounted for 50 per cent of isolates. The laboratory tests used were of no value in predicting whether or not a particular isolate was likely to be a venereal pathogen, but all the serotypes encountered had the potential to be pathogenic, given a favourable environment in which to multiply.
Nicoletti PL, Mahler JR, Scarratt WK.Horses at a veterinary teaching hospital and a slaughterhouse were surveyed for antibodies to Brucella abortus, B canis and Actinobacillus equuli. Four of the 141 hospitalised horses and none of the 73 slaughtered horses had titres of 1:100 or greater to B abortus. Six horses of both populations reacted to the card test. One was culture positive. A card test using B canis antigen was positive in 38 per cent of the sera from hospitalised horses and all of the slaughtered horses. Twenty (27.4 per cent) of the latter group had high tires in a tube agglutination test. High titres could not be redu...
Lazary S, Gerber H, de Weck AL, Arnold P.A new, non-MHC linked alloantigenic membrane antigen on the equine lymphocytes is described. This antigen was characterized with alloantisera in the two-stage microcytotoxicity test and designated as ELy-1 antigen. The frequency of ELy-1 antigen positive animals in various populations is close to 50%. ELy-1 shows an autosomal, dominant inheritance. Since an allelic antigen (s) could not be demonstrated in family studies, it is assumed that only two alleles ELy-1+ and ELy-1- exist. The ELy-1 antigen in positive animals is expressed on both T and B lymphocytes but it is not present on erythrocyt...
Ayliffe TR, Allen WE.PREVIOUS studies have shown that instillation of sodium benzylpenicillin into the uterine lumen of ponies in small volumes is followed by peak plasma concentrations of the antibiotic in 10to 15 mins (Allen 1978; Allen and Clarke 1978). However, the assumption that the circulating penicillin is absorbed only through the endometrium is questionable because Allen, Kessy and Noakes (1979) concluded that the intrauterine instillation of phenolsulphonphthalein was followed by absorption of the dye from the peritoneal cavity, after passage along the uterine tubes.
The present investigation was carri...
Bayly WM, Reed SM, Leathers CW, Brown CM, Traub JL, Paradis MR, Palmer GH.Five Arabian or half-Arabian foals with suspected multiple cardiac anomalies were examined. Various combinations of clinical examination, electrocardiography, angiocardiography, cardiac catheterization, blood gas analysis, radiography, and echocardiography resulted in clinical data that allowed accurate antemortem diagnoses to be made. In 4 cases, the clinical diagnosis was substantiated by postmortem findings. The confirmed diagnoses were: pseudotruncus arteriosus, a combination of patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonic stenosis, and tricuspid stenosis, pentalogy of Fallot, and tricuspid atresia....
O'Callaghan MW, Sanderson GN.A method for performing bronchography in standing nonanaesthetized horses was developed. Bronchography was performed by insufflating the previously intubated trachea with a mixture of 120 to 200 g of finely powdered barium sulphate mixed with 3 to 7 g of powdered methyl cellulose. The mixture was delivered from an ether vaporiser into which compressed air was blown. Premedication with atropine sulphate immediately before insufflation minimised bronchoconstriction. Satisfactory bronchograms with contrast visible down to the seventh and eighth bronchial divisions were obtained in 80 per cent of ...
Wurster U, Riese K, Hoffmann K.An attempt was made to establish normal values for the total protein concentrations and the enzyme activities of LDH, MDH and PGI in the intraocular fluids of rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, sheep, cattle, pigs, horses and humans. Remarkably little species differences were noted in 9 of the 10 mammals with vitreal enzyme activities falling into a narrow range between 8.4 U/l (PGI, horse) and 92.4 U/l (MDH, guinea pig). All species obeyed the sequence aqueous less than vitreous less than serum with exception of the rat, where vitreous activities surpassed serum at least two-fold. The ve...
Swift RV, Mottironi VD.Lymphocytes from an extended family of Welsh ponies were tested in a microcytotoxicity test against Thoroughbred and Arabian horse-derived antisera, which defined 4 and 6 equine lymphocyte antigen (ELA) specificities, respectively. Mixed leukocyte culture (MLC) tests were also performed. Welsh pony lymphocytes reacted to the Thoroughbred antisera. Most of the ponies' lymphocytes showed reactivity to 2 of the Thoroughbred ELA specificities, the offspring inheriting 1 antigen from each parent. Antigenic determinants were only partially demonstrated with Arabian antisera, although results indicat...
Green SA, Jenkins SJ, Clark PA.The biuret total protein method and a bromcresol green (BCG) albumin method were used on the Abbott ABA-100 chemistry analyzer to assay serum proteins in clinically normal cattle, sheep, ponies, pigs, and ducks. Total proteins were also read on a refractometer and mylar supported cellulose acetate electrophoresis was performed. Globulins and A/G ratios were calculated from the chemical method and the results compared with the electrophoretic method. Total protein, albumin and A/G ratios in the ponies, sheep and older cattle were in agreement between the two methods. The younger cattle and all ...
Matthews AG.A method of electrophoresis of horse serum on agarose gels (pH 8.6) is described, together with a system for interpreting changes in the electrophoretic zones based upon the relative distribution of the major serum proteins. Differences in the protein composition of the individual electrophoretic zones of horses and ponies were recorded, although this variation probably reflects differences in management and the presence of subclinical disease.
Williams IF, Heaton A, McCullagh KG.The connective tissue composition and organisation of the "equine sarcoid" was compared with that of normal adult equine skin to determine whether the cells which produce their respective connective tissue matrices show similar biosynthetic characteristics. No major qualitative difference could be found between the collagen compositions of skin and sarcoid material, although the organisation into fibres of Type III collagen in the sarcoid was markedly greater than that of skin.
Malan FS, De Vos V, Reinecke RK, Pletcher JM.Infective larvae were harvested from a culture of eggs collected from adult Strongylus asini recovered from a free-ranging Burchell's zebra, Equus burchelli, in the Kruger National Park. Worm-free zebra, horse and donkey foals were successfully infested, but infestation failed in a mule foal. At slaughter, 117-125 days post-infestation, S. asini in their 4th moult were recovered from the liver and portal veins. This is the first report of successful experimental infestation of these hosts with S. asini.
Eckers C, Skrabalak DS, Henion J.We describe an integrated micro-liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer (micro-LC/MS) system capable of performing routine determinations for 1--10 ng of drugs and their metabolites extracted from biological fluids. The micro-LC is constructed from conventional "high-performance" liquid-chromatographic instrumentation by using commercially available components. The mass spectrometer is operated in the chemical ionization mode. The direct liquid introduction micro-LC/MS interface can be constructed from commercially available materials. Chromatographic and mass spectral results demonstrate the a...
Ginther OJ, Douglas RH, Lawrence JR.Responses of 22 veterinarians to a questionnaire and the records of three brood-mare farms were examined to obtain information on twinning. The incidence rates of multiple ovulations on the three farms were 9%, 11%, and 22%. The multiple ovulation rate was reduced 42-67% in foaling mares compared to barren and maiden mares. Multiple ovulations were significantly more frequent in Thoroughbreds (19%) than in Quarter Horses (9%) and Appaloosas (8%). Both the questionnaire and the farm records indicated a high degree of repeatability of multiple ovulations and twin pregnancies within mares and wit...
Schneider RK, Milne DW, Gabel AA, Groom JJ, Bramlage LR.Rosette strain gauges were applied to the equine radius and tibia. Three sites were examined on each bone on separate occasions (proximal metaphysis, middiaphysis, and distal metaphysis). At each site, 4 rosette gauges were applied around the bone (ie, cranial, caudal, medial, and lateral). Strain recordings were made while walking the horse with and without a full-limb plaster cast. The principal axis of tensile strain was on the craniolateral aspect of the radius. Distally, on the radius, the largest strains were torsional. The cast changed the principal axis of tensile strain on the radius ...
Sergeant ES, Cowled BD, Bingham P.This observational study was undertaken in order to evaluate the diagnostic specificity of the blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) for serum antibodies to influenza A virus nucleoprotein during the equine influenza (EI) outbreak response in New South Wales, Australia, in 2007. Using data collected during the outbreak response, bELISA testing data were collated for assumed uninfected horses from areas where EI infection was never recorded. Diagnostic specificity of the bELISA used during the EI response was high, but varied significantly between some regions, although the reason...
Sanclemente JL, Rivera-Velez SM, Horohov DW, Dasgupta N, Sanz MG.Foals that develop pulmonary ultrasonographic lesions on Rhodococcus equi (R. equi) endemic farms are treated with antibiotics because those at risk of developing clinical pneumonia (~20%) cannot be recognised early. Candidate biomarkers identified using metabolomics may aid targeted treatment strategies against R. equi. Objective: (1) To describe how foal ageing affects their plasma metabolome (birth to 8 weeks) and (2) to establish the effects that experimental infection with Rhodococcus equi (R. equi) has on foal metabolome. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Nine healthy newborn foals...
Sasaki N, Morita Y, Moriyama T, Yamada H.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the canine cranial cruciate ligament repair system on laryngeal hemiplegia in heavy draft horses. Twenty-four heavy draft horses diagnosed with grade 4 laryngeal hemiplegia were allocated to either the prosthetic laryngoplasty (PL) group (n=14) or a canine cranial cruciate ligament repair system (CCCLRS) group (n=10). Right to left angle quotients (RLQs) of abductions of the arytenoid cartilages were endoscopically evaluated before and after surgery. Post-operative RLQs in the CCCLRS group were significantly lower than those of the PL gro...
Eades SC, Moore JN.Changes in lateral cecal arterial blood flow, mean internal carotid arterial pressure, and heart rate caused by nasogastric administration of fenoldopam (3, 6, and 9 mg/kg of body weight), a selective agonist of dopaminergic receptors, were recorded in 7 healthy horses. Cecal arterial blood flow was significantly increased within 30 minutes after administration of fenoldopam at all 3 dosages, with the peak increases from baseline (67.8 +/- 17.5 ml/min) being 125 +/- 28, 120 +/- 22, and 153 +/- 32 ml/min for 3, 6, and 9 mg/kg, respectively. Although carotid arterial pressure did not change sign...
Cantor GH, Palmer GH, Fenwick BW.The concentrations of several post mortem aqueous humour chemical constituents were compared with ante mortem serum chemical values in the horse. Urea nitrogen and creatinine values in post mortem aqueous humour were good predictors of ante mortem serum values. Aqueous humour urea nitrogen increased only slightly and creatinine did not change significantly for up to 24 h after death. Formulae were derived for calculating estimated ante mortem serum urea nitrogen and creatinine from aqueous humour values obtained after death. These results from normal horses identify analytes that are accurate ...
Otcenásek M, Mátl J, Vítovec J, Vladík P, Wohlman J.A case of maduromycotic mycetoma (eumycetoma) in seven years old draught horse is described. The disease was localized in anal region and healed after surgical treatment. Attention is drawn to the necessity of distinguishing three types of mycosis in horses, characterized by the origin of tumor lesions - mycetomas, hyphomycosis and entomophthoromycosis - and information was gathered on their etiology and geographical occurrence. On the basis of the morphology of fungal elements traced in inflammated changed tissues and with regard to the existing findings on the origin of eumycetoma in animals...
Held JP, Daniel GB.The effect of flunixin meglumine on renal function was studied in 6 healthy horses by use of nonimaging nuclear medicine techniques. Effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) and effective renal blood flow (ERBF) were determined by plasma clearance of 131I-orthoiodohippuric acid before and after administration of flunixin meglumine. Mean ERPF and ERBF was 6.03 ml/min/kg and 10.7 ml/min/kg, respectively, before treatment and was 5.7 ml/min/kg and 9.7 ml/min/kg, respectively, after treatment. Although ERPF and ERBF decreased after flunixin meglumine administration, the difference was not statistically ...
Guthrie AJ, Van den Berg JS, Killeen VM, Nichas E.A practical test for evaluating the sweating response to various concentrations of the specific beta 2 agonist, salbutamol sulphate, is described. The results of performing this test on horses (n = 54) considered to be "free sweaters", horses (n = 6) that showed signs of heat stress following exercise, and horses with complete anhidrosis (n = 2) are presented. The results indicate that intradermal injections of 0.1 ml of salbutamol sulphate at dilutions of 10(-7) or less are suitable stimuli to elicit a visually detectable local sweating in horses with a normal sweating response. Horses that o...
Popović N, Djuricić B, Valcić M.A study of literature concerning Lyme borreliosis related to animals was done. In the research work the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of horses, cattle and dogs affected with Lyme borreliosis have been discussed. The clinical signs of Lyme borreliosis in horses are: chronic weight loss, sporadic lameness, laminitis, low grade fever, swollen joints, muscle tenderness and anterior uvetitis. In addition to these clinical sings, neurological sings such as depression, behavioral changes, dysphagia and encephalitis can be seen in chronic cases. Cattle affected with acute Lyme b...
Respiratory diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the horses of all ages including foals. There is limited understanding of the expression of immune molecules such as tetraspanins and surfactant proteins (SP) and the regulation of the immune responses in the lungs of the foals. Therefore, the expression of CD9, SP-A and SP-D in foal lungs was examined. Results: Lungs from one day old (n = 6) and 30 days old (n = 5) foals were examined for the expression of CD9, SP-A, and SP-D with immunohistology and Western blots. Western blot data showed significant increase in the...
Harrison IW, Speirs VC, Braund KG, Steiss JE.Laryngeal hemiplegia was induced in 4 ponies via a left recurrent laryngeal neurectomy. Reinnervation of the denervated left cricoarytenoideus dorsalis muscle was then attempted using a muscle pedicle graft from the right cricoarytenoideus dorsalis muscle. In 3 ponies there was no return of abductor function and failure of graft survival. In the fourth pony there was return of abductor function along with survival of the muscle bridge, however, there was evidence of reinnervation across the neurectomy site. Muscle-to-muscle neurotization of the paralyzed equine larynx, utilizing the cricoaryte...
Herrera C.Embryo cryopreservation is normally performed with great success in species like humans and cattle. The large size of in vivo-derived equine embryos and the presence of a capsule-impermeable to cryoprotectants-have complicated the use of embryo cryopreservation in equine reproduction. A breakthrough for this technique was obtained when large equine embryos could be successfully cryopreserved after collapsing the blastocoel cavity using a micromanipulation system. High pregnancy rates have been obtained when vitrification is used in combination with embryo collapse.
Xie FY, Feng YL, Wang HH, Ma YF, Yang Y, Wang YC, Shen W, Pan QJ, Yin S, Sun YJ, Ma JY.Prior to the mechanization of agriculture and labor-intensive tasks, humans used donkeys (Equus africanus asinus) for farm work and packing. However, as mechanization increased, donkeys have been increasingly raised for meat, milk, and fur in China. To maintain the development of the donkey industry, breeding programs should focus on traits related to these new uses. Compared to conventional marker-assisted breeding plans, genome- and transcriptome-based selection methods are more efficient and effective. To analyze the coding genes of the donkey genome, we assembled the transcriptome of donke...