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.
The Journal of protozoologyNovember 1, 1981
Volume 28, Issue 4 400-405 doi: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1981.tb05310.x
Sundermann CA, Paulin JJ.Allantosoma intestinalis, a suctorian ciliate isolated from the intestine of the horse, was studied utilizing light and electron optical methods. These small sausage-shaped organisms have a varying number of tentacles (between one and 14) located at each extremity of the body. The microtubular axoneme of each tentacle in cross-section consists of two files of microtubules arranged in a daisy-like configuration. Haptocysts occur in the tentacle shaft, abutted to the plasma membrane of the knob of the tentacle, and in the cell body. The haptocysts are bottle-shaped, with prominent annular striat...
Rooney JR.Sacroiliac arthrosis is a major cause of "hiking" lameness (often, so-called "stifle lameness") in Standardbred horses. The cause of this arthrosis is found in the moment forces generated as horses negotiate unbanked and underbanked turns and in the forces generated on cambered racing surfaces. The prediction is that such lameness could be virtually eliminated if racetrack and training track turns were properly banked and camber held to a minimum.
Tew WP, Hackett RP.Synovial fluids from 72 equine joints were examined for the presence of cartilage debris, and these findings were compared to findings from visual inspection of the articular cartilage surfaces at necropsy. Synovial fluids from 25 joints with visual cartilage damage contained one or more large particles of articular cartilage. Cartilage fragments were not found in synovial fluids from 42 of the 47 apparently normal joints; thus, a correlation may exist between cartilage debris in the synovial fluid and lesions of the articular surfaces.
Goulden BE, Anderson LJ.Some clinical features of laryngeal hemiplegia in 127 horses are described. Possible aetiologic factors were found in only 11% of affected animals. The onset of clinical signs was either sudden or insidious. The majority of cases were presented because of an abnormal respiratory noise made at exercise. Other clinical signs, particularly those usually attributed to laryngopalatal dislocation, were observed in a substantial proportion of affected animals. In all cases surveyed the left arytenoid was affected, although in 3 animals a bilateral laryngeal dysfunction was noted. Thirty of 65 animals...
Seren E, Tamanini C, Gaiani R, Bono G.Plasma concentrations of progesterone and 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone were high in the 2nd and 3rd months of gestation, but 20 alpha-dihydroprogesterone increased from a level of 2 ng/ml, during the first 3 months, to 10-15 ng/ml during months 5-10, to reach 80-120 ng/ml during the last 30 days before foaling.
Houghton E, Dumasia MC, Wellby JK.Negative ion chemical ionization mass spectra of some corticosteroids have been obtained by direct syringe introduction on to the Finnigan moving belt high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer interface. Proprietary preparations based upon dexamethasone, betamethasone and prednisolone were administered to horses at therapeutic dose level. Urine samples were extracted, the extracts purified by Sephadex LH-20 chromatography and the presence of the parent steroids in the eluates was confirmed by combined high-performance liquid chromatography negative ion chemical ionization mass s...
Robinson RA, Tucker PW, Dauenhauer SA, O'Callaghan DJ.Genomic DNA sequences of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) have been cloned as BamHI and EcoRI restriction fragments into the plasmid pBR322 and propagated in Escherichia coli. With the exception of two EcoRI restriction fragments that reside in the S region of the viral genome, all of the cloned fragments demonstrated the same electrophoretic mobilities, restriction cleavage sites, and blot-hybridization patterns as did the parent fragments produced by BamHI or EcoRI digestion of virion DNA. The EcoRI J fragment and the BamHI E fragment of the L-region terminus were cloned after the addition ...
Wray C, Sojka WJ, Bell JC.During the period 1973 to 1979 the number of recorded incidents of equine salmonellosis increased from 23 in 1973 to a peak of 111 incidents in 1976, but has since decreased to 32 in 1979. Of the 416 incidents recorded during the period of the survey 292 were caused by Salmonella typhimurium and 121 by 33 different serotypes; in three instances rough strains of salmonella were involved. The number of incidents caused by serotypes other than S typhimurium increased from one in 1973 to 32 in 1976. The number of different salmonella serotypes increased from two in 1973 to 23 in 1977 and has subse...
Science (New York, N.Y.)October 30, 1981
Volume 214, Issue 4520 562-564 doi: 10.1126/science.6270790
Studdert MJ, Simpson T, Roizman B.Viruses classified by immunologic criteria as equine herpesvirus 1 cause respiratory disease and abortion in horses. Restriction endonuclease analyses of the DNA's of viruses from animals with respiratory disease and from aborted fetuses show that the patterns for respiratory viruses, while similar to each other, are entirely different from the patterns for fetal viruses. It is therefore proposed that the DNA restriction endonuclease patterns of fetal and respiratory viruses analyzed in this study be designated as prototypic of equine herpesvirus 1 and 4, respectively.
Hardy GW, Darbre A, Merrett M.3-Phosphoglycerate kinase was isolated from horse muscle and subjected to the action of cyanogen bromide. The resulting peptides were separated using gel filtration combined with either ion exchange chromatography on phosphocellulose in 6 M urea or high voltage paper electrophoresis. The sequence of the largest peptide, CB5, has been determined by a combination of automated and manual Edman degradation carried out on the intact peptide and derivatives obtained by proteolytic digestion. The isolation of two peptides derived from CB5 by cleavage of the bond between Asp109 and Pro110 facilitated ...
Lyons ET, Drudge JH, Swerczek TW, Crowe MW, Tolliver SC.At necropsy of 49 Thoroughbreds from farms with generally good parasite control programs in central Kentucky, examination was specifically made for presence of Strongylus vulgaris in all of the horses and of Parascaris equorum in 21 of them. None of the deaths of the horses was caused by infections of internal parasites. Visceral arteries were examined for specimens of S vulgaris and lesions related to migrating stages of this parasite. Contents of the small intestines were examined for P equorum. Specimens of S vulgaris were recovered from 19 (39%) horses, and arterial lesions were observed i...
Lindsay WA, Horney FD.During a 6-year period, carpal arthrotomies were performed on 89 horses with carpal fractures. Fifty-two percent of the fractures involved the left forelimb; the 3rd carpal bone was most often involved (42%), followed by the radial carpal bone (30%). The effect of surgery on the performance of a subgroup of 48 thoroughbreds was evaluated by comparing the number of starts, level of racing (claiming value), and earnings for the 12 months of racing preceding and following arthrotomy. The data indicated that carpal arthrotomy in the Thoroughbred carries with it a favorable prognosis inasmuch as 80...
Brown MP, Stover SM, Kelly RH, Farver TB.Six healthy adult mares were given a single dose of kanamycin sulfate (200 mg/ml) IM at a dosage rate of 5 mg/kg of body weight. Kanamycin concentrations in serum, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, and urine were measured serially over a 48-hour period. The mean peak serum kanamycin concentration was 12.55 microgram/ml at 1 hour. Mean peak kanamycin concentrations in synovial fluid and peritoneal fluid were 7.25 microgram/ml and 9.27 microgram/ml at 2 hours and 3 hours, respectively. These concentrations decreased steadily in parallel with serum concentrations and were still measurable at 48 h...
Kakoi H, Kikuchi M, Ishige T, Hirosawa Y, Tanaka S, Nagata SI.To confirm the positive conversion of antibodies against erythrocyte antigens in horses, possible blood transfusion donor horses selected from draft horse populations were periodically monitored with an indirect antiglobulin (Coombs) test for approximately 3 years. In this study, 19 horses (16 females and 3 males) were investigated, and five mares showed alloantibodies during the monitoring period. Four mares were typically pregnant when positive conversion was detected, whereas no particular cause of conversion could be observed for one mare based on its clinical records. In the analyzed hors...
Schaefer RJ, Cullen J, Manfredi J, McCue M.A gene's response to an environment is tightly bound to the underlying genetic variation present in an individual's genome and varies greatly depending on the tissue it is being expressed in. Gene co-expression networks provide a mechanism to understand and interpret the collective transcriptional responses of genes. Here, we use the Camoco co-expression network framework to characterize the transcriptional landscape of adipose and gluteal muscle tissue in 83 domestic horses (Equus caballus) representing 5 different breeds. In each tissue, gene expression profiles, capturing transcriptional re...
Young KM, Lunn DP.Technologic advances in immunodiagnostic testing have enhanced our understanding of the pathogenesis of a broad array of diseases, including infectious diseases, immunodeficiency disorders, and immune-mediated disorders. If applied rationally, with an understanding of the questions the tests answer as well as the limitations that constrain their use, these tests can serve as valuable aids in the diagnosis and management of equine diseases.
Marland A, Sarkar P, Leavitt R.Tenoxicam (Mobiflex) was administered orally to four standardbred mares at a dose of 200 mg. Elimination profiles of tenoxicam and hydroxytenoxicam were generated based on quantitation of these analytes in urine and serum by liquid chromatography (LC) with ultraviolet detection. Tenoxicam was confirmed by LC-tandem mass spectrometry daughter ion mass spectra in the last postadministration sample in which tenoxicam was detected. The tenoxicam and hydroxytenoxicam urinary elimination profiles had the same shape for the same horse; however, each horse was significantly different from the others. ...
Markel MD, Meagher DM, Ford TS.A 3-month-old Quarter Horse filly stepped on a fence staple and developed navicular bone osteomyelitis of the right hindfoot. A 1.5-cm spherical portion of medullary cavity containing purulent material was debrided and flushed with 0.9% NaCl solution. Cancellous bone was collected from a caudal sternebra and placed into the defect. The solar defect had filled with granulation tissue and was epithelialized 6 weeks after surgery. At 6-month follow-up evaluation, the navicular bone defect had healed and the foal was sound on the limb. Cancellous bone grafting may have merit for the treatment of n...
Anderson GF, Landsheft B.Performance horses should be thoroughly examined before sale to detect any defects that could render them unsuitable for the purchaser's intended use. With the horse in its stall, the eyes, nasolacrimal puncta, external ear canals and mouth are examined, the rectal temperature measured and the heart, lungs, trachea and sinuses auscultated. Moving the horse out of the stall, the head, parotid glands, mandibular lymph nodes, larynx, neck muscles, jugular veins and cervical vertebrae are inspected. The scapula, point of the shoulder, withers, tuber sacrale and point of the hip are palpated, after...
Harmegnies NF, Duvivier DH, Vandenput SN, Art T, Lekeux PM, Votion DM.This study aimed to compare exercise-induced pulmonary perfusion redistribution in healthy vs. 'heavey' horses using scintigraphy, a minimally invasive technique. Six healthy (A) and 5 'heavey' horses in remission (B(I)) and during clinical signs of disease (B(II)) were investigated. Dimensions of the exercising pulmonary perfusion (QE) images were expressed in percent of the resting perfusion (QR) images. Computed QE to QR ratios (QE/QR) images enabled the definition of the region more perfused at exercise than at rest (R1). In all groups, exercise induced a major enlargement of the Q image b...
Koljonen V, Söderlund T, Mäkisalo H, Gissler M.Contacts between humans and animals inevitably involve encounters possibly resulting in the human being injured. During the period of 2000 to 2014 almost 90 people died in this kind of conflict in Finland. Of these deaths, one third were associated with horses. In addition, over the same period 85 people died in traffic accidents in which an animal was hit by a car. Accidents requiring hospitalization occurred for approx. 8 000 people.
Wrangberg T, Kendall A. Proper identification of healthy subjects is essential in case-control studies. However, standardized definitions of healthy controls are lacking in equine orthopaedic research. Objective: The aim of this study was to define the non-invasive methods used for selecting healthy control horses in osteoarthritis (OA), desmitis and tendinitis research. Methods: Systematic review. Case-control studies with a healthy control group and longitudinal studies where horses had to be healthy at the start were included. Studies where joints were visualized by arthroscopy or post-mortem examination ...
Fitzgerald SD, Braselton WE.Diagnostic evaluation of a mildly ataxic young gelding Quarterhorse included a contrast myelogram. Unfortunately, sodium diatrizoate was inappropriately administered by intrathecal injection resulting in severe unrelenting seizure activity and necessitated the destruction of the animal. The contrast agent was identified by analyzing cerebrospinal fluid by high-performance liquid chromatography and confirmed with probe mass spectrometric analysis. This contrast agent is highly ionic, has high osmolarity, and also blocks neurotransmission at specific receptors; for these reasons it is contraindi...
Sławomirski J, Flieger S, Jastrzebski M, Boratyński Z.The studies carried out on 2 spinal cords of horses showed that cells of the medial motor nucleus (nucleus motorius medialis) are present in all neuromers of the lumbar and sacral segment of the spinal cord. It lies in the medial part of grey matter of the ventral column, neighbouring laterally and ventrally with cells of the lateral motor nucleus, whereas dorsally with cells of the nucleus of the ventral commissural horn. Along the nucleus numerous constrictions and intervals are found, which are connected with various numbers of nerve cells in particular cross-sections.
Mobarak MS, Ryan MF.Adult Strongylus vulgaris, collected from the caecum of infected horses and embedded in paraplast using standard methods, were sectioned for immunohistochemistry (IHC) studies. Antibodies were raised in rabbit against the excretory-secretory product (ESP) and against two constituent protein bands (28-30 kDa). The use of sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting indicated the immunogenicity of ESP and of the subunits (28-30 kDa). In ELISA, both rabbit hyperimmune sera recognized the ESP and (28-30 kDa) ban...
Sinclair J.Veterinary students with a particular interest in equine medicine and surgery gathered at Nottingham vet school recently to further their knowledge and skills in these areas. Jordan Sinclair, editor of the Journal of the Association of Veterinary Students, reports.
Willink DL, Smeenk LA, van Oyen PW, de Kruif A.Data from the literature and own data for 67 twin pregnancies were used to establish the factors essential to the decision on how to treat twins at different gestational ages. Spontaneous (natural) reduction was compared with manual embryo reduction. Manual embryo reduction is always indicated when a twin is diagnosed before day 16 after ovulation. Thereafter, the type of fixation is the main determinant. Manual embryo reduction is always first choice for bilateral and unilateral non adjacent embryos and must be applied as early as possible. The change of natural reduction up to day 30, is hig...
Wright JA, Fordyce P, Edington N.Ultrastructural lesions of the cranial nerves and their ganglia and the autonomic nervous system from 5 cases of neuritis of the cauda equina in the horse are described. They include lysosomal inclusions within the semilunar, geniculate and sympathetic chain ganglia, granulomatous involvement of the coeliaco-mesenteric ganglion and accumulation of axonal organelles in unmyelinated fibres of the great splanchnic nerve, sympathetic chain and oesophageal vagus.
Petersen A, Schott HC.To determine whether dexamethasone or hydroxyzine affect intradermal testing (IDT) and allergen-specific IgE serum testing (ASIST) results in horses, these tests were performed serially in five horses without signs of atopic dermatitis before and after treatment with the drugs. IDT consisted of saline, histamine (1:100,000 w/v) and eight commercial extracts; results were evaluated as subjective scores by comparison to saline (0) and histamine (4) and as objective measurement of wheal diameter (mm). After baseline testing, dexamethasone (20 mg) was administered intramuscularly daily for 7 days....
Trolldenier H, Klarmann D, Krabisch P, Rohde J, Steiner A, Verspohl J.368 streptococcal strains from udder secretions of cattle (Sc. agalactiae, Sc. dysgalactiae, Sc. uberis) and 191 streptococcal isolates from horse specimens (Sc. equi ssp. zooepidemicus, Sc. equi ssp. equi) originating from different agricultural regions in Germany (Lower Saxony, in particular the region of Weser-Ems, Bavaria, Altmark) were investigated for their sensitivity to 4 beta-lactam antibiotics (benzylpenicillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, cefotaxime). Two different test methods were applied: the agar diffusion test for determination of the diameter of the zone of inhibition and the E-tes...
