Veterinary science and horses encompass the study and application of medical, surgical, and therapeutic practices to maintain and improve the health and welfare of equines. This field addresses a wide range of topics, including disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as nutrition, reproduction, and behavior. Research in veterinary science for horses often involves understanding the pathophysiology of equine-specific diseases, developing advanced diagnostic techniques, and improving treatment protocols. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of veterinary science related to horses, providing insights into the latest advancements and methodologies in equine healthcare.
Hain-Saunders NMR, Knight DR, Bruce M, Byrne D, Riley TV.Clostridioides difficile poses an ongoing threat as a cause of gastrointestinal disease in humans and animals. Traditionally considered a human healthcare-related disease, increases in community-associated C. difficile infection (CDI) and growing evidence of inter-species transmission suggest a wider perspective is required for CDI control. In horses, C. difficile is a major cause of diarrhoea and life-threatening colitis. This study aimed to better understand the epidemiology of CDI in Australian horses and provide insights into the relationships between horse, human and environmental strains...
Mohammed MN, Yasmin AR, Ramanoon SZ, Noraniza MA, Ooi PT, Ain-Najwa MY, Natasha JA, Nur-Fazila SH, Arshad SS, Mohammed HO.West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne neurotropic pathogen with a wide host range that constitutes a significant risk to public and animal health. There is limited information on WNV infection in domesticated mammals in Malaysia; however, current reports indicate infections in birds, macaques, bats and pigs from Malaysia. In this study, 203 serum samples from cattle, goats, and horses were tested for the presence of anti-WNV IgG using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA). Additionally, using one-step RT-PCR, nasopharyngeal swabs were analyzed for WNV RNA from all 203 animals...
Haddy E, Burden F, Raw Z, Rodrigues JB, Zappi Bello JH, Brown J, Kaminski J, Proops L.Belief in animal sentience and the quality of human-animal relationships play a significant role in animal welfare. However, the link between an individual animal's welfare and the beliefs and emotional connection of the owner to the animal is understudied and focussed on single cultures, limiting generalisability. In this study, we explored potential links between owner attitude, beliefs in animal sentience, and working equid welfare across four continents. This study used a welfare assessment protocol alongside a questionnaire exploring owner attitudes to assess 378 participants across six c...
Pearson GB, Ysebaert MP, Papa B, Reesink HL.This article, as part of the Currents in One Health series, reviews the current state of diagnostics for synovial sepsis. Synovial sepsis is a condition that affects veterinary and human medicine and requires coordinated efforts from both parties, as well as environmental considerations to accurately diagnose and preserve effective treatments. The article discusses best practices to identify the causative agent in septic synovitis, trends in bacterial identification and antimicrobial resistance patterns across common bacterial species, and a one-health perspective to optimize diagnostics acros...
Springer S, Mihatsch DI, Grimm H, Jenner F.Equine veterinarians face a range of challenges when attending competition horses. Athletic goals may significantly impact veterinary decision making, and the veterinarian's work can be complicated by reputational considerations and rival opinions during an assessment of whether a horse is "fit to compete". Using an online questionnaire, we found that the majority of German, Austrian and Swiss equine veterinarians (N = 172) surveyed agreed that the owners of competition horses are more likely than owners of leisure horses to approach them with clear treatment ideas, and that the former have hi...
Murray R, Fisher M, Fairfax V, MacKechnie-Guire R.The association between rider-saddle interaction and horse kinematics has been little studied. It was hypothesized that differences in a thigh block design would influence (a) rider-saddle interface pressures, (b) rider kinematics, and (c) equine limb/spinal kinematics. Eighteen elite sport horses/riders were trotted using correctly fitted dressage saddles with thigh blocks S (vertical face) and F (deformable face). Contact area, mean, and peak pressure between rider and saddle were determined using an on-saddle pressure mat. Spherical markers allowed for the measurement of horse/rider kinemat...
Sätter JK, McGawley K, Connysson M, Staunton CA.To identify how riding rein direction (left and right) and rider asymmetry affect tölt performance in Icelandic horses. Two horses were ridden in tölt by four riders on both left and right reins. Riders wore pressure insoles that measured the total absolute force (FAbs) and absolute force difference (FDiff) in their left and right feet in the stirrups. A 3D motion-analysis system recorded the degrees of side-to-side movement in the pelvis (RollP) and in the thoracolumbar region (RollT). Lateral advanced placement (LAP) and duty factor (DF) were calculated to determine tölt performance. One-...
Topp AK, Springer A, Mischke R, Rieder J, Feige K, Ganter M, Nagel-Kohl U, Nordhoff M, Boelke M, Becker S, Pachnicke S, Schunack B, Dobler G, Strube C.Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a tick-transmitted flavivirus, which can infect humans and animals, sometimes even with a fatal outcome. Since many decades, TBEV is endemic in southern Germany, while only sporadic occurrence has been noted in northern parts of the country so far. Nevertheless, autochthonous human clinical cases are increasing in the federal state of Lower Saxony in north-western Germany, and several natural foci of TBEV transmission have recently been detected in this federal state. In order to shed more light on the current distribution of TBEV in Lower Saxony, the pr...
Lazić S, Savić S, Petrović T, Lazić G, Žekić M, Drobnjak D, Lupulović D.The paper presents the findings of specific antibodies in the blood sera of donkeys against the following viruses: equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), African horse sickness virus (AHSV), equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1), equine influenza virus subtype H3N8 (EIV) and equine arteritis virus (EAV). The analyses were conducted during the year 2022. From a total of 199 donkeys bred in "Zasavica", blood was sampled from 53 animals (2 male donkeys and 51 female donkeys), aged 3 to 10 years. Specific antibodies against EIAV were not detected in any of the tested animals using the agar-gel immunod...
Vincelette AR, Renders E, Scott KM, Falkingham PL, Janis CM.The traditional story of the evolution of the horse (family Equidae) has been in large part about the evolution of their feet. How did modern horses come to have a single toe (digit III), with the hoof bearing a characteristic V-shaped keratinous frog on the sole, and what happened to the other digits? While it has long been known that the proximal portions of digits II and IV are retained as the splint bones, a recent hypothesis suggested that the distal portion of these digits have also been retained as part of the frog, drawing upon the famous Laetoli footprints of the tridactyl (three-toed...
Rock KD, Polera ME, Guillette TC, Starnes HM, Dean K, Watters M, Stevens-Stewart D, Belcher SM.Central North Carolina (NC) is highly contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in part due to local fluorochemical production. Little is known about the exposure profiles and long-term health impacts for humans and animals that live in nearby communities. In this study, serum PFAS concentrations were determined using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry and diagnostic clinical chemistry endpoints were assessed for 31 dogs and 32 horses that reside in Gray's Creek NC at households with documented PFAS contamination in their drinking water. PFAS were detec...
Aguilar-Lazcano CA, Espinosa-Curiel IE, Ríos-Martínez JA, Madera-Ramírez FA, Pérez-Espinosa H.The development of technology, such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, has significantly advanced many fields of study. Animal research is no exception, as these technologies have enabled data collection through various sensing devices. Advanced computer systems equipped with artificial intelligence capabilities can process these data, allowing researchers to identify significant behaviors related to the detection of illnesses, discerning the emotional state of the animals, and even recognizing individual animal identities. This review includes articles in the English langu...
Greening L, Allen S, McBride S.Sleep disturbance is observed across species, resulting in neurocognitive dysfunction and poor impulse control/regulation of negative emotion. Understanding animal sleep disturbance is thus important to understand how environmental factors influence animal sleep and day-to-day welfare. Self-reporting tools for sleep disturbance are commonly used in human research to determine sleep quality, that cannot be transferred to non-verbal animal species research. Human research has, however, successfully used frequency of awakenings to create an objective measurement of sleep quality. The aim of this ...
Pinetre J, Delcourt V, Becher F, Garcia P, Barnabé A, Loup B, Popot MA, Fenaille F, Bailly-Chouriberry L.Many innovative biotherapeutics have been marketed in the last decade. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and Fc-fusion proteins (Fc-proteins) have been developed for the treatment of diverse diseases (cancer, autoimmune diseases, and inflammatory disorders) and now represent an important part of targeted therapies. However, the ready availability of such biomolecules, sometimes characterized by their anabolic, anti-inflammatory, or erythropoiesis-stimulating properties, raises concerns about their potential misuse as performance enhancers for human and animal athletes. In equine doping control labo...
Jaimes-Dueñez J, Jiménez-Leaño Á, Enrique-Niño S, Arias-Landazábal N, Bedoya-Ríos M, Rangel-Pachón D.Piroplasmosis and trypanosomiasis are debilitating diseases of great economic impact on the equine industry of Latin America. Considering the lack of studies in the northeastern part of Colombia, this study aimed to determine the epidemiological, clinical and genetic features associated with infection of the Babesia, Theileria, and Trypanosoma species in horses from this geographical area. Two hundred and eighty horses from the Arauca, Meta, and Santander departments were molecularly analyzed for infection with Babesia caballi, Theileria equi, Trypanosoma evansi, and Trypanosoma vivax. Further...
Erasha AM, Nazih M, Ali S, Alsafy M, El-Gendy S, Sayed RKA.A significant extent of researches in veterinary study have been focused on dental structure; however, there are scanty ones on the orientation and identification of their cusps. Therefore, the present article aimed to spot a light on arrangement pattern of dental cusps in the camel as a folivorous and graminivorous animal. This study was conducted on eight heads of adult, healthy camel of both sexes, collected from slaughter houses. To perform exact orientation of cusps of molar teeth, additional radiological and CT scans were performed on the mandible as a landmark that should facilitate the...
Xu X, Murphy LA.The presence of insecticides like pyrethrins and synthetic pyrethroids, combined with the synergist piperonyl butoxide, in animal feeds can pose a risk to both animal and human health by contaminating the food chain. In this study, a simple and fast method was developed for the simultaneous determination of these compounds in contaminated animal feeds using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Sample preparation was carried out using a QuEChERS-based approach, and the method was validated with acceptable accuracy ranging from 84 to 115% and precision below 10%. The limit ...
Faria R, Vicente A, Silva J.The aim of this study was to evaluate the sprint racing performance of Quarter Horses in Brazil. Estimating genetic parameters, trends and correlations were obtained by single- and two-trait analyses using Bayesian inference (earnings to 2 years of equestrian age, best time and time class at distances of 301 m and 402 m). The data comprised a period of 38 equestrian years (1978 to 2015) with 23,482 sprint race records from 5861 animals. The heritability estimates were of low to moderate magnitude, ranging from 0.10 to 0.37 (single-trait) and from 0.15 to 0.41 (two-traits), and the repeatabilit...
Cittadini A, Domínguez R, Sarriés MV, Pateiro M, Lorenzo JM.This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the total or partial replacement of NaCl by a commercial low-salt mixture Pansalt® (T1) or Kombu (L. ochroleuca) seaweed powder (T2), respectively, on the quality properties of dry-cured foal "cecina". Salt reformulation unaffected fat percentages, decreased (P < 0.001) moisture and ash contents, while protein amounts increased (P < 0.001) in the T2 batch. Considering the physicochemical variables, any significant differences were observed among batches, except for a*, water activity, and springiness values. T1 and T2 samples presented a si...
Hyde KA, Altman A, Banasek R, Gastal MO, Gastal EL.Hay wastage when feeding round bales due to contamination, deterioration, and animal refusal can accrue large financial losses for farmers. The present study investigated the efficiency of the conventional Tombstone-style feeder system compared to the Hay Saver feeder system to reduce hay wastage in feeding round hay bales. Mares were distributed equally into two groups, Tombstone and Hay Saver, and fed six bales per group over 48 days. Hay wastage was collected daily, dried, and weighed, while the mares were weighed weekly. Overall, the Hay Saver feeder showed less hay wastage, higher mean ma...
Mousavi SF, Razmkabir M, Rostamzadeh J, Seyedabadi HR, Naboulsi R, Petersen JL, Lindgren G.Indigenous Iranian horse breeds were evolutionarily affected by natural and artificial selection in distinct phylogeographic clades, which shaped their genomes in several unique ways. The aims of this study were to evaluate the genetic diversity and genomewide selection signatures in four indigenous Iranian horse breeds. We evaluated 169 horses from Caspian (n = 21), Turkmen (n = 29), Kurdish (n = 67), and Persian Arabian (n = 52) populations, using genomewide genotyping data. The contemporary effective population sizes were 59, 98, 102, and 113 for Turkmen, Caspian, Persian Ar...
Pye JL, Garcia TC, Kapatkin AS, Samol MA, Stover S.To compare (1) performance of compact versus standard flute drill bits, (2) screw insertion properties and (3) pullout variables between interlocking thread (ITS) and buttress thread (BTS) self-tapping screws in third metacarpi. Methods: In vitro experimental study. Methods: Paired third metacarpi from 11 Thoroughbreds aged 2-4 years. Methods: Screws were inserted into the lateral condylar fossae following bone preparation using the respective drill bit for each screw type. Screw pullout was achieved using a mechanical testing system. Density and porosity of bone surrounding screw holes was ...
Benvin I, Perko VM, Maljković MM, Habuš J, Štritof Z, Hađina S, Perharić M, Zečević I, Cvetnić M, Turk N.Leptospirosis is re-emerging zoonotic bacterial disease of global importance that affects domestic and wild animals and humans. Due to the public health importance, control of disease in Croatia is being implemented by monitoring the seroprevalence of equine leptospirosis and it is regulated by the law. In the period from 2012 to 2022, a total of 61,724 serum samples from apparently healthy horses were admitted to the Laboratory for leptospires, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb. Serum samples were tested for Leptospira spp. antibodies using the microscopic agglutination test...
Lusi CM, Davies HMS.Passive dynamics is an aspect of locomotion which is entirely dependent on the mechanical configuration and linkages of adjacent body segments. Tension distribution along mechanical linkages enables the execution of movement patterns with reduced need for complex neurological pathways and may play a role in reestablishing postural stability following external disturbances. Here we demonstrate a uni-directional mechanical relationship between the equine forelimb, head and neck, which may have implications for balance and forelimb loading in the horse. These observations suggest that forelimb, h...
Santos WB, Pereira CB, Maiorano AM, Arce CDS, Baldassini WA, Pereira GL, Chardulo LAL, Neto ORM, Oliveira HN, Curi RA.With the advent of genomics, significant progress has been made in the genetic improvement of livestock species, particularly through increased accuracy in predicting breeding values for selecting superior animals and the possibility of performing a high-resolution genetic scan throughout the genome of an individual. The main objectives of this study were to estimate the individual genomic inbreeding coefficient based on runs of homozygosity (F ), to identify and characterize runs of homozygosity and heterozygosity (ROH and ROHet, respectively; length and distribution) throughout the genome, a...
Bull K, Davies G, Jenkins TP, Peachey L.Horses can suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) disease in domestic environments, often precipitated by human-led changes in management. Understanding the consequences of these changes on equine gut microbiota is key to the prevention of such disease episodes. Objective: Profile the faecal microbiota of adult female Exmoor ponies under three management conditions, representing increasing levels of management by humans, encompassing different diets; whilst controlling for age, breed and sex. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive. Methods: Faecal samples were collected from three populations of Exmo...
Faccin M, Wiener DJ, Rech RR, Santoro D, Rodrigues Hoffmann A.The skin covers the external surface of animals, and it is constantly exposed to and inhabited by different microorganisms, including bacteria. Alterations in the skin barrier allow commensal and/or pathogenic bacteria to proliferate and penetrate deep into the lower layers of the skin. Being the first barrier to the external environment, the skin is prone to injuries, allowing the penetration of microorganisms that may lead to severe deep infections. Companion animals, especially dogs, are prone to bacterial infections, often secondary to allergic dermatitis. When environmental conditions are...
Hill EW, McGivney BA, Gu J, Whiston R, Machugh DE.Thoroughbred horses have been selected for traits contributing to speed and stamina for centuries. It is widely recognized that inherited variation in physical and physiological characteristics is responsible for variation in individual aptitude for race distance, and that muscle phenotypes in particular are important. Results: A genome-wide SNP-association study for optimum racing distance was performed using the EquineSNP50 Bead Chip genotyping array in a cohort of n = 118 elite Thoroughbred racehorses divergent for race distance aptitude. In a cohort-based association test we evaluated geno...
Schaefer RJ, Schubert M, Bailey E, Bannasch DL, Barrey E, Bar-Gal GK, Brem G, Brooks SA, Distl O, Fries R, Finno CJ, Gerber V, Haase B, Jagannathan V....To date, genome-scale analyses in the domestic horse have been limited by suboptimal single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) density and uneven genomic coverage of the current SNP genotyping arrays. The recent availability of whole genome sequences has created the opportunity to develop a next generation, high-density equine SNP array. Using whole genome sequence from 153 individuals representing 24 distinct breeds collated by the equine genomics community, we cataloged over 23 million de novo discovered genetic variants. Leveraging genotype data from individuals with both whole genome sequence, ...
Lorenzo JM, Sarriés MV, Tateo A, Polidori P, Franco D, Lanza M.Meat has exerted a crucial role in human evolution and is an important component of a healthy and well balanced diet due to its nutritional richness. The aim of the present review was to shed light on the nutritional composition of horsemeat and their benefits for human health. One of the reasons for such interest was the occurrence, in Europe several years ago, of dioxin, Bovine Encephalopathy and foot-and-mouth disease problems in farm animals. Therefore, consumers began to look for alternative red meats from other non-traditional species. There is no carcass classification system on horses ...
McNulty SN, Tort JF, Rinaldi G, Fischer K, Rosa BA, Smircich P, Fontenla S, Choi YJ, Tyagi R, Hallsworth-Pepin K, Mann VH, Kammili L, Latham PS....Food borne trematodes (FBTs) are an assemblage of platyhelminth parasites transmitted through the food chain, four of which are recognized as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Fascioliasis stands out among the other NTDs due to its broad and significant impact on both human and animal health, as Fasciola sp., are also considered major pathogens of domesticated ruminants. Here we present a reference genome sequence of the common liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica isolated from sheep, complementing previously reported isolate from cattle. A total of 14,642 genes were predicted from the 1.14 GB gen...
Soave O, Brand CD.Coprophagy is performed by rodents and lagomorphs and to a lesser degree by piglets, foals, dogs and nonhuman primates. Due to the construction of the digestive system of rodents and rabbits, coprophagy is necessary to supply many essential nutrients. Bacterial synthesis of nutrients occurs in the lower gastrointestinal tract in these animals where little absorption is realized. The eating of their feces provides a method for obtaining these nutrients.
Edson D, Field H, McMichael L, Vidgen M, Goldspink L, Broos A, Melville D, Kristoffersen J, de Jong C, McLaughlin A, Davis R, Kung N, Jordan D....Pteropid bats or flying-foxes (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) are the natural host of Hendra virus (HeV) which sporadically causes fatal disease in horses and humans in eastern Australia. While there is strong evidence that urine is an important infectious medium that likely drives bat to bat transmission and bat to horse transmission, there is uncertainty about the relative importance of alternative routes of excretion such as nasal and oral secretions, and faeces. Identifying the potential routes of HeV excretion in flying-foxes is important to effectively mitigate equine exposure risk at the bat...
Ali A, Khan MA, Zahid H, Yaseen PM, Qayash Khan M, Nawab J, Ur Rehman Z, Ateeq M, Khan S, Ibrahim M.Although ticks prevalent in various agro-systems of Pakistan are associated with economic losses, information is still missing about the tick's diversity, hosts they infest, seasonal dynamics and molecular phylogeny of in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pakistan. This study for the first time enlisted ticks infesting diverse hosts including humans in various regions of KP. A total of 8,641 ticks were collected across the northern, southern and central regions of KP and were morpho-taxonomically categorized into six genera comprising 17 species, ( = 3,584, 42%), ( = 2,253, 27%) ( = 1,342, 16%), ( =...
Thorpe CT, Godinho MSC, Riley GP, Birch HL, Clegg PD, Screen HRC.While the predominant function of all tendons is to transfer force from muscle to bone and position the limbs, some tendons additionally function as energy stores, reducing the cost of locomotion. Energy storing tendons experience extremely high strains and need to be able to recoil efficiently for maximum energy storage and return. In the equine forelimb, the energy storing superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) has much higher failure strains than the positional common digital extensor tendon (CDET). However, we have previously shown that this is not due to differences in the properties of...
Witte TH, Knill K, Wilson AM.Measurement of peak vertical ground reaction force (GRFz) from multiple limbs simultaneously during high-speed, over-ground locomotion would enhance our understanding of the locomotor mechanics of cursorial animals. Here, we evaluate the accuracy of predicting peak GRFz from duty factor (the proportion of the stride for which the limb is in contact with the ground). Foot-mounted uniaxial accelerometers, combined with UHF FM telemetry, are shown to be practical and accurate for the field measurement of stride timing variables, including duty factor. Direct comparison with the force plate produc...
Carpenter S, Mellor PS, Fall AG, Garros C, Venter GJ.African horse sickness virus (AHSV) is a lethal arbovirus of equids that is transmitted between hosts primarily by biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). AHSV affects draft, thoroughbred, and companion horses and donkeys in Africa, Asia, and Europe. In this review, we examine the impact of AHSV critically and discuss entomological studies that have been conducted to improve understanding of its epidemiology and control. The transmission of AHSV remains a major research focus and we critically review studies that have implicated both Culicoides and other blood-feeding...
van Duijkeren E, Moleman M, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Multem J, Troelstra A, Fluit AC, van Wamel WJ, Houwers DJ, de Neeling AJ....At the Veterinary Microbiological Diagnostic Center, the Netherlands, the percentage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates found in equine clinical samples increased from 0% in 2002 to 37% in 2008. MRSA of spa-type t064, belonging to MLST ST8 and spa-types t011 and t2123, both belonging to the livestock-associated MLST ST398, predominated. During an outbreak of post-surgical MRSA infections in horses at a veterinary teaching hospital in 2006/2007, MRSA isolates of spa-type t2123 were cultured from 7 horses and 4/61 personnel which indicated zoonotic transmission. After...
Proops L, McComb K.It has recently been shown that some non-human animals can cross-modally recognize members of their own taxon. What is unclear is just how plastic this recognition system can be. In this study, we investigate whether an animal, the domestic horse, is capable of spontaneous cross-modal recognition of individuals from a morphologically very different species. We also provide the first insights into how cross-modal identity information is processed by examining whether there are hemispheric biases in this important social skill. In our preferential looking paradigm, subjects were presented with t...
Pfau T, Witte TH, Wilson AM.Biomechanical studies often employ optical motion capture systems for the determination of the position of an object in a room-based coordinate system. This is not ideal for many types of study in locomotion since only a few strides may be collected per ;trial', and outdoor experiments are difficult with some systems. Here, we report and evaluate a novel approach that enables the user to determine linear displacements of a proprietary orientation sensor during cyclical movement. This makes experiments outside the constraints of the laboratory possible, for example to measure mechanical energy ...
Willing B, Vörös A, Roos S, Jones C, Jansson A, Lindberg JE.Diets rich in readily fermentable carbohydrates, fed traditionally to meet the increased energy requirements of the performance horse, are associated with a number of gastrointestinal disorders that involve disturbances in the intestinal microbiota, however, these changes are poorly understood. Objective: With the long-term objective of improving intestinal health and to increase understanding of the relationship between diet and microbiota, the effect of feeding Standardbred horses a high-energy forage-only (F) diet was studied compared to a more traditional forage-concentrate (C) diet on fae...
Rubin JE, Pitout JD.Organisms in the family Enterobactericeae including, Escherichia coli, commonly cause community and hospital-associated infections in both humans and companion animals. The increasing prevalence of infections with organisms producing broad spectrum β-lactamses such as the ESBLs (particularly the CTX-M type), AmpC and carbapenemase enzymes are threatening the future of the β-lactam drugs. While a number of organisms within the Enterobacteriaceae producing these enzymes have been isolated from cats, dogs and horses, E. coli, including isolates indistinguishable from strains found in people, ha...
Fernandes KA, Kittelmann S, Rogers CW, Gee EK, Bolwell CF, Bermingham EN, Thomas DG.The effects of abrupt dietary transition on the faecal microbiota of forage-fed horses over a 3-week period were investigated. Yearling Thoroughbred fillies reared as a cohort were exclusively fed on either an ensiled conserved forage-grain diet ("Group A"; n = 6) or pasture ("Group B"; n = 6) for three weeks prior to the study. After the Day 0 faecal samples were collected, horses of Group A were abruptly transitioned to pasture. Both groups continued to graze similar pasture for three weeks, with faecal samples collected at 4-day intervals. DNA was isolated from the faeces and microbial 16S ...
Scoles GA, Ueti MW.Equine piroplasmosis is a disease of Equidae, including horses, donkeys, mules, and zebras, caused by either of two protozoan parasites, Theileria equi or Babesia caballi. These parasites are biologically transmitted between hosts via tick vectors, and although they have inherent differences they are categorized together because they cause similar pathology and have similar morphologies, life cycles, and vector relationships. To complete their life cycle, these parasites must undergo a complex series of developmental events, including sexual-stage development in their tick vectors. Consequentl...
Johnson L, Thompson DL, Varner DD.Testicular function is under the control of expression and repression of several genes and gene products, and many of these works through Sertoli cells. The capability of Sertoli cells to regulate spermatogenesis is dependent on Sertoli cell functions and Sertoli cell number. Sertoli cell number has long been thought to be stable in adults with no proliferation of Sertoli cells once adult numbers have been reached. However, adult horses do not have stable Sertoli cell numbers, and new studies indicate that adult Sertoli cells can be made to re-enter mitotic phase under certain experimental con...
Metallinos DL, Bowling AT, Rine J.Lethal White Foal Syndrome is a disease associated with horse breeds that register white coat spotting patterns. Breedings between particular spotted horses, generally described as frame overo, produce some foals that, in contrast to their parents, are all white or nearly all white and die shortly after birth of severe intestinal blockage. These foals have aganglionosis characterized by a lack of submucosal and myenteric ganglia from the distal small intestine to the large intestine, similar to human Hirschsprung Disease. Some sporadic and familial cases of Hirschsprung Disease are due to muta...
Pauvolid-Corrêa A, Campos Z, Juliano R, Velez J, Nogueira RM, Komar N.A recent study reported neutralizing antibodies to West Nile virus (WNV) in horses from four ranches of southern Pantanal. To extend that study, a serosurvey for WNV and 11 Brazilian flaviviruses was conducted with 760 equines, 238 sheep and 61 caimans from 17 local cattle ranches. Among the tested equines, 32 were collected from a ranch where a neurologic disorder outbreak had been recently reported. The sera were initially screened by using a blocking ELISA and then titrated by 90% plaque-reduction neutralization test (PRNT90) for 12 flaviviruses. Employing the criterion of 4-fold greater ti...
Vincze S, Stamm I, Kopp PA, Hermes J, Adlhoch C, Semmler T, Wieler LH, Lübke-Becker A, Walther B.Staphylococcus (S.) aureus is an important cause of wound infections in companion animals, and infections with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) are of particular concern due to limited treatment options and their zoonotic potential. However, comparable epidemiological data on MRSA infections in dogs, cats and horses is scarce, also limiting the knowledge about possible links to MRSA isolates from human populations. To gain more knowledge about the occurrence and genotypic variation of MRSA among wound swabs of companion animal origin in Germany we performed a survey (2010-2012) including...
Minetti AE, ArdigO LP, Reinach E, Saibene F.Three-dimensional motion capture and metabolic assessment were performed on four standardbred horses while walking, trotting and galloping on a motorized treadmill at different speeds. The mechanical work was partitioned into the internal work (W(INT)), due to the speed changes of body segments with respect to the body centre of mass, and the external work (W(EXT)), due to the position and speed changes of the body centre of mass with respect to the environment. The estimated total mechanical work (W(TOT)=W(INT)+W(EXT)) increased with speed, while metabolic work (C) remained rather constant. A...
Möstl E, Messmann S, Bagu E, Robia C, Palme R.After 14C-labelled cortisol infusion in ponies and pigs, faecal samples were collected. Extraction of 0.5 g faeces with 5 ml 80-90% methanol yielded the highest radioactivity in the supernatant. Most of the metabolites were ether soluble. After high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the presence of immunoreactive metabolites was demonstrated by measuring each HPLC fraction using enzyme immunoassays for cortisol, corticosterone and 11-oxoaetiocholanolone. Only the assay for 11-oxoaetiocholanolone revealed peaks with co-eluting radioactivity. For biological validation of the test system,...
Carbone L, Nergadze SG, Magnani E, Misceo D, Francesca Cardone M, Roberto R, Bertoni L, Attolini C, Francesca Piras M, de Jong P, Raudsepp T....Centromere repositioning (CR) is a recently discovered biological phenomenon consisting of the emergence of a new centromere along a chromosome and the inactivation of the old one. After a CR, the primary constriction and the centromeric function are localized in a new position while the order of physical markers on the chromosome remains unchanged. These events profoundly affect chromosomal architecture. Since horses, asses, and zebras, whose evolutionary divergence is relatively recent, show remarkable morphological similarity and capacity to interbreed despite their chromosomes differing co...
Costa MC, Weese JS.This article provides readers with the basic concepts necessary to understand studies using recent molecular methods performed in intestinal microbiome assessment, with special emphasis on the high throughput sequencing. This review also summarizes the current knowledge on this topic and discusses future insights on the interaction between the intestinal microbiome and equine health.
Arrigo NC, Adams AP, Weaver SC.The eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) complex consists of four distinct genetic lineages: one that circulates in North America (NA EEEV) and the Caribbean and three that circulate in Central and South America (SA EEEV). Differences in their geographic, pathogenic, and epidemiologic profiles prompted evaluation of their genetic diversity and evolutionary histories. The structural polyprotein open reading frames of all available SA EEEV and recent NA EEEV isolates were sequenced and used in evolutionary and phylogenetic analyses. The nucleotide substitution rate per year for SA EEEV (1.2 x 10(-4...
Labruna MB, Kasai N, Ferreira F, Faccini JL, Gennari SM.Natural tick infestations were assessed every 14 days on horses over a 2-year period. Amblyomma cajennense adult ticks were counted individually, without detachment from the horses. Larvae and nymphs of A. cajennense were collected using a rubber scraper that scratched engorged immature ticks from the host. Adult females of Anocentor nitens larger than 4mm length were counted on the horses. Blood samples were also obtained from the horses every 14 days and macroclimatic data were obtained for the study period. Infestations of A. cajennense demonstrated distinct peaks of activity for each of th...
