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.
Yun J, Oyungerel B, Kong HS.This study aimed to identify the genetic diversity and population structure of Mongolian horse populations according to the province of residence (Khentii, KTP; Uvs, USP; Omnogovi and Dundgovi, GOP; Khovsgol, KGP) using 14 microsatellite (MS) markers. Methods: A total of 269 whole blood samples were obtained from the four populations (KTP, USP, GOP, KGP) geographically distinct provinces. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted using 14 MS markers (AHT4, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG6, HTG7, and VHL20), as recommended by the International So...
Lawton KOY, Arthur RM, Moeller BC, Barnum S, Pusterla N.More and more studies are reporting on the natural transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between humans with COVID-19 and their companion animals (dogs and cats). While horses are apparently susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection based on the homology between the human and the equine ACE-2 receptor, no clinical or subclinical infection has yet been reported in the equine species. To investigate the possible clinical role of SARS-CoV-2 in equids, nasal secretions from 667 horses with acute onset of fever and respiratory signs were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 by qPCR. The samples were collected from...
Viljanto M, Kaabia Z, Taylor P, Muir T, Habershon-Butcher J, Bailly-Chouriberry L, Scarth J.Boldenone is an anabolic-androgenic steroid that is prohibited in equine sports. However, in certain situations, it is endogenous or is believed to be formed by microbes in urine, and therefore, an approach for the differentiation is required. Following the identification of Δ1-progesterone and 20(S)-hydroxy-Δ1-progesterone as potential biomarkers of microbial activity, the presence of six steroids was investigated in the postrace urine of castrated male horses (geldings, n = 158). In line with endogenous findings from several other species when ultrasensitive methods are employed, bolde...
Luksaite J, Zokaityte E, Starkute V, Sidlauskiene S, Zokaityte G, Bartkiene E.The aim of this study was to apply the FaceReader technique to select the animal species and breed for a personalized AAT based on the emotions ('neutral', 'happy', 'sad', 'angry', 'surprised', 'scared', 'disgusted', and 'contempt') induced in the persons (18-64 years old) by the images of different animal species and breeds. To implement the aim, the images of different animal species (, , , , and ) and their breeds (dogs: Australian shepherd, pug, Labrador retriever, Doberman, miniature schnauzer, beagle, three mixed-breed types, Yorkshire terrier, Cane Corso, Samoyed, and Chihuahua; cats: B...
Ang L, Vinderola G, Endo A, Kantanen J, Jingfeng C, Binetti A, Burns P, Qingmiao S, Suying D, Zujiang Y, Rios-Covian D, Mantziari A, Beasley S....Domesticated horses live under different conditions compared with their extinct wild ancestors. While housed, medicated and kept on a restricted source of feed, the microbiota of domesticated horses is hypothesized to be altered. We assessed the fecal microbiome of 57 domestic and feral horses from different locations on three continents, observing geographical differences. A higher abundance of eukaryota (p < 0.05) and viruses (p < 0.05) and lower of archaea (p < 0.05) were found in feral animals when compared with domestic ones. The abundance of genes coding for microbe-...
Neill CL, Hansen CR, Salois M.The purpose of this study is to estimate the economic cost of burnout in the veterinary profession and highlight the financial reasons why the industry should address the burnout crisis from an organizational perspective. Using data from 5,786 associate veterinarians in private practice, information was obtained using employment information related to compensation, work hours, hour preferences, and job turnover. Burnout was measured using the Professional Quality of Life Scale and used to calculate conditional probabilities on turnover and reduced working hours due to burnout. Lost revenue fro...
Dyson S, Pollard D.The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) was applied to 1010 competition starts at British Eventing (BE) 90, 100 and Novice one-day events and compared with performance. The overall median RHpE score was 4/24 (IQR 2,6; range 0,12). There were moderate positive correlations between RHpE scores and dressage penalties (Spearman’s rho = 0.508, 0.468, 0.491, all p < 0.001 for BE 90, 100 and Novice, respectively). There were weak positive correlations between RHpE scores and final placings (Spearman’s rho = 0.157, p = 0.033, BE90; rho = 0.263, p < 0.001, BE 100; rho = 0.123, p = 0.035, Novice). In ...
Nazari F, Seyedabadi HR, Noshary A, Emamjomeh-Kashan N, Banabazi MH.The genetic diversity and genomic regions being under putative natural selection in Kurdish horse population were studied. The samples from 72 horses were genotyped by using GGP Equine 70K SNP arrays. The Ne Slope (NeS) analyses revealed that a sharp decline in Ne has probably occurred around four generations ago, and high frequency of ROH with 2-4 Mbp in length suggested that the inbreeding has probably occurred around 20 generations ago. The effective population size (Ne) was 104 horses up to three generations ago and the average inbreeding (FROH) was 0.047(± 0.045). Using de-correlated com...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Dusemund B, Fašmon Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B....Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on zearalenone hydrolase (ZenA) produced by DSM 32731 when used as a feed additive for all terrestrial animals. The production strain DSM 32731 is genetically modified and harbours a kanamycin resistance gene. No viable cells of the production strain were detected in the final product, but uncertainty remains on the presence of recombinant DNA in the final product. The ZenA contained in the additive is safe for all terrestr...
Sellon DC, Sanz M, Kopper JJ.Little is known about the acquisition and use of equine analgesic drugs by horse owners in the United States (US). Objective: To determine factors associated with possession of analgesic drugs by horse owners in the US or with analgesic drug acquisition from sources noncompliant with a valid veterinarian-client-patient (VCPR) relationship. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: An internet-based questionnaire included items related to experiences with horses and equine analgesic drugs. Factors associated with possession of ≥5 types of analgesic drugs and with the acquisition of drugs from...
Janczarek I, Wiśniewska A, Tkaczyk E, Wnuk-Pawlak E, Kaczmarek B, Liss-Szczepanek M, Kędzierski W.Cooling a horse after intensive exercise under hot conditions is commonly recommended. The study aimed to analyze changes in the rectal and surface temperature of the horses subjected to various water cooling treatments. This followed medium-intensity exercise performed by leisure horses under moderate air temperature. The experiment involved a control group without water application, and three variants of water cooling applied to 19 warmblood geldings after medium-intensity effort. Cooling of lower, upper, and lower and upper body parts was performed. In each variant, the rectal and body surf...
Patterson Rosa L, Campos FA, Martin K, Vierra M, Foster G, Lundquist E, Brooks SA, Lafayette C.Pedigrees and horse written ancestry contain numerous inconsistencies and divergence between farm histories, owner accounts and registration records. In particular, the origins of the Brazilian Mangalarga, or "Mangalarga Paulista'' horse breed is controversial, and the breed's popular history claims that one of its most famous individuals, Turbante J.O., may have been sired by an unknown Hanoverian stallion. Turbante J.O. sired over 1678 offspring and is present in about 71% of the male pedigrees. We genotyped Turbante J.O. and 29 registered Mangalarga individuals using a commercially availabl...
Dyrda K, Orzołek A, Ner-Kluza J, Wysocki P.Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of proteins are considered to be the most important processes in sperm maturation during epididymal transit. The main aim of this study was to isolate and identify phosphoproteins from the epididymal milieu obtained from reproductively mature stallions during and out of the breeding season. With the use of 1D-PAGE and nanoLC-MS/MS, we identified phosphoproteins that fulfil various functions: regulatory, transport, motility, ubiquitination, chaperone, antioxidant, apoptotic and enzymatic. Moreover, we characterized tyrosine, serine and threonine phosphoryla...
Gish A, Robveille C, Gicquel T, Allorge D, Gault G, Gaulier JM.Analytical detection of Oenanthe crocata toxins in biological samples is challenging because of their instability, the lack of commercially available standards and the exceptionally low detection of these molecules using mass spectrometry. This work aims to report the used analytical methods that allowed identification of the main plant toxins in biological samples from an equid (an Arabian horse) fatality related to hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata Linnaeus) intake. Using both LC-DAD and LC-HRMS methods allowed identification (i) of oenanthotoxin in roots found on the site, root fragm...
Catalán J, Yánez-Ortiz I, Tvarijonaviciute A, González-Arostegui LG, Rubio CP, Yeste M, Miró J, Barranco I.This study investigated whether the activities of the antioxidant components of donkey seminal plasma (SP)-both enzymatic (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase-like (CAT), glutathione peroxidase-like (GPX), and paraoxonase type 1 (PON1)) and non-enzymatic (measured in terms of total thiol, copper-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC))-and oxidative stress index (OSI) are related to sperm cryotolerance. For this purpose, 15 ejaculates from jackasses (one per individual) were collected and split into tw...
Laseca N, Molina A, Ramón M, Valera M, Azcona F, Encina A, Demyda-Peyrás S.The loss of genetic variability in livestock populations bred under strict selection processes is a growing concern, as it may lead to increased inbreeding values and lower fertility, as a consequence of the "inbreeding depression" effect. This is particularly important in horses, where inbreeding levels tend to rise as individuals become more and more closely related. In this study, we evaluated the effect of increased inbreeding levels on mare fertility by combining an SNP-based genomic approach using runs of homozygosity and the estimation of genetic breeding values for reproductive traits ...
Gudea A, Martonos C, Cosma C, Stan F.Archeozoological studies provide an insight into human-environment relations, bringing important information on the morphology of the animal and the role of the animal and its functions. The purpose of this study was to reveal the morphological characteristics of the horse identified in an 8th century BC Avar cemetery dated, as it resulted from the investigation carried out on the materials presented to the Anatomy Lab of Department of Comparative Anatomy. The cleaning and conditioning of the materials were performed in the lab, followed by anatomical and osteometrical study. The identificatio...
Peeters MWJ, Thursby JJ, Watson HE, Berner D.Palmaroproximal-palmarodistal oblique (PaPr-PaDiO) radiographs are regularly obtained for a full evaluation of the navicular bone (NB). Despite their routine use, different acquisition techniques are described. Objective: To determine optimal foot placement and beam angle for obtaining PaPr-PaDiO views. Methods: In vitro experiment. Methods: A convenience sample of 26 disarticulated forelimbs were placed in six different positions using a leg press to mimic the weight-bearing position. In each position, navicular PaPr-PaDiO images were obtained with eight different beam angles. The resulting 1...
Huang YH, Lyle JV, Ab Razak AS, Nandi M, Marr CM, Huang CL, Aston PJ, Jeevaratnam K.Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia in both human and equine populations. It is associated with adverse outcomes in humans and decreased athletic performance in both populations. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) presents with intermittent, self-terminating AF episodes, and is difficult to diagnose once sinus rhythm resumes. Unassigned: We aimed to detect PAF subjects from normal sinus rhythm equine electrocardiograms (ECGs) using the Symmetric Projection Attractor Reconstruction (SPAR) method to encapsulate the waveform morphology and variability as the basis of a machi...
Shi N, Qiu X, Cao X, Mai Z, Zhu X, Li N, Zhang H, Zhang J, Li Z, Shaya N, Lu H, Jin N.The Getah virus (GETV), a mosquito-borne RNA virus, is widely distributed in Oceania and Asia. GETV is not the only pathogenic to horses, pigs, cattle, foxes and boars, but it can also cause fever in humans. Since its first reported case in Chinese mainland in 2017, the number of GETV-affected provinces has increased to seventeen till now. Therefore, we performed an epidemiologic investigation of GETV in the Xinjiang region, located in northwestern China, during the period of 2017-2020. ELISA was used to analyze 3299 serum samples collected from thoroughbred horse, local horse, sheep, goat, ca...
Rivolta AA, Pittman DC, Kappes AJ, Stancil RK, Kogan C, Sanz MG.The efficacy of Rhodococcus equi-specific hyperimmune plasma (HIP) is usually evaluated in vitro. Anticoagulants (AC) used for plasma collection can negatively impact bacterial replication but their effect on R. equi growth has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to establish the effect that AC routinely used in veterinary medicine (ACD, KEDTA, Li Heparin, and Na Citrate) have on in vitro R. equi growth. To assess this, in vitro assays commonly used to test HIP efficacy (direct effect on microorganism and macrophage infection), were performed using each AC and non-treated bacteria. R...
Huricha , Kawai M, Inose Y, Yamada F, Ninomiya S.In this study, we investigated maternal effects on the growth of Hokkaido native horses kept outdoors throughout the year. We used the data on body weight (BW), height at withers (HW), heart girth (HG), and cannon circumference (CC) of 517 foals during the first year of life to (1) examine the growth patterns by comparing six linear mixed models and (2) analyze the maternal effect on BW, HW, HG, and CC for each month by estimating variance components. The segmented polynomial third-order regression equation was selected as the best model for all the traits. The estimated proportion of variance...
Focková V, Styková E, Simonová MP, Maďar M, Kačírová J, Lauková A.Bacteriocin-producing bacteria with probiotic character are known as nutritional supplements mainly for livestock. Among those beneficial bacteria we also found enterococci. Because the species strains Enterococcus mundtii also can produce bacteriocins, this study was focused on fecal strains E. mundtii from horses and their bioactivity with a view to their possible future use in breeding. Rectal removal from 47 horses (40 mares and 7 stallions), the Norik breed from Muráň were sampled in eastern Slovakia during November 2019 year. Horses age ranged from five months up to 23 years. Using MAL...
Ter Woort F, Dubois G, Tansley G, Didier M, Verdegaal L, Franklin S, Van Erck-Westergren E.Cardiac arrhythmias in exercising horses are the focus of much interest, both in terms of what is considered normal and potential associations with poor performance and sudden cardiac death. One barrier to performing large-scale studies is the lack of an easily applicable device, to allow recording of large numbers of high-quality exercising electrocardiograms (ECGs). The Equimetre is a new wearable device which records a single lead ECG, amongst other parameters. Validation of such wearable devices is essential before further studies are undertaken. Objective: To evaluate the quality of ECG u...
Sellon DC, Sanz M, Kopper JJ, Mattei D.Understanding factors influencing assessment of pain in horses will facilitate communication between veterinarians and horse owners. Objective: To compare estimates of pain experienced by horses as provided by veterinarians and horse owners and to determine factors associated with individuals who perceive horses to be experiencing extreme pain or minimal pain. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Internet-based questionnaires for horse owners and veterinarians included items related to recognition of pain in horses, estimated degree of pain experienced by horses, and demographic informatio...
Rocafort-Ferrer G, Leblond A, Joulié A, René-Martellet M, Sandoz A, Poux V, Pradier S, Barry S, Vial L, Legrand L.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease caused by Babesia caballi and Theileria equi that is potentially emerging in non-endemic countries. We conducted a descriptive study to investigate EP prevalence and spatial distribution in an endemic region: the Camargue and the Plain of La Crau in France. In spring 2015 and 2016, we carried out sampling at stables (total n = 46) with a history of horses presenting chronic fever or weight loss. Overall, we collected blood from 632 horses, which were also inspected for ticks; these horses had been housed in the target stables for at least 1...
Lotfi Z, Pourmahdi Borujeni M, Ghorbanpoor M, Ghadrdan Mashhadi AR.Brucellosis, as a zoonotic disease, mainly occurs in horses by Brucella abortus, Brucella canis and Brucella suis. The disease in equines is often asymptomatic, but the clinical signs in horses are mostly characterized by bursitis, arthritis and tenosynovitis. This study, thus, aimed to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis and its associated risk factors in the Arabian horses of Khuzestan province, South-west Iran. To that end, the blood samples randomly collected from 180 Arabian horses were analyzed for the presence of anti-Brucella antibodies by Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), serum a...
Mislei B, Bucci D, Malama E, Bollwein H, Mari G.Oxidative stress is regarded as an important cause of sperm damage during cryopreservation. However, seasonal changes in oxidative status in unfrozen and frozen-thawed stallion sperm have not been well established. We tested the hypothesis that sperm ROS concentrations and lipid peroxidation change between breeding and non-breeding seasons and influence quality of unfrozen and frozen-thawed sperm. Eighteen ejaculates from six Warmblood stallions (8-21 y) known to be fertile, were collected in winter and summer and processed for freezing. After 90 min at +4 °C, some straws from each ejacu...
Saklou NT, Burgess BA, Ashton LV, Morley PS, Goehring LS.Equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) is ubiquitous in equine populations causing respiratory disease, and complications including late-term abortion and neurological disease. Eradication of EHV-1 from housing environments that typically contain unsealed wood and porous bedding materials can be challenging. However, consideration should be given to take advantage of the viral envelope's susceptibility to environmental conditions. Objective: To determine environmental persistence of EHV-1 on materials and in environmental conditions commonly found in equine facilities. We hypothesised that environme...
Holl HM, Vanhnasy J, Everts RE, Hoefs-Martin K, Cook D, Brooks SA, Carpenter ML, Bustamante CD, Lafayette C.Genetic markers are important resources for individual identification and parentage assessment. Although short tandem repeats (STRs) have been the traditional DNA marker, technological advances have led to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) becoming an attractive alternative. SNPs can be highly multiplexed and automatically scored, which allows for easier standardization and sharing among laboratories. Equine parentage is currently assessed using STRs. We obtained a publicly available SNP dataset of 729 horses representing 32 diverse breeds. A proposed set of 101 SNPs was analyzed for DNA ...
Fine AH, Andersen SJ.The field of human-animal interactions and, more specifically, animal-assisted interventions and equine assisted interactions (equine assisted interactions have significantly evolved over the past half century. The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a brief commentary of both fields and the challenges they are presently experiencing as they move forward in their future. More specifically within this commentary, attention will be given to highlighting some of the directions taken in both fields, including clarifying their terminology as it applies to scope of practices, trends in resea...
Ortiz-Rodríguez JM, Martín-Cano FE, Gaitskell-Phillips GL, Silva A, Ortega-Ferrusola C, Gil MC, Peña FJ.Energy metabolism in spermatozoa is complex and involves the metabolism of carbohydrate fatty acids and amino acids. The ATP produced in the electron transport chain in the mitochondria appears to be crucial for both sperm motility and maintaining viability, whereas glycolytic enzymes in the flagella may contribute to ATP production to sustain motility and velocity. Stallion spermatozoa seemingly use diverse metabolic strategies, and in this regard, a study of the metabolic proteome showed that Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways related to pyruvate metabolism and the Krebs cycle were pr...
Lindgren G, Sandberg K, Persson H, Marklund S, Breen M, Sandgren B, Carlstén J, Ellegren H.A primary male autosomal linkage map of the domestic horse (Equus caballus) has been developed by segregation analysis of 140 genetic markers within eight half-sib families. The family material comprised four Standardbred trotters and four Icelandic horses, with a total of 263 offspring. The marker set included 121 microsatellite markers, eight protein polymorphisms, five RFLPs, three blood group polymorphisms, two PCR-RFLPs, and one single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). One hundred markers were arranged into 25 linkage groups, 22 of which could be assigned physically to 18 different...
Buss DG, Giuliano E, Sharma A, Mohan RR.To determine if hybrid adeno-associated virus serotype 2/5 (AAV5) vector can effectively deliver foreign genes into the equine cornea without causing adverse side effects. The aims of this study were to: (i) evaluate efficacy of AAV5 to deliver therapeutic genes into equine corneal fibroblasts (ECFs) using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) marker gene, and (ii) establish the safety of AAV5 vector for equine corneal gene therapy. Methods: Primary ECF cultures were harvested from healthy donor equine corneas. Cultures were maintained at 37°C in humidified atmosphere with 5% CO(2). Metho...
McD￮ LA, Esparza Gonzalez BP, Nino-Fong R, Aburto E.Autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been used as a potential cell-based therapy in various animal and human diseases. Their differentiation capacity makes them useful as a novel strategy in the treatment of tissue injury in which the healing process is compromised or delayed. In horses, bone healing is slow, taking a minimum of 6-12 months. The osteogenic capacity of equine bone marrow and muscle MSCs mixed with fibrin glue or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) as a scaffold is assessed. Bone production by the following groups was compared: Group 1, bone marrow (BM) MSCs in fibrin glue;...
Patterson L, Staiger EA, Brooks SA.The Mangalarga Marchador (MM) is a Brazilian horse breed known for a uniquely smooth gait. A recent publication described a mutation in the DMRT3 gene that the authors claim controls the ability to perform lateral patterned gaits (Andersson et al. 2012). We tested 81 MM samples for the DMRT3 mutation using extracted DNA from hair bulbs using a novel RFLP. Horses were phenotypically categorized by their gait type (batida or picada), as recorded by the Brazilian Mangalarga Marchador Breeders Association (ABCCMM). Statistical analysis using the plink toolset (Purcell, 2007) revealed significant a...
Li J, Kelly P, Zhang J, Xu C, Wang C.Babesia spp. are tick-borne protozoan hemoparasites and the second most common blood-borne parasites of mammals, in particular domestic animals. We used the Clustal Multiple Alignment program and 18S rRNA gene sequences of 22 Babesia species from GenBank to develop a PCR that could detect a wide variety of Babesia spp. in a single reaction. The pan-Babesia FRET-qPCR we developed reliably detected B. gibsoni, B. canis, B. vogeli, B. microti, B. bovis, and B. divergens under controlled conditions but did not react with closely related species, mainly Hepatozoon americanum, Theileria equi, and To...
Hobbs SJ, Bertram JE, Clayton HM.Background. Although the trot is described as a diagonal gait, contacts of the diagonal pairs of hooves are not usually perfectly synchronized. Although subtle, the timing dissociation between contacts of each diagonal pair could have consequences on gait dynamics and provide insight into the functional strategies employed. This study explores the mechanical effects of different diagonal dissociation patterns when speed was matched between individuals and how these effects link to moderate, natural changes in trotting speed. We anticipate that hind-first diagonal dissociation at contact increa...
McLean RG, Frier G, Parham GL, Francy DB, Monath TP, Campos EG, Therrien A, Kerschner J, Calisher CH.A study was undertaken to investigate an increase in reported cases of clinical encephalitis due to eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus in horses and to determine the natural vertebrate hosts of that virus. Horses, birds, and small mammals were sampled at sites in a contiguous area in St. Joseph and Kalamazoo counties, Michigan, from 25 August to 5 September 1980. Serum samples from four horses acutely ill with encephalitis and 16 of 39 pasture mates of ill horses had neutralizing (N) antibody against EEE virus (46.5%); no viruses were isolated from these 43 sera. None of 24 draft horses f...
Evenberg A, Meyer H, Gaastra W, Verheij HM, De Haas GH.The complete amino acid sequence of phosphlipase A2 (EC 3.1.1.4) from horse pancreas was determined. The protein controls of a single polypeptide chain of 125 amino acids and has a molecular weight of 13,927. The chain is crosslinked by seven disulfide bridges. The sequence was determined by automated Edman degradation of the intact protein and several of the large peptide fragments. Smaller peptides were analyzed by manual Edman degradation. Fragmentation of the peptide chain was accomplished by enzymatic digestion with trypsin, chymotrypsin, and thermolysin. The final overlap was found by di...
Scicluna MT, Issel CJ, Cook FR, Manna G, Cersini A, Rosone F, Frontoso R, Caprioli A, Antognetti V, Autorino GL.To improve the efficiency of the National equine infectious anaemia (EIA) surveillance program in Italy, a three-tiered diagnostic system has been adopted. This procedure involves initial screening by ELISA (Tier 1) with test-positive samples confirmed by the agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGIDT) (Tier 2) and, in the case of ELISA positive/AGIDT negative results, final determination by immunoblot (IB) (Tier 3). During this evaluation, 74,880 samples, principally collected from two Regions of Central Italy (Latium and Abruzzo) were examined, with 44 identified as negative in AGIDT but positive ...
González-Iglesias P, Scortti M, MacArthur I, Hapeshi A, Rodriguez H, Prescott JF, Vazquez-Boland JA.The pathogenic actinomycete Rhodococcus equi causes severe purulent lung infections in foals and immunocompromised people. Although relatively unsusceptible to R. equi, mice are widely used for in vivo studies with this pathogen. The most commonly employed mouse model is based on systemic (intravenous) infection and determination of R. equi burdens in spleen and liver. Here, we investigated the murine lung for experimental infection studies with R. equi. Using a 10(7)CFU intranasal challenge in BALB/c mice, virulent R. equi consistently survived in quantifiable numbers up to 10 days in the lun...
Smallwood JE, Wood BC, Taylor WE, Tate LP.The purpose of this study was to produce an anatomic reference for computed tomography (CT) of the head of the foal for use by radiologists, clinicians, and veterinary students. The head from each of 2 foals, euthanized for reasons unrelated to head pathology, was removed and prepared for CT scanning. Using a third-generation CT scanner, 5-mm contiguous transverse images were acquired. The heads were then frozen and sectioned using a band saw, with the cuts matched as closely as possible to the CT slices. The anatomic sections were photographed and radiographed. The radiographs and anatomic ph...
Manship AJ, Blikslager AT, Elfenbein JR.Equine coronavirus (ECoV) is an emerging pathogen associated with fever and enteric disease in adult horses. Clinical features of ECoV infection have been described, but no study has compared these features to those of Salmonella infections. Objective: Compare the clinical features of ECoV infection with enteric salmonellosis and establish a disease signature to increase clinical suspicion of ECoV infection in adult horses. Methods: Forty-three horses >1 year of age with results of CBC, serum biochemistry, and fecal diagnostic testing for ECoV and Salmonella spp. Methods: Medical records of ...
Nouri-Sorkhabi MH, Agar NS, Sullivan DR, Gallagher C, Kuchel PW.The phospholipid classes of erythrocyte membranes and plasma from several domestic animals and marsupials were quantified by 31P NMR using detergents. Washed erythrocyte samples were thoroughly haemolysed by tip-sonication and dissolved in sodium cholate; plasma samples were dissolved in Triton X-100. The species studied were: common wombat (Vombatus ursinus), black-striped wallaby (Macropus dorsalis), bandicoot (Isoodon macrocarpus), Eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), Tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii), sheep (Ovis aries), goat (Capra hircus), cattle (Bos taurus), horse (Equus caballu...
Rivera-Páez FA, Martins TF, Ossa-López PA, Sampieri BR, Camargo-Mathias MI.Rickettsiosis are emerging or re-emerging diseases, with a worldwide distribution associated to transmission by arthropod vectors. Rickettsia species belong to the spotted fever group (SFG) and are transmitted by hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) that may act as vectors and reservoirs. This study carried out a molecular detection of Rickettsia from 7 species of the family Ixodidae collected from domestic hosts by PCR amplification of fragments of the citrate synthase "gltA" gene and outer membrane protein "ompA" gene. Of the 204 samples analyzed, 11.3% (23) were positive for rickettsial infection. ...
Hamann H, Jude R, Sieme H, Mertens U, Töpfer-Petersen E, Distl O, Leeb T.Fertility of stallions is of high economic importance, especially for large breeding organisations and studs. Breeding schemes with respect to fertility traits and selection of stallions at an early stage may be improved by including molecular genetic markers associated with traits. The genes coding for equine cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs) are promising candidate genes because previous studies have shown that CRISPs play a role in the fertilising ability of male animals. We have previously characterised the three equine CRISP genes and identified a non-synonymous polymorphism in th...
The typical vertebrate centromeres contain long stretches of highly repeated DNA sequences (satellite DNA). We previously demonstrated that the karyotypes of the species belonging to the genus are characterized by the presence of satellite-free and satellite-based centromeres and represent a unique biological model for the study of centromere organization and behavior. Using horse primary fibroblasts cultured in vitro, we compared the segregation fidelity of chromosome 11, whose centromere is satellite-free, with that of chromosome 13, which has similar size and a centromere containing long s...
Bauminger ER, Harrison PM, Nowik I, Treffry A.Ferritin stores iron within a hollow protein shell as a polynuclear Fe(III) hydrous oxide core. Although iron uptake into ferritin has been studied previously, the early stages in the creation of the core need to be clarified. These are dealt with in this paper by using Mössbauer spectroscopy, a technique that enables several types of Fe(II) and Fe(III) to be distinguished. Systematic Mössbauer studies were performed on samples prepared by adding 57Fe(II) atoms to apoferritin as a function of pH (5.6-7.0), n [the number of Fe/molecule (4-480)], and tf (the time the samples were held at room ...
Cozzi B, De Giorgio A, Peruffo A, Montelli S, Panin M, Bombardi C, Grandis A, Pirone A, Zambenedetti P, Corain L, Granato A.The architecture of the neocortex classically consists of six layers, based on cytological criteria and on the layout of intra/interlaminar connections. Yet, the comparison of cortical cytoarchitectonic features across different species proves overwhelmingly difficult, due to the lack of a reliable model to analyze the connection patterns of neuronal ensembles forming the different layers. We first defined a set of suitable morphometric cell features, obtained in digitized Nissl-stained sections of the motor cortex of the horse, chimpanzee, and crab-eating macaque. We then modeled them using a...
McGowan C.Horses form a unique and special part of their owners' lives and aged horses are no exception. This review considers the health and management of aged horses, including the role of the owner and their perceptions of aged horses, potential threats or risks to their welfare and finally, factors affecting quality of life and euthanasia of aged horses. Owners of aged horses are concerned about the health, welfare and quality of life of their aged animals. Yet surveys of management and preventive healthcare reflect that there may be some limitations to what owners are actually achieving in practice...
Weishaupt MA, Byström A, von Peinen K, Wiestner T, Meyers H, Waldern N, Johnston C, van Weeren R, Roepstorff L.The load acting on the limbs and the load distribution between fore- and hindlimbs while performing specific dressage exercises lack objective assessment. Objective: The greater a horse's level of collection, the more load is shifted to the rear and that during the passage the vertical load on the limbs increases in relation to the accentuated vertical movement of the centre of mass. Methods: Back and limb kinematics, vertical ground reaction force and time parameters of each limb were measured in 6 Grand Prix dressage horses performing on an instrumented treadmill at the trot and the passage....
Hobbs SJ, Robinson MA, Clayton HM.Ground reaction forces (GRF) measured during equine gait analysis are typically evaluated by analyzing discrete values obtained from continuous force-time data for the vertical, longitudinal and transverse GRF components. This paper describes a simple, temporo-spatial method of displaying and analyzing sagittal plane GRF vectors. In addition, the application of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) is introduced to analyse differences between contra-lateral fore and hindlimb force-time curves throughout the stance phase. The overall aim of the study was to demonstrate alternative methods of eva...
Hapke HJ, Strathmann W.Hordenine is an ingredient of some plants which are used as feed for animals, i.e. in sprouting barley. After ingestion of such feed hordenine may be detected in blood or urine of horses which in case of racing horses may be the facts of using prohibited compounds. Results of some experiments in pharmacological models show that hordenine is an indirectly acting adrenergic drug. It liberates norepinephrine from stores. In isolated organs and those structures with reduced epinephrine contents the hordenine-effect is only very poor. Experiments in intact animals (rats, dogs) show that hordenine h...
Luís C, Cothran EG, Oom Mdo M.The Sorraia horse is a closed breed with reduced effective population size and considered in critical maintained risk status. The breed exists in 2 main breeding populations, one in Portugal and one in Germany, with a smaller population size. A set of 22 microsatellite loci was used to examine genetic diversity and structure of the Sorraia horse breed and to compare individual inbreeding coefficient F, estimated from pedigree data, with individual heterozygosity and mean d(2). The Sorraia horse shows lower levels of microsatellite diversity when compared with other horse breeds. Due to managem...
Vidale P, Magnani E, Nergadze SG, Santagostino M, Cristofari G, Smirnova A, Mondello C, Giulotto E.Many human primary somatic cells can be immortalized by inducing telomerase activity through the exogenous expression of the human telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT). This approach has been extended to the immortalization of cell lines from several mammals. Here, we show that hTERT expression is not sufficient to immortalize primary fibroblasts from three equid species, namely donkey, Burchelli's zebra and Grevy's zebra. In vitro analysis of a reconstituted telomerase composed by hTERT and an equid RNA component of telomerase (TERC) revealed a low activity of this enzyme compared to human te...
