Image challenge in Veterinary Pathology, answers: Neuropathology.

The research article provides an understanding of the complex cases encountered in equine vet pathology, displaying various diseases of horses and their causative pathogens, visible through specific images.

Image 1: Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis

• The research first discusses equine pancreatitis, a disease caused by the migration of Strongylus equinus and Parascaris equorum parasites into the pancreas.
• This pancreatic disease results in the destruction and fibrosis of the organ and is rarely found in adult horses and foals.
• Common symptoms include colic and lack of appetite.
• The disease can arise independently or secondary to other illnesses that impact the gastrointestinal, hepatic systems, impede the pancreatic duct, or compromise the immune system.

Image 2: Sabulous Cystitis/Urolithiasis

• The article’s second focus is on the urinary bladder disease known as sabulous cystitis/urolithiasis in horses.
• This condition is characterized by the excessive accumulation of calcium carbonate sludge in the inflamed urinary bladder, usually due to urinary bladder paralysis or other physical or neurologic disorders that impede the bladder’s complete emptying.
• Common symptoms include urinary incontinence, hindlimb weakness, and ataxia.
• Understanding diseases impacting the nervous and/or musculoskeletal systems is critical, as they could potentially incite the pre-existing condition.

Image 3: Alzheimer’s Type II Astrogliosis in Horses

• Next, the paper discusses Alzheimer’s type II astrogliosis, a condition that affects the neurons in horses due to an increase in harmful compounds, the most known being ammonia.
• The condition is characterized by the appearance of enlarged, clear, vesicular nuclei in neurons.
• Even though this condition is conventionally linked to liver insufficiency, it can also arise due to renal insufficiency or intestinal disease.
• This case specifically points to bacterial enterocolitis as the cause, a situation resulting from an overgrowth of urease-producing bacteria and elevated intestinal permeability.

Image 4: Multinodular Pulmonary Fibrosis

• The last condition discussed in the article is Equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF), a lung disease caused by equine herpesvirus-5.
• This virus from the Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily targets the lower respiratory tract of horses, leading to a long-term low-grade fever, loss of body weight, and growing intolerance to exercise.
• The most common visible symptom of EMPF are multifocal, small coalescing nodules, visible on the horse’s lung.