Myelopathy and vitamin E deficiency in six Mongolian wild horses.

This research studied six Mongolian wild horses that were diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy, a condition affecting the spinal cord. The researchers found this was possibly linked to a deficiency in vitamin E.

Objective

The objective of the research was to investigate the link between degenerative myelopathy, a disease of the spinal cord, and low levels of vitamin E in six Mongolian wild horses.

Inspection and Diagnosis of the Horses

• Three of the affected horses showed a history of ataxia (loss of control of body movements) since birth or up to three months old.
• The primary clinical symptoms observed were uncoordinated movement of the hind legs and an unusually wide walking and standing position.
• The remaining three horses exhibited mild ataxia.
• No visible lesions or abnormalities were detected in the brain, vertebrae, or spinal cord of the examined horses.

Post-mortem Examination Findings

• A histologic examination revealed deterioration of the neuronal processes in the ventral and lateral funiculus in all six horses.
• Myelin sheaths (insulating layers around the nerve fibers) were enlarged and formed empty spaces, and the axons (nerve fibers) were found to be swollen, fragmented, or dissolved.
• The researchers also observed degeneration of neurons, the eating up (phagocytosis) of dead or damaged cells, and accumulation of PAS-positive lipopigment, indicating damage or dysfunction to the neurons.

Vitamin E Levels

• The researchers measured the alpha-tocopherol levels in the blood plasma of the horses, which is indicative of the Vitamin E level.
• They noticed that the alpha-tocopherol values in five of the affected horses ranged from less than 0.03 to 0.08 mg/dl (average of 0.04 mg/dl). This is low enough to be considered deficient.
• In comparison, seven clinically normal horses from the same herd had alpha-tocopherol levels ranging from less than 0.03 to 0.3 mg/dl. Even though some of the normal horses had slightly higher levels of alpha-tocopherol compared to the affected horses, it was still low enough for a diagnosis of deficiency.

Conclusion

The researchers concluded that vitamin E deficiency might be linked to degenerative myelopathy in Mongolian wild horses. Further research is needed to confirm this association and understand the underlying mechanisms.