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Lack of galectin-3 alters the balance of innate immune cytokines and confers resistance to Rhodococcus equi infection. Galectin-3 is a beta-galactoside-binding lectin implicated in the fine-tuning of innate immunity. Rhodococcus equi, a facultative intracellular bacterium of macrophages, causes severe granulomatous bronchopneumonia in young horses and immunocompromised humans. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of galectin-3 in the innate resistance mechanism against R. equi infection. The bacterial challenge of galectin-3-deficient mice (gal3-/-) and their wild-type counterpart (gal3+/+) revealed that the LD50 for the gal3(-/-) mice was about seven times higher than that for the gal3+/+ mice. Wh...
Voluntary intake and digestibility in horses: effect of forage quality with emphasis on individual variability. Food intake is a key biological process in animals, as it determines the energy and nutrients available for the physiological and behavioural processes. In herbivores, the abundance, structure and quality of plant resources are known to influence intake strongly. In ruminants, as the forage quality declines, digestibility and total intake decline. Equids are believed to be adapted to consume high-fibre low-quality forages. As hindgut fermenters, it has been suggested that their response to a reduction in food quality is to increase intake to maintain rates of energy and nutrient absorption. Al...
Jennet milk production during the lactation in a Sicilian farming system. In Italy, the interest for jennet milk production has recently developed. An 18-month-long experiment was carried out on a jennet farm near Milo (CT), where 24 jennets, which derived from the Ragusana breed, were tested for milk yield and composition over an entire lactation period. The jennets were fed with hay and concentrate in a large paddock. From the 28th post-foaling day to the end of the lactation, the jennets were machine-milked twice a day with an in-between milking interval of 5 h. The milk amount from each jennet was recorded every 3 weeks and individual samples were collected and ...
Alpha-tocopherol protects against oxidative damage to lipids of the rod outer segments of the equine retina. Oxidative stress is a possible risk factor for eye diseases. Lipid peroxidation is one of the major events induced by oxidative stress and is particularly active in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-rich biomembranes. This work evaluated endogenous lipid antioxidants, in vitro non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation of rod outer segment membranes (ROS), the fatty acid composition during oxidative damage of total lipids from equine retina and ROS, and the protective action of alpha-tocopherol (alpha-Toc). The major lipid soluble antioxidant was alpha-Toc followed by retinoids and carotenoids. The reti...
[The horse as an athlete: an animal model of choice for sports medicine: sonographic studies of joint disorders]. Equine diagnostic sonography was initially used for the diagnosis and documentation of tendon injuries. Since 1990, this technique, along with radiography, has become an indispensable imaging procedure for the diagnosis of equine joint injuries. Sonography provides precise diagnostic information on the synovial membrane and fluid, the articular cartilage, subchondral bone and joint margins, the ligaments and menisci, and the anatomical structures involved in periarticular swelling or enlargement. Improvements in ultrasound machines and better superficial and deep image resolution allow us to e...
Evaluation of clinical examination for differential diagnosis of lameness by navicular apparatus or heel pain in horses. To evaluation of clinical examination for differential diagnosis of navicular region pain from other forms of palmar heel pain in the forelimb in horses the present study was undertaken. Thirty four horses with lameness referable to the palmar aspect of the hoof based on their response to the palmar digital nerves analgesia were divided into 2 groups based on their response to both distal interphalangeal joint and navicular bursa analgesia. Horses that were profoundly improved by both analgesic blocks (distal interphalangeal joint and navicular bursa) were considered to have navicular region p...
Estimation of genetic parameters on conformation traits of the Iranian Arab horses population. Arab horse is a popular pure breed in Iran and is registered by World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO). There is no scientific study and research about this breed. In this research 13 conformation traits on a random sample of the Iranian Arab horses studied. The estimate of variance components estimated by Animal Model and Derivative Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood (DF-REML) approach and DF-REML software. Heritability of conformation traits is also evaluated. The range of estimated heritability were (0.050 +/- 0.008) neck length and (0.614 +/- 0.087) croup height. Results indicated that, c...
Molecular identification of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi and Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus in nasal swabs samples from horses suffering respiratory infections in Iran. The objective of this study was to evaluate the existence of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi and Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus as probable agents associated with naturally occurring infection of the equine upper respiratory disease in Mashhad area. Nasal swabs samples from thirty horses with upper respiratory tract infections were collected. The bacteria isolated and identified were Streptococcus equi subsp. equi (1 isolate), Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (25 isolates), Pasteurella sp. (11 isolates), Staphylococcus sp. (17 isolates), Bacillus sp. (4 isolates), Pseudomonas sp...
Lymphoproliferative disease with features of lymphoma in the central nervous system of a horse. Lymphoma (malignant lymphoma, lymphosarcoma) is uncommon in horses in the United Kingdom. This report describes an unusual form of lymphoproliferative disease with features of lymphoma restricted to the central nervous system (CNS) and with no evidence of a primary lesion elsewhere. Immunohistochemical examination defined an overwhelming predominance of T lymphocytes with admixed B lymphocytes and activated macrophages. This case exemplifies the challenges associated with definitive diagnosis of lymphoproliferative disease of the equine CNS.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms of interleukin-1 beta related genes and their associations with infection in the horse. In previous work, we found significant associations of horse chromosome 15 (ECA15) microsatellite markers HMSO1 and HTG06 with two horse infections, Rhodococcus equi and Lawsonia intracellularis, respectively. Interleukin-1 beta subunit and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist encoding genes (IL1B and IL1RN) could be considered as candidate genes underlying the associations reported. Therefore, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within three interleukin-1 beta functionally related genes: IL1B, IL1RN and Casp1 (interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme/caspasel encoding gene). Using a...
Trypanosoma evansi: A comparison of PCR and parasitological diagnostic tests in experimentally infected mice. Trypanosoma evansi is the causative agent of equine trypanosomosis, disease that affects horse's productivity and health. Parasitological and molecular methods are mostly used to detect the infection. The aim of this work was evaluate PCR sensitivity to detect T. evansi using the primers 21/22-mer, ITS1, ESAG 6/7 and TBR 1/2 designed from repetitive (multicopies) genomic sequences. The results were compare with two parasitological tests in mice, micro-haematocrite centrifugation technique and direct microscopic examination. The results shows (a) that the minimum amount of DNA from blood of hig...
ASAS Centennial Paper: The future of teaching and research in companion animal biology in departments of animal sciences. Departments of animal sciences must be relevant to a society in which a small number of people can raise almost all the food animal products needed. The declining number of people involved in animal agriculture has decreased enrollment of students interested in food animals in many departments of animal science. However, several departments welcomed students from a diverse background and began research on animals other than food animals. In many states, the undergraduate enrollment is made up primarily of students interested only in companion animals. A benefit of this is that we have recruite...
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and animals: zoonosis or humanosis? Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is increasing worldwide. Occasionally, animals are colonized or infected incidentally with human strains. Recently, however, new strains of MRSA emerging from within the animal kingdom, particularly in pigs, are causing human infection. MRSA has been reported in species as diverse as companion animals, horses and pigs, through to chinchillas, bats and parrots. In contrast, whereas strains of community-associated MRSA, the majority of which carry genes encoding Panton-Valentine leucocidin, are spreading rapidly in human populations, only sporad...
Prevalence of ergot derivatives in natural ryegrass pastures: detection and pathogenicity in the horse. In the present study, we determined the incidence and effects of season and weather on clinical manifestations of endophyte-infected ryegrass toxicity, performed chemical detection and pharmacological bioassays on ryegrass extracts, and conducted trials on: (i) effects of domperidone or metochlopramide on ovarian inactivity induced by endophyte-infected ryegrass; (ii) efficacy of buspirone or dihydrochloro phenyl piperazine (m-CPP) for preventing suppressed milk production induced by endophyte-infected ryegrass; and (iii) efficacy of domperidone to induce ovulation during winter anestrus. Mare...
Effect of a single dose of dexamethasone on glucose homeostasis in healthy horses by using the combined intravenous glucose and insulin test. Sustained dexamethasone administration to horses results in insulin resistance, which may predispose them to laminitis. A single dose of dexamethasone is commonly used as a diagnostic aid, yet the effect of a single dose of dexamethasone on glucose homeostasis in horses is not well defined. The objective of this study was to characterize the change in glucose dynamics over time in response to a single dose of dexamethasone. A combined glucose-insulin tolerance test (CGIT) was performed on 6 adult geldings before and at 2, 24, and 72 h postdexamethasone (40 microg/kg of BW, i.v.); a minimum of ...
Myonuclear domain size and myosin isoform expression in muscle fibres from mammals representing a 100,000-fold difference in body size. This comparative study of myonuclear domain (MND) size in mammalian species representing a 100,000-fold difference in body mass, ranging from 25 g to 2500 kg, was undertaken to improve our understanding of myonuclear organization in skeletal muscle fibres. Myonuclear domain size was calculated from three-dimensional reconstructions in a total of 235 single muscle fibre segments at a fixed sarcomere length. Irrespective of species, the largest MND size was observed in muscle fibres expressing fast myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms, but in the two smallest mammalian species studied (mouse and r...
Equine infectious anemia virus resists the antiretroviral activity of equine APOBEC3 proteins through a packaging-independent mechanism. Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), uniquely among lentiviruses, does not encode a vif gene product. Other lentiviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), use Vif to neutralize members of the APOBEC3 (A3) family of intrinsic immunity factors that would otherwise inhibit viral infectivity. This suggests either that equine cells infected by EIAV in vivo do not express active A3 proteins or that EIAV has developed a novel mechanism to avoid inhibition by equine A3 (eA3). Here, we demonstrate that horses encode six distinct A3 proteins, four of which contain a single copy o...
Astrocytic and microglial response and histopathological changes in the brain of horses with experimental chronic Trypanosoma evansi infection. This study aimed to characterize astrocytic and microglial response in the central nervous system (CNS) of equines experimentally infected with T. evansi. The experimental group comprised males and females with various degrees of crossbreeding, ages between four and seven years. The animals were inoculated intravenously with 10(6) trypomastigotes of T. evansi originally isolated from a naturally infected dog. All equines inoculated with T. evansi were observed until they presented symptoms of CNS disturbance, characterized by motor incoordination of the pelvic limbs, which occurred 67 days aft...
Identification of recombinant equine growth hormone in horse plasma by LC-MS/MS: a confirmatory analysis in doping control. Equine growth hormone (eGH) has been available since 1998 as an approved drug (EquiGen-5, Bresagen) containing recombinant eGH (reGH). It is suspected of being illegally administered to racehorses in order to improve physical performance and to speed-up wound healing. Thus it may be considered a doping agent which would require a sensitive and reliable method of identification and confirmation in order to regulate its use in racehorses. reGH differs from the native eGH by an additional methionine at the N-terminal (met-eGH) and has never been unambiguously detected in any type of biological ma...
Detection of West Nile virus infection in horses, Italy, September 2008. No abstract available
Equine herpesvirus 1 entry via endocytosis is facilitated by alphaV integrins and an RSD motif in glycoprotein D. Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is a member of the Alphaherpesvirinae, and its broad tissue tropism suggests that EHV-1 may use multiple receptors to initiate virus entry. EHV-1 entry was thought to occur exclusively through fusion at the plasma membrane, but recently entry via the endocytic/phagocytic pathway was reported for Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1 cells). Here we show that cellular integrins, and more specifically those recognizing RGD motifs such as alphaVbeta5, are important during the early steps of EHV-1 entry via endocytosis in CHO-K1 cells. Moreover, mutational analysis revea...
The structure of the polysaccharide of the lipopolysaccharide produced by Taylorella equigenitalis type strain (ATCC 35865). Taylorella equigenitalis is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes venereally transmitted contagious equine metritis (CEM), and its identification and differentiation from other bacteria and Taylorella species is an important requirement for the control of CEM infection. Based on the results of NMR and MS analysis, the antigenic O-polysaccharide (O-PS) component of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) produced by the type strain T. equigenitalis (ATCC 35865) was found to be a linear polymer composed of a repeating disaccharide unit, containing partially amidated 2,3-diacetamido-2,3-dideoxy-alpha-L-gulu...
A GYS1 gene mutation is highly associated with polysaccharide storage myopathy in Cob Normand draught horses. Glycogen storage diseases or glycogenoses are inherited diseases caused by abnormalities of enzymes that regulate the synthesis or degradation of glycogen. Deleterious mutations in many genes of the glyco(geno)lytic or the glycogenesis pathways can potentially cause a glycogenosis, and currently mutations in fourteen different genes are known to cause animal or human glycogenoses, resulting in myopathies and/or hepatic disorders. The genetic bases of two forms of glycogenosis are currently known in horses. A fatal neonatal polysystemic type IV glycogenosis, inherited recessively in affected Qu...
Advanced age in horses affects divisional history of T cells and inflammatory cytokine production. A number of model systems have been employed to investigate age-associated changes in immune function. The purpose of the current study was to characterize senescent T cells and to investigate the inflamm-aging phenomenon both in vitro and in vivo using the old horse as a model. We examined whether decreased T cell proliferation induced by Con A is caused by increased apoptosis. We also utilized intracellular CFSE to analyze changes within each round of cell proliferation, in particular cytokine production. Intracellular staining with flow cytometry, RT-PCR, and ELISA were used to measure pro-...
Expression of platelet-derived growth factor-beta receptor and bovine papillomavirus E5 and E7 oncoproteins in equine sarcoid. Equine sarcoids are benign fibroblastic skin tumours that are recognized throughout the world. Infection with bovine papillomavirus (BPV) types 1 and 2 has been implicated as a major factor in disease development; however, the cellular mechanisms underlying fibroblast transformation remain poorly defined. The present study further characterizes aspects of the association with BPV in 15 equine sarcoids. BPV DNA was demonstrated in 12/15 tumours collected from different areas of Italy. Nine of these 12 tumours expressed the BPV oncoproteins E5 and E7, but these oncoproteins were not expressed by...
Evidence to suggest that cathepsin K degrades articular cartilage in naturally occurring equine osteoarthritis. The mechanisms leading to degeneration of articular cartilage in osteoarthritis (OA) are complex and not yet fully understood. Cathepsin K (CK) is a cysteine protease which can also cleave the triple helix of type II collagen. This exposes a neoepitope that can now be identified by specific antibodies. The aim of this study was to obtain evidence suggesting a role for CK in naturally occurring equine OA in both lesional and peri-lesional regions. Methods: Articular cartilages (n=12 horses; 5 healthy, 7 OA) were harvested from animals postmortem. A gross macroscopic examination, histologic (Saf...
Activation of peripheral blood monocytes results in more robust production of IL-10 in neonatal foals compared to adult horses. Foals are particularly vulnerable to infection by Rhodococcus equi during the first 2 weeks of life whereas mature horses are not. While an innate immunodeficiency likely accounts for this clinically relevant vulnerability, the factors that contribute to infection by R. equi have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that cells of the monocyte lineage, including monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells, that have been activated with LPS and IFN-gamma, respond with a statistically significant, greater amount of cytokine mRNA production of IL-10, IL-12p35, and IL-12p40 than...
Evaluation of orally administered valacyclovir in experimentally EHV1-infected ponies. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of valacyclovir against EHV1 in a controlled study. Eight naïve Shetland ponies were inoculated with 10(6.5) TCID(50) of the neuropathogenic strain 03P37. Four ponies were treated with valacyclovir at a dosage of 40mg/kg bodyweight, 3 times daily, for 5 (n=2) or 7 (n=2) consecutive days, while the other four ponies served as untreated controls. The treatment regimen started 1h before inoculation. Ponies were monitored daily for clinical signs. At 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 17 and 21 days post inoculation (d pi),...
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