Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Pathomorphological study on gastroduodenal ulceration in horses: localisation of lesions.
Abstract: Gastroduodenal ulceration is a prevalent disease in foals and adult horses. Decreased performance as well as fatal complications relate to this syndrome. The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of gastric ulceration in a mixed population of horses by postmortem examination and to evaluate a possible association between equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) and sex or age of the examined horses, to evaluate the localisation of lesions in the proximal part of the gastrointestinal tract and to determine the occurrence of gastric parasites. Postmortem examinations were performed on 71 horses over a period of 24 months. Gastric ulcers were found in 52 horses (73.2%). There was no significant association between age or sex and occurrence of gastric ulcers. In all horses the squamous mucosa lesions were localised near the margo plicatus (100% of the cases), whereas in 23 horses the lesions were near the margo plicatus and lesser curvature and in 7 horses at the greater curvature. In 18 horses the mucosa was affected in the whole extent of the margo plicatus and in 1 horse diffuse lesions of the squamous mucosa were noted. Lesions of the glandular mucosa were localised in 11 horses at the fundic area, in 1 horse they occurred in the pylorus, and in 10 horses diffuse lesions of the glandular mucosa were recorded. A low prevalence of Gasterophilus intestinalis infection was detected (1 horse, 1.4%). We have confirmed that gastric ulcers are a common problem in horses and duodenal or oesophageal ulceration is rare (not a single case of the latter was found in this study). Lesions in the glandular mucosa of the stomach are more frequent in suckling foals than in older animals. Lesions of the glandular mucosa are also common in adult horses, and a complete gastroscopic examination including examination of the pylorus is advisable to evaluate this syndrome.
Publication Date: 2007-06-09 PubMed ID: 17555289DOI: 10.1556/AVet.55.2007.2.10Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This research study aimed to determine the prevalence of gastroduodenal ulceration, a common disease in both foals and adult horses, via postmortem examinations. In addition, it evaluated the localisation of these ulcers in the upper part of the horse’s gastrointestinal tract and uncovered that these ulcers are prevalent but not associated with factors such as age and sex of the horses.
Objective and Methodology
- The main goal of the study was to determine how frequently horses have gastric ulcers with data gathered through postmortem examination.
- The relationship between the development of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS), age, sex and the localisation of the resultant lesions were also evaluated within the scope of this study.
- In addition, there was an evaluation for the presence of gastric parasites in the test subjects.
- The study was conducted on 71 horses over a span of 24 months.
Findings
- The study found that more than 73% of the horses examined had gastric ulcers.
- However, there was no discernible pattern linking the presence of these ulcers with the age or sex of the horses, indicating that all horses, regardless of these factors, are equally susceptible to developing gastric ulcers.
- The most frequent location for lesions was identified as being near the margo plicatus, an anatomical ridge in the horse’s stomach that separates two types of stomach lining. All horses with ulcers had lesions in this region.
- Lesions also occurred near the lesser curvature in some horses and at the greater curvature in a few. A few horses had lesions spread to the mucus lining the stomach.
- Few horses had lesions in the glandular mucosa, the stomach lining that secretes acid, that were diffusely spread or localised to the fundus or the pylorus.
- The study also saw a low prevalence of Gasterophilus intestinalis infection- a species of botfly whose larvae are parasite to the horse’s stomach.
Conclusions
- The research confirms the common occurrence of gastric ulcers in horses, with duodenal or oesophagus ulcers being rare.
- The study suggests higher occurrence of lesions in the glandular mucosa in suckling foals compared to older horses.
- In conclusion, the researchers recommend a complete gastroscopic examination, including pylorus examination, to effectively evaluate EGUS in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Bezdekova B, Jahn P, Vyskocil M.
(2007).
Pathomorphological study on gastroduodenal ulceration in horses: localisation of lesions.
Acta Vet Hung, 55(2), 241-249.
https://doi.org/10.1556/AVet.55.2007.2.10 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Internal Medicine, Equine Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackeho 1-3, 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic. bbezdekova@vfu.cz
MeSH Terms
- Age Factors
- Animals
- Cadaver
- Czech Republic / epidemiology
- Diagnosis, Differential
- Female
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Male
- Peptic Ulcer / epidemiology
- Peptic Ulcer / pathology
- Peptic Ulcer / veterinary
- Severity of Illness Index
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Zhou K, Dong Z, Zhou X, Zhai B, Li B, Zhang J, Cheng F. The Prevalence of Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in 395 Horses in Jiangyin City, China, Jiangsu Province. Animals (Basel) 2024 Dec 17;14(24).
- Ndossi BA, Mjingo EE, Mdaki MM, Zebedayo MW, Choe S, Bia MM, Yang H, Seo S, Eom KS. Gasterophilus intestinalis infestation in lion (Panthera leo) and plains zebra (Equus quagga) in the Serengeti ecosystem: Morphological and molecular profiling. Parasite 2024;31:58.
- Hewetson M, Tallon R. Equine Squamous Gastric Disease: Prevalence, Impact and Management. Vet Med (Auckl) 2021;12:381-399.
- Li XY, Pape T, Zhang D. Taxonomic review of Gasterophilus (Oestridae, Gasterophilinae) of the world, with updated nomenclature, keys, biological notes, and distributions. Zookeys 2019;891:119-156.
- Li XY, Pape T, Zhang D. Gasterophilus flavipes (Oestridae: Gasterophilinae): A horse stomach bot fly brought back from oblivion with morphological and molecular evidence. PLoS One 2019;14(8):e0220820.
- Elgar MA, Zhang D, Wang Q, Wittwer B, Thi Pham H, Johnson TL, Freelance CB, Coquilleau M. Insect Antennal Morphology: The Evolution of Diverse Solutions to Odorant Perception. Yale J Biol Med 2018 Dec;91(4):457-469.
- Zhang D, Li X, Liu X, Wang Q, Pape T. The antenna of horse stomach bot flies: morphology and phylogenetic implications (Oestridae, Gasterophilinae: Gasterophilus Leach). Sci Rep 2016 Oct 5;6:34409.
- Woodward MC, Huff NK, Garza F Jr, Keowen ML, Kearney MT, Andrews FM. Effect of pectin, lecithin, and antacid feed supplements (Egusin®) on gastric ulcer scores, gastric fluid pH and blood gas values in horses. BMC Vet Res 2014;10 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S4.
- Niedźwiedź A, Kubiak K, Nicpoń J. Endoscopic findings of the stomach in pleasure horses in Poland. Acta Vet Scand 2013 Jun 7;55(1):45.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
