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PubMed2005

Future directions in treatment of joint disease in horses.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most economically important diseases facing equine practitioners. The loss of use associated with joint disease is a leading problem in the equine industry. Although osteoarthritis in all species is believed to be a multifactorial disease that is not well understood, significant advances are being made. This article presents areas of research that are relatively well developed but have not made it to commercialization or routine clinical practice and looks at new applications being investigated for peo-ple that may have an equine application.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Hendra virus disease in horses.

The author provides an account of the discovery of a previously undescribed disease of horses and a description of the studies involved in determining the aetiology of the disease. The causative virus, now named Hendra virus (HeV), is the reference virus for a proposed new genus within the virus family Paramyxoviridae. The virus is a lethal zoonotic agent able to cause natural disease in humans and horses and experimentally induced disease in cats, guinea-pigs and mice. The virus also naturally infects species of the family Megachiroptera, mainly subclinically, and such animals are the natural host of HeV. The virus appears to transmit readily between species of Megachiroptera, but not readily between horses under natural and experimental conditions, or from horses to humans. The method of transmission from bats to horses is not known. Three incidents of HeV disease in horses have been recorded in Australia--two in 1994 which caused the death of two humans and fifteen horses and one in 1999 which involved the death of a single horse. Hendra virus is related to Nipah virus, the virus that caused disease and mortality in humans, pigs, dogs and cats in Malaysia during 1998 and 1999.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

IgG antibody responses to an inhaled antigen in horses with "heaves" (recurrent airway obstruction).

A controlled experimental system for the evaluation of pulmonary immune responses in horses with "heaves" (recurrent airway obstruction) has been developed. We hypothesized that the humoral immune response to an inhaled antigen in diseased horses would be different from that of healthy horses and that chronic pulmonary inflammation would bias the production of IgG isotypes in diseased horses as compared to healthy horses. Healthy and affected horses were housed in a natural challenge environment (stabled, fed dusty hay) and exposed by inhalation, to a nebulized solution of keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Sera and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs) were collected from horses prior to and following their inhalation exposure to the antigen. Differential cell counts were performed on the cells in the BALF. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the concentrations of IgGa, IgGb, IgG(T) and combined IgG specific for KLH in the sera and BALF. The percentages of neutrophils in the BALF of diseased horses were increased 4-6-fold over healthy horses. Combined IgG specific for KLH was significantly greater in BALF and serum from healthy compared to diseased horses. Differences in isotypes were also evident; however, only IgGb specific for KLH in the BALF was significantly increased in healthy versus diseased horses. Possible explanations for this difference include: (1) increased destruction of antigen before it could interact with lymphocytes, (2) down-regulation of IgGb production by inhibitory cytokines in diseased horses, or (3) binding of IgGb to Fc receptors on the large numbers of neutrophils in the lungs of diseased horses. In contrast to the prevailing notion that horses with heaves have exaggerated immune responses, our data suggest that diseased horses exposed to an aerosolized protein mount weaker IgG responses compared to healthy horses.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1989

Evaluation of total plasma bile acid concentrations for the diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease in horses.

Plasma bile acid concentrations were measured in normal horses. There was no diurnal variation in values, and age and sex had no effect. There was no significant difference between serum and plasma bile acid concentrations in clinically normal horses. Plasma bile acids were stable on storage for one month at -20 degrees C. The total plasma bile acid concentrations together with total and direct bilirubin concentrations and plasma activities of aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate and iditol dehydrogenase were evaluated in horses with various types of hepatobiliary disease (hepatic necrosis, lipidosis, neoplasia and cirrhosis), gastrointestinal disease, cardiovascular, orthopaedic and various other conditions not affecting the liver. Total plasma bile acids together with plasma glutamate and iditol dehydrogenase activities were the best indicators of liver disease. Total plasma bile acid concentrations were the most sensitive indicator of a wide variety of hepatic diseases but alone were unhelpful in differential diagnosis and were of more value when combined with the other tests of hepatic disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

A screening test for subclinical liver disease in horses affected by pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate various biochemical tests as indicators of subclinical liver disease in horses exposed to pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicosis. DESIGN: A clinical pathology field study. ANIMALS: Twenty-two clinically normal horses from four properties in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. PROCEDURE: Serum samples from each horse were assayed for gamma glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase and aspartate aminotransferase activities, and for serum bile acid concentration, albumin and total protein. Serum protein electrophoresis was performed and their amino acid profiles determined. Bromosulphophthalein half-clearance times were measured. Horses were then subjected to a single liver biopsy. Results were analysed by, variance of group means, the Fisher-Irwin exact test, and by sensitivity and specificity calculation. RESULTS: Horses were classified into 2 groups, of 10 unaffected and 12 subclinically affected, on the basis of liver histology. Significant differences between the unaffected and subclinical groups were observed for gamma glutamyltransferase and alkaline phosphatase activities (P < 0.01). Gamma glutamyltransferase had sufficient sensitivity (75%) and specificity (90%) to function as a primary screening test for subclinical liver disease in horses exposed to pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Alkaline phosphatase was useful, but with lower sensitivity (58%). CONCLUSION: Serum gamma glutamyltransferase activity is a useful screening test for detecting subclinical liver disease in horses exposed to pyrrolizidine alkaloids under field conditions in northern Australia.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed2005

Climatic and aeroallergen risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in horses.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the association between climate and airborne pollen and fungal factors and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in horses. SAMPLE POPULATION: Data from 1,444 horses with a diagnosis of COPD. PROCEDURE: The Veterinary Medical Database was used to identify records of horses admitted to veterinary teaching hospitals in the United States and Canada between 1990 and 1999. Rainfall, mean minimum and maximum temperature, and maximum monthly pollen and fungal spore (mold) counts recorded at the city closest to where the hospital is located were identified for each month data were reported to the Veterinary Medical Database. Associations between climatic and aeroallergen data and monthly prevalence of COPD were estimated by use of cross-correlation and logistic regression models. RESULTS: Significant positive correlations were found between prevalence of COPD and rainfall 3 months previously, minimum temperature 1 and 2 months previously, total pollen counts measured 3 months previously, and total mold counts measured during the same month and 1 month previously. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Outdoor aeroallergens and climatic factors may contribute to the occurrence of COPD in horses.

Allergens↗
PubMed1984

Borna disease of horses. An immunohistological and virological study of naturally infected animals.

The brains of eight horses that had suffered from natural Borna disease were examined with virologic, immunohistological, and electron-microscopic methods. All brains harbored infectious virus as shown by inoculation of experimental animals. Regional assessment of the infectivity exhibited the highest titers in the hippocampus and piriform cortex and the lowest in the cerebellum. Conventional histology yielded pathologic alterations very similar to those of the classical description of the disease. Immunohistology demonstrated the highest amounts of Borna disease virus-specific antigen in the nuclei of neurons. In the perikarya, dendrites, and axons smaller amounts of antigen were found. A comparison of the antigen distribution with the inflammatory reaction established a high concordance of these two parameters. The presence of virus-specific antigen seems to trigger the exsudation of inflammatory cells, which reflect the extension of the infectious process. Heavy inflammatory exsudates in the white matter underlying diseased cortical areas can be explained by the axonal presence of virus-specific antigen. Virus particles could not be demonstrated with the electron microscope. The most significant findings at the ultrastructural level were stacks of fine filaments, adhering closely to cytoplasmic cisterns. These structures might be related to virus components or might be involved in virus morphogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Aujeszky's disease in horses fulfils Koch's postulates.

Aujeszky's disease virus was isolated from the brain of a horse which had shown severe neurological signs, including excessive sweating, muscle tremors and periods of mania. Pathological examination revealed a non-suppurative meningoencephalitis. The virus was propagated in cell culture and inoculated into the conjunctiva and nostrils of two ponies. The ponies developed fever seven days after inoculation and subsequently started to behave abnormally, showing severe neurological signs on the ninth day after inoculation. One pony became excited and the other was depressed. One pony died on the ninth day after inoculation and the other was euthanased on the 10th day. Both ponies had a significant increase in serum antibody titre against the virus. The virus was recovered from several parts of the brains and the eyes of the ponies. Aujeszky's disease in horses therefore fulfils Koch's postulates. Although horses do not appear to be very susceptible to the virus, Aujeszky's disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of horses with fatal or transient neurological signs of disease in areas where the virus is endemic.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Idiopathic acute hepatic disease in horses: 12 cases (1982-1992).

Acute hepatic disease was diagnosed in 16 horses during the study period. Twelve of those cases were characterized as idiopathic acute hepatic disease (IAHD). In 9 of the 12 (75%) cases of IAHD, the horses were female, and 7 of the 9 females were lactating and had been treated with tetanus antitoxin at parturition. Diagnosis of IAHD was based on anamnesis, clinical signs, and results of serum biochemical analyses, hepatic biopsy, and postmortem examination. Within 1 year of the illness, 75% (9/12) of the horses had died or had been euthanatized. Not all horses had the typical fulminant signs associated with IAHD and in those horses, serum biochemical analyses were particularly helpful in diagnosis. Because tetanus antitoxin administration seemed to be associated with IAHD, use of tetanus antitoxin is not without risk, and routine administration of tetanus antitoxin, particularly to parturient mares, should be discouraged.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1975

Symposium on back problems in the horse. (2) The diagnosis of diseases of the horse's back.

A description of some of the clinical features of low back pain in the horse has been given and a number of methods for assisting diagnosis considered. As well as a complete clinical examination both at rest and during exercise, a useful diagnostic aid in some chronic cases was the injection of local anaesthetic into the interspinous spaces. A laboratory examination, including haematological and biochemical profiles, was undertaken in all cases. The serum enzymes GOT and CPK were particularly valuable as an aid to diagnosis in atypical tying-up. A technique for radiography of the vertebral column of the mid back in the standing position and of the pelvic and sacroiliac regions of the anaesthetised horse was described using a Siemens Triplex Optimatic 1023 machine. Some of the radiological features of the vertebral column were considered and a breakdown of the diagnosis of 110 referred back cases. The most important conditions included muscle strain, crowding and overriding of the dorsal spinous processes in the mid back, spondylosis, undue curvature of the spine and vertebral fractures.

Anesthesia, Local↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Water hardness in relation to cadium accumulation and microscopic signs of cardiovascular disease in horses.

The hardness of drinking water (i.e., the sum of calcium and magnesium concentrations) has been related to cadmium concentration in kidney cortex and to microscopic signs of arteriosclerosis and focal myocardial fibrosis in 50 Swedish horses slaughtered for meat production. A significant negative correlation was found between water hardness and cadmium concentrations in kidney cortex. This indicates that horses living in soft water areas are more inclined to accumulate cadmium from the general environment. Microscopic changes in the aorta and myocardium were approximately 2 times as frequent in horses that drank soft water compared to horses that drank hard water. The differences were, however, not statistically significant. It is concluded that horses are well suited for studies of the "water factor".

Animals↗
PubMed1986

A retrospective study of proliferative interstitial lung disease of horses in Florida.

Proliferative and fibrosing interstitial lung disease was diagnosed in 20 horses submitted for necropsy between 1982 and 1985. Most of the horses were foals ranging from 3 days to 6 months in age. Six adult horses were affected. The macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the lesions consisted of proliferative interstitial pneumonia and were similar to those of atypical interstitial pneumonia of ruminants. Based on morphologic features of the lesions, a toxic etiology is suspected for the induction of this naturally acquired primary equine lung disorder, but could not be specifically discovered by historical information.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

An outbreak of respiratory disease in horses associated with Mycoplasma felis infection.

Lower respiratory tract disease developed in a group of racehorses in training between two and six years of age. Disease was observed in 22 of 25 horses for which full records were available. Seroconversion to Mycoplasma felis was demonstrated by indirect haemagglutination assay in 19 of 22 paired sera and high titres (> or = 64) were found in convalescent sera from the three remaining horses. Evidence of respiratory viral infection was confined to seroconversions to equine herpesvirus-4 in two of the horses. Tracheal wash samples, taken from four horses with visibly increased tracheal mucopus, contained more than 10(4) colony forming units/ml M felis and high proportions of neutrophils. This is the first description of an outbreak of lower respiratory tract disease in horses in training associated with M felis infection.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Use of a topical disinfectant as part of a hoof care programme for horses with diseases of the hoof capsule.

Twenty-three horses with persistent hoof horn defects were treated topically with a hoof disinfectant as part of a hoof care programme for a year. The active ingredients of the disinfectant were a poloaximer-iodine complex, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, isopropyl alcohol and propylene glycol. Hoof trimmings were taken at the start of the study and every six weeks, and examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. At the beginning of the study all the horn samples contained large numbers of bacteria, and samples from eight of the horses also had fungal hyphae intermingled with the bacteria. After the application of the hoof disinfectant and adjustments to their diet, there were rapid improvements in the gross appearance of the feet of all the horses; some of them improved within two to three weeks and by 12 weeks the horn quality of all the horses had greatly improved.

2-Propanol↗
PubMed2005

Evaluation of a commercially available human serum amyloid A (SAA) turbidometric immunoassay for determination of equine SAA concentrations.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether equine serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations could be measured reliably with a turbidometric immunoassay (TIA) developed for use with human serum. Intra- and inter-assay imprecision were evaluated by multiple measurements on equine serum pools. Assay inaccuracy was determined by linearity under dilution. The assay was subsequently used for measuring SAA concentrations in clinically healthy horses, horses with inflammatory diseases, horses with non-inflammatory diseases, and in horses before and after castration. In pools with low, intermediate and high SAA concentrations, the intra-assay imprecisions were 24.4%, 1.6% and 2.1%, and the inter-assay imprecisions were 33.2%, 4.6% and 6.5%. Slight signs of inaccuracy were observed, but these inaccuracies were negligible when considering the large dynamic range of the SAA response. The assay was able to detect the expected difference in SAA levels in different groups of horses. It was also able to demonstrate the expected dynamic changes in SAA after castration. In conclusion, equine SAA concentrations can be measured reliably using the TIA designed for human SAA.

Animals↗