Veterinary Medicine Commons^™

Enhanced Bovine Colostrum Supplementation Shortens The Duration Of Respiratory Disease In Thoroughbred Yearlings, Clara K. Fenger, Thomas Tobin, Patrick J. Casey, Edward A. Roualdes, John L. Langemeier, Ruel Cowles, Deborah M. Haines

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Bovine colostrum (BC) is used in humans as a nutritional supplement for immune support and has been shown to reduce Respiratory disease (RD). Other nutritional supplements, minerals and vitamins including mannan oligosaccharides (MOS), zinc and vitamins A, C and E have also been used for immune support. The aim of this prospective blinded randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effects of a BC, MOS, zinc and vitamin based enhanced bovine colostrum supplement (BCS) on incidence and duration of RD occurring in yearling horses. 109 yearlings on two Thoroughbred farms in Central Kentucky were randomly assigned to treatment or placebo …

Large Deletions At The Shox Locus In The Pseudoautosomal Region Are Associated With Skeletal Atavism In Shetland Ponies, Nima Rafati, Lisa S. Andersson, Sofia Mikko, Chungang Feng, Terje Raudsepp, Jessica Pettersson, Jan Janecka, Ove Wattle, Adam Ameur, Gunilla Thyreen, John E. Eberth, John Huddleston, Maika Malig, Ernest Bailey, Evan E. Eichler, Göran Dalin, Bhanu Chowdary, Leif Andersson, Gabriella Lindgren, Carl-Johan Rubin

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Skeletal atavism in Shetland ponies is a heritable disorder characterized by abnormal growth of the ulna and fibula that extend the carpal and tarsal joints, respectively. This causes abnormal skeletal structure and impaired movements, and affected foals are usually killed. In order to identify the causal mutation we subjected six confirmed Swedish cases and a DNA pool consisting of 21 control individuals to whole genome resequencing. We screened for polymorphisms where the cases and the control pool were fixed for opposite alleles and observed this signature for only 25 SNPs, most of which were scattered on genome assembly unassigned scaffolds. …

Effect Of Dietary Starch Source And Concentration On Equine Fecal Microbiota, Brittany E. Harlow, Laurie M. Lawrence, Susan H. Hayes, Andrea Crum, Michael D. Flythe

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Starch from corn is less susceptible to equine small intestinal digestion than starch from oats, and starch that reaches the hindgut can be utilized by the microbiota. The objective of the current study was to examine the effects of starch source on equine fecal microbiota. Thirty horses were assigned to treatments: control (hay only), HC (high corn), HO (high oats), LC (low corn), LO (low oats), and LW (low pelleted wheat middlings). Horses received an all-forage diet (2 wk; d -14 to d -1) before the treatment diets (2 wk; d 1 to 14). Starch was introduced gradually so that …

Equine Arteritis Virus Uses Equine Cxcl16 As An Entry Receptor, Sanjay Sarkar, Lakshman Chelvarajan, Yun Young Go, Frank Cook, Sergey Artiushin, Shankar Mondal, Kelsi Anderson, John E. Eberth, Peter J. Timoney, Theodore S. Kalbfleisch, Ernest F. Bailey, Udeni B. R. Balasuriya

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Previous studies in our laboratory have identified equine CXCL16 (EqCXCL16) to be a candidate molecule and possible cell entry receptor for equine arteritis virus (EAV). In horses, the CXCL16 gene is located on equine chromosome 11 (ECA11) and encodes a glycosylated, type I transmembrane protein with 247 amino acids. Stable transfection of HEK-293T cells with plasmid DNA carrying EqCXCL16 (HEK-EqCXCL16 cells) increased the proportion of the cell population permissive to EAV infection from < 3% to almost 100%. The increase in permissiveness was blocked either by transfection of HEK-EqCXCL16 cells with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) directed against EqCXCL16 or by pretreatment with guinea pig polyclonal antibody against EqCXCL16 protein (Gp anti-EqCXCL16 pAb). Furthermore, using a virus overlay protein-binding assay (VOPBA) in combination with far-Western blotting, gradient-purified EAV particles were shown to bind directly to the EqCXCL16 protein in vitro. The binding of biotinylated virulent EAV strain Bucyrus at 4°C was significantly higher in HEK-EqCXCL16 cells than nontransfected HEK-293T cells. Finally, the results demonstrated …

Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis: An Updated Consensus Statement With A Focus On Parasite Biology, Diagnosis, Treatment, And Prevention, S. M. Reed, M. Furr, Daniel K. Howe, A. L. Johnson, R. J. Mackay, J. K. Morrow, N. Pusterla, S. Witonsky

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) remains an important neurologic disease of horses. There are no pathognomonic clinical signs for the disease. Affected horses can have focal or multifocal central nervous system (CNS) disease. EPM can be difficult to diagnose antemortem. It is caused by either of 2 parasites, Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi, with much less known about N. hughesi. Although risk factors such as transport stress and breed and age correlations have been identified, biologic factors such as genetic predispositions of individual animals, and parasite-specific factors such as strain differences in virulence, remain largely undetermined. This consensus statement …

Comparison Of Protein Phosphatase Inhibition Assay With Lc-Ms/Ms For Diagnosis Of Microcystin Toxicosis In Veterinary Cases, Caroline E. Moore, Jeanette Juan, Yanping Lin, Cynthia L. Gaskill, Birgit Puschner

Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Faculty Publications

Microcystins are acute hepatotoxins of increasing global concern in drinking and recreational waters and are a major health risk to humans and animals. Produced by cyanobacteria, microcystins inhibit serine/threonine protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). A cost-effective PP1 assay using p-nitrophenyl phosphate was developed to quickly assess water and rumen content samples. Significant inhibition was determined via a linear model, which compared increasing volumes of sample to the log-transformed ratio of the exposed rate over the control rate of PP1 activity. To test the usefulness of this model in diagnostic case investigations, samples from two veterinary cases were tested. In August …

Mechanical Conflict System: A Novel Operant Method For The Assessment Of Nociceptive Behavior, Steven E. Harte, Jessica B. Meyers, Renee R. Donahue, Bradley K. Taylor, Thomas J. Morrow

Physiology Faculty Publications

A new operant test for preclinical pain research, termed the Mechanical Conflict System (MCS), is presented. Rats were given a choice either to remain in a brightly lit compartment or to escape to a dark compartment by crossing an array of height-adjustable nociceptive probes. Latency to escape the light compartment was evaluated with varying probe heights (0, .5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mm above compartment floor) in rats with neuropathic pain induced by constriction nerve injury (CCI) and in naive control rats. Escape responses in CCI rats were assessed following intraperitoneal administration of pregabalin (10 and 30 mg/kg), morphine …

Local Admixture Of Amplified And Diversified Secreted Pathogenesis Determinants Shapes Mosaic Toxoplasma Gondii Genomes, Hernan Lorenzi, Asis Khan, Michael S. Behnke, Sivaranjani Namasivayam, Lakshmipuram S. Swapna, Michalis Hadjithomas, Svetlana Karamycheva, Deborah Pinney, Brian P. Brunk, James W. Ajioka, Daniel Ajzenberg, John C. Boothroyd, Jon P. Boyle, Marie L. Dardé, Maria A. Diaz-Miranda, Jitender P. Dubey, Heather M. Fritz, Solange M. Gennari, Brian D. Gregory, Kami Kim, Jeroen P. J. Saeij, Chunlei Su, Michael W. White, Xing-Quan Zhu, Daniel K. Howe, Benjamin M. Rosenthal, Michael E. Grigg, John Parkinson, Liang Liu, Jessica C. Kissinger

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii is among the most prevalent parasites worldwide, infecting many wild and domestic animals and causing zoonotic infections in humans. T. gondii differs substantially in its broad distribution from closely related parasites that typically have narrow, specialized host ranges. To elucidate the genetic basis for these differences, we compared the genomes of 62 globally distributed T. gondii isolates to several closely related coccidian parasites. Our findings reveal that tandem amplification and diversification of secretory pathogenesis determinants is the primary feature that distinguishes the closely related genomes of these biologically diverse parasites. We further show that the unusual population structure …

Cobalt Use And Regulation In Horseracing: A Review, K. Brewer, G. Maylin, C. K. Fenger, Thomas Tobin

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Cobalt, atomic weight 58.9, is a metallic element and environmental substance found in the animal in microgram quantities, predominantly as vitamin B12, but is also a component of at least one mammalian enzyme unassociated with B12. Cobalt is a required trace mineral and has long been administered as a dietary supplement to humans and animals. Cobalt deficiency outside of its requirement in vitamin B12 has not been reported in humans. The administration of cobalt salts was once standard treatment for anaemia in humans, owing to its ability to stimulate red blood cell synthesis. Elemental cobalt acts by stabilising hypoxia inducible …

Differential Gene Expression In Equine Cartilaginous Tissues And Induced Chondrocytes, Emma N. Adam

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Degenerative joint disease, or osteoarthritis, is a major cause of lameness and morbidity in horses, humans, and dogs. There are no truly satisfactory cures for this widespread problem and current treatments all have limitations or unwanted side effects.

New cell-based strategies to repair joint surface lesions have generated a high level of interest, but have yet to achieve the full restoration of articular cartilage structure and function. Currently used therapy cells include autologous chondrocytes and adult mesenchymal cells such as bone marrow derived cells and adipose derived cells. Unfortunately, the resultant repair tissue is biomechanically inferior fibrocartilage. A critical gap …

In Vivo-Expressed Proteins Of Virulent Leptospira Interrogans Serovar Autumnalis N2 Elicit Strong Igm Responses Of Value In Conclusive Diagnosis, Veerapandian Raja, Santhanam Shanmughapriya, Murugesan Kanagavel, Sergey Artiushin, Sridhar Velineni, John F. Timoney, Kalimuthusamy Natarajaseenivasan

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Leptospirosis is a serious zoonosis that is underdiagnosed because of limited access to laboratory facilities in Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Oceania. Timely diagnosis of locally distributed serovars of high virulence is crucial for successful care and outbreak management. Using pooled patient sera, an expression gene library of a virulent Leptospira interrogans serovar Autumnalis strain N2 isolated in South India was screened. The identified genes were characterized, and the purified recombinant proteins were used as antigens in IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) either singly or in combination. Sera (n = 118) from cases of acute leptospirosis along …

Tissue Restricted Splice Junctions Originate Not Only From Tissue-Specific Gene Loci, But Gene Loci With A Broad Pattern Of Expression, Matthew S. Hestand, Zheng Zeng, Stephen J. Coleman, Jinze Liu, James N. Macleod

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Cellular mechanisms that achieve protein diversity in eukaryotes are multifaceted, including transcriptional components such as RNA splicing. Through alternative splicing, a single protein-coding gene can generate multiple mRNA transcripts and protein isoforms, some of which are tissue-specific. We have conducted qualitative and quantitative analyses of the Bodymap 2.0 messenger RNA-sequencing data from 16 human tissue samples and identified 209,363 splice junctions. Of these, 22,231 (10.6%) were not previously annotated and 21,650 (10.3%) were expressed in a tissue-restricted pattern. Tissue-restricted alternative splicing was found to be widespread, with approximately 65% of expressed multi-exon genes containing at least one tissue-specific splice junction. …

Summer-Long Grazing Of High Vs. Low Endophyte (Neotyphodium Coenophialum)-Infected Tall Fescue By Growing Beef Steers Results In Distinct Temporal Blood Analyte Response Patterns, With Poor Correlation To Serum Prolactin Levels, Joshua J. Jackson, Merlin D. Lindemann, James A. Boling, James C. Matthews

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Previously, we reported the effects of fescue toxicosis on developing Angus-cross steer growth, carcass, hepatic mRNA, and protein expression profiles of selected serum proteins, and blood clinical and chemical profiles, after summer-long grazing (85 days) of high endophyte (HE)- vs. low endophyte (LE)-infected fescue pastures. We now report the temporal development of acute, intermediate, and chronic responses of biochemical and clinical blood analytes determined at specified time intervals (period 1, day 0–36; period 2, day 37–58; and period 3, day 59–85). Throughout the trial, the alkaloid concentrations of the HE forage was consistently 19–25 times greater (P ≤ 0.002) …

Complete Genome Sequence Of Noncytopathic Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus 1 Contaminating A High-Passage Rk-13 Cell Line, Bora Nam, Ganwu Li, Ying Zheng, Jianqiang Zhang, Kathleen M. Shuck, Peter J. Timoney, Udeni B. R. Balasuriya

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

A high-passage rabbit kidney RK-13 cell line (HP-RK-13[KY], originally derived from the ATCC CCL-37 cell line) used in certain laboratories worldwide is contaminated with noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus (ncpBVDV). On complete genome sequence analysis, the virus strain was found to belong to BVDV group 1b.

Recurrent Streptococcus Equi Subsp. Zooepidemicus Bacteremia In An Infant, Joshua R. Watson, Amy Leber, Sridhar Velineni, John F. Timoney, Monica I. Ardura

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

We describe a case of an infant with recurrent bacteremia caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus, likely transmitted from mother to infant. Our case highlights the importance of an epidemiological history and molecular diagnostics in ascertaining insights into transmission, pathogenesis, and optimal management.

The Cestode Community In Northern Fur Seals (Callorhinus Ursinus) On St. Paul Island, Alaska, Tetiana A Kuzmina, Jesús S. Hernández-Orts, Eugene T. Lyons, Terry R Spraker, Vadym V. Kornyushyn, Roman Kuchta

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The diversity and ecology of cestodes from the northern fur seals, Callorhinus ursinus (NFS), were examined using newly collected material from 756 humanely harvested subadult males between 2011 and 2014. NFSs were collected from five different haul-outs on St. Paul Island, Alaska. A total of 14,660 tapeworms were collected with a prevalence of 98.5% and intensity up to 107 cestodes per host (mean intensity 19.7 ± 16.5 SD). Three species of tapeworms were found: Adenocephalus pacificus (Diphyllobothriidea) was the most prevalent (prevalence 97.4%), followed by Diplogonoporus tetrapterus (49.7%), and 5 immature specimens of Anophryocephalus cf. ochotensis (Tetrabothriidea) (0.5%). Most of …

Changes In Serum Strongylus Vulgaris-Specific Antibody Concentrations In Response To Anthelmintic Treatment Of Experimentally Infected Foals, Martin Krarup Nielsen, Jessica Scare, Holli Sullivan Gravatte, Jennifer Lynn Bellaw, Julio C. Prado, Craig Robert Reinemeyer

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Strongylus vulgaris is the most pathogenic nematode parasite of horses. Its extensive migration in the mesenteric blood vessels can lead to life-threatening intestinal infarctions. Recent work has shown that this parasite is still identified among managed horse populations. A serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed for the detection of migrating larvae of S. vulgaris. Previous work has documented an increase in ELISA values following larvicidal treatment with ivermectin and suggested that the target parasite antigen is primarily produced by the later larval stages. The aim of this study was to experimentally inoculate cohorts of foals with S. …

Comparison Of The Equine Reference Sequence With Its Sanger Source Data And New Illumina Reads, Jovan Rebolledo-Mendez, Matthew S. Hestand, Stephen J. Coleman, Zheng Zeng, Ludovic Orlando, James N. Macleod, Ted Kalbfleisch

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

The reference assembly for the domestic horse, EquCab2, published in 2009, was built using approximately 30 million Sanger reads from a Thoroughbred mare named Twilight. Contiguity in the assembly was facilitated using nearly 315 thousand BAC end sequences from Twilight's half brother Bravo. Since then, it has served as the foundation for many genome-wide analyses that include not only the modern horse, but ancient horses and other equid species as well. As data mapped to this reference has accumulated, consistent variation between mapped datasets and the reference, in terms of regions with no read coverage, single nucleotide variants, and small …

Annotation Of The Protein Coding Regions Of The Equine Genome, Matthew S. Hestand, Theodore S. Kalbfleisch, Stephen J. Coleman, Zheng Zeng, Jinze Liu, Ludovic Orlando, James N. Macleod

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Current gene annotation of the horse genome is largely derived from in silico predictions and cross-species alignments. Only a small number of genes are annotated based on equine EST and mRNA sequences. To expand the number of equine genes annotated from equine experimental evidence, we sequenced mRNA from a pool of forty-three different tissues. From these, we derived the structures of 68,594 transcripts. In addition, we identified 301,829 positions with SNPs or small indels within these transcripts relative to EquCab2. Interestingly, 780 variants extend the open reading frame of the transcript and appear to be small errors in the equine …

Systems-Based Analysis Of The Sarcocystis Neurona Genome Identifies Pathways That Contribute To A Heteroxenous Life Cycle, Tomasz Blazejewski, Nirvana Nursimulu, Viviana Pszenny, Sriveny Dangoudoubiyam, Sivaranjani Namasivayam, Melissa A. Chiasson, Kyle Chessman, Michelle Tonkin, Lakshmipuram S. Swapna, Stacy S. Hung, Joshua Bridgers, Stacy M. Ricklefs, Martin J. Boulanger, Jitender P. Dubey, Stephen F. Porcella, Jessica C. Kissinger, Daniel K. Howe, Michael E. Grigg, John Parkinson

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Sarcocystis neurona is a member of the coccidia, a clade of single-celled parasites of medical and veterinary importance including Eimeria, Sarcocystis, Neospora, and Toxoplasma. Unlike Eimeria, a single-host enteric pathogen, Sarcocystis, Neospora, and Toxoplasma are two-host parasites that infect and produce infectious tissue cysts in a wide range of intermediate hosts. As a genus, Sarcocystis is one of the most successful protozoan parasites; all vertebrates, including birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals are hosts to at least one Sarcocystis species. Here we sequenced Sarcocystis neurona, the causal agent of fatal equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. The …

Diagnosis Of Strongylus Vulgaris, Martin K. Nielsen, Ulla Anderson, Daniel K. Howe

Veterinary Science Faculty Patents

Embodiments of the presently-disclosed subject matter provide an isolated polypeptide comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, fragments thereof, and/or epitopes thereof. Embodiments of the presently-disclosed subject matter also provide methods for diagnosing a Strongylus vulgaris infection in a subject that comprises providing a biological sample from the subject and contacting the sample with the present isolated polypeptide, fragment thereof, and/or epitope thereof. In some embodiments theStrongylus vulgaris infection can be detected during a prepatent period. In further embodiments the subject is a horse.

Protective Efficacy Of Centralized And Polyvalent Envelope Immunogens In An Attenuated Equine Lentivirus Vaccine, Jodi K. Craigo, Corin Ezzelarab, Sheila J. Cook, Chong Liu, David Horohov, Charles J. Issel, Ronald C. Montelaro

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Lentiviral Envelope (Env) antigenic variation and related immune evasion present major hurdles to effective vaccine development. Centralized Env immunogens that minimize the genetic distance between vaccine proteins and circulating viral isolates are an area of increasing study in HIV vaccinology. To date, the efficacy of centralized immunogens has not been evaluated in the context of an animal model that could provide both immunogenicity and protective efficacy data. We previously reported on a live-attenuated (attenuated) equine infectious anemia (EIAV) virus vaccine, which provides 100% protection from disease after virulent, homologous, virus challenge. Further, protective efficacy demonstrated a significant, inverse, linear relationship …

Sudden Death, Aortic Rupture In Horses, Literature Review, Case Studies Reported And Risk Factors, Abelardo Morales Briceño, Aniceto Mendez, Kimberly Brewer, Charlie Hughes, Thomas Tobin

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Sudden deaths of horses in multiple equestrian disciplines have been attributed to acute and chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to perform a review of aortic rupture in horses analyzing, case studies and assessing risk factors. The literature has reported a total of 137 cases of aortic rupture in horses for 28 years (1986-2014), with approximately five horses dying of aortic rupture per year. Histopathologically, there are observed discrete macroscopic degenerative changes in the intima layer only in the aorta. The histological evaluation in the beginning portion of the aorta of the heart evidenced degenerative …

Nonlinear Hierarchical Models For Longitudinal Experimental Infection Studies, Michael David Singleton

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Experimental infection (EI) studies, involving the intentional inoculation of animal or human subjects with an infectious agent under controlled conditions, have a long history in infectious disease research. Longitudinal infection response data often arise in EI studies designed to demonstrate vaccine efficacy, explore disease etiology, pathogenesis and transmission, or understand the host immune response to infection. Viral loads, antibody titers, symptom scores and body temperature are a few of the outcome variables commonly studied. Longitudinal EI data are inherently nonlinear, often with single-peaked response trajectories with a common pre- and post-infection baseline. Such data are frequently analyzed with statistical methods …

Reversible Downregulation Of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis In The Stallion With A Third-Generation Gnrh Antagonist, Gabriel Monteiro Davolli

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

The objectives of this thesis were: (1) to evaluate the downregulation of the stallion hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis by a GnRH antagonist (acyline) based upon endocrine, seminal, testicular and behavioral effects, and (2) to assess recovery after treatment. Stallions were treated for 50 days (n=4; 330µg/kg acyline q 5d) and controls (n=4) received vehicle alone. Stallions were assessed pre-treatment and for 72 days after last treatment. Treatment induced declines (p<0.05) in FSH, LH, testosterone (to castrate levels) and estrone sulfate. Gonadotropins and testosterone returned to control values within nine days and estrone sulfate by 14 days after treatment discontinuation. Acyline-treated stallions failed to respond with FSH, LH and testosterone increase after exogenous GnRH stimulation (25µg gonadorelin, IV) compared to pre-treatment and control stimulation. Total sperm numbers and motility were reduced in acyline-treated stallions, as well as total seminal plasma protein and testicular volume (p<0.05). Time to ejaculation was increased in acyline group (p<0.5). Testicular, sexual behavior and most seminal parameters regained normal levels within 72 days after treatment ceased. Sperm output of acyline-treated stallions was regained within seven months after ending treatment. Acyline reversibly suppressed the stallion HPG axis, thus has potential for treating the androgen-dependent Equine-Arteritis-Virus carrier state and as behavior modulator.

Glucocorticoid-Induced Chondrocyte Cytotoxicity At Doses Recommended For Intra-Articular Therapy In Horses, Wenying Zhu

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Intra-articular glucocorticoid injections are commonly used to treat synovitis and osteoarthritis in horses. These agents are highly effective at relieving pain, swelling, and other symptoms of joint inflammation. The drugs also have therapeutic benefits by down regulating the expression of cytokines and protease enzymes that participate in the degradation of articular cartilage. However, detrimental effects on chondrocyte function and cell viability that is independent of osteoarthritis pathogenesis have been described and linked to glucocorticoid use. These side effects are both drug- and dose-dependent. This study tested the hypothesis that manufacture recommended dosage levels of methylprednisolone, betamethasone, and triamcinolone that are …

Uterine Artery Rupture, An Angiopathy Of The Reproductive System Of The Mare: Occurrence And Potential Effects, Ana G. Toro Mayorga

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

The intent of this research was to identify if the degenerative changes within arteries in the endometrium (endometrial angiopathies) correlate with degenerative changes in the uterine arteries and can be used as a predictor of increased risk for uterine artery rupture (UAR). With this objective specimens from 20 mares that died from uterine artery rupture and 21 control mares that died from unrelated causes were obtained from cases submitted to the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (UKVDL) over a two-year period. Postmortem specimens of each mare were collected from the left and right uterine arteries at the origin, bifurcation, …

Bovine Colostrum Supplementation Optimises Earnings, Performance And Recovery In Racing Thoroughbreds, C. K. Fenger, Thomas Tobin, P. J. Casey, Edward A. Roualdes, J. L. Langemeier, D. M. Haines

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Bovine colostrum (BC) is the first milk produced by cows after calving and contains numerous beneficial substances for the immunity and development of the newborn calf. Because of the growth and immune factors in BC, it has become an attractive supplement for use by athletes to support immunity and health during athletic performance. In order to evaluate the effects of oral BC supplementation on equine athletes, this study evaluated the earnings, performance, recovery and incidence of upper respiratory infections (URTI) in racing horses. The study design was a randomized cross-over racing performance study. 21 horses in race training were randomly …

Copy Number Variation In The Horse Genome, Sharmila Ghosh, Zhipeng Qu, Pranab J. Das, Erica Fang, Rytis Juras, E. Gus Cothran, Sue Mcdonell, Daniel G. Kenney, Teri L. Lear, David L. Adelson, Bhanu P. Chowdhary, Terje Raudsepp

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

We constructed a 400K WG tiling oligoarray for the horse and applied it for the discovery of copy number variations (CNVs) in 38 normal horses of 16 diverse breeds, and the Przewalski horse. Probes on the array represented 18,763 autosomal and X-linked genes, and intergenic, sub-telomeric and chrY sequences. We identified 258 CNV regions (CNVRs) across all autosomes, chrX and chrUn, but not in chrY. CNVs comprised 1.3% of the horse genome with chr12 being most enriched. American Miniature horses had the highest and American Quarter Horses the lowest number of CNVs in relation to Thoroughbred reference. The Przewalski horse …

The Distribution Pattern Of Halicephalobus Gingivalis In A Horse Is Suggestive Of A Haematogenous Spread Of The Nematode, Christina Henneke, Anna Jespersen, Stine Jacobsen, Martin K. Nielsen, Fintan Mcevoy, Henrik E. Jensen

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The majority of Halicephalobus gingivalis-infections in horses have been fatal and are usually not diagnosed before necropsy. Therefore, knowledge about the nematode and the pathogenesis of infection in horses is limited. This has resulted in an on-going discussion about the port of entry and subsequent dissemination of H. gingivalis within the host. The present case of H. gingivalis-infection in a horse was diagnosed ante mortem. Post mortem findings, the distribution pattern of H. gingivalis nematodes in the brain, a high prevalence of inflammation in close relation to blood vessels, and the presence of the nematode in multiple organs …