Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons^™

Gene Expression In Relation To Bone Fractures In Throughbred Racehorses, Anna M. Rauber-Ramos

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Evidence that fractures in Thoroughbred racehorses are outcomes of chronic bone microdamage has led to extensive research into identifying horses at increased risk of fracture. This includes the use of biomarkers and messenger RNA (mRNA) as a measure of bone turnover. Previous research has found expression differences in horses with fractures compared to controls. Utilizing pre-race whole blood samples collected over an 18-month period from Thoroughbred racehorses in Southern California, RNA-sequencing was conducted on horses with bone fractures and race-matched controls to identify differences in gene expression. Focusing on third metacarpal (MC3) and proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) fractures, differentially expressed …

Evaluation Of Protective Efficacy Of Viral Vector Based Swine Influenza Vaccine And A Method For B Cell Culture For Monoclonal Antibody Generation, Sushmita Kumari

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Influenza A virus of the swine (IAV-S) is an economically important swine pathogen that has the potential to spread to humans, thus posing an ongoing public health concern due to its zoonotic potential. Hemagglutinin (HA), the most abundant viral envelope protein, is known to be the key protective antigen. Anti-HA antibodies alone, have been shown to prevent IAV infection. In this study we evaluated the feasibility of a recombinant tri segmented Pichinde virus (PICV) as a viral vector to deliver IAV-S hemagglutinin antigen in pigs. Four groups of weaned pigs (T01-04) were immunized twice with PBS, rPICV-GFP as a vector …

Effects Of Strong Oxidants Present In Acer Spp. On Hemolysis Methemoglobin Production In Equine Erythrocytes, Gabrielle Mcgeorge, Jeffrey Lehman

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Maple toxicosis is a deadly condition affecting equines after they have ingested wilted leaves of the genus Acer (i.e., maple species). It is characterized by hemolytic anemia and methemoglobinemia. Although the toxins responsible for causing toxicosis have not been identified, they are thought to be strong oxidants. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of eight compounds (galloyl derivatives) found in Acer spp. on hemolysis and methemoglobin production in bioassays with equine erythrocytes. Seven of the compounds are known constituents of Acer spp. that are commercially available. One of the compounds--acertannin--was isolated and characterized from leaf extracts …

Use Of Diatomaceous Earth And Copper Oxide Wire Particles To Control Gastrointestinal Nematodes In Lambs, Olivia Jones

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Anthelmintic resistance (AR) urges alternatives to control gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN). Copper oxide wire particles (COWP) are more efficacious when used with other dewormers and little is known on efficacy of diatomaceous earth (DE) to control gastrointestinal parasites. The objective was to examine the effects of DE and COWP on GIN control. Katahdin lambs (n = 32; ~150 d of age; 25.0 ± 1.8 kg) were randomly assigned to receive: 1) DE fed at an estimated 2% dry matter intake (with the assumption of moderate consumption of bermudagrass forage and provided supplement), 2) 1g COWP, 3) both 2% DE and …

The Effect Of Grooming And Therapeutic Riding By Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder On Equine Salivary Cortisol Concentrations, Morgan Shields

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

The use of horses in therapeutic riding programs, especially for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has grown, yet the impact of grooming and riding on equine stress levels remains unknown. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of grooming and therapeutic riding on salivary cortisol concentrations of 10 horses in a therapeutic riding program. Samples were taken pre and post over two control and grooming days and over two series of nine therapeutic riding lessons for adolescents with ASD. On grooming days, each horse was groomed using a set protocol. On riding days, horses were ridden …

Environmental Sampling Techniques For Herd-Level Surveillance Of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus, Jaden Carlson

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Control of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) relies on resource-intensive individual animal sampling to detect and remove persistently infected (PI) cattle. Herd-level surveillance tools would be useful for herds with unknown BVDV status and for monitoring herds with BVDV-free status. The overall objective of this thesis is to explore the viability of BVDV surveillance at a herd-level using samples collected without handling individual animals. The first objective was to determine the feasibility of using stable flies as a sampling tool to detect BVDV. The second objective was to determine the feasibility of using drinking water to detect BVDV. To accomplish …

Phylogenetic Analysis And Characterization Of A Sporadic Isolate Of Equine Influenza A H3n8 From An Unvaccinated Horse In 2015, Chithra C. Sreenivasan, Sunayana S. Jandhyala, Sisi Luo, Ben M. Hause, Milton Thomas, David E. B. Knudsen, Pamela Leslie-Steen, Travis Clement, Stephanie E. Reedy, Thomas Chambers, Jane Christopher-Hennings, Eric Nelson, Dan Wang, Radhey S. Kaushik, Feng Li

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Equine influenza, caused by the H3N8 subtype, is a highly contagious respiratory disease affecting equid populations worldwide and has led to serious epidemics and transboundary pandemics. This study describes the phylogenetic characterization and replication kinetics of recently-isolated H3N8 virus from a nasal swab obtained from a sporadic case of natural infection in an unvaccinated horse from Montana, USA. The nasal swab tested positive for equine influenza by Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Further, the whole genome sequencing of the virus confirmed that it was the H3N8 subtype and was designated as A/equine/Montana/9564-1/2015 (H3N8). A BLASTn search revealed …

Evaluation Of A Field-Deployable Reverse Transcription-Insulated Isothermal Pcr For Rapid And Sensitive On-Site Detection Of Zika Virus, Mariano Carossino, Yanqiu Li, Pei-Yu A. Lee, Chuan-Fu Tsai, Pin-Hsing Chou, Dennis Williams, Ashley Skillman, R. Frank Cook, Grayson Brown, Hsiao-Fen G. Chang, Hwa-Tang T. Wang, Udeni B. R. Balasuriya

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Background: The recent emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil and its precipitous expansion throughout the Americas has highlighted the urgent need for a rapid and reliable on-site diagnostic assay suitable for viral detection. Such point-of-need (PON), low-cost diagnostics are essential for ZIKV control in vulnerable areas with limited resources.

Methods: We developed and evaluated a ZIKV-specific field-deployable RT-iiPCR reagent set targeting the E gene for rapid detection of ZIKV in ZIKV-spiked human and mosquito specimens, and compared its performance to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) RT-qPCR assays targeting the E …

Development Of A Novel Ex Vivo Equine Corneal Model, Todd L. Marlo, Elizabeth A. Giuliano, Ajay Sharma, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective

To develop an ex vivo equine corneal organ culture model. Specifically, to assess the equine cornea's extracellular matrix and cellularity after 7 days using two different culture techniques: either (i) immersion system or (ii) air/liquid interface system, to determine the best ex vivo equine corneal model.

Animals Studied

Fourteen healthy equine corneas of various breeds.

Procedures

Equine corneas with 2 mm of perilimbal sclera were freshly harvested from 7 horses undergoing humane euthanasia. One corneal–scleral ring (CSR) from each horse was randomly placed in the (i) immersion condition organ culture system (IC), with the contralateral CSR being placed in …

Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Salivary Cortisol And Cyathostome Infestation In Horses, Danielle L. Keating

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

With an increase in anthelmintic resistance and decreased efficacy of many commercial dewormers, understanding factors that contribute to parasite infestations in horses is integral to their management. The goal of this study was to look at the potential relationship between parasites and stress response by evaluating salivary cortisol levels and cyathostome egg shedding levels. Using a sample size of n = 200 horses from the state of Ohio, fecal and saliva samples were collected from each horse. Fecal egg counts were performed for each horse with a modified Stoll method, and saliva samples were tested with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay …

Secretion Of Heat-Labile Enterotoxin By Porcine-Origin Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli And Relation To Virulence, Prageeth Rukshan Wijemanne

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) is an important virulence factor secreted by some strains of porcine-origin enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (pETEC). The prototypic human-origin strain H10407 secretes LT via a type II secretion system (T2SS), but its presence or importance in pETEC has not been established. Exposure of pETEC to glucose has been shown to result in different secretion levels of LT. Furthermore, the relationship between the level of LT secreted and the virulence potential of the respective pETEC strain has not been established. To determine the relationship between the capacity to secrete LT and virulence in wild-type (WT) pETEC, 16 strains isolated …

Isolation And Cultivation Of Equine Corneal Keratocytes, Fibroblasts And Myofibroblasts, Dylan G. Buss, Elizabeth A. Giuliano, Ajay Sharma, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective—To establish an in vitro model for the investigation of equine corneal wound healing. To accomplish this goal, a protocol to isolate and culture equine corneal keratocytes, fibroblasts and myofibroblasts was developed.

Animal material—Equine corneal buttons were aseptically harvested from healthy research horses undergoing humane euthanasia for reasons unrelated to this study. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy was performed prior to euthanasia by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist to ensure that all samples were harvested from horses free of anterior segment disease.

Procedure—Equine corneal stroma was isolated using mechanical techniques and stromal subsections were then cultured. Customized media at different culture conditions was used …

Gene Delivery In The Equine Cornea: A Novel Therapeutic Strategy, Dylan G. Buss, Ajay Sharma, Elizabeth A. Giuliano, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective—To determine if hybrid adeno-associated virus serotype 2/5 (AAV5) vector can effectively deliver foreign genes into the equine cornea without causing adverse side effects. The aims of this study were to: (i) evaluate efficacy of AAV5 to deliver therapeutic genes into equine corneal fibroblasts (ECFs) using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) marker gene and (ii) establish the safety of AAV5 vector for equine corneal gene therapy.

Animal Material—Primary ECF cultures were harvested from healthy donor equine corneas. Cultures were maintained at 370C in humidified atmosphere with 5% CO2.

Procedure—AAV5 vector expressing EGFP under control of hybrid cytomegalovirus (CMV) + chicken …

Development Of A Blocking Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay For Detection Of Serum Antibodies To O157 Antigen Of Escherichia Coli., W Laegreid, M Hoffman, J Keen, R Elder, J Kwang

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The O157 antigen of Escherichia coli shares structural elements with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigens of other bacterial species, notably Brucella abortus and Yersinia enterocolitica 09, a fact that confounds the interpretation of assays for anti-O157 antibodies. To address this problem, a blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) was designed with E. coli O157:H7 LPS as the antigen and a monoclonal antibody specific for E. coli O157, designated 13B3, as the competing antibody. The bELISA had equivalent sensitivity to, and significantly higher specificity than, the indirect ELISA (iELISA), detecting anti-O157 antibodies in sera from cattle experimentally inoculated with O157:H7. Only 13% of sera …