Rhodococcus equi is an important cause of subacute or chronic abscessating bronchopneumonia of foals up to 3-5 months of age. It shares the lipid-rich cell wall envelope characteristic of the mycolata, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as well as the ability of pathogenic members of this group to survive within macrophages. The possession of a large virulence plasmid in isolates recovered f...

Horses are a precocious species that must accomplish several milestones that are critical to survival in the immediate post-birth period for their survival. One essential milestone is the successful transition from the intrauterine unconsciousness to an extrauterine state of consciousness or awareness. This transition involves a complex withdrawal of consciousness inhibitors and an increase in ...

BACKGROUND The quantitative effect of strong electrolytes, unmeasured strong anions (UAs), pCO2, and plasma protein concentrations in determining plasma pH can be demonstrated using the physicochemical approach. Plasma anion gap (AG) and strong ion gap (SIG) are used to assess UAs in different species. HYPOTHESES Strong ions are a major factor influencing changes in plasma pH of hospitalized ...

BACKGROUND The laboratory diagnosis of botulism in horses traditionally has relied upon the mouse bioassay (MBA). The accuracy of this test for the diagnosis of botulism in horses is unknown. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES Our goal was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the MBA on laboratory-processed fecal and gastrointestinal sample...

We present a study focused on those factors influencing dominance position in young horses, with emphasis on the role of the mother. Horses, as other group-living polygynous mammals, form stable linear dominance hierarchies based on agonistic interactions. Higher dominance positions are believed to be connected, in both sexes, to better condition and higher reproductive success. Many variables ...

The present study was to construct a parentage verification system for Iranian Caspian horse. A total number of 45 Caspian horse samples including 14 foals for parentage verification, 17 stallion and 14 mare for individual identification were genotyped. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood and the genotype were analysed by PCR procedure and using 7 microsatellite markers (AHT04, HMS03, HM...

Weaning has been described as one of the most stressful events in the life of horses. Given the importance of the interaction between the gut-brain axis and gut microbiota under stress, we evaluated (i) the effect of two different weaning methods on the composition of gut microbiota across time and (ii) how the shifts of gut microbiota composition after weaning affect the host. A total of 34 fo...

In neonatology, blood gas analysis is a useful tool in the evaluation of the health of newborns and plays a key role in early detection of critically ill subjects. Because blood gas analysis parameters have not previously been studied in any depth in donkey foals, this study was performed on 16 healthy Martina Franca donkey foals born after an uncomplicated delivery. Arterial and venous blood s...

Rhodococcus equi is a gram-positive intracellular pathogen that can cause severe bronchopneumonia in foals and AIDS patients. It has been reported that advanced infection of foals is characterized by tissue necrosis, coinciding with the presence of degenerate bacteria-laden macrophages. Here, we report that the possession of the VapA-expressing plasmid, which has been previously correlated with...