Determination of muscle mitochondrial respiratory capacity in Standardbred racehorses as an aid to predicting exertional rhabdomyolysis.

This prospective cohort study evaluated the potential of high-resolution respirometry applied to permeabilized muscle fibers for fitness evaluation in French Standardbred racehorses. Fitness evaluation by means of respirometric parameters did not correlate with racing performance registered over the following racing season. However, altered mitochondrial energy metabolism was associated with higher risk of developing exertional rhabdomyolysis, a common cause of exercise intolerance in racehorses.

Expression microarray as a tool to identify differentially expressed genes in horses suffering from inflammatory airway disease.

Background: Inflammatory airway disease (IAD) affects performance and well-being of horses. Diagnosis is primarily reached by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology which is invasive and requires sedation.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify differential gene expression in peripheral blood of horses with IAD using species-specific expression microarrays.

Assessing fitness in endurance horses.

A field test and a standardized treadmill test were used to assess fitness in endurance horses. These tests discriminated horses of different race levels: horses participating in races of 120 km and more showed higher values of VLA4 (velocity at which blood lactate reached 4 mmol/L) and V200 (velocity at which heart rates reached 200 beats per min) than horses of lower race levels.

Characterization of pentraxin 3 in the horse and its expression in airways.

The long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) plays an important role in host defence and its over-expression may contribute to airway injury. The aim of the present study was therefore to characterize in more detail PTX3 and its expression in the horses' airway. Six healthy horses and six horses affected by recurrent airway obstruction (R.