Longitudinal study of the short- and long-term effects of hospitalisation and oral trimethoprim-sulfadiazine administration on the equine faecal microbiome and resistome.

Background: Hospitalisation and antimicrobial treatment are common in horses and significantly impact the intestinal microbiota. Antimicrobial treatment might also increase levels of resistant bacteria in faeces, which could spread to other ecological compartments, such as the environment, other animals and humans. In this study, we aimed to characterise the short- and long-term effects of transportation, hospitalisation and trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (TMS) administration on the faecal microbiota and resistome of healthy equids.

Estimation of the basic reproduction number for Streptococcus equi spp. equi outbreaks by meta-analysis of strangles outbreak reports.

Background: Streptococcus equi spp. equi (S. equi), the cause of strangles in horses, is considered a highly contagious pathogen affecting equines and the equine industry worldwide.

The Equine Faecal Microbiota of Healthy Horses and Ponies in The Netherlands: Impact of Host and Environmental Factors.

Several studies have described the faecal microbiota of horses and the factors that influence its composition, but the variation in results is substantial. This study aimed to investigate the microbiota composition in healthy equids in The Netherlands under standard housing and management conditions and to evaluate the effect of age, gender, horse type, diet, pasture access, the season of sampling and location on it. Spontaneously produced faecal samples were collected from the stall floor of 79 healthy horses and ponies at two farms.

Discrepancies in the bilateral intradermal test and serum tests in atopic horses.

Background: In equine atopic patients intradermal testing (IDT) and immunoglobulin (Ig)E serology are used frequently. There is little evidence regarding the reproducibility of the IDT and IgE serology in horses.

Objectives: To compare the results of a simultaneously performed IDT on the left and right side of the neck in atopic horses, and to compare these results with allergen-specific IgE serology.

A prospective cohort study on the acute:chronic workload ratio in relation to injuries in high level eventing horses: A comprehensive 3-year study.

In human sport science, the acute:chronic workload (ACWR) ratio is used to monitor an athlete's preparedness for competition and to assess injury risks. The aim of this study was to investigate whether acute and chronic workload calculations for external and internal loads (e.g.

Skin disease in donkeys (Equus asinus): a retrospective study from four veterinary schools.

Background: Donkeys are important throughout the world as work animals and occasionally as pets or a meat source. Most descriptions of skin disease in donkeys are reported in small case series, textbooks or review articles.

Hypothesis/objectives: To document skin diseases and their prevalence in donkeys and to investigate predilections for the most common conditions.

Occurrence and molecular characteristics of ESBL/AmpC-producing Escherichia coli in faecal samples from horses in an equine clinic.

Objectives: To investigate the occurrence and characteristics of ESBL/AmpC-producing Escherichia coli in faecal samples from horses at one equine clinic in the Netherlands.

Methods: A total of 91 horses, including residents and patients, were sampled. ESBL/AmpC-producing E.

Exercise testing in Warmblood sport horses under field conditions.

Regular exercise testing in Warmblood sport horses may, as in racing, potentially help to characterise fitness indices in different disciplines and at various competition levels and assist in understanding when a horse is 'fit to compete'. In this review an overview is given of the current state of the art of exercise testing in the Olympic disciplines of eventing, show jumping and dressage, and areas for further development are defined. In event horses, a simple four-step incremental exercise test measuring heart rate (HR), lactate concentration (LA) and velocity (V) is most often used.

Bluetongue, Schmallenberg - what is next? Culicoides-borne viral diseases in the 21st Century.

In the past decade, two pathogens transmitted by Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), bluetongue virus and Schmallenberg virus, have caused serious economic losses to the European livestock industry, most notably affecting sheep and cattle. These outbreaks of arboviral disease have highlighted large knowledge gaps on the biology and ecology of indigenous Culicoides species. With these research gaps in mind, and as a means of assessing what potential disease outbreaks to expect in the future, an international workshop was held in May 2013 at Wageningen University, The Netherlands.

Equine sarcoidosis.

Equine sarcoidosis seems to be an emerging problem. As more horses are referred for dermatologic disease, equine sarcoidosis should be considered in any case of exfoliative and/or nodular skin disease with or without systemic involvement, including generalized granulomatous disease affecting most internal organs. Multiple breeds are affected with mares being predisposed.

A prospective study on a cohort of horses and ponies selected for participation in the European Eventing Championship: reasons for withdrawal and predictive value of fitness tests.

Background: Eventing is generally recognized as a challenging equestrian discipline and wastage figures for this discipline are relatively high. There is a need for information that provides insight into the causes of wastage and withdrawal from competition, for animal welfare and economic reasons. The aim of the present investigation was to conduct a prospective study following the entire national selection of event horses (n = 20) and ponies (n = 9) in the Netherlands that prepared for the European Championship in 2010 (ponies) and 2011 (horses), noting causes of withdrawal and monitoring fitness using standardized exercise tests (SETs), with heart rate (HR; beats/min), speed (V; m/s) and plasma lactate concentrations (LA; mmol/L) as measured parameters.

Young Friesian horses show familial aggregation in fitness response to a 7-week performance test.

The aim of this study was to monitor the fitness level of young Friesian horses and to assess whether fitness data are predictive for final performance score and whether familial aggregation of response to training could be detected. Sixty-six young Friesian horses, the offspring of six different stallions (A, B, C, D, E and F), underwent a 7-week performance test. The horses were given a performance score for their ability for dressage (in weeks 5 and 7; 0-110 points) and were evaluated for fitness using standardised exercise tests (SETs) at the beginning (week 2, SET-I) and the end (week 6, SET-II) of the period.

Cloning and expression of candidate allergens from Culicoides obsoletus for diagnosis of insect bite hypersensitivity in horses.

Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is an IgE-mediated (Type I) hypersensitivity reaction induced by allergens from biting midges of the Culicoides spp. The aim of the present study was to identify, clone and express recombinant allergens from C. obsoletus, the main species found feeding on horses in the Netherlands, by sequence homology searches on the C.

Equine sarcoidosis: clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of 22 cases.

Background: Equine sarcoidosis may present as a generalized or localized exfoliative dermatitis and/or as a granulomatous inflammation of multiple organs.

Objectives: To report the clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment and outcome for 22 horses with histologically confirmed sarcoidosis.

Animals: Twenty-two horses of different breeds, between 3 and 17 years of age.

Schmallenberg virus in Culicoides spp. biting midges, the Netherlands, 2011.

To determine which species of Culicoides biting midges carry Schmallenberg virus (SBV), we assayed midges collected in the Netherlands during autumn 2011. SBV RNA was found in C. scoticus, C.

Sublingual administration of detomidine in horses: sedative effect, analgesia and detection time.

A single dose of 40 μg/kg bodyweight (BW) of oromucosal detomidine gel was administered sublingually to 10 healthy Dutch Warmblood mares aged 7 ± 4 years (mean ± SD) and BW 580 ± 69 kg. Blood and urine samples were collected before and for 8 days following administration and evaluated qualitatively in an FEI Reference Laboratory and quantitatively in a research laboratory. Clinical effects were evaluated at baseline and for 24 h after administration.

A prospective study on fitness, workload and reasons for premature training ends and temporary training breaks in two groups of riding horses.

Little is known about wastage in riding horses and the factors like fitness and workload that may reduce injuries and maximise welfare. To evaluate fitness, workload and reasons for premature training ends (PTEs) and temporary training breaks (TTBs) during a nine week training period, two groups of riding horses were used: Group A consisting of 58 horses used for student equitation courses (32 with training prior to admission and 26 without) and Group B consisting of 26 horses owned by two riding schools (school-I and school-II). To assess fitness, all horses performed a standardised exercise test (SET) at the start (SET-I) and end of the training period (SET-II) measuring heart rate (HR bpm) and speed (m/s).

Culicoides obsoletus extract relevant for diagnostics of insect bite hypersensitivity in horses.

Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is an allergic dermatitis in horses caused by the bites of Culicoides species. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the applicability of whole body extracts of C. obsoletus (the main species found feeding on horses in the Netherlands), C.

Prevalence of the causative agents of equine piroplasmosis in the South West of The Netherlands and the identification of two autochthonous clinical Theileria equi infections.

Equine piroplasmosis (EP) has not been considered indigenous in The Netherlands. However, following the detection of an apparently indigenous subclinical Babesia caballi infection in a horse on Schouwen-Duiveland (an island in the Zeeland Province), a survey was undertaken between May and September 2010 to assess the prevalence of the causative agents of EP in the South-West of The Netherlands. Blood samples from 300 randomly selected horses were tested for specific antibodies against Theileria equi and B.

The influence of challenging objects and horse-rider matching on heart rate, heart rate variability and behavioural score in riding horses.

A good horse-rider 'match' is important in the context of equine welfare. To quantify the influence of repetition and horse-rider matching on the stress of horses encountering challenging objects, 16 Warmblood horses were ridden in a test-setting on three occasions. On each occasion the horse was ridden by a different rider and was challenged by three objects (A-C).

Culicoides species associated with sheep in the Netherlands and the effect of a permethrin insecticide.

Culicoides spp. act as vectors for a number of viral diseases of animals including bluetongue in sheep. The aims of this study were to determine: (1) which Culicoides spp.

Intradermal testing of horses with and without insect bite hypersensitivity in The Netherlands using an extract of native Culicoides species.

Intradermal tests using a Culicoides nubeculosus extract have proven unreliable for diagnosis of equine insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) in the Netherlands. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of an extract derived from the Dutch species C. obsoletus and C.

Experimental infection with neuropathogenic equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) in adult horses.

Equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1)-associated myeloencephalopathy (EHM) may follow an infection with the virus in horses. This study tested three hypotheses: (1) a large inhaled dose of a neuropathogenic EHV-1 strain would induce a cell-associated viraemia in all infected horses; (2) neurological disease will only occur in viraemic horses, and (3) the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition following EHV-1 viraemia will be an indicator for EHM. Four EHV-1 seronegative horses were inoculated with EHV-1 by inhalation.

Identification of factors associated with the development of insect bite hypersensitivity in horses in The Netherlands.

An Internet-based questionnaire among horse owners was carried out to identify factors affecting the incidence of insect bite hypersensitivity (IBHI) among horses in the Netherlands. Information was obtained for 794 horses of various breeds, but the breed distribution was not representative for the Dutch horse population. Of the horses for which information was available, 56% suffered from IBH and 44% did not.

Evaluation of the usefulness of the portable device Lactate Pro for measurement of lactate concentrations in equine whole blood.

Blood lactate measurements are commonly used in exercising horses to determine the onset of lactate accumulation and in colic patients to assess clinical status and to indicate prognosis. To study the usability of a portable blood lactate meter based on dry chemistry (Lactate Pro), the data from this instrument were compared to data from a laboratory-used lactate meter based on wet chemistry (ABL 605 blood gas analyzer [ABL]). Heparinized blood samples were obtained from horses participating in a jumping experiment (n = 9), from horses cantering at maximal speed on a racetrack (n = 7), and from patients admitted to the Department of Equine Sciences at Utrecht University for severe colic (n = 13).