the south african equine veterinary association (a group...

VOLUME 19 NUMBER 1 FEBRUARY

2017

The South African Equine Veterinary Association (A Group of SAVA)

Equine Lymphoma: An Update

2 • Equine Health Update •

3• Volume 19 no 1 • February 2017 •

Disclaimer: This communication is

intended exclusively for members of the

South African Equine Veterinary As-

sociation (SAEVA ) and may not be

forwarded, disseminated, copied or

shared in any way whatsoever without

the express permission of the Editor or

SAEVA Chairman.

Published quarterly for the South African Equine

Veterinary Association (part of the South

African Veterinary Association.)

Expressions of opinion, claims and statement

of supposed facts do not necessarily reflect the

views of the EHU, editor or publisher. While

every effort is made to report accurately, the

EHU, publisher or the editor does not accept

any liability with regard to any statement,

advertisement, fact or recommendation made in

this magazine.

Editor: Johnny Cave

Publisher: Vetlink Media Solutions

Advertising and Production:

Madaleen Schultheiss

Cover: Nicolene C. Swanepoel

Designer: Riana Grobler

Contact details: 012 346 1590

www.vetlink.co.za

Email: [email protected]

We welcome any comments, contributions,

topic suggestions and letters for publication.

Send them to: The Editor, Equine Health Up-

date, PO Box 232, GROENKLOOF, 0027

Tel: (012) 346 1590, 082 575 6479

Fax: 086 671 9907

webpage: www.saeva.co.za

Email: [email protected]

EditorialWelcome to the first Equine Health Update for 2017. The year is already in full swing and locally we have seen Cape Town host the International Thoroughbred Breeders’

Federation(ITBF) AGM.The SAEVA Congress is nearly upon us, as are the pre Congress wetlabs.

The tragic loss of Joseph Boening, who was due to present at both the Congress and the wetlabs, was truly terrible news. I unfortunately had never met Joseph but he was surely

a legend in our profession and will be sorely missed.

We have included the usual mix of CPD articles, abstracts and relevant committee feedback in this EHU. In addition we have added some weblinks to interesting/relevant

articles.

Thanks again to Madaleen and Vetlink for putting the EHU together.

Please feel free to send us feedback or suggestions for the Equine Health Update. Send us links to interesting articles and online learning resources and we will share them with

our members.

EditorJohnny Cave

Page

President’s Report

SAEVA Executive and Committees

Important Notices

Meeting SAEVA/NHA

Equine Disease Quarterly

Recommended Online Articles

CPD Article: Equine Lymphoma

Abstracts

International Thoroughbred Breeders Association

4

6

8

14

18

29

30

34

41

Contents


President’s ReportManfred RohwerChairman SA Equine Veterinary Association Cell: 083 327 0237

ear Members,

Welcome to our first edition of the EHU for 2017. I do hope you have all had a blessed Christmas and a good start to the New Year.

With the Congress on our doorstep it is getting really exciting and nerve

D

wrecking to get it all organized. I must thank Terry Casey, Michael Hewetson, Roy Gottschalk and Madaleen Schultheiss for their enormous contributions to ensure this will the best ever Congress, as well as pre and post Congress wetlabs.

It is however disappointing for us not to have the Endurance FEI course prior to the Congress but this will now be held in August 2017.

Some exciting points from the minutes of the last Executive meeting held in August:- New membership structures to include Cadet and Young Graduates and Paraveterinary professionals.- Successful Horse Power Road Show, R186 000.00, collected from South African donations alone. - ITBF Congress a major success and SAEVA was an exhibitor and was well represented.- Congress 2016 made approx. R150 000.00 profit

On the contents of this magazine, I would like to draw your attention to the following;- The Racing subcommittee has been working hard and made some excellent strides in their negotiations

with the NHRA. Read the important notices as well as the minutes of our meeting in August. We have had another successful meeting in January 2017 and those decisions will soon be circulated.

- The liaison meeting between SAEVA/NHRA/TBA, minutes in the document are useful to read, to be aware of the subjects that are being actively debated. The international movement of horses received a major boost by South Africa, the TBA, hosting the International Thoroughbred Breeders Federation Congress in Cape Town. This and the work done by AHS/Export task team and all the role players is truelly to be ad-mired and valued.

- The Disease quarterly is absolutely worth a read, equine genomics the buzz word in breeding and


Save the Date

VET PDSun 5th November - Sat 11 November 2017 Safari Equine CourseSpeakers : Virginia Reef - BA, DVM, Dipl.ACVIM, Dipl.ACVSMRRoger Smith - MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, Dipl.ECVS, ECVDI Assoc., MRCVSScott Pirie - M&S PhD Cert EM (Int Med) Cert EP Dip ECEIM MRCVSTom A.E. Stout - VetMB, MA, PhD, Dipl.ECAR, KNMvDAndy Fiske-Jackson - BVSc, MVetMed, Dipl. ECVS, MRCVSlink : http://www.vetpd.com/courses-detail.php?event=292 SAEVA 2017 50thKruger National Park, South Africa 13th - 16th February 2017 To register: www.saeva.co.za

SAEVA 2018, 11-15 February 2015, Goudini Spa, Western Cape. Guest speaker Virginia Reef and Angus Atkins

SAVA 2017, Birchwood hotel. 25-27 July 2017. www.sava.co.za

SAVA Regional Congresses. Dates and venues can be found on www.vetlink.co.za

FEI Endurance. 11 & 12 August 2017, Onderstepoort.

SAEVA Exec Meeting 12th February 2017 & SAEVA AGM 14th February 2017.

diagnostics. An excellent article on Lymphomas and very interesting abstracts.- Online articles are excellent.- Antibiotic Stewardship. SAEVA will suggest the New Zealand document as a practical document for reference. We need to be aware that there is much interest in this subject and many other reference documents or programs such as the well known BEVA Protect Me program are available. SAVA has just released some guidelines as well.- SAEVA website is getting a face lift, so please look out and give us some feedback.- SAEVA Congress 2018 will be in the Western Cape, Goudini Spa. Virginia Reef and Angus Atkins will be our guest speakers. Details will follow soon.

I wish you all an interesting read. Thanks to the editor Johnny Cave for another excellent EHU.

Hope to see as many of you as possible at the Congress and take this unique opportunity to network with our International Colleagues as well as with our own. Keep up the spirit of the EPG.

This Congress will be remembered for many years.

Kind Regards

Manfred Rohwer, President SAEVA


DEON VAN TONDEROutgoing Chairman

[email protected] | 083 631 4603

MANFRED ROHWERChairman


ANGELA ROGERSTreasurer


TERRY CASEYChairman-elect


DR. ANGELO NICHASExecutive Secretary


CPD/Congress Organising Commitee Terry Casey [email protected] | 082 601 0531Disease Reporting and State Liaison Bev Parker [email protected] | 082 578 7044Communications Committee and Newsletter Manfred Rohwer [email protected] | 083 327 0237Welfare Caryn Rademeyer [email protected] | 073 207 4417Medicines Glynn Catton [email protected] | 083 455 1735Youth Member Group (YMG) Keith Spargo [email protected] | 082 839 0505Sport Horse/FEI Liaison/Endurance Sheelagh Higgerty [email protected] | 082 447 2226Stud Health Martin Schulman [email protected] | 082 330 3599Racing Manfred Rohwer [email protected] | 083 327 0237Procedures and Policies Dr. Martin Denkhaus [email protected] | 082 658 0133 Dr. Carla Langley [email protected] | 082 336 5105

CORE EXECUTIVE

COMMITTEES

EQUINE | Committee

KwaZulu Natal: Dr. Alan Bechard [email protected] | 083 300 6038Western Cape Kate Meiring [email protected] | 082 323 8703Eastern Cape Ashley Parker [email protected] | 082 446 5287Freestate/Northern Cape Dr. Gavin Rous [email protected] | 083 606 0048Gauteng Summer Maitland-Stuart [email protected] | 082 308 3989Mpumalanga Albertus Coetzee [email protected] | 072 122 5794

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

The South African

Equine Veterinary Association

A Group of the South African Veterinary Association

The SAEVA is dedicated toimprove the health and welfare of the equid through professional development of equine veterinarians, providing leadershipand resources in matter pertaining to the equine industry

The South African Equine Veterinary Associationwww.saeva.co.za

banner saeva.indd 1 2017/01/01 9:17 PM


The South African

Equine Veterinary Association

A Group of the South African Veterinary Association

The SAEVA is dedicated toimprove the health and welfare of the equid through professional development of equine veterinarians, providing leadershipand resources in matter pertaining to the equine industry

The South African Equine Veterinary Associationwww.saeva.co.za

banner saeva.indd 1 2017/01/01 9:17 PM

T Completion of the Vet Treatment Register by trainers There is a misconception amongst trainers that the Vet Treatment Register (VTR) only has to be filled in by vets. Please note that

this is NOT true. The VTR has to be completed when-ever a horse receives ANY treatment. For example, if a vet dispenses a bottle of penicillin for the trainer to ad-minister over the next 3 days, then the TRAINER must enter this administration in the VTR each time he treats the horse. The same would apply for ANY dispensed medication. Please note that a vet may only prescribe medication for 30 days. Any medication found in a trainers possession that was prescribed more than a month previously, shall be confiscated and the trainer fined.

The same applies to expired medication. Please note that the use of dispensed medication does NOT apply to the 48 hour period before a race day. Only a vet may administer treatment 48 hours prior to a race day. According to the protocol published, any administra-tion of Lasix must be also be entered into the VTR by the Trainer as soon as it is administered. This becomes very important, should a horse get selected for Out of Competition sampling. If the Lasix treatment is not in the VTR at time of sampling, it will be considered not prescribed. The other treatment that has to be recorded is any Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy. The vet has to prescribe a programme for the horse (also entered in the VTR) and each time the horse is subsequently treated, this must be recorded by the

trainer. Trainers must also insist that the vet writes the VTR sequence number on the label of any drug that he dispenses. This will enable the NHA to link any medi-cation found in a trainer’s possession to the correct VTR entry, which must detail all the dosage, route etc requirements. Any dispensed medication not utilised, should be returned to the prescribing vet for disposal. Any chronic medication (i.e. treatment longer than two weeks for e.g. Ventipulmin dispensed for IAD in a horse), does not need to be recorded every day, with the proviso that the original dispensing instructions are clearly recorded in the VTR on the day corresponding to the sequence number on the label of the medica-tion. Chronic medication must be renewed every 30 days and re-entered into the VTR with a new label and corresponding sequence number on the medication.

Please note that the old 24 hour rule has been changed and no longer applies. It is the trainer’s responsibility to ensure that his/her vet completes the VTR legibly as and when he treats the horse. Should the vet utilise his own VTR, then the trainer must file the copy that the vet leaves behind. This becomes very important when Out of Competition testing is done. The trainer MUST have available at all times, proof of any and all treat-ment administered to his horses. The discharge form from a hospital is also considered a treatment record in terms of the rules, to cover horses returning from surgery or hospitalization. It is not necessary to record all administrations of cobalt containing preparations (for e,g, Vit B12) for Out of Competition testing, as co-

IMPORTANT NOTICES

Completion of the Vet Treatment Register by trainers

http://www.nhra.co.za/notices.php


balt will only be penalised when present on a race day. However, other unscheduled preparations (for e.g. Aspirin, which is available without prescription), must be entered into the VTR by the Trainer when ad-ministered. Beware of utilising any “Over the Coun-ter” medication without consulting your vet regarding its composition and possible “prohibited substances” present in the formulation.

Dr D. P. Wheeler Senior Veterinarian 24 August 2016

NOTICE TO ALL TRAINERS International Screening and Residue Limits and Asian Screening Limits The NHA hereby advises it has adopted International Fed-eration of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) International Screening Limits (ISLs) to be applied in the control of therapeutic prohibited substances and also IFHA Resi-due Limits to control certain contaminants and envi-ronmental substances. In addition to this the NHA, as a signatory country of the Asian Racing Federation, has adopted several Asian Screening Limits (ASLs) for therapeutic prohibited substances. Details of these screening limits can be found in the section “Interna-tional Screening Limits” in the “Laboratory” section of the website.

Dr S.S. de Kock Laboratory Director 25 August 2016

NOTICE TO ALL TRAINERS THE USE OF ASPIRIN (ACETYLSALICYLIC ACID) IN THE RACEHORSE Salicylic acid is a substance found in the normal feed of horses such as lucern and hay. During previous years large populations of racehorses from all over the world were screened for natural levels of salicylic acid which is ingested in such feeds. Considering the possible diets of horses and worst case scenarios, a single salicylic prosecution threshold was decided on an international basis. This International Federa-

tion of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) threshold has been established with an extremely high probability that untreated horses on a variety of feeds will pres-ent levels far below this salicylic acid threshold. The NHA has formally adopted this threshold: “Salicylic acid…… 6.5 micrograms salicylic acid per millilitre in plasma” as shown on the website. A specimens is only declared a positive finding when the concentration of salicylic acid is accurately confirmed (full quantita-tive analysis is conducted as part of such a positive finding) to exceed this threshold, in accordance to Rule 73.4.4. It is know that Aspirin can be added to the feed of horses to acts as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory substance. Acetyl salicylic acid (Aspirin) is however a pro-drug of salicylic acid, implying that Aspirin will be converted to salicylic acid within the horse. As Aspirin it is not a scheduled substance (in contrast to most analgesic and anti-inflammatory sub-stances) it can be readily obtained by all. The admin-istration of Aspirin to the racehorse must be recorded in the Veterinary Treatment Register of the horse. The use of Aspirin too close to race day is likely to result in salicylic acid prosecution. Be aware that guidance of the use of Aspirin products in the horse Home About the NHA Racing Studbook Laboratory Veterinary & Welfare Ownership & Registration Statistics Contacts http://www.nhra.co.za/notices.php 2017/01/17, 2749 PM Page 1 of 5 differ between different manufactur-ers. Following the administration of a single dose of Aspirin a detection period of a two days applies (this is not a withdrawal time). Consult your veterinarian in regards to a suitable withdrawal period. The NHA does not assume any legal, professional or other re-sponsibility or duty whatsoever as to the accuracy of the data presented in this document. Please note that reliance on and use of the above information does not absolve or diminish a trainer or owner from being re-sponsible for ensuring that the horse complies with the rules relating to the presence of drugs and prohib-ited substances when presenting a horse for a race.


NOTICE TO ALL TRAINERS SCREENING FOR THE USE OF ACTH IN RACING Adrenocorticotropic hor-mone, commonly called ACTH, is a protein hormone naturally produced in the horse. The function of ACTH is to stimulate and also regulate levels of the steroid hormone cortisol. Commercially available ACTH is a synthetically produced peptide hormone which is high similar in structure to ACTH produced naturally. As a prohibited substance in horseracing the use of synthet-ic ACTH is most commonly monitored and prosecuted by the increase which is observed the level of natu-rally produced hydrocortisone. As the hydrocortisone level increases beyond the international threshold, this is prosecuted as a prohibited substance offence. There are also other approaches to detect the use of synthetic ACTH. One of these is based on the fact that synthetic ACTH corresponds to the structure of hu-man ACTH. It can therefore be detected in the horse as the structure of this protein is somewhat different to naturally produced ACTH in the horse. The NHA Laboratory is one of a few racing laboratories which have been active in the research of new approaches for the detection for synthetic administered ACTH in the race horse. During recent years ACTH administra-tion trials were conducted on horses as part of such research at our Laboratory. This research was formally presented at an international conference for horse racing chemists and veterinarians. It must be noted that at least one web based sales company is selling a product which purport to contain the biochemically active molecule of ACTH. Several racing laboratories have already analysed this preparation. Such analysis however indicated that the active peptide ACTH is ei-ther not contained or is only contained in a very low concentration, certainly too low to effect the horse.

NOTICE TO ALL TRAINERS THE SCREENING FOR THE FORBIDDEN SUBSTANCES ERYTHOPOIETIN (EPO) AND GROWTH HORMONE (GH) Erythropoi-etin (EPO) is natural occurring protein hormone which

has the function to increase red blood cell production in the horse. Natural EPO can be supplemented by the administration of several different forms of human EPO to the horse. At the NHA Laboratory the screen-ing of human EPO in horse specimens is being under-taken employing a sophisticated immuno-detection screening methodology which is widely reported as the most accurate and sensitive currently available to the racing industry. A highly attractive aspect about this is the wide range of EPO types which are covered, as was been confirmed by EPO administration and re-search studies at racing laboratories. Included in the effective coverage of the screen is conventional EPO forms such as Epogen, Eprex, Epoetin-alpha, Epoetin-beta and Procrit and even longer acting EPO types called darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp, DPO) and CERA (PEG Epoetin-beta, MirCERA). Growth Hormone (GH) refers to a natural hormone within the horse which is anabolic and which has the effect to enhance cell growth and cell recovery. In addition to this natural occurring equine GH there are a range of synthetic GH’s from several animal species which are active in the horse. These include a modified form of equine GH, bovine (cattle) GH and porcine (pig) GH. The NHA Laboratory employs a sensitive immune-detec-tion screening approach which was shown effective in detecting the use these hormones by means of the measurement of the amount of the messenger protein “IGF-1”. The screening methodology measures the IGF-1 concentration against the level which is nor-mal in the horse and can also detect the use of and some IGF-1 analogues and synthetic IGF-1 forms. The NHA Laboratory was a few years ago, in partnership with a few other countries, instrumental in conduct-ing important research into suitable screening meth-odologies and validating these screening approaches. The NHA recognises the threat which these Class 1, Forbidden Substances pose to the integrity of racing and the welfare of the horse and for this reason these


screening methods have been in place at the NHA for many years. NOTICE TO ALL TRAINERS PEPTIDES AND PROTEINS Most conventional medication con-tain drug substances which are small chemical mol-ecules. Many of these can affect the horse and hun-dreds of these are routinely screened for by the NHA Laboratory. Many of these newer generation substanc-es which are prohibited and which are of concern are peptide and proteins similar to those found naturally in the horse. This Laboratory is actively involved in a program to extend the screening of racing and out of competition specimens for an increasing number of peptide and protein substances which can affect the horse. These are the future drugs of concern, most of these substances are classified as Class 1, Forbidden Substances within the Rules of the NHA.

NOTICE TO ALL TRAINERS THE AVAILABILITY OF NSAIDS AS OVER-THE-COUNTER AND SHOP FRONT PRODUCTS Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) are pharmaceutical substances which are prescribed for the treatment of muscle and joint injury, pain, swelling and inflammation. In the form of tablets, capsules and injections these can also be obtained by medical prescription or as dispensed by a pharmacist. These non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs contain however also be obtained in certain products which do not have a pharmaceutical sched-ule which are sold in shops without a prescription. The purchase and use of such preparations in race-horses can results in positive findings for these prohib-ited substances. These preparation are normally gel and plaster packs with trade names such as: Voltaren Emulgel containing Diclofenac Fastum containing Ketoprofen Transact containing Flurbiprofen It is im-portant that care is taken when purchasing such sub-stances and when using such preparations on horses. Consult with your veterinarian in this regard. NOTICE TO ALL TRAINERS Reports of the ALLEDGED use of

prohibited substances SUCH AS ACTH, ITPP AND EPO in racing It has come to our attention that several web based preparation supplier companies are sell-ing a variety of equine products. These are allegedly sourced by some local racehorse trainers and own-ers and these are administered to racehorses. Many of these companies have only website addresses as their only point of contact or do not have a physical address or only have an overseas address which cannot be ver-ified. http://www.nhra.co.za/notices.php 2017/01/17, 2749 PM Page 2 of 5 Several such preparations were sourced by the NHA and these were screened for the presence of prohibited substances at the NHA Labo-ratory. The analysis of these products indicated that these preparations do not contain the components that are claimed on the label. Prohibited substances are not present within these preparations. It is important to be aware that these label and web advertisement claims are inaccurate and misleading. The use of these products does not constitute the administration of the indicated prohibited substance. This would result in such false claims being made by trainers and owners which use these products. The findings by our Labo-ratory that the label claims of these products are not correct is substantiated by similar testing of these and other such preparations at other racing laboratories. The findings at these laboratories mirror ours. Some examples of such substances include ITPP, Aranesp (a form of Erythropoietin/EPO), ACTH and TB-500 (a peptide drug). Within some of these products which were tested the claimed vitamins and amino acids have been shown present, but not the claimed major component. In some products the claimed prohibited substance is present but is contained in a much lower concentrations than indicated or at a level much low-er than would affect the horse. The pricing of many of these products are suspiciously low considering the amount of the chemical or biochemical substance which the product is claimed to contain. The stor-age conditions specified for the product is often not


consistent with the stability of this actual substance. The labelling is also not at all consistent of a legally registered pharmaceutical product of reputable qual-ity and verifiable content and potency. Be aware of re-cent reports that some of these web based companies are currently actively being investigated and warned by the FDA in the USA for non-compliance which will result in serious action. Note that several equine stud-ies have been conducted on many of the actual, scien-tifically verified pure substances which some of these products claim to contain and there is evidence that several of these substances do not result in therapeutic benefit to the horse. The NHA Laboratory, as an active member of the Association of Official Racing Chemists and the International Federation of Horseracing Au-thorities, is aware of the range of prohibited substance of concern to racing on a worldwide and also local ba-sis and continue to investigate such substances as part of the screening conducted on racehorse specimens. Where and when preparations such as those describe above are sourced these are thoroughly investigated and researched at our Laboratory.

Dr S. S. de Kock Laboratory Director 17 August 2016

THE DETECTION AND PROSECUTION OF COBALT USE IN THE HORSE Cobalt is naturally found in all animals and animal feed and is considered an essential dietary trace ele-ment and micronutrient. Cobalt deficiency is not ob-served in horses in the wild and the normal diet of horses in combination with the usual prescribed vi-tamin supplementation should supply the horse with sufficient cobalt for its well-being and health. Cobalt is classed as a ’heavy metal’ and is a structural com-ponent of vitamin B12 (cobalamin). This vitamin is involved in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system and in the final stages of red blood cell formation and maturation. All of cobalt’s potential

physiological effects in the horse have not yet been determined; however, high doses can present severe toxic effects and be very detrimental to the health of the horse. Evidence suggests that cobalt preparations are being used inappropriately in racehorses in some racing jurisdictions. As cobalt is naturally present in equine biological samples such as blood and urine, it was decided that the introduction of an international threshold for cobalt will be necessary to facilitate the control of misuse in racehorses. Trainers are advised that the International Federation of Horseracing Au-thorities (IFHA) has set an international threshold of 0.1 microgram per millilitre cobalt in horse urine. The NHA, as a signatory country of the IFHA, has now ad-opted this threshold in its rules.

This decision was made following a survey which showed that natural levels of cobalt in racehorses within South Africa correspond to those observed in other countries and that the threshold can be applied to the local population. In future any finding of co-balt above this international threshold will be a Class 3 offence. A large range of registered oral and inject-able veterinary supplements which contain vitamin B12 (cobalamin) are available for use in the horse. The administration of any of these could give rise to an elevation of total cobalt levels in blood and urine.

It is recommended that supplemental cobalt from any source, including registered cobalt containing supple-ments and vitamin B12 (cobalamin), not be adminis-tered to the horse within at least two full days prior to race day. Higher doses than those indicated by the product and also repeated administrations may require longer elimination periods. Note that reliance on and use of this guidance does not absolve or diminish a trainer or owner from being responsible for ensuring that the horse complies with the rules relating to the presence of drugs and prohibited substances when presenting a horse.


AMENDMENT TO THE GUIDELINES FOR CLASSI-FICATION OF PROHIBITED SUBSTANCES At a meeting of the National Board held on 30 July 2015, it was agreed that the Guidelines for Classifi-cation of Prohibited Substances would be amended by the addition of the following substance classifi-cations: CARBON DIOXIDE (Total available Carbon Dioxide) COBALT Accordingly, Carbon Dioxide is classified as a Class 2 substance, a substance which has an obvious effect on a horse. The internation-ally agreed threshold / concentration applied by the NHA for Carbon Dioxide is 36 millimoles available Carbon Dioxide per litre in plasma. Cobalt is clas-sified as a Class 3 substance, a substance which has the potential to affect the performance of the horse. The internationally agreed threshold / concentration applied by the NHA for Cobalt is 0.1 microgram total cobalt per millilitre in urine.

GENERAL NOTICE African Horsesickness Vaccina-tions http://www.nhra.co.za/notices.php Please note that the African Horsesickness Vacci-nation Scedule has been amended with immediate effect. All foals must be vaccinated against African Horsesickness two times between the ages of 6 and 18 months. These vaccinations must not be less than 30 days apart. (Previously, the two vaccinations were not to be less than 90 days apart.) Special General Meeting A Special General Meeting of Members took place on 20 April 2016 for the purpose of dis-cussion and voting on the proposed amendments to the Constitution of the NHA. All members, those present at the meeting and those who submitted a proxy, voted in favour of amending the Constitution as was proposed. At the centre of the changes to the Constitution is the change to the composition of the National Board. Going forward, the Racing Opera-tors, the Owners’ Associations and the Thorough-bred Breeders Association will no longer be entitled

to nominate persons to be Directors. The number of Directors serving on the National Board will therefore be reduced to 9 persons. These will be : - 5 persons who are Members in good standing. Trainers, Assistant Trainers, Stable Employees, Jockeys and Apprentice Jockeys may, however, not be Directors; - 2 Indepen-dent persons; - The Managing Director (previously known as the Chief Executive) and the Racing Control Executive. The Directors will all be appointed by a Nominations Committee which must now be estab-lished. The Nominations Committee will consist of at least 4 persons who previously served as a Chairper-son of the NHA. So, in future, there will no longer be any elections to elect Directors. In the meantime, the Directors who were elected in terms of the Con-stitution prior to the amendments will remain on the National Board for the remainder of their respective terms. At the end of their respective terms they will resign but will be eligible for re-appointment by the Nominations Committee.

The National Board Directors are: Mr Andrew O’Connor (Chairman) Mr Cecil Beyleveld Mr J J du Toit Mr Roy Moodley Mr Rodney Trotter Mr Ken Trut-er Mr Jonathan Witts-Hewinson An objective of the Nominations Committee is to ensure that the Board has persons with the necessary knowledge and skills not only to understand the needs of all stakeholders, but also to act in the best interests of the racing indus-try. The restructuring is not intended to reduce inter-action or discussion between the NHA and the rest of the industry. It is hoped that the changes will result in a National Board which is more effective and efficient and which will enable constructive debate, uninhib-ited by any conflict of interest.


MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD BE-TWEEN THE NHA AND SAEVA ON THE 18TH OF AUGUST 2016

AT 09H00 IN THE MUSEUM OF THE TBA SALES COMPLEX.

Present: Mr L Barends Managing Director NHADr S de Kock Laboratory Director NHAMr A Hyde Racing Control Executive NHADr D Wheeler Senior Vet NHA Dr M Rohwer President SAEVADr T Casey Racing Subcommittee SAEVADr M Dittberner Racing Subcommittee SAEVADr A Sheppard Co-opt SAEVADr A Parker Racing Subcommittee SAEVA

1. Welcome. Dr Wheeler welcomed everyone to the meeting an thanked them for finding the time to attend.

2. Attendance register and apologies. Apologies from Dr B Parker. Dr M Ross was a “no

show”.

3. Acceptance of minutes of the previous meeting. The minutes of the previous meeting were accept-

ed. Proposed: Dr M Rohwer. Seconded: Dr T Casey.

4. Matters arising from the previous meetinga. Equine Research Centre (ERC) regarding research

and cobalt trial.

MEETING: NHA & SAEVA EXECUTIVE

M

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD BETWEEN THE NHA AND SAEVA ON THE 18TH OF AUGUST 2016 AT 09H00 IN THE MUSEUM OF THE TBA SALES COMPLEX.

EQUINE | Report

The ERC is battling to obtain funding so they have had to cut back on their expenses and as a result have retrenched their groom and will dispose of the horses. It appears that there are no trials necessary at this point in time. Dr de Kock to provide what in-formation he has available on Soluspan (Betameth-azone) and Predef (Fluprednisolone). Dr de Kock has not been able to source the anabolic steroids he re-quires for a trial. It was agreed that should any trial be required in the future, then the horses required would be sourced for just that trial. The costs of a temporary groom would have to be factored in as well.

b. Vets supplying and administering vaccines and VTR number on labels.

While the SAVC did not agree to the use of the unique sequence number of the VTR on the label of prescribed medication, the NHA is prepared to ac-cept the sequence number on the label, provided all the necessary information is in the VTR. If the vets are prepared to defend this form of labelling at the SAVC, then there is no reason not to make use of it.

c. Expired and unused medication and 30 day script. The new rule is now in place. Vets to please help en-

sure that it is complied with. d. Definition of a “Treatment Record”. This definition has been expanded to include the

discharge form from a registered veterinary hospi-tal.

e. Detection times – Soluspan and “in house” detec-tion times.

Dr de Kock provided information on “Soluspan” and


EQUINE | Report

shall do the same for “Predef”. Dr Dittberner dis-cussed the recommendation of using 1.4 times the detection time as a withdrawal time. Caution must be exercised in this approach as it does not take into account all of the factors like route of administra-tion, multiple administrations etc. The NHA has un-dertaken to relook at “in house” detection times, but emphasised that they utilise the IFHA guidelines. There are also new screening limits from the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), which we are now signa-tory to. They will be available on the website.

It was stressed that the FEI are aligned to the Eu-ropean Racing Federation, so precaution must be exercised when making use of any information on their website. It does differ from the ARF.

f. Fines structure for an out of competition positive (incl. passing at stalls).

It has been decided that the fine structure will be 20% either side of the lowest figure used in the current guidelines for race day positives. This only applies to Class 3-5 substances. Class 1 and 2 sub-stances shall be fined on the same basis.

g. Feedback from SAVC meeting. The meeting with the SAVC was most unsatisfacto-

ry, as they consider the NHA inquiries to be hearsay evidence that they are not prepared to use. The NHA shall continue to submit affidavits whenever they have first-hand information. As a result, the strict li-ability rules shall be enforced against the Trainers, even if their vets were responsible for putting them in contravention of the NHA rules. It will then be up to the trainers whether they report their vets to the SAVC or not.

5. Feedback from African Horse Sickness (AHS)/Export task team.

Dr Parker was not present at the meeting and the meeting ran out of time to get her on speaker phone. She provided certain documents which are attached to these minutes for information. It is an-ticipated that the PCR test for AHS will officially be

validated by the OIE in February 2017.

6. Out of competition testing feedback. The testing is taking place as agreed to last year,

with at least 3 and if possible 4 yards being test-ed per month in each of the various areas. The pre-race sampling has been increased to twice a month. Dr de Kock provided feedback on the lat-est statistics.

7. Drug classification and excepted medication. Dr Rohwer has provided Dr de Kock with recom-

mended changes to the drug classification docu-ment. Most of the recommendations have been agreed to with the exception of the classification of Ractopamine and Clenbuterol. The NHA cur-rently wants to implement the policy as put out by the IFHA. Dr Rohwer has suggested alternative lower classifications. These options shall be put to the Rules Committee and then the National Board for their consideration and decision, as this meeting was unable to reach consensus on these substanc-es.

It has been decided to recommend the implemen-tation of an “Excepted Substance” list, which shall include Anti-Ulcer medication. This proposal shall be presented to the Rules Committee and National Board for their consideration in October 2016.

8. Race day medication. The NHA remains under pressure to comply with

the IFHA recommendation of no race day medica-tion. It was suggested that the NHA approve a list of substances that may be used on race day, for example Vit B1, Calcitad, Ammonium Chloride, Haemorex and homeopathic products. This shall be taken on the Information Roadshow to get the opinion of the trainers and other vets and then a decision shall be made on how to proceed.


9. “7 day stand-down from racing for i/a medication” rule proposal.

It was agreed to take this proposal on the Informa-tion Roadshow to get the opinion of the trainers. The NHA is going to be severely criticized by the international community if it does not start to im-plement some form of this rule. The stand down pe-riod is open to negotiation and ultimately the Na-tional Board is going to have to make a decision. They shall be provided with as much information as possible, as well as with the general consensus from the Roadshow. The current proposal is a 7 day stand down, i.e. can inject Saturday to race the next Saturday. This is only 6 clear days. England is currently 14 clear days (16 all in all) and Australia is 10 clear days (12 all in all).

10. Website and communication channels. The website is in the process of being updated, but

will eventually be completely revamped. The NHA shall be exploring numerous IT possibilities to help improve communications. There is a newsletter be-ing produced each month and SMS’s shall also be utilised more in future. Findings of positive inqui-ries must also be made available on the site once inquiries are completed.

11. Welfare and retirement of racehorses – rule chang-es for owners.

This rule has been in effect for a while now and the NHA is very aware of the issues surrounding its im-plementation and shall try to address the stumbling blocks as they appear. It was suggested that the trainer be permitted to sign on behalf of the owner, as they have an Authority to Act. This proposal shall be put to our legal advisors for comment. Another suggestion was utilising the passport and putting a stamp inside it. This shall be explored further. Dr Wheeler shall be working hard at promoting this rule over the next year.

12. Roadshow. The NHA has undertaken to present an Infor-

mation Roadshow, which shall be taken around the country, beginning 22 September 2016 in Gauteng. All new rules and changes will be dis-cussed as well as the guidelines on the use of co-balt containing supplements. Cobalt shall only be tested for on race day. It is therefore not necessary to record all cobalt containing supplements in the VTR. This information shall be disseminated dur-ing the roadshow.

13. General.a. Stipes presence at yards. It was agreed that the Stipes shall increase their

presence at the stable yards around the country as this is seen as a great deterrent. They must check on the amount of feed available, as many trainers are constantly borrowing food from their neigh-bouring trainers.

b. P Smith inquiry. It was requested that the NHA relook at the out-

come of this inquiry, now that it has been before the Inquiry Review Board.

c. Vet at SAEVA conference. It was requested yet again that the NHA senior vet

attends this conference and presents relevant data regarding lamenesses etc.

d. Threshold levels of Reference Specimens. Reference laboratories provide levels for threshold

substances, as does the NHA. Screening levels are not normally provided but may be specifically re-quested.

14. Date of next meeting. The next meeting will be held at the National Sales

in April 2017. Date to be confirmed.


RT-PCR: The minutes of the February 2016 OIE Bi-ological Standards Commission meeting have been published, confirming the Aguero and Guthrie RT-PCR have been accepted scientifically and will go for country comment aiming at adoption at the May 2017 General Assembly. (See point 2.8, Annex 1) The Span-ish EU reference laboratory has agreed to include SA laboratories in the EU proficiency testing for 2016. This is being coordinated by Dr Romito at OVI.

Outbreak of AHS in the AHS Surveillance zone: The final Sitrep is attached. (Annex 2) The se-quencing of the serotype 1 virus involved is being ana-lysed.

SASVEPM 24-26 August 2016The SASVEPM conference is being held at Lagoon Beach in Milnerton on 24-26 August 2016. Dr John Grewar (Risk Assessment) and Dr Camilla Weyer (AHS Outbreaks in the AHS Controlled Area) are both pre-senting papers- see the final programme. (Annex 3) Dr Jonathon Rushton is also presenting papers at the start each morning. In addition, he and Dr Liz Red-mond are meeting with various groups during that week as they are both involved in the OIE AHS Re-search Tenders. See the description of the OIE tender documents. (Annex 4) Dr Roland Devoltz (France Gal-lop and IFHA and IMHC) and Dr Kenneth Lam (HK) will also be at the SASVEPM conference and they are meeting with the EHF and WCape teams next Monday and Tuesday to critically look at the roadmap for ex-porting horses from SA. (RT PCR Scientific validation is now in place; Risk Assessment is published; Outbreak Paper has been accepted for publication in December, is already available on line. What remains is to build a lock down facility – either on risk or in partnership with a willing importer.)

SAEVA/NHA/TBA ANNEXTUREPirbright AHS vaccine: One of the OIE tenders is to look at the available vaccine constructs and assess which show the most promise in terms of research, time and process to develop to commercial market. The team is being led by Dr Javier Castillo-Olivares. He recently published a call for funding for further de-velopment of the AHS vaccine construct developed at Pirbright. (See Annexure 5)

CEM Working Group: The CEM Working Group met on Tuesday 16 August with representatives from NHA, DAFF, EHF, Studbook, SAEVA and the Warm-blood Society. Great progress has been made by Dr John Grewar in closing the outbreaks and correlat-ing the existing data which forms the basis of a re-port for declaration of country freedom. Based on the data available, a science based random surveillance strategy for continued surveillance is being developed. This is far reduced from the census based strategy used previously. Details will be released by DAFF shortly. Based on the representation in the working group, we are confident we will have buy in and coopera-tion from all the major horse sectors in South Africa. (Please keep this in committee: The expected timelines for self declaration of country freedom are following three years of the new surveillance strategy followed by a submission of a dossier to the OIE.)

Disease ReportingThe EHF have advertised for a data coordinator. One of the duties will be to run with the SAEVA Disease Re-porting and interaction with Regional Representatives. There will also be improved ICC reporting.

AHS Vaccinations: There is apparently some con-fusion regarding the wording for foals. (See highlight-ed sections in Annex 7 Beverley Parker – 18 August 2016


EQUINE | Equine Disease Update

Equine Disease QuarterlyOCTOBER 2016 Volume 25, Number 4

ICommentary

n this issue of the Equine Disease Quarterly, Dr. Emma Adam discusses the new ge-nomics tools available to study horse dis-eases. Her authorship of this article is par-

ticularly noteworthy since Emma initially trained as a veterinary surgeon before returning to university to complete a Ph.D. studying joint diseases in horses. She discovered that genomic tools were an effective way to address problems that were not resolvable using earlier technologies. Her article presents the “nuts and bolts” of horse genomics.

As a point of reference, in 1990 we had only char-acterized 50-100 genes for the horse and confirmed the chromosome location for a mere seven of them. Fast forward to 2009,and the whole genome se-quence for the horse had been determined. The immediate application of the sequence data at the time was to identify DNA mutations responsible for well-known diseases of the horse. However, that was only the beginning. There was a drive to find out how genes function. Everything that we do to a horse turns genes on or turns them off. If genes are defective, it can result in development of disease. Genes are also important for performance. Some genes have variants that affect such things as type of gait, optimal racing distance to reach perfor-mance potential, and behavior. Many genes inter-act with management practices such that horses may be more reactive or, alternatively, less responsive to certain feeding programs, training regimens, or vac-

cinations. Breeders and trainers attempt to optimize management.

These observations clearly suggest that genomics information has a place both in veterinary practice and in the stable-yard. Emma also has been among the scientists developing tools to investigate genes, their expression, and their impact on horses. Be-fore genomics, we basically fed, trained, or treated horses then observed them to assess what the clini-cal or phenotypic effects might be. Emma’s studies pioneered another approach. Her studies entailed comparing gene expression in joints and other col-lagenous tissues at different stages of life, including several stages of embryonic development, and then assessing which genes had an impact on healthy growth of that tissue. Understanding the genes that contribute to tissue development and repair should lead to development of veterinary therapeutics that benefit the health and welfare of the horse and rider. Emma is not alone in pioneering the use of genomics for research on horses. A quick survey of veterinary publications reveals scientists using genomics to study reproduction, lameness, respi ratory diseases, infectious diseases, immunology, and more. We do not need to become molecular geneticists to enjoy horses any more than we need to become mechanics to drive a car. But we need to know, appreciate and encourage development of these new approaches. Watch that space!

LINK to read more



he genetics of horses has been of great interesthe ge-netics of horses has been of great interest to humans for millennia. While we may not have used that term specifically, the recording of equine parentage, births, and deaths was a practice that pre-dated the compulsory recording of human births and deaths in Great Britain by over a century. The term “ge-nomics” covers all aspects of genes, including their structure and function, not just the science of he-redity. The genome is all of the DNA, divided up and packaged as chromosomes, in each cell. The DNA molecule, the unit of heredity, is made up of four nucleotide bases, guanine (G), cytosine (C), adenine (A), and thymine (T) in a sequence. The equine genome consists of ~2,700 million base pairs, which is similar in size to the human ge-nome. Less than 3% of the genome actually codes for proteins. The remaining 97% was formerly termed “junk DNA” but we now know it orchestrates the use of the entire genome, as regulatory elements. Individuals have differences in the sequences of the nucleotides. This is pretty obvious - we have greys and bays but they are still horses. However, not all of the sequence differences are that obvious, and sequence differences can be whole sections of sequence or just single nucleotides. A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP, usually pronounced “snip”) is a single nucleotide in a sequence that differs between individuals at a low population fre-quency. Approximately 10 million SNPs have been found in the collective equine genome.

It is important to remember that SNPs are not neces-sarily mutations that have any effect on the organ-ism. Indeed, SNPs are less likely to be found in the protein coding genes of the genome as these areas have been heavily selected for functionality

by evolution. Any change in DNA sequence that did not benefit the animal would reduce its chances of survival in the gene pool. Science uses selected SNPs as a crude road map of the genome. By way of analogy, a set of directions are like a SNP map. If I gave you some directions, they might be: “Turn right at the pub, then take the second left after the church.” The pub and the church have no actual bearing on the destination, they are just guiding landmarks, and so it is with SNPs. SNPs that sit close together on a chromosome are likely to be inherited together. Using commercial SNP arrays (“SNP chips”), molecular biology techniques can rapidly hone in on a region of the genome that is dif-ferent between horses in terms of its SNP frequen-cy. SNP analysis is an immensely useful tool to narrow down the search for areas of the genome harboring genetic traits of interest, whether they be a trait relating to disease or a desired trait. Studies using this approach are called Genome Wide Asso-ciation Studies or GWAS (pronounced ‘gee-waahs’). The SNP-GWAS approach has helped identify re-gions of interest in the genome in diseases such as Lavender Foal Syndrome, Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy, recurrent laryngeal neuropathy, Foal Immu-nodeficiency Syndrome in the Fell and Dales pony, osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD), guttural pouch tympany in Arabians and German warmbloods, recurrent uveitis in German warmbloods, insect bite hypersensitivity, and hydrocephalus in Friesians. We have only just started to uncover the wealth of in-formation the equine genome holds. Continued efforts for funding and research will yield more mind-blowing results than our imagination can fathom. Watch this space!

CONTACT: Emma N . Adam, BVetMed, MRCVS, DACVIM-LA, DACVS-LA, PhD emma .adam@uky .edu (859) 218-1175 Max-well H . Gluck Equine Research Center University of Kentucky Lexington, KY

Pandora’s Box – Equine Genomics



The red imported fire ant occurs in parts or all of Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Occasionally, it has been found in Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri (Figure 1). Fire ants like to establish colonies in open sunny fields and pastures. Soil moisture and winter temperatures round out the major environmental factors that limit the spread of this invasive insect.

Changes in climate, along with the adaptability of the insect point to a continued gradual expansion of its boundaries. The impact of the fire ant extends beyond the pain of its legendary sting. No significant adverse effects to the health of foals or mature horses have been reported in states in which fire ants are widely estab-lished. In addition to causing injury to workers, animals, and wildlife, this small insect affects pasture mainte-nance, hay production, damages equipment, and in-creases costs. Horse-farm managers in fire ant-infested areas have adjusted their management practices and developed strategies to live with this pest.

The gradual northward and westward expansion of the fire ant’s range exposes more farm managers and stable and pleasure horse owners to this important pest. Those living along the expansion front should become familiar with some of the basics of fire ants and watch for ant activity that seems out of the ordi-nary.

The familiar mound is the ant’s hallmark, but there is one major difference when it comes to fire ants: Their mound is the typical pile of loose, fine soil but there is no central opening. Instead, fire ants enter and leave their colonies through underground tunnels that radi-ate from the mound. Mound heights range from a few inches in mowed areas to 18 inches in undisturbed

areas. Repair of a fire ant mound collapsed by a heavy rain results in a loose, fluffy pile of soil a few days lat-er. Fire ants look like typical ants. They are small but vary from 1/8- to 1/4-inch in length. The head, tho-rax, and legs are red to brown with a black abdomen. Positive identification of fire ants requires collecting approximately a dozen specimens in rubbing alcohol and taking them to your local Cooperative Extension Office. This must be done carefully. Disturbing the mound usually prompts numerous ants to pour out and climb up any vertical surface to sting the intruder.

Other ant species scurry about when the colony is dis-rupted, working to protect the queen and move their brood to a safe place. Collect the ants carefully to pre-vent being stung. Dust baby powder on dishwashing gloves and wear them because the ants cannot crawl up dusted surfaces.

Stay as far away from the mound as possible during collection and watch for ants crawling on your shoes. Follow up a positive identification of fire ants with a careful examination of the property in spring or late fall to determine the number and location of active mounds.

Fire ants are managed by careful application of baits or mound drenches of insecticides labeled for fire-ant control. Take advantage of the excellent information available on fire-ant management.

For more information, see Identifying Fire Ants, http://articles.extension.org/pages/11278/ identifying-fire-ants.

CONTACT: Lee Townsend, MS, PhD [email protected] (859) 257-7455 Department of Entomology University of Kentucky Lexington, KY

Fire Ant Surveillance for Horse Farms



A range of venereally transmissible agents—viral, bac-terial, and protozoal—have long been known to es-tablish persistence or the carrier state in stallions, mares, or both. Some of these agents (e.g. Pseudo-monas aeruginosa, certain capsule types of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus zooepidemicus) are commonplace in most domesticated horse popula-tions. Others such as equine herpesvirus 3, equine arteritis virus, Taylorella equigenitalis, or T. asinige-nitalis are less frequently encountered. Of additional significance is Trypanosoma equiperdum, the causal agent of dourine, which though rarely reported nowa-days, is reputedly still present in certain regions/coun-tries of the world.

Even though some but not all of the foregoing agents can establish persistent infection in both the stallion and the mare, it is the carrier stallion that plays a more important role in the epidemiology of the respective infections. Not only has it the potential to dissemi-nate a particular infectious agent among the mares to which it is bred, but of even greater long-term sig-nificance, it ensures the transfer of infection from one breeding season to the next. While some of these agents, such as equine arteritis virus and T. equigeni-talis, can be transmitted either through natural service or artificial insemination, the risk of more widespread transmission is much greater through the practice of artificial insemination with fresh-chilled or frozen semen from a carrier stallion. This was borne out in the course of the 2006 equine viral arteritis disease event in the USA, when fresh-chilled semen from a well-known Quarter horse stallion in high commer-cial demand was responsible for spread of the virus to breeding stock in 18 states and two provinces in Canada, all within a two- to three-week period. This resulted in outbreaks of equine viral arteritis, abortion

in na.ve pregnant mares, and establishment of the carrier state in a variable number of exposed stallions. It must be emphasized that stallions that continue to harbor equine arteritis virus, equine herpesvirus 3 or T. equigenitalis are asymptomatic or clinically inap-parent carriers. With the exception of infection with T. equiperdum, there is no means of knowing whether a stallion is a carrier of a particular venereal patho-gen or not without subjecting it to appropriate testing protocols for whatever the agent under consideration might be.

Regardless of what venereal infection is being screened for, however, it is critically important that such testing is carried out by a reputable veterinary diagnostic labo-ratory with an established record of competency and experience in testing for that infection. The reliability of laboratory testing is crucially important to the success of any prevention and control program especially in the case of equine viral arteritis and contagious equine metritis. A further confounding factor when dealing with stallions that are asymptomatic carriers of equine arteritis virus or T. equigenitalis is the fact that the ma-jority of na.ve mares to which they are bred may sub-sequently exhibit minimal, if any, clinical evidence of infection. This leaves the breeder/ mare owner unaware that transmission of infection has occurred and that the stallion in question is a carrier of either of these two venereal pathogens. This could have significant con-sequences in the case of equine arteritis virus should such an acutely infected mare be pastured with na.ve pregnant mares.

The 2008-2010 CEM event in the USA illustrated how easily a stallion that was a carrier of T. equigenitalis could escape detection at time of importation and ul-timately be responsible for the very costly event that first came to light in 2008. Past and recent experiences underscore the importance of screening breeding stal-lions regardless of breed, for presence of the carrier

The Asymptomatic Carrier Stallion: Critical Role in Venereal Disease Transmission



state. This applies especially to equine arteritis virus. Moreover, the responsibility for ensuring the safety of breeding stallion populations ultimately resides with the equine industry.

CONTACT: Peter Timoney, MVB, MS, PhD, FRCVS [email protected] (859) 218-1094 Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center University of Kentucky Lexington, KY

The Importance of Cleaning to Disinfection

Cleaning and disinfecting stalls is critically important for biosecurity, especially in controlling disease out-breaks. However, much misinformation exists. The average 1,000-pound horse produces 50 pounds of manure and urine per day. Add on to that other body fluids that potentially contain pathogens (nasal dis-charges, abscess material, blood, etc.), and significant organic load exists in the average horse stall. Any sur-face that needs to be disinfected (treated with chemi-cals in order to kill pathogens) must be cleaned of dirt and organic material first. Cleaning a stall takes detergent and manual labor. Power washers should not be used to avoid aerosolizing pathogens. Despite advertising claims, no “one step” product exists that can be sprayed on a dirty stall and effectively kill pathogens.

Surfaces must be scrubbed with a detergent or clean-ing agent to loosen and remove as much organic mat-ter as possible. Detergents are cleaning agents that emulsify (loosen) organic matter without forming a “soap scum” residue. A detergent should be used to scrub stall surfaces followed by rinsing to physically remove dirt and organic matter. Only after surfaces have been cleaned should they be sprayed with a dis-infectant. Studies have shown that over 90% of bac-teria are removed from surfaces that are thoroughly cleaned first. Considering that equine herpesviruses,

influenza viruses, and equine arteritis virus are lip-id-enveloped, cleaning surfaces with detergent will disrupt this envelope, helping to render these viruses inactive. While bleach is an effective disinfectant on “hard, non-porous, previously cleaned surfaces,” horse stalls on farms are rarely constructed of such materials. Bleach is also rapidly inactivated by organ-ic matter. Disinfectant labels state: “It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsis-tent with its labeling.” Users should understand and follow label instructions and call the manufacturer with any specific questions. If the label states “dilute . ounce of disinfectant concentrate in one gallon of water,” use that dilution. Increasing the amount of chemical assuming it will overcome a dirty surface is a waste of time and money and could pose health hazards to people and animals.

Never mix different disinfectants together. For exam-ple, bleach combined with ammonia or strong oxid-ers can produce lethal gas and dangerous chemical compounds. Every approved disinfectant in the USA has a Safety Data Sheet (previously known as Material Safety Data Sheet) which is available from the manu-facturer and contains valuable information. The state-ment “Proven effective against the following organ-isms,” followed by a long list of pathogens, is on many disinfectant labels. However, in the fine print is how this list was generated. Most disinfectants have been tested in the presence of 5% serum as the “organic” load. A feces-stained stall wall has an organic load much higher than 5% serum, which is why cleaning is critical to the effectiveness of any disinfectant. Excel-lent infection control and disinfectant information is available at www.cfsph.iastate.edu and at www.aaep.org. CONTACT: Roberta M. Dwyer, DVM, MS, DACVPM [email protected] (859) 218-1122 Department of Animal and Food Sciences University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Pre-sorted Standard US Postage Paid Permit 51 Lexington KY


Accelerating Medical Progress on Equine LamenessIn the horse world, lameness is a major problem. On this point, everyone agrees. Whether your focus is elite equine athletes or pleasure horses, whether you are a professional or a recreational rider, whether your primary breed of interest is large or small, mus-culoskeletal injuries are common and potentially very serious. Substantial progress has been made over the last several decades in areas of both lameness diagnosis and treatment. Importantly, the future holds as much promise as ever.

Science and technology are continuing to drive ad-vances in clinical disciplines. Cell biology is a good example. With next generation sequencing applied on a genomic scale (inclusive of all DNA or all RNA), it is now possible to broadly compare gene expres-sion between individual tissues and cell types. Data-driven scientific approaches are discovering a large number of genes that nobody realized were impor-tant. The results are providing new insights into cellu-lar identity, normal function, and disease mechanisms in areas that have direct relevance to lameness. New understanding about individual cell types enables diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to be refined. Consider cartilage as an example. Our bodies contain

several different cartilaginous tissues—joint (articular) cartilage, non-articular structural cartilage, cartilage that is replaced by bone through a process called endochondral ossification, and others. Although all types of cartilage have features in common, an un-derstanding of the unique cellular characteristics that define articular chondrocytes is clearly an important parameter to consider with joint diseases. Going for-ward, veterinarians will increasingly have access to molecular biomarker panels to help refine their list of differential diagnoses, to select optimal therapies, and for patient monitoring.

We already hear about these approaches with can-cer patients, and the same concepts are applicable for bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, and muscle tis-sues. The clinical goals include improved sensitivity in monitoring health as well as early identification of disease problems and how the patient is responding to treatment. On a therapeutic level, cell-based ap-proaches are generating high levels of interest and for good reasons. The term “stem cells” is mentioned fre-quently. Cells can be used therapeutically to deliver beneficial equine-specific growth and differentiation factors to an area of injury, to modulate the patient’s immune system in helpful ways, and in some cases to directly generate a repair tissue. There is much to

EQUINE DISEASE QUARTERLYFROM: EQUINE DISEASE QUARTERLYCollege of Agriculture, Food and Environment Department of Veterinary Science

JANUARY 2017 Volume 26, Number 1



learn and quite a bit of misinformation being dissemi-nated, but cell-based therapies do indeed hold a lot of promise. Finally, we have entered the era of medical informatics.

Hardware, software, and data storage options in com-puter science have advanced rapidly to enable “big data” analyses that resolve biomedical relationships and patterns from “-omic” and population levels that would be very hard to appreciate by looking only at an individual gene or a single patient. By analogy, consider how difficult it would be to resolve crop cir-cles and other patterns in a grain field while standing on the ground. They are much easier to appreciate while looking out the window of an airplane. It is not an “either/ or” issue—broad and targeted analyses are both important and often complementary.

So, how can we facilitate further progress in address-ing equine lameness challenges? A very important part of the answer is quality scientific research to advance knowledge. At the University of Kentucky, we have established the Equestrian Sports Research Initiative to enable multidisciplinary research teams to work together collaboratively with industry groups, clinical veterinarians, and horse professionals. Health and welfare issues in equine sports medicine are be-ing studied from basic to clinical levels by consider-ing horse, rider, and surface issues concurrently.

As noted above, scientific and technological advances are driving progress in biomedical disciplines. Objec-tive scientific research and the resulting new knowl-edge are absolutely key, and need to be a top priority.

Contact: James N. MacLeod, VMD, PhD [email protected] (859) 218-1099 Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

I N T E R N ATIONALThird Quarter 2016 The International Collating Centre, Newmarket, Unit-ed Kingdom and other sources reported the following disease outbreaks. Republic of South Africa reported outbreaks of African horse sickness in endemic ar-eas of the country, but none in the Western Cape controlled zone. Equine influenza was recorded in Germany (isolated case), the U.K. (case in an unvac-cinated filly), and the USA, in which the disease is endemic. Outbreaks of the disease were confirmed in California, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, New Jer-sey, and New York. Strangles was reported by France, Germany, Ireland, Singapore, and the USA. The num-ber of outbreaks varied from four in France, twelve in Germany (all isolated cases), nineteen cases on two premises in Ireland, a single case in an imported horse in Singapore, and multiple outbreaks involving seventeen states in the USA.

Outbreaks within the USA consisted of 99 cases con-firmed on an estimated 36 premises, one of which represented co-infection with equine herpesvirus 4. France and South Africa recorded outbreaks of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) infection. In the case of the former, hyperthermia was the only clinical sign ob-served. Clinical details were not provided for the out-break in South Africa. Outbreaks of EHV-1 abortion were reported by Ireland, South Africa and the UK, all involving isolated cases of the disease. EHV-1 related neurologic disease was confirmed in France, South Africa and the USA, each represented by single cases of the disease. Respiratory disease caused by EHV-4 was recorded by France (seven outbreaks), South Africa and Switzerland (single case of infection), and the UK (two outbreaks; limited number of infected horses in each instance). Germany reported a case of neurologic disease from which EHV-4 was detect-ed from a nasal swab. Infection with EHV-2 and/or EHV-5 was confirmed in the USA, principally asso-



ciated with evidence of respiratory disease. Equine infectious anemia was recorded in Canada and the USA. Nine cases were diagnosed on three premises in Saskatchewan Province, Canada. Two cases were confirmed on each of two premises in New York and Oklahoma, USA. France recorded that equine piro-plasmosis was endemic in the country. In the USA, Theileria equi infection was confirmed in Quarter horse racehorses engaged in non-sanctioned racing in Tennessee (seventeen cases) and Wyoming/Utah (21 cases). Germany reported nine cases of CEM on eight premises, the majority in stallions and horses of the Icelandic breed. The USA reported cases/out-breaks of salmonellosis during the third quarter. Two cases involved serogroup B Salmonella spp., 10 with serogroup C1 spp. and two with serogroup D1 spp. Outbreaks of clostridial enteritis due to Clostridium perfringens Type A, genotyped as β-2 toxin positive, were recorded by the USA, two in Kentucky and two in Minnesota.

France and Germany confirmed limited outbreaks of rotavirus infection in foals. One case of infection with Lawsonia intracellularis was diagnosed in a foal in Kentucky, USA. Single cases of rabies were recorded in Oklahoma and Florida, USA. The USA reported 49 cases of Eastern equine encephalomyelitis during the period under review. The greatest numbers of cases were confirmed in Florida, Wisconsin, and South Car-olina. The USA confirmed a total of 88 cases of West Nile encephalitis involving seventeen states.

The vast majority were in non-vaccinated horses or those with incomplete vaccination histories. Rhodo-coccus related disease was considered endemic in the USA. Notwithstanding the fact that it is very difficult to estimate the prevalence of this infection, some 40 cases were confirmed during the third quarter. Japan confirmed eight cases of Getah virus infection on one premises, the majority having incomplete vaccination

histories. Infected horses displayed typical clinical signs of the disease. The USA reported three cases of Equine Monocytic Ehrlichiosis in Maryland and West Virginia. Isolated cases of Ehrlichiosis were also con-firmed in Germany and Switzerland.

Observation, Science, and Equine Lameness DiagnosisA significant number of pain-related gait abnormali-ties in horses are evident only when the horse is rid-den, and are not apparent when the horse is hand-walked or lunged. Even when these horses are ridden, the lameness may not be overt. While there have been many recent technical advancements in the objective assessment of gait, these are generally of limited value for detection of bilaterally symmetrical alterations in gait that result in reduced performance such as gener-alized stiffness, lack of willingness to work, alteration in quality of movements such as lack of hindlimb en-gagement and impulsion, and alteration in the rider’s feel of the contact via the reins and bit to the horse’s mouth. A rider often assumes that these problems are attributable to thoracolumbar region pain, because the problems are only manifest when the horse is rid-den.

When observed on the lunge, such horses may lean into the circle—often more on one rein than the oth-er—and show exaggerated contractions of the epaxial muscles. However, studies have shown that experi-mentally induced forelimb or hindlimb lameness may reduce range of motion of the thoracolumbosacral vertebral column. Radiographic examination may reveal impinging spinous processes, and this find-ing often results in an erroneous conclusion impli-cating thoracolumbar pain as the primary problem. We have demonstrated that by using diagnostic an-algesia to abolish overt or subclinical lameness, the rider often appreciates an increased range of motion of the horse’s back. To investigate these clinical ob-



servations, we have studied normal horses subjectively free from lameness in hand, after flexion test, on the lunge on both soft and firm surfaces and when ridden. We objectively measured body lean on the lunge and range of movement of the thoracolumbar region us-ing inertial measurement units placed at predefined locations on the thoracolumbar and pelvic regions. These studies established normal ranges of motion for the thoracolumbosacral spine and demonstrated that sound horses have a small degree of bilaterally sym-metrical body lean on the lunge. We also measured body lean on the lunge in lame horses and demon-strated that there is frequently asymmetry between left and right reins, with greater lean compared with normal Observation, Science, and Equine Lameness Diagnosis on at least one rein.

Substantial improvement in lameness by performing diagnostic analgesia resulted in reduced body lean on both reins and reestablishment of symmetry between left and right reins. Likewise, when lameness was im-proved by diagnostic analgesia, range of motion of the thoracolumbosacral regions increased, especially in the caudal thoracic and lumbar regions. We have observed that the tendency of a saddle to slip persis-tently to one side is most frequently associated with hindlimb lameness. Abolition of lameness by diagnos-tic analgesia results in resolution of the saddle slip. The saddle most commonly slips to the side of the lame or more lame hindlimb, but less frequently slips toward the less lame limb. Presumably saddle slip is induced by altered range of motion of the thoracolumbosacral region, which may vary among horses. Saddle slip may actually be an indicator of the likely presence of hindlimb lameness. Overt lameness may not be appar-ent when a horse is trotting, but musculoskeletal pain may be manifest at a canter by the horse’s tendency to become disunited or repeatedly change leading limbs behind or in front, crookedness, loss of a normal three time rhythm, placing the hindlimbs either abnormally

close together spatially and temporally, or placing the limbs remarkably far apart. These observations may be apparent either on the lunge or when the horse is ridden. Abolition of baseline lameness seen in hand may paradoxically make the canter appear worse if sacroiliac pain is contributing to pain and poor perfor-mance. These observations highlight the importance of evaluating horses with performance problems both in hand, on the lunge and ridden, preferably by the normal rider. Horses should be assessed in walk, trot, and canter, bearing in mind that while one aspect of the gait may improve with diagnostic analgesia, an-other may deteriorate. Horses should also be assessed performing the movements which they find most dif-ficult, because in some horses this may be the only condition when the problem is manifest.

Contact: Sue Dyson, MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, FRCVS [email protected] +44 (0)1638 7519098 Centre for Equine Studies, Animal Health Trust Newmarket, Suffolk, UK

NATIONAL Equine Coronavirus – An Emerging Enteric Virus of Adult HorsesEquine coronavirus (ECoV) is classified within the Be-tacoronavirus genus, along with bovine coronavirus, porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus, mouse hepatitis virus, rat coronavirus (sialodacryo-adenitis virus), and certain human coronaviruses such as OC43, HKU1, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus; the latter two viruses have caused epi-demic outbreaks of respiratory disease in human be-ings in the last decade. ECoV has been recently asso-ciated clinically and epidemiologically with emerging outbreaks of pyrogenic and enteric disease in adult horses in Japan and anorexia, lethargy, and fever in the United States. Coronavirus infection typically be-



gins in the proximal small intestine and subsequent-ly spreads to the colonic epithelial cells, leading to blunting of the intestinal villi and subsequent villous atrophy. Loss of epithelial cells results in malabsorp-tion and maldigestion of nutrients and acute diarrhea. Following a short incubation period of 48-72 hours, adult horses develop fever, anorexia, and depression. Changes in fecal character, ranging from soft-formed stools to watery consistency, and colic are seen in less than 20% of affected horses. A small number of horses develop acute neurologic signs due to hyper-ammonemia, which may manifest as severe depres-sion, head pressing, ataxia, proprioceptive deficits, recumbency, nystagmus, and seizure.

Common hematological abnormalities are leucope-nia due to neutropenia and/or lymphopenia. ECoV infection generally resolves within 1-4 days with sup-portive care consisting of the administration of anti-inflammatory drugs and oral or intravenous fluids. Fatalities have been associated with septicemia, en-dotoxemia as well as metabolic abnormalities leading to encephalopathy (hyperammonemia). Historically, the detection of ECoV has relied on either electron microscopy, antigen-capture ELISA, or viral isola-tion from the feces. All of these detection modalities lack sensitivity, especially if Equine Coronavirus – An Emerging Enteric Virus of Adult Horses viral particles are not present in sufficient numbers. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the detec-tion of ECoV nucleic acid has supplanted many con-ventional virological assays, mainly due to its short turn-around-time, high throughput capability and in-creased analytical sensitivity and specificity. The over-all agreement between clinical status and PCR results for ECoV is over 90%, making fecal PCR the diagnos-tic tool of choice. Infected horses can shed ECoV up to 14 days. Due to the fecal-oral transmission route and the highly infectious nature of ECoV, common-sense biosecurity protocols should be instituted dur-

ing an outbreak of ECoV. ECoV PCR positive horses (clinical or subclinical) should always be isolated from the rest of the equine population to decrease the exposure risk and environmental contamination. Po-tentially exposed horses should not be moved until their definitive infection status has been determined. For isolation purposes, use an empty barn or an isola-tion unit. In a barn situation, close one end of the barn and use it as isolation area. Caretakers and owners should wear gloves, protective clothing (coveralls or disposable gowns), and dedicated footwear. Good hand hygiene should be instituted (faucet with warm/cold water or hand sanitizer). Barrier nursing tech-niques should be established in the form of footbath or mats in front of the isolation unit and each stall. This will minimize the spread of pathogens from stalls to clean areas. It is very important to control traffic and minimize contact of affected horses with the gen-eral public. Hygiene should be maximized by regular cleaning and disinfecting. Contact: Nicola Pusterla, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM [email protected] (530) 752-1360 Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine UC Da-vis, California

Screwworm Myiasis Myiasis is the infestation of vertebrate animals by lar-vae (maggots) of any species of fly. Some fly species are specialized to use amphibian, reptilian, or avian hosts, but most usually infest mammals. In horses, the typical and most widespread of such parasites are species of internal bot flies (Gasterophilus spp.), but many other maggots (e.g. blow flies and/or flesh flies) may facultatively infest equines externally. Although none of these typically poses a serious threat to hosts, screwworms are a separate and often dire exception. Unlike the others, the New World screwworm, Co-chliomyia hominivorax, is a specialized native blow fly and obligate parasite whose maggots voraciously feed only on living tissues of warm-blooded animals.



It once occupied most of the Neotropical Region, in-cluding South Texas and South Florida, where it was historically the scourge of both wildlife and livestock. From its winter refuges, it spread variably northwards each summer and injured or killed thousands of vic-tims yearly, causing substantial economic losses to animal agriculture. In the mid-1900s, USDA scien-tists conceived and began field-testing an innovative method aimed at eradicating screwworms as pests. The so-called sterile insect technique (SIT) involved mass-rearing millions of adult flies in captivity, steril-izing them by exposure to radiation, and over-flood-ing wild screwworm populations with sterile insects to the point that most local, field-mated wild females produced inviable eggs.

Within several generations of such pressure, local populations died out, and progressively screwworms were extirpated, first from the USA and eventually down to Panama by 2000. Screwworms persist on a handful of Caribbean islands and in northern South America, but they are prevented from dispersing and re-infesting North America by continuous releases of sterile flies in an eastern Panamanian barrier zone. The last locally infested animal in the U.S. was seen in 1982 in Texas, and since then, dozens of screw-worm incursions have been detected and dealt with on animals and humans entering the country from still-infested areas. Many of these cases involved race horses or polo ponies entering from South America, with screwworms detected in quarantine facilities. Currently, however, an active invasive population of screwworms has taken up residence in the Florida Keys. How these flies entered the country and from where is still a mystery, but the infestation is of par-ticular concern because most of the known infested hosts have been endangered Florida Key deer on the National Key Deer Refuge. As of this writing, screw-worms have killed approximately 10% of the Key deer herd, along with several local pet pigs, cats, and dogs.

Since the infestation was first discovered at the end of September 2016, personnel in a state/federal task force have instituted several strategies to contain and eliminate screwworms from the Keys, including mon-itoring and surveillance of fly and maggot activities to delimit the infested area, veterinary inspections of all animals leaving the Keys, preventative and cura-tive treatments of animal hosts, and most importantly, local application of the SIT through release of over 25 million sterile flies flown in from Panama. Judi-cious continuation of these practices into early 2017 is expected to prevent the spread of screwworms, ex-tirpate them, and once again, make the USA screw-worm free.

Contact: James W. Mertins, MS, PhD, Entomologist [email protected] (515) 337-7919 USDA APHIS VS STAS; National Veterinary Services Laboratories Ames, Iowa Commentary,



I have selected some links with CPD content that I think will be useful to members.

The first is an excellent YouTube video of an abdomi-nal ultrasound technique. For those of us that infre-quently perform abdominal ultrasound I think it is very useful protocol and helps to perform a quick, efficient and thorough examination.

http://youtu.be/0P5QXlpoCyQ

The second link follows on nicely from the first and is a useful article on how to interpret abdominal ultra-sound findings.

http://www.equisan.com/images/pdf/abdoultra.pdf

The third link is a good review of the equine ophthal-mic examination. Again for those of us that infrequent-ly need to perform an extensive ophthalmic examina-

tion it should be a useful refresher article.

http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/ophthalmology/oph-thalmo_files/Tools/EquineExam.pdf

New Zealand Veterinary Association “Antibiotic judi-cious use guidelines”

http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.nzva.org.nz/resource/resmgr/docs/policies_and_guidelines/AMR_Guide-lines_Equine.pdf

Equine disease quarterly (Gluck Equine Research:http://gluck.ca.uky.edu/equine-disease-quarterly

Hope these links are useful.

Johnny Cave

SAEVA Recommended Antibiotic Stewardship UseAfter lengthy debate the SAEVA decided on the New Zealand model that we would want to follow as a group.

http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.nzva.org.nz/resource/resmgr/docs/policies_and_guidelines/AMR_Guidelines_Equine.pdf

Recommended online articles



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L

Equine Lymphoma - An UpdateBy Dr Rick Last – BVSc; M.Med.Vet (Pathology)Specialist Veterinary Pathologist

Vetdiagnostix – Veterinary Pathology Services

Introduction

Lymphoma although rare in horses is still considered the most common hematopoietic neoplasia arising from lymphoid tissue (lym-phnodes, spleen, gut-associated lymphoid

tissue, bone marrow) of this species. Leukemia is a neoplasia arising from cells of the bone marrow with lymphocytic leukemia (bone marrow lymphoma) be-ing one of the leukocytic leukemias. The overall inci-dence of lymphoma is 1.3-2.8% of all equine tumor’s. Horses of any age can be affected, but most reported cases are in horses 4-10 years of age. There appears to be a breed predisposition in Quarter Horses, Thor-oughbreds and Standardbreds.

ClassificationEquine lymphoma can be classified into multicentric, alimentary, mediastinal, cutaneous and solitary tumours of extra-nodal sites. Common clinical signs in the horse include weight loss, depression, lethargy, ventral oe-dema, recurrent fever and lymphadenopathy. Hematol-ogy and serum biochemistries are usually non-specific, but lymphoma should be further investigated if anemia, hyperfibrinogenaemia, hyperproteinaemia and hypoal-buminaemia are reported without any clear indication of infectious disease. In most instances the diagnosis of lymphoma is only made late in the course of the disease, due to the insidious nature of the disease and lack of pathognomonic signs in this species. Due to most diag-noses being made late in the progression of the disease

the prognosis is poor in most instances.

Multicentric LymphomaMulticentric lymphoma is considered the most common form of lymphoma in the equine species and is charac-terized by widespread asymmetrical involvement of peripheral and / or internal nodes and various visceral sites. Involvement of internal lymph nodes however is variable. Liver, spleen, intestine, kidney and bone mar-row are the most commonly documented visceral sites, although they have also been reported in upper airways, central nervous system, heart, adrenal glands, reproduc-tive organs and eye. Leukemia is observed in cases with bone marrow involvement.

Clinical presentation of multicentric lymphoma is very variable depending on which visceral organs are in-volved. The majority of horses with multicentric lym-phoma however do exhibit weight loss, ventral oedema, pyrexia, increased respiration, rapid pulse and lymph-adenopathy. Other less common clinical presentations with this form of lymphoma include abdominal disten-tion, icterus, malabsorption, hematuria, polydipsia / polyuria, neurological signs, ocular signs, pseudohyper-parathyroidism and alopecia.

Alimentary lymphomaThe alimentary form of lymphoma accounts for ap-proximately 19% of lymphoma cases in horses. Equine intestinal lymphoma may affect multiple segments of the intestinal tract (more common in horses <10 years


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of age), or only a single focus (more common in horses >16 years of age), with the small intestine being more commonly involved than the large intestine. This form of lymphoma is a disease of old horses with mean age of onset at 16 years.

Spread from the intestine to involve mesenteric lym-phnodes and other visceral organs makes it difficult to distinguish alimentary lymphoma from multicentric disease. The majority of intestinal lymphomas are of T-cell origin, while those of B-cell origin may be associated with hypergammaglobinaemia.

Weight loss, lethargy and anorexia are the most com-mon presenting signs with abdominal pain and / or di-arrhea caused by malabsorption, along with protein los-ing enteropathy, being less frequently observed.

Mediastinal Lymphoma

Mediastinal (thymic / thoracic) lymphoma is the most common neoplasia of the chest cavity of horses. Dys-pnea, coughing, distention of the jugular vein and pleu-ral effusions may be observed in addition to the general signs of lymphoma. Severe bradycardia associated with complete atrioventricular block has been described in individual cases.

Cutaneous LymphomaPrimary cutaneous lymphoma is rarely seen in horses and most cases with skin lesions are part of a general-ized multi-systemic disease. Less than 5 % of equine lymphomas are classified as primary cutaneous. Most are of T cell origin with many progressing to a chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

T-cell rich large B-cell lymphomas (TCRLBL) are the pre-dominant subtype of lymphoma involved in equine cu-taneous lymphoma with T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) being the second most common subtype. Less commonly

documented subtypes include diffuse large B cell lym-phoma and anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma. Quarter horses almost exclusively develop TCRLBL while CTCL are more common in Thoroughbreds compared to oth-er breeds. TCRLBL usually present as multiple masses while CTCL are more commonly solitary nodules.

Clinical presentation is of alopecic, ulcerative and exu-dative skin lesions with anatomical predilection sites be-ing the head, limbs, trunk and perineum. TCRLBL have significantly longer survival times without local recur-rence, suggesting that complete local excision maybe an effective therapy, the prognosis with CTCL is less fa-vorable. In mares cutaneous lesions are reported to re-gress during pregnancy only to re-appear after foaling.

Solitary Lympomas of extra-nodal sitesThere are many published case reports documenting solitary lymphoid tumours of the spleen, palate, naso-pharynx, nasal passage, sinus, tongue, meninges and pelvis. Splenic lymphoma is an isolated lesion involving the lower part of the spleen and may attain very large size. Animals normally present with a responsive hemo-lytic anaemia due to trapping of erythrocytes in adja-cent hyperplastic splenic tissue. Leukemia is however absent. Tumours are usually large B cell and they usually remain restricted to the spleen.

DiagnosisSurgical, laparoscopic or ultrasonographic-guided bi-opsies placed in 10% buffered formalin for histology remains the gold standard diagnostic procedure for the confirmation of lymphoma in the equine species. In addition to evaluation of morphological character-istics of lymphocytes, histology enables assessment of architectural changes, uniformity of the lympho-cyte population and establishment of the mitotic in-dex, all of which are crucial for the confirmation of the diagnosis of lymphoma and staging of the tumour. Cytological examination of fine needle aspirates or


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lymphnode impression smears only provides morpho-logical details of cells in isolation, rending cytologi-cal examination inconclusive in many instances, due to the complexities of distinguishing lymphoma from atypical lymphoid hyperplasia.

A further advantage of formalin-fixed tissues for histol-ogy is that immunophenotyping, tumour proliferation rate and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis for pro-gesterone receptors can be performed. Immunopheno-typing allows for classification of the tumour as either B or T cell origin. Multicentric and alimentary lymphomas are predominantly T cell origin, mediastinal lymphomas are exclusively T cell, cutaneous tumours are either T cell rich B cell lymphomas or of T-cell origin while solitary tu-mours of extra-nodal sites may be of B or T cell origin. In general T cell lymphomas are more aggressive and carry a poorer prognosis than B cell lymphomas.

Application of IHC stains to asses tumour proliferation rate (Ki67) is used to assist in prognostication and to monitor response to therapy. However, correlation be-tween the recorded replication rate, prognosis and re-sponse to treatment is currently unknown in the horse and further data needs to be collated before any recom-mendations can be made based on the tumour prolifera-tion rate.

In some mares, cutaneous lymphoma is reported to re-gress during pregnancy and so application of IHC stains for progesterone receptors on tumour cells, might have some therapeutic implications.

TherapyCurrent therapy options applied include surgical exci-sion, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy in mares with cutaneous lymphoma. However, little is known about the efficacy of these various treat-ments, treatment protocols are based on anecdotal data and the majority of cases are usually only diagnosed in

advanced stage of the disease. Response to therapy is therefore disappointing in many instances, with the ex-ception of T cell rich B cell cutaneous lymphomas which exhibit long survival times following complete local exci-sion.

REFERENCES1. Durham A C, Pillitteri C A et al. 2013. Two hundred three cases of equine lymphoma classified according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification Cri-teria. Veterinary Pathology 50:86-93.2. Meyer J, Delay J et al. 2006. Clinical, laboratory and histopathologic features of equine lymphoma. Veteri-nary Pathology 43:914-924.3. Miller C A, Durham A C et al. 2015. Classification and clinical features in 88 cases of equine cutaneous lym-phoma. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 27:86-91.4. Taintor J & Schleis S. 2011. Equine lymphoma. Equine Veterinary Education 23:205-213.5. Valli V E O, Kiupel M et al. 2016. Hematopoeitic Sys-tem. In: Jubb, Kennedy & Palmers Pathology of Domes-tic Animals 6th edn. 237-238. Elsevier, St Louis.6. Cowell R L, Tyler R D et al. 2002. Lymph Nodes. In: Diagnostic Cytology and Haematology of the Horse. 2nd edn. 99-106. Mosby, St Louis.

Equine lymphoma – Questions

Question 1Which of the following tissues does equine lymphoma not commonly arise from?A. Lymphnode.B. SpleenC. Gut associated lymphoid tissueD. LungE. Bone marrow.

Question 2


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Which of the following tissues are most consistently in-volved in multicentric lymphoma?A. Peripheral lymphnodes.B. Internal lymphnodes.C. Spleen.D. Gut associated lymphoid tissue.E. Bone marrow.

Question 3Approximately what percentage of lymphomas are ali-mentary lymphomas?A. <10%B. ±5%C. ±19%D. ±50%E. ±75%

Question 4With which form of lymphoma are thoracic effusions most commonly associated?A. Multicentric. B. Thymic.C. Alimentary.D. Cutaneous.E. Solitary extra-nodal lymphoma.

Question 5What percentage of lymphomas are considered primary cutaneous lymphomas?A. ±10%.B. ±20%C. ±50%D. ±60%E. <5%

Question 6Which form of cutaneous lymphoma do Quarter horses almost exclusively develop?A. T cell Lymphoma.B. Large B cell lymphoma.

C. Anaplastic large T cell lymphoma.D. T cell rich large B cell lymphomaE. Large B cell lymphoma.

Question 7Which of the following are considered one of the ana-tomical predilection sites for cutaneous lymphoma?A. Head.B. Tail.C. Ventral abdomen.D. InguinalE. Axillary.

Question 8 Which of the following diagnostic procedures are con-sidered the gold standard for the diagnosis of lympho-ma?A. CytologyB. HaematologyC. Clinical ChemistryD. HistologyE. Progesterone receptor Staining

Question 9In which of the following microscopic aspects can cytol-ogy match histology.A. Lymphocyte morphological detail.B. Evaluate architectural lymphnode changes.C. Uniformity of lymphocyte population.D. Mitotic index.E. IHC B and T cell stains.

Question 10Which of the following therapies are not routinely ap-plied in the treatment of equine lymphoma?A. SurgeryB. Radiation therapyC. ChemotherapyD. Hormone therapyE. Cryotherapy.


AbstractsRelationships among stallion fertility and se-men traits using estimated breeding values of German Warmblood stallions.

Gottschalk M, et al. Theriogenology. 2017.

Abstract

A high quality of stallion semen is of particular impor-tance for maximum reproductive efficiency. In the pres-ent study, we estimated the relationships among esti-mated breeding values (EBVs) of semen traits and EBVs for the paternal component of the pregnancy rate per estrus cycle (EBV-PAT) for 100 German Warmblood stal-lions using correlation and general linear model analy-ses.

The most highly correlated sperm quality trait was to-tal number of progressively motile sperm (r = 0.36). EBV-PAT was considered in three classes with stallions 1 SD below (<80), around (80-120), and above (>120) the population mean of 100. The general linear model analysis showed significant effects for EBVs of all semen traits. EBVs of sperm quality traits greater than 100 to 110 were indicative for EBV-PAT greater than 120.

Recommendations for breeding soundness examina-tions on the basis of the assessments of sperm quality traits and estimation of breeding values seem to be an option to support breeders to improve stallion fertility in the present and future stallion generation.

Elevated serum amyloid A levels in cases of aborted equine fetuses due to fetal and pla-cental infections.

Erol E, et al. Theriogenology. 2016.

AbstractDetermination of fetal serum amyloid A (SAA) concen-trations in aborted fetuses can provide valuable infor-mation regarding the infectious and/or inflammatory process of abortion in horses. To investigate the rela-tionship between fetal SAA levels and the infectious/inflammatory disease process in feto-placental tissues, a SAA ELISA was used to test heart serum samples of 89 equine fetuses that were necropsied and diagnosed in the following groups: a multiorgan disease process di-agnosed with an identified microorganism (14 cases, group 1); only placentitis diagnosed with an identified microorganism (nine cases, group 2); only placentitis diagnosed with no microorganism identified (six cases, group 3); and no infectious or inflammatory disease process diagnosed (60 cases, group 4). Serum amyloid A concentrations in equine fetuses were elevated from 10.5 to ≥40 mg/L in 10 of 14 cases in group 1; and from less than 2.5 mg/L to greater than 40 mg/L in seven of nine cases in group 2. In group 3, SAA concentrations were found to be less than 2.5 mg/L in five of six cases. In group 4, SAA concentrations were less than 2.5 mg/L in 55 cases, whereas in five cases SAA concentrations were elevated. Statistical significant differences were found between the concentrations of SAA in fetal horse blood and the presence of infectious and/or inflamma-tory disease process in the feto-placental tissues when

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a causative microorganism was identified. These results suggest that testing SAA concentrations in fetal heart blood may aid in further understanding the causes of abortions in horses.

Comparative efficacy of BioRelease Deslore-lin® injection for induction of ovulation in oestrus mares: a field study.

Finan SA, et al. Aust Vet J. 2016.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the comparative efficacy of BioRelease Deslorelin® (BRD) and Ovuplant® for induc-tion of ovulation in cyclic mares in Australia.

METHODS: Ovarian follicular activity of 60 mares for a to-tal of 95 cycles was monitored by ultrasonography until they developed a follicle ≥30 mm and a uterine oedema pattern of 3. Mares were then randomly allocated to one of three treatment groups: (1) treatment with 1.25 mg BRD, (2) a single Ovuplant pellet or (3) 1 mL compound sodium lactate control. Follicular activity was monitored with ultrasonography every 12 h until ovulation was de-tected or for at least 5 days post treatment. The injection site on each mare was monitored for reaction for a mini-mum of 5 days post treatment.

RESULTS: There was no difference in the percentage of mares ovulating within 48 h when treated with BRD (93.75%) compared with Ovuplant (87.09%). Treatment with both ovulating agents significantly decreased the time to ovulation compared with control mares (P < 0.00005). More mares had injection site reactions with Ovuplant (64.5%) treatment compared with BRD (15.6%) or control mares (0%) (P < 0.00005).

CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of mares with 1.25 mg BRD

when there is a follicle ≥30 mm and uterine oedema pat-tern of 3 is as effective as treatment with Ovuplant.

Intra- and interobserver reliability estimates for identification and grading of upper respi-ratory tract abnormalities recorded in hors-es at rest and during overground endoscopy.

McGivney CL, et al. Equine Vet J. 2016.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Previous studies support good intra- and interobserver agreements for endoscopic evalua-tion of various upper respiratory tract (URT) diseases in horses. However, these studies mainly assessed resting endoscopic examination videos and/or focussed on a single URT abnormality.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate intra- and interobserver agree-ment for identification and grading of all URT abnor-malities from resting and overground endoscopy (OGE) videos of Thoroughbreds.

STUDY DESIGN: Blinded, fully crossed design.

METHODS: Resting and OGE URT videos for n = 43 Thor-oughbreds were retrospectively chosen based on iden-tification of common URT disorders. The videos were randomly evaluated in duplicate by 4 raters blinded to all information including prior URT disorder(s) diagno-sis. Abnormalities were graded using well-described or-dinal scales. Intra- and interobserver agreements were estimated using Cohen’s weighted β and Krippendorff’s β, respectively.

RESULTS: Intraobserver agreement was perfect/nearly perfect for arytenoid symmetry at exercise, epiglottic entrapment and epiglottic retroversion, substantial for

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arytenoid asymmetry at rest, palatal dysfunction (PD), medial deviation of the aryepiglottic folds (MDAF), pharyngeal mucus and epiglottic grade at exercise and moderate for vocal fold collapse (VFC), ventromedial luxation of the apex of the corniculate process of the arytenoid (VLAC), nasopharyngeal collapse (NPC) and epiglottic grade at rest. Interobserver agreement was substantial for arytenoid symmetry at exercise and PD and moderate for arytenoid asymmetry at rest, MDAF, VLAC and epiglottic entrapment. It was only fair for VFC, epiglottic grade at exercise, epiglottic retroversion, pha-ryngeal mucus and NPC and poor for epiglottic grade at rest.

MAIN LIMITATIONS: Sample size was insufficient to al-low assessment of the effect of one abnormality on the grading of another abnormality.

CONCLUSIONS: Observers were consistent in grading URT disorders. However, significant disparity in grading existed between observers for some conditions affect-ing reliability.

Subclinical ultrasonographic abnormalities of the suspensory ligament branches in Na-tional Hunt racehorses.

Fairburn AJ, et al. Equine Vet J. 2016.

AbstractBACKGROUND: Suspensory ligament branch (SLB) des-mopathy is a common cause of lameness and an impor-tant cause of lost training in the Thoroughbred racing industry. Studies have assessed the impact of insertional injuries of the SLB on the careers of flat racehorses and established the prevalence of subclinical ultrasono-graphic SLB abnormalities in this population, but little work has investigated SLB injury in National Hunt (NH) racehorses.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of subclini-cal ultrasonographic SLB abnormalities in NH racehors-es with no clinical signs or history of SLB injury and to establish the cross-sectional area (CSA) of SLBs in this population.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using data col-lected from horses on an NH yard.

METHODS: Ultrasonographic examination of forelimb SLBs in 62 horses on a single NH yard was performed. Images were graded according to a previously reported system. CSA measurements were obtained from trans-verse images.

RESULTS: Nineteen of 62 horses had at least one SLB with grade 2 ultrasonographic abnormalities. Grade 2 ultra-sonographic abnormalities occurred more frequently in the medial than the lateral SLB (P = 0.05). The medial SLB insertional CSA was significantly larger (P<0.001) than that of the lateral SLB.

MAIN LIMITATIONS: Length of time on the yard (and therefore available veterinary history) is variable in this population.

CONCLUSIONS: One in three NH racehorses without his-tory or clinical signs of SLB injury had at least one SLB with a grade 2 ultrasonographic abnormality. The me-dial branch was over-represented. The medial SLB inser-tional CSA is larger than the lateral and thus comparison with the corresponding branch in the contralateral limb is recommended to avoid misdiagnosis of medial SLB enlargement.

Improved radiological diagnosis of palmar osteochondral disease in the Thoroughbred racehorse.Davis AM, et al. Equine Vet J. 2016.

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Palmar osteochondral disease (POD) is common in the Thoroughbred racehorse yet difficult to diagnose by radiography alone.

OBJECTIVES: To improve the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing POD from radiographs.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal study.

METHODS: Radiographs in nine different projections were made of metacarpophalangeal joints (MCPJ) of 50 Thoroughbreds. Post-mortem, MCPJs were dissected and gross pathology was scored. Three experienced Thoroughbred clinicians read each radiograph and re-corded their findings. Another clinician reviewed each radiograph alongside the related gross specimens in or-der to correlate radiological findings with joint pathol-ogy. This served as a ‘gold standard’. The performance of each clinician at detecting POD was compared with the ‘gold standard’. Radiological features associated with POD were identified and presented to the clinicians in a training manual, prior to them re-reading the radio-graphs. The ability of each clinician to diagnose POD was reassessed.

RESULTS: Palmar osteochondral disease was a common finding (88/100 joints). All three clinicians demonstrat-ed low sensitivity and low specificity at detecting POD (mean 0.37 and 0.75, respectively). Conversely, the sen-sitivity and specificity for POD in the ‘gold standard’ was high (0.95 and 1.0). POD was associated with primary radiological features (e.g. focal radiolucencies in the pal-mar condyles, disruption of the outline of subchondral bone and focal sclerosis of the palmar condyles) and secondary features (e.g. basilar and apical osteophytes on the proximal sesamoid bones, flattening of the pal-mar condyles and cavitation of the dorso-distal aspect of the third metacarpal bone). Secondary radiographic

features were often easier to detect. Following training the performance of clinicians at identifying POD was significantly improved.

MAIN LIMITATIONS: Only two clinicians completed the study; low proportion of POD negative cases in the study.

CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians frequently overlook key radio-logical features related to POD. Alerting clinicians to rel-evant radiological features improved the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis.

Factors associated with survival of horses following relaparotomy.

Findley JA, et al. Equine Vet J. 2016.

AbstractREASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Relaparotomy may be required to investigate and manage complications that occur following surgical management of colic.

OBJECTIVES: To report factors associated with survival following relaparotomy.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.

METHODS: Records of horses that had undergone exploratory laparotomy for treatment of colic over a 10-year period (2002-2012) and had undergone re-laparotomy <8 weeks following the initial surgery were reviewed. Descriptive data were generated and associa-tion with survival time was modelled using Cox propor-tional hazards models.

RESULTS: Relaparotomy was performed in 96 horses at <8 weeks following initial surgery at a median of 4

EQUINE | Abstracts


days. This represented 6.3% of horses that underwent laparotomy during the study period (n = 1531). Relapa-rotomy was most frequently undertaken based on signs of persistent post-operative colic (76%; n = 73). Short-term survival for horses undergoing relaparotomy due to persistent colic was 53%, incisional dehiscence 50%, post-operative reflux 37%, haemoperitoneum 17% and septic peritonitis 0%. Median survival was 6 days for all horses undergoing relaparotomy and 778 days for those that recovered following anaesthesia. Nonsurvival was associated with increased packed cell volume at 24 h following initial laparotomy (hazard ratio [HR] 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.10, P = 0.009), peritonitis as a reason for undertaking relaparotomy (HR 4.41, 95% CI 1.43-13.6, P = 0.01) and adhesions found at relapa-rotomy (HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.03-3.04, P = 0.04). Increased likelihood of survival was associated with colic signs be-ing the reason for performing relaparotomy (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.26-0.88, P = 0.02) and small intestinal disten-sion found at relaparotomy (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.29-0.96, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS: This study has provided information about survival rates and risk factors for survival in horses undergoing relaparotomy that can assist clinicians and owners when determining whether to perform relapa-rotomy and in predicting the likely surgical outcome.

The effects of dose and diet on the pharma-codynamics of omeprazole in the horse.

Sykes BW, et al. Equine Vet J. 2016.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Conflicting data are presented in the current literature regarding the efficacy of omeprazole for suppressing gastric acidity in the horse.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investi-gate the duration of intraday acid suppression achieved with two doses of omeprazole under two different di-etary conditions.

STUDY DESIGN: A four-way crossover design.

METHODS: Six adult Thoroughbred horses instrument-ed with percutaneous gastrotomy tubes were used. In-tragastric pH was measured for continuous 23 h periods (08.00-07.00 h) for six consecutive days (Days 0-5). Base-line data was recorded on Day 0 and omeprazole ad-ministered on Days 1-5. Two doses (1 mg/kg and 4 mg/kg bwt per os once a day) and two diets (a high grain/low fibre [HG/LF] and ad libitum hay [HAY)] diet) were studied. Data for the percent (%) time pH was above 4 (%tpH>4) and median intraday pH was reported for two measurement locations and analysed using generalised estimating equations.

RESULTS: An effect of both diet and dose was evident with mean %tpH>4 and the mean of the median intra-day pHs typically higher at the higher (4 mg/kg bwt) dose and in HG/LF diet. The overall efficacy of omepra-zole in raising intragastric pH was good under the HG/LF conditions but relatively poor in the HAY diet. A cu-mulative effect of dosing, not previously reported in the horse, was observed.

CONCLUSIONS: The overall efficacy of omeprazole in raising ventral gastric pH was less than previously re-ported. Both dose and diet may play a role in the efficacy of omeprazole in the horse. Therefore, the use of singu-lar dosing recommendations that encompass all horse types and management conditions may not be appro-priate and dosing recommendations that take into ac-count the diet of the horse may be advantageous.

EQUINE | Abstracts


African horse sickness: The potential for an outbreak in disease-free regions and current disease control and elimination techniques.

Review article

Robin M, et al. Equine Vet J. 2016.

AbstractAfrican horse sickness (AHS) is an arboviral disease of equids transmitted by Culicoides biting midges. The virus is endemic in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and of-ficial AHS disease-free status can be obtained from the World Organization for Animal Health on fulfilment of a number of criteria. AHS is associated with case fatality rates of up to 95%, making an outbreak among naïve horses both a welfare and economic disaster.

The worldwide distributions of similar vector-borne diseases (particularly bluetongue disease of rumi-nants) are changing rapidly, probably due to a com-bination of globalisation and climate change. There is extensive evidence that the requisite conditions for an AHS epizootic currently exist in disease-free countries. In particular, although the stringent regula-tions enforced upon competition horses make them extremely unlikely to redistribute the virus, there are great concerns over the effects of illegal equid move-ment. An outbreak of AHS in a disease free region would have catastrophic effects on equine welfare and industry, particularly for international events such as the Olympic Games. While many regions have contin-gency plans in place to manage an outbreak of AHS, further research is urgently required if the equine in-dustry is to avoid or effectively contain an AHS epizo-otic in disease-free regions. This review describes the key aspects of AHS as a global issue and discusses the evidence supporting concerns that an epizootic may occur in AHS free countries, the planned government responses, and the roles and responsibilities of equine

veterinarians.

Effect of storage time and temperature on the results of analysis of synovial and meso-thelial fluids.

Hughes KJ, et al. Equine Vet J. 2016.

AbstractREASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Delays between collection and laboratory analysis of equine body fluid samples are common in practice; however, the effects of delays on the accuracy of results and diagnostic inter-pretation are unknown.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of storage time and temperature combination on protein and cell parame-ters of equine synovial and mesothelial cavity fluids and determine whether any changes affect clinicopathologi-cal interpretation.

STUDY DESIGN: In vitro experiment.

METHODS: Body fluid samples obtained from horses during diagnostic investigation were divided into 7 ali-quots and total protein concentration (TP), total nucle-ated cell count and neutrophil morphology were anal-ysed immediately (T0 ) and at 24 (T24 ), 48 (T48 ) and 72 h (T72 ) after storage at 4°C or 22°C. Linear mixed models were used to analyse effects of fluid type and storage conditions on TP, TNCC and neutrophil morphology grade. Changes in interpretation of samples over time and diagnostic performance at each analysis point were recorded.

RESULTS: Thirty-two samples were collected from 23 horses. Storage had no effect on TP. Cell count was in-fluenced by fluid type and was significantly reduced at T72 for storage at 4°C and T24 , T48 and T72 for 22°C

EQUINE | Abstracts


(P<0.001). Neutrophil morphology grade was signifi-cantly greater at T24 , T48 and T72, compared to T0, for both 4°C and 22°C (P<0.001). For 9 samples, the diagnostic interpretation changed over time. Specific-ity and positive predictive value at each analysis point was 100%; however, sensitivity and negative predic-tive value decreased with greater storage duration and temperature.

CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in the TNCC and neutrophil morphology of body fluid samples occur when analysis is delayed, especially with higher storage temperatures, and may influence interpretation and clinical decision making. Body fluid samples should be analysed as soon as possible after collection to minimise pre-analytical er-rors from storage.

The Effects of Mepivacaine Hydrochloride on Antimicrobial Activity and Mechanical Nociceptive Threshold During Amikacin Sul-fate Regional Limb Perfusion in the Horse.

Colbath AC, et al. Vet Surg. 2016.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of intravenous re-gional limb perfusion (IVRLP) with a combination of mepivacaine hydrochloride and amikacin sulfate on sy-novial fluid amikacin sulfate concentration, antimicrobi-al activity, and mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT).

STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study.

ANIMALS: Healthy adult horses (n=9).

METHODS: One IVRLP treatment was randomly admin-istered by cephalic vein of each limb: amikacin alone (1 g amikacin in 60 mL saline) or amikacin with mepi-vacaine (1 g amikacin and 500 mg mepivacaine in 60

mL saline). Opposite treatments were repeated after a 24 hour wash-out period. Amikacin concentration and antimicrobial activity were determined for synovial fluid from middle carpal joints at tourniquet removal and 30 minutes following. Zone of inhibition was determined for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. MNT was determined at 3 dorsal metacarpal locations prior to and after sedation, after Esmarch tourniquet applica-tion, and 30 minutes after IVRLP prior to and after tour-niquet removal.

RESULTS: Two limbs from each treatment group were removed because of undetectable amikacin concentra-tions for a total of 14 data sets analyzed. Synovial fluid amikacin concentrations and zone of inhibition were not significantly different between treatments at any time point. MNT were significantly increased 30 minutes after IVRLP prior to and following tourniquet removal using amikacin and mepivacaine (median, range; 40.0 µg/mL, 38.7-40.0 and 40.0, 25.8-40.0, respectively) com-pared to amikacin alone (19.5 µg/mL, 18.7-25.6 and 15.3, 13.2-20.5, respectively).

CONCLUSION: Addition of mepivacaine to amikacin for IVRLP in the horse as a means of providing analgesia without decreasing antimicrobial activity.

EQUINE | Abstracts


EQUINE | News

PRESS RELEASE Cape Town, 19 January 2017

THE INTERNATIONAL THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ FEDERATION (ITBF) recently held its Congress and Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Thoroughbred Breeders Association (TBA) of South Africa hosted 58 delegates from the racehorse breeders’ organisations of 19 countries worldwide.

The congress was held in the Table Bay Hotel in the V& A Waterfront and included an opening dinner at The Bungalow in Camp’s Bay after sundowners on Signal

Hill. A fantastic day’s racing, attending the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate at Kenilworth racetrack as guests of Maine Chance Farms and Drakenstein Stud Farm, was enjoyed by all. Delegates also enjoyed traditional cuisine and an excellent stallion parade at Varsfontein Stud. Another highlight was the visit to Avontuur for a simply superb lunch and stallion parade. The immaculate Drakenstein Stud Farm was the final port of call for the stud and wine visits. Their exceptional stallions and delightful canapes and wine made for much dragging of feet when the attendees were expected to leave!

The closing dinner was hosted at the Grand Beach. As

THE INTERNATIONAL THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ FEDERATION (ITBF) CONGRESS 2017 A HUGE SUCCESS


EQUINE | News

if on cue a beautiful rainbow capped the spectacular scenery of Table Bay.

The Veterinary delegates of the ITBF held their meeting and disease reporting session as the start of a two day Veterinary Open Forum as arranged by ITBF Veterinary Chairman Dr Des Leadon from Ireland.

The disease reports highlighted the fact that in most countries the Thoroughbred Industry greatly assisted their governments in disease reporting and monitoring of disease. South Africa had made great strides in assisting and collaborating with the State Body. During the Open Sessions attention was given to the worldwide shortage of essential vaccines. A large manufacturer described the current situation as challenging. South Africa presented a clear and concise proposed safe export protocol based on the latest developments. The conclusion was that African Horse Sickness was not insurmountable.

The session on Genomics and Performance tests highlighted that it could become a useful tool for breeders in the future, but due to the complexity of the traits, the current tests are not conclusive enough. Estimated Breeding Value (EBV) will remain relevant and a good indicator is Black Type.

Genomics and Disease made a comparison of simple versus complex traits and recent studies on Hydrocephaly Exercise Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage (EIPH) and OCD. It illustrated the need for Industry driven projects. Under the heading of Breeding Racing and the Wider World, delegates learnt and discussed issues such as the need for better statistics which leads to more effective monitoring and lobbying. The horse industry worldwide is declining despite massive contributions to welfare and charity such as in Hong Kong. There most certainly needs to be formal forms of dialogue between racing and breeding.

Recent developments in Veterinary expertise included the fields of Endometritis, Oxidative Stress, Orthopaedics and Diagnostic Imaging.

A new topic of Breeding, Racing, Sociology, Psychology, Sustainability and Welfare was introduced to the audience. They heard the results of a fascinating survey done and funded by racing and others in Australia. It became clear that the issues are of paramount importance and not just a PR issue. They are to be dealt with in a meaningful way as not enough is being done to promote the way public perceive racing. People are unaware of the near idyllic existence of horses on stud farms as an example. The session on insurance highlighted the structures of Equine Insurance. It was apparent that mutual trust between the horse owner, their veterinarian and the insurer was key to a sustainable industry. Horse Welfare comes first.

The AGM of the ITBF saw the structure improved and formalised. The ITBF was divided into geographic regions to create an Executive Committee (ExCom) for continuity. The regions are North America, South America, Europe and Oceania or Asia Pacific, which includes Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Ms Kirsten Rausing of Great Britain was elected Chair of the ITBF by the new ExCom.Delegates described the 2017 ITBF Congress and AGM in Cape Town South Africa as a resounding success and heaped praise and thanks on their hosts and organisers. The next ITBF Congress and AGM will be held in Lexington, Kentucky, USA in October 2018. Conference Coordinator: Vetlink Conferences www.vetlink.co.za

Enquiries: Susan Rowett , TBA South Africa [email protected] +27 (0) 21 869 8238 Dr Bennie van der Merwe [email protected] +27 (0) 83 460 4066

Virginia ReefClinical Specialties: Cardiology, UltrasoundResearch Areas: Diagnostic ultrasonography,

Equine cardiology

MAIN SPEAKERS

Goudini Spa13 - 16 February 2018

South African Equine Veterinary Association

CONGRESS 2018

Dr Angus Adkins Registered Specialist in Equine Surgery, Director

BVSc FANZCVS1989 University of Melbourne

50

years

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