Invicta Animal Health has announced that that EquiChek test kits are now validated for use with synovial fluid, having originally been validated for whole blood only.

EquiChek is an animal-side test to assess the level of Serum Amyloid A (SAA) which is a major acute phase protein of inflammation in horses.  

Invicta says that it has been shown that SAA levels in synovial fluid are not influenced by arthrocentesis*, which makes SAA an ideal biomarker to measure whilst monitoring or assessing joint function.

The company says this is the first test which is able to provide a visual semi-quantitative result within 15 minutes. The test will display 4 lines for a normal level of SAA and sequentially fewer lines depending on the severity of the inflammation.

Rob Watkins, Managing Director of Invicta, said: "EquiChek has proved to be a useful tool in the ambulatory toolkit. The validation of synovial fluid extends the use by allowing real-time monitoring of lameness and intra-articular therapies. Normally whilst medicating joints, excess synovial fluid is discarded. Now this can be utilised to assist diagnosis or to assess the response to medication."

Invicta will be at Stand A16 BEVA Congress 2013.

For further information see www.invictavet.com/  or ring 01403 791313

Forte Healthcare has launched Dexafast 2mg/ml, a dexamethasone solution for injection for horses, cattle, pigs, dogs and cats.

Dexafast is an injectable corticosteroid with potent, medium-acting, anti-inflammatory activity, indicated for the treatment of a range of inflammatory and allergic conditions in both small and large animal clinical practice.

Dr John Henderson, Large Animal Product Manager at Forte Healthcare Ltd said: "Dexafast 2mg/ml is an excellent addition to our range. This formulation of dexamethasone is used across many species on a daily basis, and Dexafast 2mg/ml gives vets a high-quality presentation of a staple medicine."

Dexafast is available in a 50ml bottle. 

For further information, contact your local Forte Territory Manager, visit: https://www.fortehealthcare.ie/product/dexafast-uk-only, or email: enquiries@fortehealthcare.com.

New research, conducted by the WALTHAM-initiated Laminitis Consortium, has raised questions over the assumption that soaking hay will make it safe to feed to laminitis-prone horses and ponies¹. 

The Laminitis Consortium comprises world-leading equine veterinary, nutrition and research experts interested in collaborating on the important topic of laminitis. It includes the authors of this work: Dr Pat Harris of the WALTHAM^® Equine Studies Group, Clare Barfoot of Mars Horsecare UK Ltd and Dr Annette Longland of Equine Livestock and Nutrition Services (ELNS).

Over-consumption of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) has been associated with the onset of laminitis. It has been recommended that hay with a non-structural carbohydrate (WSC and starch) content of less than 10% should be fed to obese animals as well as those at risk of laminitis² and that hay should be soaked in water before being fed in order to reduce the WSC^3,4,5.  The study, which was completed earlier this year, examined the loss of water-soluble carbohydrates from nine different hays submerged in water for up to 16 hours.  It was presented to the biannual Equine Science Symposium in America in May 2009.

Previous studies have shown that the prolonged soaking of chopped hay in large volumes of water can result in the leaching of nutrients, including soluble carbohydrates. However, because common practice in the UK tends to involve long-stemmed hay, soaked in relatively small volumes of water over varying timescales, the Laminitis Consortium's study aimed to replicate such a practice⁶.

The nine different hay samples were analysed for WSC and then soaked in cold water. The soaked samples were subsequently analysed at four intervals of 20 minutes, 40 minutes, three hours and 16 hours.

Clare Barfoot said: "The results showed a highly variable leaching of WSC and substantially less leaching than reported previously for chopped hay soaked for 30 minutes.³

"Very few samples reached below 10% WSC, despite prolonged soaking. The concern is that this strongly suggests that soaking may not be sufficient to render some hays safe to feed to horses and ponies prone to laminitis. 

"Our current advice is that ideally you should analyse your hay before feeding it to an animal at high risk of laminitis and choose hay with the lowest WSC content you can find. Soaking hay provides an additional safeguard but should not be relied upon."

The study also highlights that if hay is soaked for extended periods, it may not meet the nutritional requirements of the animal because substantial amounts of other nutrients, protein, vitamins and minerals will also be lost ⁵. In such cases it is even more important that the horse or pony should receive a balanced supplementary feed.

The Laminitis Consortium is continuing its work in this area and hopes to be able to identify practices that will be of greater benefit to the horse owner faced with hay of unknown WSC content.

¹Longland AC Barfoot C &  Harris PA  (2009) The loss of water- soluble carbohydrate and soluble protein from nine different hays soaked in water for up to 16 hours.  J. Equine Vet Science 29 (5 ) p 383 - 384, ² Frank  N Equine Metabolic Syndrome J Equine Vet Sci 29 (5) p 259 - 267, ³Cottrell, E., Watts, K., Duarte, S. and Ralston, S. (2005). Equine Science Symposium, 2005, ⁴Kenny, D. (2007). Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science. ⁵Warr EM, Petch JL. Equine Vet Educ 1993;5:169-171, ⁶Longland, A.C. (2009) In preparation.

Janssen Animal Health has announced that it has acquired the distribution rights for a range of sedatives and anaesthetics for small and large animals, including Dexdomitor, Domitor and Antisedan.

Janssen aquired the marketing and distribution rights, which were previously held by Pfizer Inc, from Orion Corporation.

Dr. Enno Gottschalk , Janssen's European Director Marketing and Sales said: "This acquisition of distribution rights results in the perfect combination of proven and effective products with the outstanding service and technical selling capabilities of Janssen Animal Health. The products include the sedative Dexdomitor and Domitor, as well as the antagonist Antisedan. Among large animals, predominantly horses, the sedative injection Domosedan is now on offer as part of the Janssen Animal Health portfolio."

Veterinary Evidence, RCVS Knowledge’s flagship journal, has launched an initiative that will allow practitioners to submit questions on the evidence gaps they encounter.

Dubbed the PICO Project, the scheme will initially run via a series of specialism-specific surveys that let respondents select individual species or topics and input the research questions they would like to see covered within Veterinary Evidence. 

Knowledge will make the list of submitted questions available online for the veterinary community to answer as Knowledge Summaries (Critically Appraised Topics), which will be peer-reviewed and published in the open-access journal.

Professor Peter Cockroft, recently appointed Editor-in-chief of Veterinary Evidence, said: "The practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine is an empowering process for practicing veterinarians that enables important gaps in knowledge to be identified. It is the bridge between research and clinical practice.

"If you have a clinical question that may shape the care of a patient, Veterinary Evidence may have the best current answer or will add the question to the growing archive of important information needs."

The first survey to launch – open now – will focus on equine practice, with possible subjects ranging from the likes of husbandry or vaccination to infectious diseases. 

To ask for the evidence on a particular area, choose your topic in the survey’s drop-down menus and fill in up to five related questions, preferably in Population Intervention Comparison Outcome format.

Livestock will be the focus for the next survey, due to open alongside the BCVA Congress in October. Further surveys will look at canines, felines and other specialisms.

To keep up to date with the list of PICO questions being answered or available to be answered, visit Veterinary Evidence and follow @RCVSKnowledge on Twitter.

If you wish to become an author of a Knowledge Summary for publication in the journal, contact the Managing Editor at Bridget@rcvsknowledge.org.

Simon Leroy Hutton MRCVS has been reprimanded by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee for kicking a horse in the abdomen after it kicked him during an examination. 

The DC heard that Mr Hutton had attended to a horse called Angel at a livery yard in Sheffield.

As he examined the horse, it kicked Mr Hutton in the leg, whereupon he kicked it back in the abdomen.

Mr Hutton admitted the facts of the allegation against him.

The Committee noted that there was a dispute between the parties about the exact manner in which the kick had been administered and whether the conduct amounted to disgraceful conduct. 

Both the College and the defence obtained the opinion of experts, who were not in agreement as to whether the conduct amounted to serious professional misconduct.

The Committee heard evidence from Angel’s owner, Ms A, who was present when Mr Hutton kicked Angel and from Ms B, Mr Hutton’s life partner, who was also present.

In his witness statement, Mr Hutton said that his kick “was an instinctive reaction to what had happened and an instinctive reprimand for what I felt in the aftermath of the kick from her was malicious behaviour”.

Mr Hutton also stated that the reprimand was an appropriate response which a horse would understand, in order to modify its future behaviour.

In the hearing, Mr Hutton apologised for the incident with Angel. He said it had happened in the heat of the moment. He wished that he had apologised straight away.

In his expert evidence before the Committee, Mr T Gliddon MRCVS, called by the College, agreed that attitudes to physical reprimands had changed over time.

In his expert report, he stated that a reprimand administered by a veterinary surgeon that may have been considered acceptable by a significant body of the veterinary profession some decades ago would no longer be regarded as such now, in his opinion.

In re-examination, he stated that in his opinion, there was not a reasonable body of veterinary opinion which would consider kicking a horse as an acceptable form of negative reinforcement of behaviour.

In his expert evidence to the Committee, Dr H Tremaine FRCVS, called by Mr Hutton, stated that in the case of the minority of veterinary surgeons who used physical reprimands as a means of modifying behaviour, he was not aware that such reprimands would include the use of a kick.

The Committee concluded from the evidence that, following the kick from Angel, Mr Hutton moved away from the horse, so that he was no longer in immediate danger and that his kick in response had come after a gap in time, albeit brief.

Ms Greaney, Counsel for the College, provided written submissions on serious professional misconduct, submitting that principles 1.1 (Veterinary surgeons must make animal health and welfare their first consideration when attending to animals) and 6.5 (Veterinary surgeons must not engage in any activity or behaviour that would be likely to bring the profession into disrepute or under­mine public confidence in the profession) of the Code of Professional Conduct had been breached.

It was submitted that, on the basis that there had been a deliberate decision by Mr Hutton to kick Angel in the abdomen, he had time to consider his actions.

The College submitted that deliberately kicking Angel, either as punishment or by way of teaching or training a horse, fell far below the standard expected of veterinary surgeons.

The Committee found Mr Hutton’s state of mind when kicking Angel was not an issue and that Mr Hutton had intentionally kicked the horse.

In reaching its decision in relation to whether Mr Hutton’s conduct amounted to serious professional misconduct the Committee took into account that:

1. it had found there was a gap in time between Angel’s kick and Mr Hutton’s kick
2. it had found Mr Hutton had moved away from Angel before the kick
3. Mr Hutton had accepted that he was no longer in the ‘danger area’ before he kicked Angel
4. Mr Hutton stated that he had stepped forward towards Angel in order to deliver the kick to Angel

Mrs Judith Way, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee determined that taking all circumstances and its findings into account, this conduct was a single, but serious failure on the part of Mr Hutton and found the facts proved amounted to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

“On deciding what, if any, sanction ought to be imposed, the Committee considered the aggravating and mitigating factors of the case, based on findings at the earlier stages of the hearing.

"The Committee found that there had been a risk of physical and/or mental injury to Angel from Mr Hutton’s conduct but accepted that there were a number of mitigating factors.

“It had been found that the incident had occurred over a very brief period and that Mr Hutton had not taken proper time to consider his response to Angel’s unexpected kick.

"This was found to be a single isolated incident and the character evidence indicated that otherwise, Mr Hutton was a competent and well-regarded veterinary surgeon.

"Mr Hutton admitted the kick early on in the proceedings and had issued an early apology, albeit seeking initially to raise some justification for his actions.

“The Committee was persuaded, in light of Mr Hutton’s admissions, heartfelt apologies, developing insight and the testimonial evidence, that he is very unlikely to repeat his past misconduct.

"However, despite the low risk of repetition, the Committee considered that the nature of the kick, delivered without the consent of the owner, could undermine public confidence in the profession.

"Thus, the Committee considered that it was proportionate to issue a reprimand together with a warning as to Mr Hutton’s future conduct.

"It has determined that this would be proportionate and sufficient to provide adequate protection for animals and maintain public confidence in the profession.”

The full details of the hearing and the Committee’s decision can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary.

Dechra has launched Dormazolam (midazolam (5mg/ml), the first and only equine benzodiazepine licensed for the intravenous co-induction of anaesthesia in horses¹.

The company says Dormazolam works in synergy with other induction agents to provide an extended duration of anaesthesia without adversely affecting the quality of recovery ^2,3,5.

Benzodiazepines are commonly incorporated into anaesthetic regimens to alleviate issues seen with the administration to ketamine alone^2,3,4, including inadequate muscle relaxation^2,3,4, anaesthesia not lasting long enough² and induction failure².

Despite the issues caused by the sole use of ketamine, it remains the primary anaesthetic induction agent of choice for more than 90% of equine vets².

Dechra Brand Manager Emma Jennings said: “Using Dormazolam as part of an equine anaesthesia protocol will give optimal general anaesthetic conditions every time, including a rapid onset of action¹.

"Anaesthetic co-induction with ketamine and midazolam has been shown to provide a superior quality of anaesthesia compared to ketamine alone³ and midazolam is equally as effective as diazepam when used as a co-induction agent alongside ketamine⁴. It also cuts down on the number of ketamine ‘top-up’ doses required compared to using ketamine³ alone.

"Additional benefits include no clinically significant differences in cardiopulmonary function1 or recovery times1 between midazolam and diazepam and it can be mixed in the same syringe as ketamine for ease of use⁴.”

Emma added: “The introduction of Dormazolam provides an exciting new option for equine vets. It delivers enhanced anaesthetic and surgical conditions by improving anaesthetic induction quality^2,3,4 and giving better surgical relaxation scores^2,3,4. It also reduces involuntary movements because, as a co-induction agent, midazolam only causes minimal cardiovascular and pulmonary depression^2,4.”

Dormazolam is available in a 20 ml vial. It has a shelf life of four years and a broached shelf life of 28 days.

For more information, visit: www.dechra.co.uk/therapy-areas/equine/anaesthesia/analgesia.

References:

1. Dormazolam. SPC, Dechra Veterinary Products.
2. Hubbell, J.A.E. (2013) ‘How to produce twenty minutes of equine anesthesia in the field’ AAEP Proc; 59; pp. 469- 471.
3. Allison, A; Robinson, R; Jolliffe, C. and Taylor, P. (2018) ‘Evaluation of the use of midazolam as a co-induction agent with ketamine for anaesthesia in sedated ponies undergoing field castration’ Equine Vet. J. 50; pp. 321-326.
4. de Vries, A; Thompson, S. and Taylor, P. (2015) ‘Comparison of midazolam and diazepam as co-induction agents with ketamine for anaesthesia in sedated ponies undergoing field castration’ VAA 42; pp. 512-517.
5. Seahorn, J. Proc. from 102nd Kentucky Medical Association Conference.

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has reported that since launch, its diagnostic service RespCheck has identified infectious diseases in 15 per cent of all animals checked under the scheme.

Offered to qualifying practices for no charge and implemented by the Animal Health Trust (AHT), Intervet/Schering Plough set up RespCheck to help identify the cause of infectious respiratory problems in horses.

The RespCheck kit, which has been used to swab more than 700 horses since launch, consists of naso pharyngeal swabs, enabling two horses per yard or outbreak to be swabbed for a variety of diseases.  These include equine influenza, equine herpesvirus, Streptococcus equi (strangles), pasteurella, rhinovirus and Streptococcus zooepidemicus.  The swabs are sent to the AHT for analysis and the results returned direct to the vet.

John Dickerson from Chine House Equine Hospital in Leicestershire said: "The service is fantastic, made all the better by being completely free of charge! The benefits are two-fold. From the clinical perspective it means we can discount or treat potential infections in a more timely fashion; for instance, we use RespCheck to screen for any suspected infectious respiratory disease cases which enables us to deal with the problem, through quarantine and strict hygiene measures, helping to prevent the spread of the disease.

The other benefit is to our practice reputation and the standard of service we can offer. It's great to be able to provide owners with peace of mind without it costing more than our call out fee. By the time an owner calls the vet they are usually stressed and worried about their horses symptoms and need some reassurance, which is exactly what RespCheck gives them. We are confident that  providing a diagnostic service that is completely free and that puts an owners mind at rest regarding the risk of an infection can only be a good thing for our practice reputation and customer care.

Last year, the service proved its worth when the screening of a recently imported horse showed the animal had equine influenza. I believe that had RespCheck not been employed, we would have had an outbreak in that particular yard."

Practices interested in knowing more about RespCheck should contact their local Intervet/Schering-Plough Veterinary Business Manager or phone the company's Veterinary Support Group on 01908 685685.

A new study published this month in the Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ)¹ has concluded that toxins from the seeds of the sycamore tree (Acer pseudoplatanus) are the likely cause of Atypical Myopathy (AM) in Europe.

However, to avoid confusion, the authors of the study point out that the American Sycamore (also just called 'the sycamore' in the USA), is a completely different species: Platanus occidentalis. Furthermore, the sycamore found in the UK is also known as the sycamore maple in other countries.

The new research follows on the heels of a study in the USA earlier this year that linked toxins from the box elder tree (Acer negundo) with Seasonal Pasture Myopathy (SPM), the US equivalent of AM². The discovery marks an important step for the future prevention of this fatal disease.

Atypical Myopathy is a highly fatal muscle disease in the UK and Northern Europe. In ten years, approximately twenty European countries have reported the disease. Incidences tend to occur repeatedly in the autumn and in the spring following large autumnal outbreaks. Horses that develop AM are usually kept in sparse pastures with an accumulation of dead leaves, dead wood and trees in or around the pasture and are often not fed any supplementary hay or feed. SPM is a very similar disorder, prevalent in Midwestern USA and Eastern Canada that is now known to be caused by the ingestion of hypoglycin A, contained in seeds from the box elder tree.

The new European research¹ was conducted by an international team led by Dominic Votion, University of Liege and involved 17 horses from Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands, suffering from Atypical Myopathy. High concentrations of a toxic metabolite of hypoglycin A, were identified in the serum of all of the horses. The pastures of 12 of the horses were visited by experienced botanists and the Acer pseudoplatanus, the sycamore maple, was found to be present in every case. This was the only tree common to all visited pastures.

Researchers believe hypoglycin A is the likely cause of both AM in Europe and SPM in North America. The sycamore and the box elder are known to produce seeds containing hypoglycin A and the pastures of the afflicted horses in Europe and the USA were surrounded by these trees.

Hypoglycin-A is found in various levels in the seeds of plants in the genus Acer as well as in various other genera in the family Sapindaceae such as ackee (Blighia sapida).  In ackee, hypoglycin-A levels do vary with ripeness of the fruit and, if the fruit is eaten before it is mature, it causes hypoglycaemia to different degrees including a condition called "Jamaican vomiting sickness" (because of ackee's use in Jamaican cooking) and occasionally death in humans.

Researchers at the Universities of Minnesota² and Liege are continuing their work to try to uncover exactly how the equine disease occurs. Dr Adrian Hegeman of University of Minnesota said: "It is likely that the most important contributing factors to horses becoming poisoned by hypoglycin-A are the availability of seed in the field combined with lack of other feeding options. The seeds from two species of maples (box elder and sycamore maples) that we have tested include significant quantities of hypoglycin-A.

"We know that seeds contain highly variable quantities from seed to seed, even within a single tree. We do not know yet how hypoglycin-A levels vary seasonally, nor do we know how its abundance varies with different levels of stress to the plant, though this may well explain seasonal variability in the occurrence of the malady. It is possible that conditions that stress the plants may contribute to significant seasonal changes in hypoglycin-A levels.  At this point we just don't know.  It is common held knowledge that trees under stress usually produce more seed."

Dr Jeff Gillman of University of Minnesota said: "Without question, further analysis of the seeds and other tissues from Acer species needs to be performed along with sampling of plant materials over multiple seasons and at various stress levels. Additionally, one cannot rule out more complex explanations for the seasonality of disease occurrence such as: animals may begin feeding on seed materials in response to depletion of more palatable choices under drought conditions; or simple explanations such as high wind events driving seeds into fields. These sorts of explanations for the occurrence of the disease do not depend on botanical variations in toxicity across seasons, sites or stress levels, yet also require consideration.

"Although limited examples are available, the experience of animals at a pasture site might also confer some degree of behavioral resistance to poisoning due to exposure at sub-lethal levels with prior exposure to seeds in the pasture."

Professor Celia Marr, Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal said: "This is an important advancement in our understanding of what causes AM and how it can be prevented. In immediate practical terms owners can take prompt measures to avoid exposing their horses to sycamore seeds this autumn. Where horses are grazing in the vicinity of sycamore trees, it is imperative that they are provided with sufficient supplementary feed as this will minimise the risk that horses might be tempted to ingest seeds containing this toxin. This must be done carefully and leaving wet hay on the ground should be avoided so providing extra carbohydrate feeds may be more practical."

References

1. The European study can be accessed at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.12117/abstract
2. Related research from the University of Minnesota can be accessed at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2012.00684.x/abstract

B&W Equine Group has opened a brand new, state-of-the-art equine clinic at Breadstone in Gloucestershire.

The new facility opened on 1 October 2011. It cost over £2.2 million and is, according to the company, one Europe’s most advanced diagnostic and surgical centres.

B&W Equine Group was created in 2008, following a merger between Willesley Equine Clinic and Bushy Equine Vets. The 23 vet practice has four local equine clinics in Breadstone, Cardiff, Failand and Willesley.

The new clinic, located on a four acre site at Breadstone, close to the M4 and M5 intersections, provides state-of-the-art diagnostics and advanced laboratory facilities. It houses the only equine MRI scanner in Wales and the South West, as well as a CT scanner and scintigraphy unit. Orthopaedic and colic theatres, adult and neonatal intensive care suites and separate isolation units have all been custom-designed and are supported by five examination rooms and two knock down boxes.

Clinical and referral services are led by RCVS and European Recognised Specialists in surgery, orthopaedics, diagnostic imaging and internal medicine and include gynaecological management of breeding mares and pre-season disease screening. The on-site laboratory is one of only 30 in the UK to be certified by the HBLB to test for CEM and EVA.

Ian Camm, BVSc CertEP MRCVS, Group Director, said: “We are all extremely excited about the new clinic but our day-to-day first opinion work remains a top priority. For all our local clients it’s very much a case of business as usual but the fact that we have invested in the latest portable equipment, including video endoscopes, digital radiography and ultrasound scanners, means we can undertake more specialist work at client’s yards, as and when needed.”

For further information, visit www.bwequinevets.co.uk.

An equine practice in the New Forest is reporting great success using the ioLight portable microscope to diagnose intestinal parasites in horses at the stable yard.

Armed with the new microscope, New Forest Equine Vets (NFEV) has started offering a mobile equine veterinary service, including expert worming advice.

The microscope captures images with a resolution of 1 micron, with a live magnification of x200 and x400 or more, which means that the practice can carry out an accurate egg count in the yard, rather than sending faecal samples off to the lab.

This, they say, allows for a more a more accurate result, because posting faeces can lead to the sample desiccating and the eggs hatching, leading to false negative results. It also allows the veterinary surgeon to give immediate advice and treatment.

Dr. Beth Robinson BVSc Cert AVP(EP) MRCVS, co-owner of NFEV, says "One of the main aims of performing worm egg counts is to identify horses shedding low numbers of eggs so that we can maintain a low number of parasites on the pasture that have not been exposed to wormers and therefore have not been placed under selection pressure for resistance. In horses shedding high numbers of eggs, worm egg count reduction tests are a useful way of assessing whether treatment has been effective."

Andrew Monk, co-founder of ioLight, said: "The product is incredibly simple to use. By using a tablet both the owner and vet can view the image and discuss treatment. We hope that more horse owners in the New Forest will use the services from NFEV to protect their animals, and that it will encourage other equine practices to purchase a microscope so they can also offer a similar high quality service. We have made a video with NFEV to demonstrate their service and encourage other equine vets to use the ioLight microscope in their own mobile clinics."

Beth added: "We are delighted to be working with ioLight and horse owners to keep their animals healthy and improve equine welfare."

New research from the Royal Veterinary College has revealed that a chromosomal defect is the reason why a significant proportion of horse pregnancies fail within the first two months of development.

The College says this will pave the way for new diagnostic tests for what could be one of the most common causes of pregnancy loss in mares.

The researchers, led by Dr Mandi de Mestre (pictured right), Reader in Reproductive Immunology and Head of the Equine Pregnancy Laboratory at the RVC, collaborated with seven different veterinary practices to gain access to samples from across the UK and Ireland and found that around 20% of the pregnancies lost were aneuploid, which is when a copy of a whole chromosome is either duplicated or lost (similar to Down's).

Charlotte Shilton, RVC PhD, the student who performed the analysis, applied three different genetic approaches to confirm the results.

Work is now underway to identify the underlying cause of these aneuploid pregnancies, with early data from this study suggesting it is most commonly introduced via the egg or sperm. Until now, chromosomal defects such as aneuploidy have only been reported as a rare condition in young horses with developmental disorders. 

The researchers say the study explains why the condition is so rare in horses, with most embryos and foetuses possessing this genetic change dying very early in development, as is also observed in human pregnancy. The study highlights the need to reconsider this genetic condition both in pregnancy loss but also for early developmental disorders.

Dr Mandi de Mestre, Reader in Reproductive Immunology at the RVC, said: “Early pregnancy loss remains a very frustrating condition for clinicians to treat as the underlying cause is unknown in around 80% of cases. These findings will allow researchers to develop new diagnostic tests for pregnancy losses, which would offer hope to thousands of owners of breeding mares that suffer this condition.

“A diagnostic test would allow them to make informed decisions on treatment strategies and to advise on whether they should invest in further attempts to breed their mare benefiting both horses and their breeders alike in the future. I would like to thank both the Thoroughbred Breeders Association and our collaborators at Texas A&M University and the participating veterinary surgeons for their support on this project.

Reference

1. 10.1038/s41598-020-69967-z "Whole genome analysis reveals aneuploidies in early pregnancy loss in the horse" www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69967-z