Assessment of static posturography and pedobarography for the detection of unilateral forelimb lameness in ponies

Background: Static posturography and pedobarography are based on the detection of postural imbalance and, consequently, the pressure redistribution between limbs in lame subjects. These techniques have proven to be useful for the detection of lameness in humans and dogs. The main objective of this study was to test the suitability of static posturography and pedobarography in diagnosing lameness in ponies. A pressure platform was used to obtain postural data (statokinesiograms, mean X and Y, length, LFS ratio, and mean velocity) from 10 sound ponies and 7 ponies with unilateral forelimb lameness. Static pedobarographic data (pressure distribution, mean pressure, and peak pressure) were also collected and compared with force plate data (peak vertical force and vertical impulse) obtained from the same animals at the walk. Results: Significant differences were seen between lame and sound ponies for almost all evaluated parameters. With this sample size, differences between lame and sound limbs/groups were detected with a statistical power of 90%, except for mean X and Y. Conclusions: Static posturography and pedobarography provide a complementary approach for lameness detection in equids

Ultrasonographic evaluation of cross-sectional area of tarsal ligaments in Standardbred Trotter Horses

Ultrasound evaluations of the cross-sectional area (CSA) in the tarsal region of Standardbred Trotter Horses (STH) have been previously reported for tendons but not for ligaments. The objective of this study was to identify normal ultrasonographic CSAs in the tarsal ligaments of STH. Transverse echographic scans of ligaments at five tarsal levels from proximal to distal direction were recorded in 25 healthy STH. All images were recorded, and the CSA measurements (mean ± SD) were determined. The widest structure resulted in the long plantar ligament (LPL) at distal portion of the astragalus, and the smallest was the long medial collateral ligament (LMCL) at the medial malleolus of the tibia. Long collateral ligaments (LCL) increased their CSA at the level of their distal insertions, while LPL reached the maximum CSA in the middle of its length. Although this report was limited due to its retrospective design, it is the opinion of the authors that the normal CSAs investigated in this paper could function as a reference guide when tarsal pathological conditions are suspected in STH

Microbial Prevalence and Antimicrobial Sensitivity in Equine Endometritis in Field Conditions

Endometritis diagnosis can be achieved by means of an endometrial biopsy and/or swab, the latter being used for cytology and microbiologic evaluation. Endometrial culturing plus a sensitivity test are crucial in infectious endometritis in order to determine the causal microorganism as well as the best antimicrobial treatment. In this study, endometrial swabs for culture and sensitivity test were obtained from 363 mares with reproductive failure. The most isolated microorganism was Escherichia coli, followed by Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. Regarding sensitivity tests, the most efficient antibiotics were amikacin, cefoxitin and gentamicin, whereas cephaloridine and penicillin showed the lowest indexes. It can be concluded that, under the conditions of this study, β-lactam antibiotics are not efficient as a treatment for equine endometritis. In addition, microbiological and sensitivity studies are crucial to obtain good results when treating equine endometritis. Endometritis is one of the main causes of infertility in mares. In the present study, 363 mares with a history of repetitive infertility, and positive endometrial cytology and/or vaginal discharge were included. An endometrial swab for microbiological purposes plus sensitivity test was obtained from each mare. A positive culture was obtained in 89% of mares. The main isolated genera were Staphylococcus (25.1%), Streptococcus (18.2%), Escherichia (17.3%) and Pseudomonas (12.1%). With regard to species, the most isolated microorganism was Escherichia coli (17.3%), Staphylococcus spp. (15.6%) and Streptococcus spp. (13.5%). Sensitivity tests showed that the most efficient antimicrobial was amikacin (57.3% of cultures), followed by cefoxitin (48.6%) and gentamicin (48.3%). When sensitivity test was analyzed in terms of Gram+ and Gram- bacteria, Gram+ were highly resistant to cephaloridine (77.3% of cultures), apramycin (70.8%) and penicillin (62.3%), whereas Gram- were highly resistant to penicillin (85.8%), followed by cephaloridine (78.9%). In conclusion, the present study shows the most prevalent microorganisms isolated from equine endometritis, which were found to be resistant to β-lactam antimicrobials. Likewise, these results highlight the significance of performing microbiological analyses as well as sensitivity tests prior to applying an antimicrobial therapy