| a high density snp array for the domestic horse and extant perissodactyla: utility for association mapping, genetic diversity, and phylogeny studies. | an equine snp genotyping array was developed and evaluated on a panel of samples representing 14 domestic horse breeds and 18 evolutionarily related species. more than 54,000 polymorphic snps provided an average inter-snp spacing of ∼43 kb. the mean minor allele frequency across domestic horse breeds was 0.23, and the number of polymorphic snps within breeds ranged from 43,287 to 52,085. genome-wide linkage disequilibrium (ld) in most breeds declined rapidly over the first 50-100 kb and reached ... | 2012 | 22253606 |
| detomidine and butorphanol for standing sedation in a range of zoo-kept ungulate species. | general anesthesia poses risks for larger zoo species, like cardiorespiratory depression, myopathy, and hyperthermia. in ruminants, ruminal bloat and regurgitation of rumen contents with potential aspiration pneumonia are added risks. thus, the use of sedation to perform minor procedures is justified in zoo animals. a combination of detomidine and butorphanol has been routinely used in domestic animals. this drug combination, administered by remote intramuscular injection, can also be applied fo ... | 2017 | 28920785 |
| retraction. przewalski's horses in western china: when will reintroduction succeed? | | 2012 | 21933361 |
| highlight: a massively parallel sequencing approach uncovers ancient origins and high genetic variability of endangered przewalski's horses. | | 2011 | 21920904 |
| problems in the protection of reintroduced przewalski's horses (equus ferus przewalskii) caused by piroplasmosis. | the objectives of our research on equine piroplasmosis were to clarify the prevalence of the piroplasms babesia caballi and theileria equi among reintroduced przewalski's horses (takhi, equus ferus przewalskii) in comparison with horses (equus caballus) of nomads from around hustai national park in mongolia and to determine the mortality among takhi during 2012 to 2015. the prevalence of t. equi was high in 2014 at 80% among nomadic horses and 84% among takhi. we found no evidence of b. caballi ... | 2017 | 28700320 |
| genetic monitoring of horses in the czech republic: a large-scale study with a focus on the czech autochthonous breeds. | we propose the first comprehensive in-depth study monitoring horses in the czech republic. we scanned 9,289 animals from 44 populations for 17 equine strs. other equids analysed involved equus przewalskii and equus asinus. the total of 228 different alleles were detected, with the mean number of 13.4 per locus. the highest allelic richness (ar) was found in the welsh part bred (6.01), followed by the camargue (5.93) and czech sport pony (5.91), whereas the friesian exhibited the lowest ar (3.06) ... | 2018 | 29345072 |
| molecular characterization, modeling, in silico analysis of equine pituitary gonadotropin alpha subunit and docking interaction studies with ganirelix. | equine pituitary gonadotropins (elh, efsh, ecg) are heterodimeric glycoprotein hormones with alpha (α) and beta (β) subunits. it is responsible for maintenance of pregnancy in mares during early gestation and fairly valuable for inducing superovulation in animals other than equines. the alpha subunit is common, while beta subunit is species-specific in all glycoprotein hormones. in the present investigation, molecular cloning and in silico characterization including homology modeling and molecul ... | 2016 | 28721542 |
| clinical disease associated with anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in captive przewalski's horses (equus ferus przewalskii). | anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-borne pathogen of domestic horses and the causative agent of equine granulocytic anaplasmosis. this case series describes three confirmed cases of clinical anaplasmosis, and a fourth case of presumptive anaplasmosis in przewalski's horses ( equus ferus przewalskii) housed at the smithsonian conservation biology institute from 2008 to 2014. clinical signs varied among individuals with affected horses exhibiting lethargy, weakness, pyrexia, hypophagia, reluctanc ... | 2017 | 28749289 |
| survey of anaplasma phagocytophilum antibodies in captive przewalski's horses (equus ferus przewalskii). | anaplasma phagocytophilum (formerly ehrlichia equi ) is a tickborne pathogen of domestic horses and the causative agent of equine granulocytic anaplasmosis. after the occurrence of clinical anaplasmosis in a przewalski's horse ( equus ferus przewalskii) housed at the smithsonian conservation biology institute in 2008, opportunistic serosurveillance of the herd was initiated. from 2008 to 2014, 57 serum samples were collected from 27 individuals (10 males; 17 females). using indirect immunofluore ... | 2017 | 28749278 |
| stable isotopes reveal diet shift from pre-extinction to reintroduced przewalski's horses. | the przewalski's horse (equus ferus przewalskii), the only remaining wild horse within the equid family, is one of only a handful of species worldwide that went extinct in the wild, was saved by captive breeding, and has been successfully returned to the wild. however, concerns remain that after multiple generations in captivity the ecology of the przewalski's horse and / or the ecological conditions in its former range have changed in a way compromising the species' long term survival. we analy ... | 2017 | 28729625 |
| sequential stable isotope analysis reveals differences in multi-year dietary history of three sympatric equid species in sw mongolia. | 1. competition among sympatric wild herbivores is reduced by different physiological, morphological, and behavioral traits resulting in different dietary niches. wild equids are a rather uniform group of large herbivores which have dramatically declined in numbers and range. correlative evidence suggests that pasture competition with livestock is one of the key factors for this decline, and the situation may be aggravated in areas where different equid species overlap. 2. the dzungarian gobi is ... | 2017 | 28717255 |
| evolutionary genomics and conservation of the endangered przewalski's horse. | przewalski's horses (phs, equus ferus ssp. przewalskii) were discovered in the asian steppes in the 1870s and represent the last remaining true wild horses. phs became extinct in the wild in the 1960s but survived in captivity, thanks to major conservation efforts. the current population is still endangered, with just 2,109 individuals, one-quarter of which are in chinese and mongolian reintroduction reserves [1]. these horses descend from a founding population of 12 wild-caught phs and possibly ... | 2015 | 26412128 |
| recalibrating equus evolution using the genome sequence of an early middle pleistocene horse. | the rich fossil record of equids has made them a model for evolutionary processes. here we present a 1.12-times coverage draft genome from a horse bone recovered from permafrost dated to approximately 560-780 thousand years before present (kyr bp). our data represent the oldest full genome sequence determined so far by almost an order of magnitude. for comparison, we sequenced the genome of a late pleistocene horse (43 kyr bp), and modern genomes of five domestic horse breeds (equus ferus caball ... | 2013 | 23803765 |
| adaptation strategies to seasonal changes in environmental conditions of a domesticated horse breed, the shetland pony (equus ferus caballus). | recent results suggest that the wild ancestor of the horse, the przewalski horse, exhibits signs of a hypometabolism. however, there are speculations that domestic animals lost the ability to reduce energy expenditure during food shortage and adverse environmental conditions. therefore, we investigated physiological and behavioural strategies employed by a robust domesticated horse breed, the shetland pony, over the course of a year under temperate conditions by measuring ambient temperature (t( ... | 2012 | 22399650 |
| survey for equine herpesviruses in polar bears ( ursus maritimus) and exotic equids housed in us aza institutions. | infection by equine herpesvirus (ehv) strains (ehv-1, ehv-9) in ursid species, including polar bears ( ursus maritimus), has been associated with neurological disease and death. a serosurvey of captive exotic equid and polar bear populations in us association of zoos and aquaria institutions was performed to determine the prevalence of ehv strains using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qpcr) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) tests. equid species surveyed included zebra ( equus ... | 2018 | 30212313 |
| water use patterns of sympatric przewalski's horse and khulan: interspecific comparison reveals niche differences. | acquiring water is essential for all animals, but doing so is most challenging for desert-living animals. recently przewalski's horse has been reintroduced to the desert area in china where the last wild surviving member of the species was seen before it vanished from china in the 1960s. its reintroduction placed it within the range of a close evolutionary relative, the con-generic khulan. determining whether or not these two species experience competition and whether or not such competition was ... | 2015 | 26161909 |
| vocal expression of emotional valence in przewalski's horses (equus przewalskii). | vocal expression of emotions has been suggested to be conserved throughout evolution. however, since vocal indicators of emotions have never been compared between closely related species using similar methods, it remains unclear whether this is the case. here, we investigated vocal indicators of emotional valence (negative versus positive) in przewalski's horses, in order to find out if expression of valence is similar between species and notably among equidae through a comparison with previous ... | 2017 | 28821880 |
| the evolutionary history of the dmrt3 'gait keeper' haplotype. | a previous study revealed a strong association between the dmrt3:ser301stop mutation in horses and alternate gaits as well as performance in harness racing. several follow-up studies have confirmed a high frequency of the mutation in gaited horse breeds and an effect on gait quality. the aim of this study was to determine when and where the mutation arose, to identify additional potential causal mutations and to determine the coalescence time for contemporary haplotypes carrying the stop mutatio ... | 2017 | 28741731 |
| genetic diversity of syrian arabian horses. | although arabian horses have been bred in strains for centuries and pedigrees have been recorded in studbooks, to date, little is known about the genetic diversity within and between these strains. in this study, we tested if the three main strains of syrian arabian horses descend from three founders as suggested by the studbook. we examined 48 horses representing saglawi (n = 18), kahlawi (n = 16) and hamdani (n = 14) strains using the equine snp70k beadchip. for comparison, an additional 24 ar ... | 2017 | 28568646 |
| distribution of coat-color-associated alleles in the domestic horse population and przewalski's horse. | considering the hidden mode of inheritance of some coat-color-associated alleles, we investigated the presence/absence of coat-color-associated alleles in 1093 domestic horses of 55 breeds and 20 specimens of przewalski's horse. for coat-color genotyping, allele specific pcr, pyrosequencing and li-cor analyses were conducted on 12 coat-color-associated alleles of five genes. our data provide deep insight into the distribution of coat-color-associated alleles within breeds. we found that the alle ... | 2016 | 27194311 |
| identification of genes with nonsynonymous snp in jeju horse by whole-genome resequencing reveals a functional role for immune response. | jeju horse (natural monument number 347) is a breed of horse that has experienced long-term isolation and domestication in jeju island, south korea. we evaluated genetic features of this breed, including snp, by whole-genome resequencing using an illumina hiseq 2000. a total of 5,986,852 snp were identified in 4 jeju horses and were divided into homozygous and heterozygous snp (2,357,099 and 3,629,753 snp, respectively). it revealed that 63.8% of these snp resided in intergenic regions. immune r ... | 2016 | 27065251 |
| tracking the origins of yakutian horses and the genetic basis for their fast adaptation to subarctic environments. | yakutia, sakha republic, in the siberian far east, represents one of the coldest places on earth, with winter record temperatures dropping below -70 °c. nevertheless, yakutian horses survive all year round in the open air due to striking phenotypic adaptations, including compact body conformations, extremely hairy winter coats, and acute seasonal differences in metabolic activities. the evolutionary origins of yakutian horses and the genetic basis of their adaptations remain, however, contentiou ... | 2015 | 26598656 |
| differences in serum protein 2d gel electrophoresis patterns of przewalski's (mongolian wild horse) and thoroughbred horses. | the objective of this study was to assess differences in serum protein expression profiles of przewalski's (mongolian wild horse) and thoroughbred horses using proteome analysis. the serum proteins were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-de) and five different gene products were identified. proteins represented by the five spots were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight (maldi-tof) mass spectrometry (ms)/ms technology. the identities of all protei ... | 2015 | 25533201 |
| prehistoric genomes reveal the genetic foundation and cost of horse domestication. | the domestication of the horse ∼ 5.5 kya and the emergence of mounted riding, chariotry, and cavalry dramatically transformed human civilization. however, the genetics underlying horse domestication are difficult to reconstruct, given the near extinction of wild horses. we therefore sequenced two ancient horse genomes from taymyr, russia (at 7.4- and 24.3-fold coverage), both predating the earliest archeological evidence of domestication. we compared these genomes with genomes of domesticated ho ... | 2014 | 25512547 |
| decline of genetic diversity in ancient domestic stallions in europe. | present-day domestic horses are immensely diverse in their maternally inherited mitochondrial dna, yet they show very little variation on their paternally inherited y chromosome. although it has recently been shown that y chromosomal diversity in domestic horses was higher at least until the iron age, when and why this diversity disappeared remain controversial questions. we genotyped 16 recently discovered y chromosomal single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 96 ancient eurasian stallions spanning t ... | 2018 | 29675468 |
| copy number variation in the horse genome. | we constructed a 400k wg tiling oligoarray for the horse and applied it for the discovery of copy number variations (cnvs) in 38 normal horses of 16 diverse breeds, and the przewalski horse. probes on the array represented 18,763 autosomal and x-linked genes, and intergenic, sub-telomeric and chry sequences. we identified 258 cnv regions (cnvrs) across all autosomes, chrx and chrun, but not in chry. cnvs comprised 1.3% of the horse genome with chr12 being most enriched. american miniature horses ... | 2014 | 25340504 |
| rare alleles, mhc and captive breeding. | in recent years, more detailed genetic information has become available for individuals of endangered species in captive breeding programs. there have been suggestions that this information be used to identify rare alleles, particularly those at the mhc, that can be subsequently selected for captive breeding programs. first, we summarize the current information on the mhc relevant to conservation genetics, so that such a possible breeding program is seen in a proper perspective. for example, ver ... | 1994 | 8032133 |
| [endoparasites--prevention in ungulates in fenced enclosures: experiences with a pilot project in the dählhölzli zoo in bern]. | in the animal zoo dählhölzli berne all ungulates are continuously monitored since 1984 (qualitatively and quantitatively) in the context of an epidemiological study on gastrointestinal strongyles. fecal sampling occurs every two weeks in the "parasite risk group", every four to six weeks in the so called "non-risk group". risk group-animals repeatedly show increased fecal egg counts, whereas among non-risk group-animals only ascarid eggs in przewalski-horses and wild boars can become significant ... | 1993 | 8316818 |
| [the immobilization of wild equines with sth 2130 and tiletamine/zolazepam]. | successful immobilisation of przewalski's horses and zebras was obtained by using a combination of sth 2130 (boehringer) and tiletamin/zolazepam. | 1990 | 1971969 |
| lateralization of mother-infant interactions in wild horses. | the manifestation of behavioural lateralization has been shown to be modified by environmental conditions, life experiences, and selective breeding. this study tests whether the lateralization recently found in feral domestic horse (equus caballus) is evident in undomesticated horses. mother-offspring interactions were investigated in przewalski's horse (e. ferus przewalskii) living in their natural habitat in mongolia. lateral position preferences during mare-foal spontaneous reunions were used ... | 2018 | 29341906 |
| asian horses deepen the msy phylogeny. | humans have shaped the population history of the horse ever since domestication about 5500 years ago. comparative analyses of the y chromosome can illuminate the paternal origin of modern horse breeds. this may also reveal different breeding strategies that led to the formation of extant breeds. recently, a horse y-chromosomal phylogeny of modern horses based on 1.46 mb of the male-specific y (msy) was generated. we extended this dataset with 52 samples from five european, two american and seven ... | 2018 | 29333704 |
| evaluating the impact of domestication and captivity on the horse gut microbiome. | the mammal gut microbiome, which includes host microbes and their respective genes, is now recognized as an essential second genome that provides critical functions to the host. in humans, studies have revealed that lifestyle strongly influences the composition and diversity of the gastrointestinal microbiome. we hypothesized that these trends in humans may be paralleled in mammals subjected to anthropogenic forces such as domestication and captivity, in which diets and natural life histories ar ... | 2017 | 29138485 |
| microsatellite markers for evaluating the diversity of the natural killer complex and major histocompatibility complex genomic regions in domestic horses. | genotyping microsatellite markers represents a standard, relatively easy and inexpensive method of assessing genetic diversity of complex genomic regions in various animal species, such as the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) and/or natural killer cell receptor (nkr) genes. mhc-linked microsatellite markers have been identified and some of them were used for characterizing mhc polymorphism in various species, including horses. however, most of those were mhc class ii markers, while mhc cla ... | 2018 | 29341455 |
| some aspects on tick species in mongolia and their potential role in the transmission of equine piroplasms, anaplasma phagocytophilum and borrelia burgdorferi l. | ticks are cosmopolitan vectors of numerous diseases, and detection of various pathogens in ticks can help to assess their distribution. in the current study, 528 adult ticks were collected from grazing animals or the ground in ten different mongolian provinces. dermacentor nuttalli constituted 76.1% of them and was found in all ecozones except the eastern desert. dermacentor marginatus (8.3%), dermacentor silvarum (1.1%) and ixodes persulcatus (3.0%) were found in the northern forest areas and h ... | 2018 | 30178195 |
| bearing the brunt: mongolian khulan (equus hemionus hemionus) are exposed to multiple influenza a strains. | the majority of influenza a virus strains are hosted in nature by avian species in the orders of anseriformes and charadriformes. a minority of strains have been able to cross species boundaries and establish themselves in novel non-avian hosts. influenza viruses of horses, donkeys, and mules represent such successful events of avian to mammal influenza virus adaptation. mongolia has over 3 million domestic horses and is home to two wild equids, the asiatic wild ass or khulan (equus hemionus hem ... | 2020 | 32122608 |
| the horse y chromosome as an informative marker for tracing sire lines. | analysis of the y chromosome is the best-established way to reconstruct paternal family history in humans. here, we applied fine-scaled y-chromosomal haplotyping in horses with biallelic markers and demonstrate the potential of our approach to address the ancestry of sire lines. we de novo assembled a draft reference of the male-specific region of the y chromosome from illumina short reads and then screened 5.8 million basepairs for variants in 130 specimens from intensively selected and rural b ... | 2019 | 30988347 |
| first reports of nasal and traumatic myiasis infection in endangered przewalski's horses (equus ferus przewalskii). | myiasis has great economic and medical importance. however, myiasis in wildlife that is caused by oestroid flies is relatively rarely recorded compared with that in humans and domestic animals. recently, during our research on the conservation of przewalski's horse (ph), we observed two new records of oestroid flies parasitizing wildlife in china. the first is the horse nasal bot fly, rhinoestrus sp. (diptera: oestridae), found in a dead ph from kalamaili nature reserve. one morphotype (r. purpu ... | 2019 | 30976513 |
| embryo technologies in donkeys (equus asinus). | in industrialized countries, the donkey population had a dramatic decrease during the last century and this has brought almost all european donkey breeds to risk. embryo technologies have already been employed as a tool for the conservation of endangered equid species (e.g. equus przewalskii). today it is possible to obtain pregnancies after the transfer of donkey embryos in synchronized recipients, even though embryo transfer is not widely used as a reproductive technique in this species. so fa ... | 2020 | 32707428 |
| the disappearing lamellae: implications of new findings in the family equidae suggest the loss of nuchal ligament lamellae on c6 and c7 occurred after domestication. | conflicting data predominantly describes the equine nuchal ligament lamellae (nll) attachments as c2-c6 or c2-c7; however, preliminary evidence suggests c2-c5. this study aimed to identify morphological variations in the attachments of the nll in four species of the family equidae and determine if the variations were species or breed linked. cadaveric examination evaluated 98 equids; equusasinus (n = 2), equus ferus caballus (n = 93), equus przewalskii (n = 2), and equus quagga boehmi (n = 1). t ... | 2018 | 31256881 |
| a primitive trait in two breeds of equus caballus revealed by comparative anatomy of the distal limb. | the 55-million-year history of equine phylogeny has been well-documented from the skeletal record; however, this is less true for the soft tissue structures that are now vestigial in modern horse. a recent study reported that two ligamentous structures resembling functional interosseous muscle ii and iv were evident in dutch konik horses. the current study investigates this finding and compares it to members of the genus equus to identify either a breed anomaly or functional primitive trait. dis ... | 2019 | 31197123 |
| shape variation and modularity of skull and teeth in domesticated horses and wild equids. | in horses, the morphological changes induced by the process of domestication are reportedly less pronounced than in other species, such as dogs or pigs - although the horses' disparity has rarely been empirically tested. we investigated shape differences and modularity of domesticated horses, przewalski's horses, donkeys and zebras. mandibular and tooth shape have been shown to be valuable features for differentiating wild and domesticated forms in some mammals. | 2018 | 29713365 |
| pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (equine cushing's disease) in nondomestic equids at marwell wildlife: a case series. one chapman's zebra ( equus quagga chapmani) and five przewalski's horses ( equus ferus przewalskii). | pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (ppid), also known as equine cushing's disease, is widely reported in middle-aged to older domestic equids but to date reported in only one nondomestic equid, the onager ( equus hemionus onager). this case series reports clinical, hematological, and pathological findings consistent with ppid in two further equid species: one chapman's zebra ( equus quagga chapmani) and five przewalski's horses ( equus ferus przewalskii). the case series reports basal adrenoc ... | 2018 | 29900762 |
| hormone-responsive organoids from domestic mare and endangered przewalski's horse endometrium. | the endometrium, the inner uterine lining, is composed of cell layers that come in direct contact with an embryo during early pregnancy and later with the fetal placenta. the endometrium is responsible for signals associated with normal reproductive cyclicity as well as maintenance of pregnancy. in the mare, functionally competent in vitro models of the endometrium have not been successful. furthermore, the ability to study various reproductive processes in vitro may allow critical evaluation of ... | 2020 | 33112764 |
| major inconsistencies of inferred population genetic structure estimated in a large set of domestic horse breeds using microsatellites. | structure remains the most applied software aimed at recovering the true, but unknown, population structure from microsatellite or other genetic markers. about 30% of structure-based studies could not be reproduced (molecular ecology, 21, 2012, 4925). here we use a large set of data from 2,323 horses from 93 domestic breeds plus the przewalski horse, typed at 15 microsatellites, to evaluate how program settings impact the estimation of the optimal number of population clusters kopt that best des ... | 2020 | 32489595 |
| ancient genomes reveal unexpected horse domestication and management dynamics. | the horse was essential to past human societies but became a recreational animal during the twentieth century as the world became increasingly mechanized. as the author reviews here, recent studies of ancient genomes have revisited the understanding of horse domestication, from the very early stages to the most modern developments. they have uncovered several extinct lineages roaming the far ends of eurasia some 4000 years ago. they have shown that the domestic horse has been significantly resha ... | 2020 | 31808562 |
| local origin or external input: modern horse origin in east asia. | despite decades of research, the horse domestication scenario in east asia remains poorly understood. | 2019 | 31775623 |
| epas1 gain-of-function mutation contributes to high-altitude adaptation in tibetan horses. | high altitude represents some of the most extreme environments worldwide. the genetic changes underlying adaptation to such environments have been recently identified in multiple animals but remain unknown in horses. here, we sequence the complete genome of 138 domestic horses encompassing a whole altitudinal range across china to uncover the genetic basis for adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia. our genome dataset includes 65 lowland animals across ten chinese native breeds, 61 horses living at ... | 2019 | 31273382 |
| whole genome sequencing analysis of horse populations inhabiting the korean peninsula and przewalski's horse. | the jeju horse is an indigenous horse breed in korea. however, there is a severe lack of genomic studies on korean horse breeds. | 2019 | 30941726 |
| identification of volatile components from oviposition and non-oviposition plants of gasterophilus pecorum (diptera: gasterophilidae). | oviposition by gasterophilus pecorum on shoot tips of stipa caucasica is a key determinant of its severe infection of the reintroduced przewalski's horse (equus przewalskii). volatiles in shoots of grasses on which przewalski's horse feeds, including s. caucasica at preoviposition, oviposition, and postoviposition stages of g. pecorum, s. caucasica, stipa orientalis, and ceratoides latens at the oviposition stage, and s. caucasica in various growth periods, were collected by dynamic headspace ad ... | 2020 | 32978441 |
| commercial genetic testing for type 2 polysaccharide storage myopathy and myofibrillar myopathy does not correspond to a histopathological diagnosis. | commercial genetic tests for type 2 polysaccharide storage myopathy (pssm2) and myofibrillar myopathy (mfm) have not been validated by peer-review, and formal regulation of veterinary genetic testing is lacking. | 2020 | 32896939 |
| complex variation in the klra (ly49) immunity-related genomic region in horses. | natural killer (nk) cells play important roles in innate and adaptive immunity, as well as in the reproduction of placental mammals. ly49 (klra) molecules represent a lectin-like type of nk cell receptor encoded within a complex genomic region, the nk cell complex. in rodents and horses, an expansion of the genes encoding ly49 receptors leading to the formation of a gene family was observed. high sequence similarities and frequent high polymorphism of multiple family members represent an obstacl ... | 2020 | 32421927 |
| gut microbiomes of endangered przewalski's horse populations in short- and long-term captivity: implication for species reintroduction based on the soft-release strategy. | captivity maybe the only choice for survival of many endangered vertebrates, and understanding its broad effects is important for animal management and conservation, including breeding endangered species for subsequent release. extreme environmental changes during captivity may influence survival ability in the wild. captivity decreases gut bacterial diversity in a wide range of animals. however, most studies directly compare animals living in captivity with those in the wild, and there is a lac ... | 2020 | 32226419 |
| origin and spread of thoroughbred racehorses inferred from complete mitochondrial genome sequences: phylogenomic and bayesian coalescent perspectives. | the thoroughbred horse breed was developed primarily for racing, and has a significant contribution to the qualitative improvement of many other horse breeds. despite the importance of thoroughbred racehorses in historical, cultural, and economical viewpoints, there was no temporal and spatial dynamics of them using the mitogenome sequences. to explore this topic, the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of 14 thoroughbreds and two przewalski's horses were determined. these sequences were ana ... | 2018 | 30216366 |
| ancient genomes revisit the ancestry of domestic and przewalski's horses. | the eneolithic botai culture of the central asian steppes provides the earliest archaeological evidence for horse husbandry, ~5500 years ago, but the exact nature of early horse domestication remains controversial. we generated 42 ancient-horse genomes, including 20 from botai. compared to 46 published ancient- and modern-horse genomes, our data indicate that przewalski's horses are the feral descendants of horses herded at botai and not truly wild horses. all domestic horses dated from ~4000 ye ... | 2018 | 29472442 |
| genetic variation and selection in the major histocompatibility complex class ii gene in the guizhou pony. | the guizhou pony (gzp) is an indigenous species of equid found in the mountains of the guizhou province in southwest china. we selected four regions of the equine leukocyte antigen (ela), including dqa, dra, dqb, and drb, and used them to assess the diversity of the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class ii gene using direct sequencing technology. dra had the lowest dn/ds ratio (0.560) compared with the other three loci, indicating that dra was conserved and could be conserved after underg ... | 2020 | 32999762 |
| drug efficacy of ivermectin against primary nematodes parasitizing captive przewalski's horse (equus ferus przewalskii) after ten years of annually treatment. | reintroduction of endangered species to natural habitat is considered as an important tool for conservation. the effect of drug management on captive population of reintroduced species is largely neglected. decreased drug efficacy could pose a substantial threat to health of animals. more importantly, captive population without proper drug administration could act as transmission medium of resistance nematodes to wild population, making it important to delay the occurrence of drug resistance in ... | 2020 | 32063741 |
| screening and identification of novel cgas homologues using a combination of in vitro and in vivo protein synthesis. | the cyclic gmp-amp synthase (cgas) catalyzes the synthesis of the multifunctional second messenger, cgamp, in metazoans. although numerous cgas homologues are predicted in protein databases, the catalytic activity towards cgamp synthesis has been proven for only four of them. therefore, we selected five novel and yet uncharacterized cgas homologues, which cover a broad range in the field of vertebrates. cell-free protein synthesis (cfps) was used for a pre-screening to investigate if the cgas ge ... | 2019 | 31877895 |
| community composition and diversity of intestinal microbiota in captive and reintroduced przewalski's horse (equus ferus przewalskii). | large and complex intestinal microbiota communities in hosts have profound effects on digestion and metabolism. to better understand the community structure of intestinal microbiota in przewalski's horse (equus ferus przewalskii) under different feeding regimes, we compared bacterial diversity and composition between captive and reintroduced przewalski's horses, using high-throughput 16s-rrna gene sequencing for identification. reintroduced przewalski's horses were sampled in two chinese nature ... | 2019 | 31440229 |
| genetic variability and history of a native finnish horse breed. | the finnhorse was established as a breed more than 110 years ago by combining local finnish landraces. since its foundation, the breed has experienced both strong directional selection, especially for size and colour, and severe population bottlenecks that are connected with its initial foundation and subsequent changes in agricultural and forestry practices. here, we used sequences of the mitochondrial control region and genomic single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) to estimate the genetic div ... | 2019 | 31262246 |
| comparing assignment-based approaches to breed identification within a large set of horses. | considering the extensive data sets and statistical techniques, animal breeding embodies a branch of machine learning that has a constantly increasing impact on breeding. in our study, information regarding the potential of machine learning and data mining within a large set of horses and breeds is presented. the individual assignment methods and factors influencing the success rate of the procedure are compared at the czech population scale. the fixation index values ranged from 0.057 (hms1) to ... | 2019 | 30963515 |
| echinococcus equinus hydatid cyst in the liver of a przewalski's horse ( equus przewalskii) in a canadian zoo. | a 23-yr-old captive-born przewalski's horse mare ( equus przewalskii) was euthanized at a canadian zoo because of severe colic resulting from rupture of a jejunal pseudodiverticulum. an incidental finding of an encysted larval cestode within a hepatic granuloma was diagnosed on histopathology. gel-based polymerase chain reaction (pcr) on liver tissue was positive for echinococcus granulosus sensu lato, and deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing of the pcr product was 100% homologous with echinococcus ... | 2018 | 30592924 |
| parameters for the analysis of social bonds in horses. | social bond analysis is of major importance for the evaluation of social relationships in group housed horses. however, in equine behaviour literature, studies on social bond analysis are inconsistent. mutual grooming (horses standing side by side and gently nipping, nuzzling, or rubbing each other), affiliative approaches (horses approaching each other and staying within one body length), and measurements of spatial proximity (horses standing with body contact or within two horse-lengths) are c ... | 2018 | 30373257 |
| evaluation of the genetic diversity and population structure of gasterophilus pecorum in xinjiang province, china, using fluorescent microsatellites (ssr) markers. | the genetic diversity of gasterophilus pecorum populations consisting of 192 individuals sampled from przewalski's horses (equus ferus przewalskii) in xinjiang province, china, was evaluated using 12 microsatellite loci. the genetic variability within populations and genetic differentiation among populations were estimated. a total of 163 alleles were detected and the average value of observed number of alleles at each locus ranged from 7 to 19 (average 13.5625). the expected heterozygosity (he) ... | 2018 | 30253850 |
| seasonal variations in heart rate variability as an indicator of stress in free-ranging pregnant przewalski's horses (e. ferus przewalskii) within the hortobágy national park in hungary. | background: ecosystems with seasonal fluctuations in climate and food availability present physiological challenges to resident mammals and may cause "stress." the two predominant physiological responses to stressors are (1) the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and (2) the modulation of the autonomic nervous system. to date, the primary indicator for "stress" in wildlife- and zoo animal research are glucocorticoid levels. by measuring the autonomic regulation of cardiac acti ... | 2017 | 28936179 |