| isolation, molecular cloning, and characterization of a novel porcine lymphotoxin beta receptor gene. | the lymphotoxin beta receptor (ltβr) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor family of receptors (tnfr). it plays a role in regulating lymphoid organogenesis and homeostasis of the immune system. in the present study, the full coding region of a putative ltβr gene of sus scrofa was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) and cloned for the first time (accession nos. jx457347 and afu74012). in addition, analysis of the tissue expression profile was carried out via r ... | 2014 | 25501186 |
| close association between paralogous multiple isomirs and paralogous/orthologues mirna sequences implicates dominant sequence selection across various animal species. | micrornas (mirnas) are crucial negative regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. next-generation sequencing technologies have identified a series of mirna variants (named isomirs). in this study, paralogous isomir assemblies (from the mirna locus) were systematically analyzed based on data acquired from deep sequencing data sets. evolutionary analysis of paralogous (members in mirna gene family in a specific species) and orthologues (across different animal species) mirna ... | 2013 | 23856130 |
| adipose tissue macrophages in non-rodent mammals: a comparative study. | the stromal vascular fraction (svf) of adipose tissue in rodents and primates contains mesenchymal stem cells and immune cells. svf cells have complex metabolic, immune and endocrine functions with biomedical impact. however, in other mammals, the amount of data on svf stem cells is negligible and whether the svf hosts immune cells is unknown. in this study, we show that the svf is rich in immune cells, with a dominance of adipose tissue macrophages (atms) in cattle (bos primigenius taurus), dom ... | 2016 | 26239911 |
| xenografting of isolated equine (equus caballus) testis cells results in de novo morphogenesis of seminiferous tubules but not spermatogenesis. | the study of spermatogenesis in the horse is challenging because of the absence of an in vitro system that is capable of reproducing efficient spermatogenesis and because of the difficulties and costs associated with performing well-controlled studies in vivo. in an attempt to develop novel methods for the study of equine spermatogenesis, we tested whether cells from enzymatically digested pre-pubertal equine testicular tissue were capable of de novo tissue formation and spermatogenesis followin ... | 2017 | 28160442 |
| a brief and critical review on hydrofluorosis in diverse species of domestic animals in india. | india is one of the fluoride-endemic countries where the maximum numbers of ground or drinking water sources are naturally fluoridated. in india, a total of 23, out of 36 states and union territories have drinking water contaminated with fluoride in varying concentration. in the present scenario, especially in rural india, besides the surface waters (perennial ponds, dams, rivers, etc.), bore wells and hand pumps are the principal drinking water sources for domestic animals such as cattle (bos t ... | 2017 | 28144801 |
| the evolutionary origin and genetic makeup of domestic horses. | the horse was domesticated only 5.5 kya, thousands of years after dogs, cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats. the horse nonetheless represents the domestic animal that most impacted human history; providing us with rapid transportation, which has considerably changed the speed and magnitude of the circulation of goods and people, as well as their cultures and diseases. by revolutionizing warfare and agriculture, horses also deeply influenced the politico-economic trajectory of human societies. recipro ... | 2016 | 27729493 |
| evidence for anthropophily in five species of phlebotomine sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) from northern colombia, revealed by molecular identification of bloodmeals. | identification of the bloodmeal sources of phlebotomine sand flies is fundamental to determining which species are anthropophilic and understanding the transmission of leishmania parasites in natural epidemiological settings. the objective of this study was to identify sand fly bloodmeals in the mixed leishmaniasis focus of the department of sucre, northern colombia. in all 141 engorged female sand flies were analyzed, after being captured in intradomiciliary, peridomiciliary and extradomiciliar ... | 2016 | 26464046 |
| the development of a hexaplex-conventional pcr for identification of six animal and plant species in foodstuffs. | a hexaplex-conventional pcr assay was developed for identification of five meat and one plant species origins in foodstuffs simultaneously. the method merges the use of horse (equus caballus), soybean (glycine max), sheep (ovis aries), poultry (meleagris meleagris), pork (sus scrofa), and cow (bos taurus) specific primers that amplify fragments (horse; 85 bp, soybean; 100 bp, sheep; 119 bp, poultry; 183 bp, pork; 212 bp and cow; 271 bp) of the mitochondrial cyt b, lectin, 12s rrna, 12s rrna, atp ... | 2016 | 26304406 |
| comparative genomic identification and expression profiling of a novel ?-defensin gene cluster in the equine reproductive tract. | ?-defensins are small cationic proteins with potent immunoregulatory and antimicrobial activity. the number of genes encoding these peptides varies significantly between and within species but they have not been extensively characterised in the horse. here, we describe a systematic search of the equus caballus genome that identified a cluster of novel ?-defensin genes on chromosome 22, which is homologous to a cluster on bovine chromosome 13. close genomic matches were found for orthologs of 13 ... | 2015 | 25924226 |
| reproductive physiology and ovarian folliculogenesis examined via 1h-nmr metabolomics signatures: a comparative study of large and small follicles in three mammalian species (bos taurus, sus scrofa domesticus and equus ferus caballus). | the aim of this study was to characterize the composition of follicular fluid (ff) collected from the small and large follicles of three mammalian species, bos taurus, sus scrofa domesticus, and equus ferus caballus, that display distinct ovulatory properties. for each species, five large ff samples and five small ff samples were analyzed using 1h-nmr spectroscopy. the ff metabolic profiles of the three species were very distinct. in cows and mares, the metabolic profiles of large ff and small f ... | 2015 | 25393852 |
| validation of triaxial accelerometers to measure the lying behaviour of adult domestic horses. | examining the characteristics of an animal's lying behaviour, such as frequency and duration of lying bouts, has become increasingly relevant for animal welfare research. triaxial accelerometers have the advantage of being able to continuously monitor an animal's standing and lying behaviour without relying on live observations or video recordings. multiple models of accelerometers have been validated for use in monitoring dairy cattle; however, no units have been validated for use in equines. t ... | 2015 | 25273864 |
| molecular characterization and expression analysis of equine vascular endothelial growth factor alpha (vegfα) gene in horse (equus caballus). | the objective of this study was to determine the molecular characteristics of the horse vascular endothelial growth factor alpha gene (vegfα) by constructing a phylogenetic tree, and to investigate gene expression profiles in tissues and blood leukocytes after exercise for development of suitable biomarkers. using published amino acid sequences of other vertebrate species (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, cow, pig, chicken and dog), we constructed a phylogenetic tree which showed that equine vegfα ... | 2014 | 25050010 |
| the symbiotic intestinal ciliates and the evolution of their hosts. | the evolution of sophisticated differentiations of the gastro-intestinal tract enabled herbivorous mammals to digest dietary cellulose and hemicellulose with the aid of a complex anaerobic microbiota. distinctive symbiotic ciliates, which are unique to this habitat, are the largest representatives of this microbial community. analyses of a total of 484 different 18s rrna genes show that extremely complex, but related ciliate communities can occur in the rumen of cattle, sheep, goats and red deer ... | 2014 | 24703617 |
| bovine calves as ideal bio-indicators for fluoridated drinking water and endemic osteo-dental fluorosis. | relative susceptibility to fluoride (f) toxicosis in the form of osteo-dental fluorosis was observed in an observational survey of 2,747 mature and 887 immature domestic animals of diverse species living in areas with naturally fluoridated (>1.5 ppm f) drinking water. these animals included buffaloes (bubalus bubalis), cattle (bos taurus), camels (camelus dromedarius), donkeys (equus asinus), horses (equus caballus), goats (capra hircus), and sheep (ovis aries). of these mature and immature anim ... | 2014 | 24671615 |
| [development and application of real-time pcr for identification and detection of horse meat in animal-origin products]. | to develop a real-time pcr method for identification and detection of domestic horse meat (equus caballus) in animal-origin products. | 2013 | 24459914 |
| complementary dna cloning, sequence analysis, and tissue transcription profile of a novel u2af2 gene from the chinese banna mini-pig inbred line. | u2 small nuclear rna auxiliary factor 2 (u2af2) is an important gene for pre-messenger rna splicing in higher eukaryotes. in this study, the banna mini-pig inbred line (bmi) u2af2 coding sequence (cds) was cloned, sequenced, and characterized. the u2af2 complete cds was amplified using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) technique based on the conserved sequence information of cattle and known highly homologous swine expressed sequence tags. this novel gene was deposited ... | 2013 | 23613239 |
| cloning, phylogenetic analysis and 3d modeling of a putative lysosomal acid lipase from the camel, camelus dromedarius. | acid lipase belongs to a family of enzymes that is mainly present in lysosomes of different organs and the stomach. it is characterized by its capacity to withstand acidic conditions while maintaining high lipolytic activity. we cloned for the first time the full coding sequence of camel's lysosomal acid lipase, clipa using rt-pcr technique (genbank accession numbers jf803951 and aeg75815, for the nucleotide and aminoacid sequences respectively). the cdna sequencing revealed an open reading fram ... | 2012 | 22936112 |
| zygomycetes from herbivore dung in the ecological reserve of dois irmãos, northeast brazil. | thirty-eight taxa of zygomycetes distributed in 15 genera were recorded from tapir (tapirus terrestris), camel (camelus bactrianus), horse (equus caballus), deer (cervus elaphus), agouti (dasyprocta aguti), donkey (equus asinus), llama (llama glama) and waterbuck (kobus ellipsiprymnus) dung collected at the reserva ecológica de dois irmãos located in recife, state of pernambuco, northeast brazil. the samples were collected on a monthly basis from june 2005 to may 2006, taken to the laboratory an ... | 2011 | 24031609 |
| molecular detection of the blood meal source of sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) in a transmission area of american cutaneous leishmaniasis, paraná state, brazil. | the feeding behavior of sand flies provides valuable information about the vector/host interactions and elucidates the epidemiological patterns of american cutaneous leishmaniasis (acl) transmission. the aim of this study was to identify the blood meal sources of sand flies in endemic areas of leishmaniasis in paraná state through polymerase chain reaction (pcr) amplification of a prepronociceptin (pnoc) gene fragment and its subsequent dna sequencing. moreover, molecular assays were conducted t ... | 2015 | 25530542 |
| organic matter and macromineral digestibility in domestic rabbits (oryctolagus cuniculus) as compared to other hindgut fermenters. | it is generally assumed that animal species differ in physiological characteristics of their digestive tract. because investigating digestive processes is often labour-intensive, requiring lengthy adaptation and collection periods, comparisons are often made on the basis of data collated from different studies. we added a new data set on dietary crude fibre (cf) and macromineral (na, k, ca, p, mg) composition and apparent digestibility (ad) of organic matter (om) and macrominerals in rabbits (or ... | 2015 | 25857396 |
| the seminiferous cycle of the rhinoceros. | the seminiferous cycle of the rhinoceros was investigated for the first time using testicular tissue from captive white (ceratotherium simum, n=2) and black (diceros bicornis, n=1) rhinoceroses. stages of the seminiferous epithelial cycle were characterised using the tubular morphology method and relative frequencies of each stage determined. this method allowed for the identification of eight stages of cellular associations characteristic of the seminiferous cycle in white and black rhinocerose ... | 2012 | 23182465 |
| black rhinoceros (diceros bicornis) and domestic horse (equus caballus) hindgut microflora demonstrate similar fermentation responses to grape seed extract supplementation in vitro. | the domestic horse is used as a nutritional model for rhinoceros maintained under human care. the validity of this model for browsing rhinoceros has been questioned due to high prevalence of iron overload disorder (iod) in captive black rhinoceros (diceros bicornis), which is associated with high morbidity and mortality. iron chelators, such as tannins, are under investigation as dietary supplements to ameliorate or prevent iod in prone species. polyphenolic compounds variably affect microbial f ... | 2016 | 27859814 |
| pharmacokinetics of a single dose of metronidazole after rectal administration in captive asian elephants (elephas maximus). | metronidazole is a nitroimidazole antibacterial and antiprotozoal drug with bacteriocidal activity against a broad range of anaerobic bacteria. it is a recognized treatment for elephants diagnosed with anaerobic bacterial infection or protozoal disease or exhibiting signs of colonic impaction, diarrhea, and colic. this study evaluated the pharmacokinetics of rectally administered metronidazole (15 mg/kg) in five adult female asian elephants (elephas maximus). serum samples were collected from ea ... | 2016 | 27010257 |
| total and free iodothyronine changes in response to transport of equidae (equus asinus and equus caballus). | in this study the effects of short distance road transport on total and free iodothyronine changes in 12 stallions (equus asinus and equus caballus) were evaluated. donkeys (n = 6) and horses (n = 6) were transported for a distance of 50 km. blood samples were collected 1 week before transport in basal conditions, 1 week later immediately before loading, and after transport and unloading. after transport, donkeys showed significant increases in circulating t4 (p≤0.01), ft3 (p≤0.001), and ft4 (p≤ ... | 2017 | 28365926 |
| short communication quick method for identifying horse (equus caballus) and donkey (equus asinus) hybrids. | the domestication of the equus genus 5000-6000 years ago has influenced the history of human civilization. as soon as horse and donkey species had been domesticated, they were crossbred, producing humanity's first documented attempt at animal genome manipulation. since then, the mule (male donkey x female horse) and the reciprocal cross (the hinny, male horse x female donkey) have been the most common equine hybrids in the world. due to their hybrid vigor, mules and hinnies have been intensively ... | 2016 | 27706783 |
| next generation semiconductor based sequencing of the donkey (equus asinus) genome provided comparative sequence data against the horse genome and a few millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms. | few studies investigated the donkey (equus asinus) at the whole genome level so far. here, we sequenced the genome of two male donkeys using a next generation semiconductor based sequencing platform (the ion proton sequencer) and compared obtained sequence information with the available donkey draft genome (and its illumina reads from which it was originated) and with the equcab2.0 assembly of the horse genome. moreover, the ion torrent personal genome analyzer was used to sequence reduced repre ... | 2015 | 26151450 |
| localization of alkali-labile sites in donkey (equus asinus) and stallion (equus caballus) spermatozoa. | the presence of constitutive alkali-labile sites (als) has been investigated using a protocol of dna breakage detection-fluorescence in situ hybridization and comet assay in spermatozoa of donkey (equus asinus) and stallion (equus caballus). these results were compared with those obtained using a similar experimental approach using somatic cells. the relative abundance of als was of the order of four times more in spermatozoa than in somatic cells. alkali-labile sites showed a tendency to cluste ... | 2014 | 24182740 |
| il26 gene inactivation in equidae. | interleukin-26 (il26) is a member of the il10 cytokine family. the il26 gene is located between two other well-known cytokines genes of this family encoding interferon-gamma (ifng) and il22 in an evolutionary conserved gene cluster. in contrast to humans and most other mammals, mice lack a functional il26 gene. we analyzed the genome sequences of other vertebrates for the presence or absence of functional il26 orthologs and found that the il26 gene has also become inactivated in several equid sp ... | 2013 | 23808390 |
| identification of copy number variants in horses. | copy number variants (cnvs) represent a substantial source of genetic variation in mammals. however, the occurrence of cnvs in horses and their subsequent impact on phenotypic variation is unknown. we performed a study to identify cnvs in 16 horses representing 15 distinct breeds (equus caballus) and an individual gray donkey (equus asinus) using a whole-exome tiling array and the array comparative genomic hybridization methodology. we identified 2368 cnvs ranging in size from 197 bp to 3.5 mb. ... | 2012 | 22383489 |
| the domestic livestock resources of turkey: status, use and some physical characteristics of mules. | mules are known to have been used as carriage and riding animals in mesopotamia and anatolia as early as the beginning of the second millennium bc but may have been first bred in anatolia in the third century bc. they have thus contributed to turkey's cultural, social and economic heritage for more than 4,000 years and were an ancient component of its guild of domestic animals and overall biodiversity. once bred country-wide most mules are now introduced "illegally" to the southeast and east fro ... | 2012 | 24833995 |
| equine performance genes and the future of doping in horseracing. | a horse's success on the racetrack is determined by genetics, training and nutrition, and their translation into physical traits such as speed, endurance and muscle strength. advances in genetic technologies are slowly explaining the roles of specific genes in equine performance, and offering new insights into the development of novel therapies for diseases and musculoskeletal injuries that cause early retirement of many racehorses. gene therapy approaches may also soon provide new means to arti ... | 2017 | 28349656 |
| peptide-binding motifs of two common equine class i mhc molecules in thoroughbred horses. | quantitative peptide-binding motifs of mhc class i alleles provide a valuable tool to efficiently identify putative t cell epitopes. detailed information on equine mhc class i alleles is still very limited, and to date, only a single equine mhc class i allele, eqca-1*00101 (ela-a3 haplotype), has been characterized. the present study extends the number of characterized ela class i specificities in two additional haplotypes found commonly in the thoroughbred breed. accordingly, we here report qua ... | 2017 | 28315936 |
| quality of seminal fluids varies with type of stimulus at ejaculation. | the theory of ejaculate economics was mainly built around different sperm competition scenarios but also predicts that investments into ejaculates depend on female fecundity. previous tests of this prediction focused on invertebrates and lower vertebrate, and on species with high female reproductive potential. it remains unclear whether the prediction also holds for polygynous mammals with low female reproductive potential (due to low litter size and long inter-birth intervals). we used horses ( ... | 2017 | 28287188 |
| a nonsense variant in the st14 gene in akhal-teke horses with naked foal syndrome. | naked foal syndrome (nfs) is a genodermatosis in the akhal-teke horse breed. we provide the first scientific description of this phenotype. affected horses have almost no hair and show a mild ichthyosis. so far, all known nfs affected horses died between a few weeks and 3 yr of age. it is not clear whether a specific pathology caused the premature deaths. nfs is inherited as a monogenic autosomal recessive trait. we mapped the disease causing genetic variant to two segments on chromosomes 7 and ... | 2017 | 28235824 |
| perception of emotional valence in horse whinnies. | non-human animals often produce different types of vocalisations in negative and positive contexts (i.e. different valence), similar to humans, in which crying is associated with negative emotions and laughter is associated with positive ones. however, some types of vocalisations (e.g. contact calls, human speech) can be produced in both negative and positive contexts, and changes in valence are only accompanied by slight structural differences. although such acoustically graded signals associat ... | 2017 | 28203263 |
| personality and predisposition to form habit behaviours during instrumental conditioning in horses (equus caballus). | the relationship between personality and learning abilities has become a growing field of interest. studies have mainly focused on the relationship with performance, such as the speed of acquisition. in this study, we hypothesised that personality could in part also be related to a certain predisposition of an individual to switch more easily from a goal-directed process to a habit process during learning. to identify these processes, we conducted a contingency degradation protocol. this study i ... | 2017 | 28158199 |
| polymorphisms in ten candidate genes are associated with conformational and locomotive traits in spanish purebred horses. | the spanish purebred horses, also known as andalusian horses, compete to the highest standards in international dressage events. gait and conformation could be used as early selection criteria to detect young horses with promising dressage ability. although the genetic background of equine size variation has been recently uncovered, the genetic basis of horse conformational and locomotive traits is not known, hampered by the complex genetic architecture underlying quantitative traits and the lac ... | 2016 | 27917442 |
| social learning across species: horses (equus caballus) learn from humans by observation. | this study examines whether horses can learn by observing humans, given that they identify individual humans and orientate on the focus of human attention. we tested 24 horses aged between 3 and 12. twelve horses were tested on whether they would learn to open a feeding apparatus by observing a familiar person. the other 12 were controls and received exactly the same experimental procedure, but without a demonstration of how to operate the apparatus. more horses from the group with demonstration ... | 2016 | 27866286 |
| mhc-correlated preferences in diestrous female horses (equus caballus). | genes of the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) have been shown to influence communication in many vertebrates, possibly with context-specific mhc-correlated reactions. here we test for mhc-linked female preferences in the polygynous horse (equus caballus) by repeatedly exposing 19 mares to a group of seven sexually experienced stallions. each mare was tested four times during two consecutive reproductive cycles, twice during estrus and twice during diestrus. male plasma testosterone concent ... | 2017 | 27842717 |
| identification of novel equine (equus caballus) tendon markers using rna sequencing. | although several tendon-selective genes exist, they are also expressed in other musculoskeletal tissues. as cell and tissue engineering is reliant on specific molecular markers to discriminate between cell types, tendon-specific genes need to be identified. in order to accomplish this, we have used rna sequencing (rna-seq) to compare gene expression between tendon, bone, cartilage and ligament from horses. we identified several tendon-selective gene markers, and established eyes absent homolog 2 ... | 2016 | 27834918 |
| detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (snp) in equine coat color genes using snapshot(tm) multiplex kit or pluronic f-108 tri-block copolymer and capillary electrophoresis. | molecular methods for the detection of mammalian coat color phenotypes have expanded greatly within the past decade. many phenotypes are associated with a single nucleotide polymorphism mutation in the genetic sequence. traditionally, these mutations are detected through sequencing, hybridization assays or mini-sequencing. however, these techniques can be expensive and tedious. previously, ce-sscp using the f-108 polymer was able to distinguish snps for the melanocortin-1 receptor (mc1r) coat co ... | 2016 | 27542347 |
| genetic diversity and population structure of kazakh horses (equus caballus) inferred from mtdna sequences. | the kazakh horse is an important old horse breed in xinjiang. they have contributed greatly to the breeding and improvement of other local horse breeds, yet their genetic diversity and population structure are not well understood. in the present study, we evaluated the genetic diversity of kazakh horses and their relationship with other horse breeds using the mtdna d-loop region, cyt b gene, and a dna fragment (nps 7974-9963, containing cox3, trna-gly, nd3, and trna-arg). a total of 130 kazakh h ... | 2016 | 27808359 |
| non-surgical sterilisation methods may offer a sustainable solution to feral horse (equus caballus) overpopulation. | feral horses are a significant pest species in many parts of the world, contributing to land erosion, weed dispersal and the loss of native flora and fauna. there is an urgent need to modify feral horse management strategies to achieve public acceptance and long-term population control. one way to achieve this is by using non-surgical methods of sterilisation, which are suitable in the context of this mobile and long-lived species. in this review we consider the benefits of implementing novel me ... | 2016 | 27700983 |
| equivalent seminal characteristics in human and stallion at first and second ejaculated fractions. | sperm quality was assessed in normozoospermic human (n = 10) and spanish breed stallion (n = 10) after sperm fractionation during ejaculation. the first ejaculated fraction was separated from the second. a third sample was reconstituted using equivalent proportion of both fractions (raw). fraction 1, fraction 2 and raw semen were incubated for 30 min at 37°c to homogenise the impact of iatrogenic damage between both species. sperm concentration, motility and sperm dna damage were assessed in eac ... | 2016 | 27660115 |
| using the horse grimace scale (hgs) to assess pain associated with acute laminitis in horses (equus caballus). | acute laminitis is a common equine disease characterized by intense foot pain, both acutely and chronically. the obel grading system is the most widely accepted method for describing the severity of laminitis by equine practitioners, however this method requires movement (walk and trot) of the horse, causing further intense pain. the recently developed horse grimace scale (hgs), a facial-expression-based pain coding system, may offer a more effective means of assessing the pain associated with a ... | 2016 | 27527224 |
| age-related changes in locomotor performance reveal a similar pattern for caenorhabditis elegans, mus domesticus, canis familiaris, equus caballus, and homo sapiens. | locomotion is one of the major physiological functions for most animals. previous studies have described aging mechanisms linked to locomotor performance among different species. however, the precise dynamics of these age-related changes, and their interactions with development and senescence, are largely unknown. here, we use the same conceptual framework to describe locomotor performances in caenorhabditis elegans, mus domesticus, canis familiaris, equus caballus, and homo sapiens. we show tha ... | 2017 | 27522057 |
| an intronic mbtps2 variant results in a splicing defect in horses with brindle coat texture. | we investigated a family of horses exhibiting irregular vertical stripes in their hair coat texture along the neck, back, hindquarters, and upper legs. this phenotype is termed "brindle" by horse breeders. we propose the term "brindle 1 (br1)" for this specific form of brindle. in some br1 horses, the stripes were also differentially pigmented. pedigree analyses were suggestive of a monogenic x-chromosomal semidominant mode of inheritance. haplotype analyses identified a 5 mb candidate region on ... | 2016 | 27449517 |
| rna expression of tlr10 in normal equine tissues. | toll like receptors are one of the major innate immune system pathogen recognition systems. there is little data on the expression of the tlr10 member of this family in the horse. | 2016 | 27435589 |
| candidate gene analysis of osteochondrosis in spanish purebred horses. | equine osteochondrosis (oc) is a frequent developmental orthopaedic disease with high economic impact on the equine industry and may lead to premature retirement of the animal as a result of chronic pain and lameness. the genetic background of oc includes different genes affecting several locations; however, these genetic associations have been tested in only one or few populations, lacking the validation in others. the aim of this study was to identify the genetic determinants of oc in the span ... | 2016 | 27422688 |
| arterial ph and blood lactate levels of anesthetized mongolian khulan ( equus hemionus hemionus) in the mongolian gobi correlate with induction time. | research and conservation of wide-ranging wild equids in most cases necessitate capture and handling of individuals. for free-roaming mongolian khulan ( equus hemionus hemionus), also known as the khulan, capture involves a strenuous, high-speed chase, and physiologic responses have yet to be elucidated. we analyzed sequential arterial blood gas (abg) samples as a proxy for respiratory and metabolic status of khulan during capture-related anesthesia. we recorded precise chase and induction times ... | 2016 | 27243152 |
| imiquimod treatment for equus caballus papillomavirus infection in equine aural plaques. | aural plaques are a dermatopathy associated with equus caballus papillomavirus (ecpv). this disease affects horses of all ages, genders and breeds, and causes sensitivity of the ears. | 2016 | 27109291 |
| comparative genomics of hormonal signaling in the chorioallantoic membrane of oviparous and viviparous amniotes. | in oviparous amniotes (reptiles, birds, and mammals) the chorioallantoic membrane (cam) lines the inside of the egg and acts as the living point of contact between the embryo and the outside world. in livebearing (viviparous) amniotes, communication during embryonic development occurs across placental tissues, which form between the uterine tissue of the mother and the cam of the embryo. in both oviparous and viviparous taxa, the cam is at the interface of the embryo and the external environment ... | 2017 | 27102939 |
| evidence of heterospecific referential communication from domestic horses (equus caballus) to humans. | referential communication occurs when a sender elaborates its gestures to direct the attention of a recipient to its role in pursuit of the desired goal, e.g. by pointing or showing an object, thereby informing the recipient what it wants. if the gesture is successful, the sender and the recipient focus their attention simultaneously on a third entity, the target. here we investigated the ability of domestic horses (equus caballus) to communicate referentially with a human observer about the loc ... | 2016 | 27098164 |
| cognition and learning in horses (equus caballus): what we know and why we should ask more. | horses (equus caballus) have a rich history in their relationship with humans. across different cultures and eras they have been utilized for work, show, cultural rituals, consumption, therapy, and companionship and continue to serve in many of these roles today. as one of the most commonly trained domestic animals, understanding how horses learn and how their relationship with humans and other horses impacts their ability to learn has implications for horse welfare, training, husbandry and mana ... | 2016 | 27018202 |
| seasonal thyroid and lipid profiles in thoroughbred pregnant and nonpregnant mares (equus caballus). | the purpose of this study was to determine which physiological seasonal thyroid and lipid panel (triglyceride, [tg], total cholesterol, [tcho], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, [hdl cho], ldl cholesterol, phospholipids, [pds]) changes occur in 12 thoroughbred pregnant and six nonpregnant mares over a period of 12 months, from april to march, by into account the lactation stage. serum total triiodothyronine (t3) and thyroxine (t4) levels were measured using immunoenzymatic assay kits; the se ... | 2016 | 26920797 |
| the mc1r and asip coat color loci may impact behavior in the horse. | shared signaling pathways utilized by melanocytes and neurons result in pleiotropic traits of coat color and behavior in many mammalian species. for example, in humans polymorphisms at mc1r cause red hair, increased heat sensitivity, and lower pain tolerance. in deer mice, rats, and foxes, asip polymorphisms causing black coat color lead to more docile demeanors and reduced activity. horse (equus caballus) base coat color is primarily determined by polymorphisms at the melanocortin-1 receptor (m ... | 2016 | 26884605 |
| functionally relevant responses to human facial expressions of emotion in the domestic horse (equus caballus). | whether non-human animals can recognize human signals, including emotions, has both scientific and applied importance, and is particularly relevant for domesticated species. this study presents the first evidence of horses' abilities to spontaneously discriminate between positive (happy) and negative (angry) human facial expressions in photographs. our results showed that the angry faces induced responses indicative of a functional understanding of the stimuli: horses displayed a left-gaze bias ... | 2016 | 26864784 |
| circadian rhythm of calciotropic hormones, serum calcium, phosphorus and magnesium during the shortest and longest days of the year in horses in new zealand. | a study was conducted to determine the circadian rhythms and trends of vitamin d metabolites including 25-hydroxyvitamin d3 , 25-hydroxyvitamin d2 , 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin d and parathyroid hormone, in addition to serum calcium, phosphorus and magnesium concentrations in horses over 48 h on the shortest and longest days of the year in 2013. five healthy adult horses (equus caballus) were on a constant pasture feeding regimen, and blood samples were collected from each horse every 3 h over a 48-h ... | 2016 | 26841283 |
| skeletal muscle adaptations and muscle genomics of performance horses. | skeletal muscles in horses are characterised by specific adaptations, which are the result of the natural evolution of the horse as a grazing animal, centuries of selective breeding and the adaptability of this tissue in response to training. these adaptations include an increased muscle mass relative to body weight, a great locomotor efficiency based upon an admirable muscle-tendon architectural design and an adaptable fibre-type composition with intrinsic shortening velocities greater than wou ... | 2016 | 26831154 |
| investigating attentional processes in depressive-like domestic horses (equus caballus). | some captive/domestic animals respond to confinement by becoming inactive and unresponsive to external stimuli. human inactivity is one of the behavioural markers of clinical depression, a mental disorder diagnosed by the co-occurrence of symptoms including deficit in selective attention. some riding horses display 'withdrawn' states of inactivity and low responsiveness to stimuli that resemble the reduced engagement with their environment of some depressed patients. we hypothesized that 'withdr ... | 2016 | 26739514 |
| comparison of chemical and surgical vasectomy on testicular activity in free-roaming horses (equus caballus). | free-roaming horse (equus caballus) management is a complex issue incorporating social, economic, emotional, political, and environmental factors. currently, few proven field techniques exist for managing free-roaming horse population growth, which can reach 20-25% annually. although there are several strategies available for sterilizing mares when managing free-roaming horse populations, surgical vasectomy is the only method used in the field for stallions. some managers believe that surgically ... | 2015 | 26667538 |
| fecal ciliate composition of domestic horses (equus caballus linnaeus, 1758) living in kyrgyzstan. | species composition and distribution of intestinal ciliates were investigated in the feces from 15 domestic horses living in bishkek, kyrgyzstan. twenty-three species belonging to 14 genera were identified. this is the first study on intestinal ciliates in domestic horses living in kyrgyzstan. the mean number of ciliates was 14.1 ± 6.8 x10(4) cells ml(-1) of feces and the mean number of ciliate species per host was 6.0 ± 3.2. no endemic or new species were detected. blepharocorys was the major g ... | 2015 | 26624471 |
| informed horses are influential in group movements, but they may avoid leading. | in species that move in cohesive groups, animals generally reach decisions through socially distributed processes, and individual knowledge is expected to influence collective decision making. pooling of information should not be considered a general rule, however, since conflicts of interest may occur between group members. when resources are limited or highly attractive, higher-ranking individuals can prevent others from accessing food, and subordinates may have an interest in withholding info ... | 2016 | 26621267 |
| ejaculate characteristics depend on social environment in the horse (equus caballus). | sperm competition theory predicts semen characteristics to be affected by the social environment. we used the polygamous horse (equus caballus) to experimentally study within-subject plasticity in response to different social environments. stallions were sequentially exposed, over a period of 8 weeks each, to other stallions and then singly to mares, or vice versa (in adjacent boxes separated by grills). ejaculates were collected to determine semen characteristics. highest sperm numbers were fou ... | 2015 | 26599821 |
| establishment of an in vitro equine papillomavirus type 2 (ecpv2) neutralization assay and a vlp-based vaccine for protection of equids against ecpv2-associated genital tumors. | the consistent and specific presence of equus caballus papillomavirus type 2 (ecpv2) dna and mrna in equine genital squamous cell carcinoma (gscc) is suggestive of an etiological role in tumor development. to further validate this concept, ecpv2-neutralizing serum antibody titers were determined by an ecpv2 pseudovirion (psv) neutralization assay. furthermore, an ecpv2 l1 virus-like particle (vlp)-based vaccine was generated and its prophylactic efficacy evaluated in vivo. all 6/6 gscc-affected, ... | 2015 | 26519597 |
| rna sequencing as a powerful tool in searching for genes influencing health and performance traits of horses. | rna sequencing (rna-seq) by next-generation technology is a powerful tool which creates new possibilities in whole-transcriptome analysis. in recent years, with the use of the rna-seq method, several studies expanded transcriptional gene profiles to understand interactions between genotype and phenotype, supremely contributing to the field of equine biology. to date, in horses, massive parallel sequencing of cdna has been successfully used to identify and quantify mrna levels in several normal t ... | 2016 | 26446669 |
| evolutionary constraints on equid domestication: comparison of flight initiation distances of wild horses (equus caballus ferus) and plains zebras (equus quagga). | habituation to humans was an essential component of horse (equus caballus ferus) domestication, with the nondomestication of zebras (equus quagga) possibly reflecting an adaptive constraint on habituation. we present the human hunting hypothesis, arguing that ancestral humans hunted african animals, including zebras, long enough to promote a persistent wariness of humans, whereas a briefer period of hunting horses in central asia influenced by glacial cycles was unlikely to produce an equally pe ... | 2015 | 26348970 |
| occurrence of hippobosca equina in polish primitive horses during the grazing season. | the presence of hippobosca equina strongly influences the behaviour and health status of horses. the aim of the study was to analyse the invasion dynamics of the forest fly in polish primitive horses (equus caballus gmelini) in the popielno forest reserve (northeastern poland). observations were carried out from may to september, every two weeks for two consecutive years (2012 and 2013) in five study groups: in 11-12-year-old mares with foals, 6-7-year-old leading stallions, 1.5-year-old fillies ... | 2015 | 26342509 |
| equifacs: the equine facial action coding system. | although previous studies of horses have investigated their facial expressions in specific contexts, e.g. pain, until now there has been no methodology available that documents all the possible facial movements of the horse and provides a way to record all potential facial configurations. this is essential for an objective description of horse facial expressions across a range of contexts that reflect different emotional states. facial action coding systems (facs) provide a systematic methodolog ... | 2015 | 26244573 |
| molecular dynamic simulations reveal the structural determinants of fatty acid binding to oxy-myoglobin. | the mechanism(s) by which fatty acids are sequestered and transported in muscle have not been fully elucidated. a potential key player in this process is the protein myoglobin (mb). indeed, there is a catalogue of empirical evidence supporting direct interaction of globins with fatty acid metabolites; however, the binding pocket and regulation of the interaction remains to be established. in this study, we employed a computational strategy to elucidate the structural determinants of fatty acids ... | 2015 | 26030763 |
| preliminary data on the effect of osseous anatomy on ex vivo joint mobility in the equine thoracolumbar region. | the thoracolumbar region is clinically important in horses; however, the link between joint mobility and bony joint morphology has not been tested quantitatively. | 2016 | 25980342 |
| equine genital squamous cell carcinoma: in situ hybridization identifies a distinct subset containing equus caballus papillomavirus 2. | equus caballus papillomavirus 2 (ecpv2) has been proposed as an etiologic agent for genital squamous cell carcinoma (scc), the most common malignant tumor of the horse penis. ecpv2 is commonly detected by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) on normal horse genitalia; therefore, unraveling the virus' role in oncogenic transformation requires other methods of detection. in this study, a highly sensitive multiple-probe chromogenic in situ hybridization (ish) technique was designed to recognize the e6/e ... | 2015 | 25967135 |
| serum antibody immunoreactivity to equine zona protein after spayvac vaccination. | immunocontraception with porcine zp (pzp) can be an effective means of fertility control in feral horses. previous studies suggest that antibodies produced after pzp vaccination may both inhibit fertilization and cause follicular dysgenesis. zonastat-h, pzp-22, and spayvac are three pzp vaccines proposed for use in horses. although all these vaccines contain the pzp antigen, variations in antigen preparation and vaccine formulation lead to differences in antigenic properties among them. likewise ... | 2015 | 25922172 |
| tenseness relaxed by vocalizing, illustrated by horses (equus caballus) whinnying. | animal calls are commonly considered indicators of a sudden change in their arousal state. however, reports evidencing associated internal physiological changes are rare. by homology with human "emotional" vocal productions (e.g., laughter and crying), we predicted that animal vocal productions may result in relaxing tenseness or excitement. in this study, 15 stallions equipped with a heart rate monitor were presented a mare at some distance so as to prevent contact, thereby increasing the males ... | 2015 | 25915192 |
| female major histocompatibility complex type affects male testosterone levels and sperm number in the horse (equus caballus). | odours of vertebrates often contain information about the major histocompatibility complex (mhc), and are used in kin recognition, mate choice or female investment in pregnancy. it is, however, still unclear whether mhc-linked signals can also affect male reproductive strategies. we used horses (equus caballus) to study this question under experimental conditions. twelve stallions were individually exposed either to an unfamiliar mhc-similar mare and then to an unfamiliar mhc-dissimilar mare, or ... | 2015 | 25904670 |
| right-nostril use during sniffing at arousing stimuli produces higher cardiac activity in jumper horses. | lateralization in horses, equus caballus, has been reported at both motor and sensory levels. here we investigated left- and right-nostril use in 12 jumper horses freely sniffing different emotive stimuli. results revealed that during sniffing at adrenaline and oestrus mare urine stimuli, horses showed a clear right-nostril bias while just a tendency in the use of the right nostril was observed during sniffing of other odours (food, cotton swab and repellent). sniffing at adrenaline and urine od ... | 2015 | 25635853 |
| behavioral and transcriptomic fingerprints of an enriched environment in horses (equus caballus). | the use of environmental enrichment (ee) has grown in popularity over decades, particularly because ee is known to promote cognitive functions and well-being. nonetheless, little is known about how ee may affect personality and gene expression. to address this question in a domestic animal, 10-month-old horses were maintained in a controlled environment or ee for 12 weeks. the control horses (n = 9) lived in individual stalls on wood shaving bedding. they were turned out to individual paddocks t ... | 2014 | 25494179 |
| the equine immune responses to infectious and allergic disease: a model for humans? | the modern horse, equus caballus has historically made important contributions to the field of immunology, dating back to emil von behring's description of curative antibodies in equine serum over a century ago. while the horse continues to play an important role in human serotherapy, the mouse has replaced the horse as the predominant experimental animal in immunology research. nevertheless, continuing efforts have led to an improved understanding of the equine immune response in a variety of i ... | 2015 | 25457878 |
| development of an in vitro model system for studying the interaction of equus caballus ige with its high-affinity receptor fcεri. | the interaction of ige with its high-affinity fc receptor (fcεri) followed by an antigenic challenge is the principal pathway in ige mediated allergic reactions. as a consequence of the high affinity binding between ige and fcεri, along with the continuous production of ige by b cells, allergies usually persist throughout life, with currently no permanent cure available. horses, especially race horses, which are commonly inbred, are a species of mammals that are very prone to the development of ... | 2014 | 25406512 |
| trained quantity abilities in horses (equus caballus): a preliminary investigation. | once believed to be a human prerogative, the capacity to discriminate between quantities now has also been reported in several vertebrates. to date, only two studies investigated numerical abilities in horses (equus caballus) but reported contrasting data. to assess whether horses can be trained to discriminate between quantities, i have set up a new experimental protocol using operant conditioning. one adult female was trained to discriminate between 1 and 4 (test 1) in three different conditio ... | 2014 | 25379278 |
| analysis of the 227 bp short interspersed nuclear element (sine) insertion of the promoter of the myostatin (mstn) gene in different horse breeds. | the myostatin (mstn) gene encodes a protein known to be a negative regulator of muscle mass in mammalian species. different polymorphisms of the horse (equus caballus) mstn gene have been identified, including single nucleotide polymorphisms and a short interspersed nuclear element (sine) insertion of 227 bp within the promoter of the gene. the sine insertion has been associated with performance traits in thoroughbred racehorses and it was proposed as a predictor of optimum racing distance. the ... | 2014 | 25273961 |
| the influence of nutrition on the insulin-like growth factor system and the concentrations of growth hormone, glucose, insulin, gonadotropins and progesterone in ovarian follicular fluid and plasma from adult female horses (equus caballus). | feed intake affects the gh-igf system and may be a key factor in determining the ovarian follicular growth rate. in fat mares, the plasma igf-1 concentration is high with low gh and a quick follicular growth rate, in contrast to values observed in thin mares. nothing is known regarding the long-term effects of differential feed intake on the igf system. the objective of this experiment was to quantify igfs, igfbps, gh, glucose, insulin, gonadotropin and progesterone (p4) in blood and in preovula ... | 2014 | 25078409 |
| the relationship of dominance, reproductive state and stress in female horses (equus caballus). | maintaining a dominant position in a hierarchy requires energetically expensive aggressive displays and physical exertion. lab based winner-loser studies, often conducted with individuals from non-social species, have shown that subordinates have higher stress hormone levels than dominant individuals. however, in wild studies on cooperative breeders, displays of aggression used to maintain dominance status are associated with elevated stress hormone levels. the effect of reproductive state on do ... | 2014 | 25058621 |
| a highly sensitive and specific tetraplex pcr assay for soybean, poultry, horse and pork species identification in sausages: development and validation. | a tetraplex pcr assay was developed for a rapid and reliable identification of horse, soybean, poultry, and pork species in sausages simultaneously. the method merges the use of horse (equus caballus), soybean (glycine max), poultry (gallus gallus), and pork (sus scrofa) specific primers that amplify small fragments (horse; 85bp, soybean; 100bp, poultry; 183bp and pork; 212bp) of the mitochondrial cyt b, lectin, 12s rrna and atpase subunit 6 genes respectively. good quality dna was isolated from ... | 2014 | 24980471 |
| influence of emotional balance during a learning and recall test in horses (equus caballus). | modern day horse-human relationships entail different types of sport and riding activities, which all require learning. in evaluating the interaction between learning and emotions, studying normal coping strategies or adaptive responses to the surroundings is critical. 34 horses were involved in a cognitive test, in the absence of physical effort, to analyze performance, as well as physiological and behavioral responses related to learning, memorization and recall, associated to the capacity to ... | 2014 | 24875282 |
| shetland ponies (equus caballus) show quantity discrimination in a matching-to-sample design. | numerical competence is one of the aspects of animal cognition with a long history of research interest, but few results are available for the horse. in the present study, we investigated the ability of three shetland ponies to discriminate between different quantities of geometric symbols presented on a computer screen in a matching-to-sample arrangement. in experiment 1, the ponies had to relate two similar quantities to another, paired in contrasts (1 vs. 2, 3 vs. 4 and 4 vs. 5) of the same s ... | 2014 | 24831887 |
| exposure to stallion accelerates the onset of mares' cyclicity. | horses (equus caballus) belong to the group of seasonally polyestrous mammals. estrous cycles typically start with increasing daylight length after winter, but mares can differ greatly in the timing of onset of regular estrus cycles. here, we test whether spatial proximity to a stallion also plays a role. twenty-two anestrous mares were either exposed to one of two stallions (without direct physical contact) or not exposed (controls) under experimental conditions during two consecutive springs ( ... | 2014 | 24815602 |
| comparative analysis of the methanogen diversity in horse and pony by using mcra gene and archaeal 16s rrna gene clone libraries. | comparative analysis of methanogen compositions in the feces of horse and pony was carried out by constructing the α -subunit of methyl coenzyme-m reductase (mcra) gene and 16s ribosomal rna gene (16s rrna) clone libraries. the mcra clone library analysis indicated that methanomicrobiales was predominant in both horse and pony. furthermore, most of the clones of the 16s rrna gene library showed that methanomicrobiales was also predominant in horse and pony, but the libshuff analysis showed that ... | 2014 | 24678264 |
| estimation of body weight and development of a body weight score for adult equids using morphometric measurements. | excessive bw has become a major health issue in the equine (equus caballus) industry. the objectives were to determine if the addition of neck circumference and height improved existing bw estimation equations, to develop an equation for estimation of ideal bw, and to develop a method for assessing the likelihood of being overweight in adult equids. six hundred and twenty-nine adult horses and ponies who met the following criteria were measured and weighed at 2 horse shows in september 2011 in m ... | 2014 | 24663191 |
| the use of a novel combination of diagnostic molecular and cytogenetic approaches in horses with sexual karyotype abnormalities: a rare case with an abnormal cellular chimerism. | sex chromosome aberrations are known to cause congenital abnormalities and unexplained infertility in horses. most of these anomalies remain undiagnosed because of the complexity of the horse karyotype and the lack of specialized laboratories that can perform such diagnoses. on the other hand, the utilization of microsatellite markers is a technique widely spread in horse breeding, mostly because of their usage in parentage tests. we studied the usage of a novel combination of diagnostic approac ... | 2014 | 24612694 |
| visual attention, an indicator of human-animal relationships? a study of domestic horses (equus caballus). | as visual attention is an intrinsic part of social relationships, and because relationships are built on a succession of interactions, their establishment involves learning and attention. the emotional, rewarding or punishing, content can modulate selective attention. in horses, the use of positive/negative reinforcement during training determines short and long-term human-horse relationships. in a recent study in horses, where either food or withers' grooming were used as a reward, it appeared ... | 2014 | 24592244 |
| population dynamics of feral horses (equus caballus) following above-average rainfall in a semi-arid environment of australia. | recent record rainfall in much of semi-arid central australia is the most likely reason for a feral horse population increase in excess of normal. uncontrolled numbers of feral horses have habitat degradation and animal welfare implications. | 2013 | 24571305 |
| genetic polymorphism of hucul horse population based on 17 microsatellite loci. | short tandem repeat (str) loci, i.e. microsatellites are a class of genetic markers commonly used for population studies and parentage control. this study determined the usefulness of microsatellite markers recommended by international society for animal genetics (isag) for identification and pedigree analysis in horses based on the example of polish hucul horse population (equus caballus). the set of seventeen microsatellites loci was tested (aht4, aht5, asb2, hms2, hms3, hms6, hms7, htg10, htg ... | 2013 | 24432328 |
| thiol-disulfide proteins of stallion epididymal spermatozoa. | thiol groups of cysteine residues represent redox centers involved in multiple biological functions. it has been postulated that changes in the redox status of mammalian epididymal spermatozoa contribute to the sperm maturation process. the present work shows the thiol-disulfide protein profile of stallion epididymal spermatozoa achieved by two-dimension electrophoresis and maldi-tof/tof mass spectrometry of proteins labeled with a thiol-reactive fluorescent tag, monobromobimane. our results hav ... | 2014 | 24418125 |
| the brain of the horse: weight and cephalization quotients. | the horse is a common domestic animal whose anatomy has been studied since the xvi century. however, a modern neuroanatomy of this species does not exist and most of the data utilized in textbooks and reviews derive from single specimens or relatively old literature. here, we report information on the brain of equus caballus obtained by sampling 131 horses, including brain weight (as a whole and subdivided into its constituents), encephalization quotient (eq), and cerebellar quotient (cq), and c ... | 2014 | 24335261 |
| detection of papillomavirus in equine periocular and penile squamous cell carcinoma. | squamous cell carcinoma (scc) is the most common tumor arising in the periocular and penile areas of horses. both ultraviolet radiation and papillomaviruses have been implicated in the pathogenesis of scc in various species, including the horse. this retrospective study used polymerase chain reaction (pcr) to detect papillomavirus dna in archival biopsy samples from equine periocular and penile scc from 3 different geographic areas (northeast, southeast, and central united states). forty-two per ... | 2014 | 24323055 |
| horses (equus caballus) discriminate body odour cues from conspecifics. | knowledge about social recognition and memory in animals can help us to determine appropriate management and husbandry techniques. in this study, we used a habituation-discrimination procedure to investigate the ability of horses (equus caballus) to distinguish between the body odour samples of unfamiliar conspecifics. to pick up body odour, we rubbed material on the coat of horses and presented these unknown body odours to 16 different conspecifics of the same sex and similar age. the test cons ... | 2014 | 24305997 |
| molecular characterization and evolutionary analysis of horse baff-r, a tumor necrosis factor receptor related to b-cell survival. | b-cell survival depends on signals induced by b-cell activating factor (baff) that binds to the baff receptor (baff-r). herein, a baff-r homolog was identified in a horse (equus caballus). the horse baff-r gene, located on chromosome 28, spans 1444 base pairs and encodes a 183-amino acid protein. the protein is structurally conserved, in which the dxl motif plays an important role in binding to baff. furthermore, the horse baff-r extracellular domain was expressed and purified, which specificall ... | 2014 | 24291174 |
| the effect of environmental factors on sister chromatid exchange incidence in domestic horse (equus caballus) chromosomes. | the sce test is often used as a sensitive and reliable technique in the biomonitoring of genotoxicity of mutagenic and carcinogenic agents. this study analysed the frequency of sister chromatid exchange in domestic horse chromosomes depending on the habitat and age of the analysed horses. the chromosome preparations were obtained from an in vitro culture of peripheral blood lymphocytes stained using the fpg technique. both the habitat and the age significantly influence sce frequency. a higher s ... | 2013 | 24279169 |
| linking social environment and stress physiology in feral mares (equus caballus): group transfers elevate fecal cortisol levels. | feral horses (equus caballus) have a complex social structure, the stability of which is important to their overall health. behavioral and demographic research has shown that decreases in group (or band) stability reduce female fitness, but the potential effects on the physiological stress response have not been demonstrated. to fully understand how band stability affects group-member fitness, we need to understand not only behavioral and demographic, but also physiological consequences of decre ... | 2014 | 24275609 |