FOP 2 Equine notes + presentation

Question 1

overall pregnancy rate in mares

Answer 1

50%

Question 2

in mares, when investigating failure of pregnancy, is it more important to investigate the placenta or the fetus?

Answer 2

arguably, the placenta

Question 3

why is the birth of live twins so rare in horses?

Answer 3

lack of functional reserve in the equine placenta

Question 4

when will we see a lack of villi in regions of the equine placenta?

Answer 4

• Twinning, where the connecting surfaces of adjoining
  placentas meet.
• Ascending infection, which is one of the common ways
  that agents gain access to the fetus and membranes in
  horses.
• Premature separation of the placenta, that occurs, in
  part, with cervical laxity or with body pregnancies.
  >body pregnancy is where umbilical cord and fetus attach in body of placenta rather than horn: pushes out cervix, so we get avillus area where placenta sticks out of the ervix

Question 5

length of the normal umbilical cord in the mare. What happens if it is too long, or too short?

Answer 5

-normal is between 36 and 83 cm long
-Longer may strangle the fetus, develop torsion, and necrosis of the cervical pole of the placenta.
- shorter may rupture prematurely in labour or prematurely separate at the site of attachment.

Question 6

how many twists should the equine umbilical cord have?

Answer 6

The cord should have no more than 4 twists.

Question 7

how often can we determine the cause of failure of pregnancy in the mare by examining the placenta and umbilical cord?

Answer 7

1/2 of cases

Question 8

what region of the placenta is it important to examine to determine the cause of FOP in the mare? why?

Answer 8

cervical star
-most infectious cases (aside from EHV) are related to ascending vaginal infection

Question 9

Infection and inflammation of the placenta releases what?

Answer 9

-proinflammatory cytokines that cause fetal ‘distress’ and abortion

Question 10

what fetal changes can Equid alphaherpesvirus 1 cause?

Answer 10

An important cause of abortion and there are prominent changes in the fetus. One or more of the following may be found
* fibrin cast in the trachea
* interstitial pneumonia
* focal necrosis in the liver

Question 11

common way to begin an outbreak of EHV-1 in a group of mares:

Answer 11

Introduction of an infected mare to a group of naïve mares

Question 12

what type of vaccine do we have for Equid alphaherpesvirus 1?

Answer 12

killed vaccine that requires multiple injections

Question 13

normal fetus to placenta weight ratio is what? why should we weight these?

Answer 13

normal ratio is 10:1
-can examine to identify placental edema – an indication of fescue toxicosis

Question 14

What part of the chorioallantois would you routinely sample when investigating an abortion?

Answer 14

cervical star - this is where infectious disease occurs most often in equine placentas

Question 15

Mummification of a fetus in mares is associated with what situations?

Answer 15

twins

Question 16

How would you determine if there were torsion of the umbilical cord and what would you expect to find in the fetus to confirm this?

Answer 16

• More than 3 twists in umbilical cord; look for evidence of fetal stress (meconium staining) or autolysis (indicating death prior to abortion)
  -see effects of venous, arterial, urachal obstruction
  -swelling of urachus

Question 17

What is the difference between an allantoic pouch and a chorioallantoic pouch?

Answer 17

chorioallantoic pouches - structures opposite the endometrial cups
allantoic pouches - 1 or 2 is normal, more is abnormal, accumulation of material in allantoic membrane. Basically, outpouchings of the allantois that may have a long stalk.

Question 18

Why does Streptococcus equi zooepidemicus cause abortion in mares when it only affects a small part of the placenta?

Answer 18

-occurs at cervical star: exudate and necrosis
Infection and inflammation of the placenta (placentitis) causes the release of inflammatory cytokines which result in fetal distress which can lead to abortion + equine placenta has a lack of functional reserve, so even a small loss of surface area can lead to FOP

Question 19

What is a hippomane?

Answer 19

found in the allantoic cavity in every mare placenta - allantoic precipitate, of the allantoic fluid: carbohydrate, protein…

Question 20

When is placental mineralization abnormal?

Answer 20

placental infarct can lead to abnormal mineralization due to necrosis
- Abnormal is there’s necrosis, inflammation, or not in ruminant/pig

normal:
- When in the chorioallantois in early pregnancy in ruminants, in yolk sac remnants, where adjoining placentae touch (pigs)

Question 21

what is unique about the cervix of the mare compared with other species?

Answer 21

it is “loose”, ie. a worse barrier to the outside world than in other species

Question 22

where do we find the fetus in the mare placenta? how is it positioned?

Answer 22

-arrangement is very consistent
-fetus always develops at the bifurcation of the uterus
-umbilical cord is always dorsal, with the foal lying on its back
-when the fetus gets big enough, the legs stretch into the non-pregnant horn, with head near the cervix

Question 23

how does the length of the umbilical cord compare with the lengths of the uterine horns?

Answer 23

-about the same length as the pregnant horn and a little but longer than the non-pregnant horn

Question 24

where does the mare placenta rupture during birth?

Answer 24

cervical star

Question 25

the horse is the only species that has what structure related to the yolk sac? where do we find this?

Answer 25

yolk sac remnant, in the allantoic portion of the umbilical cord
-attached to the umbilical cord and is quite often mineralized

Question 26

breakdown of common FOP diseases in the mare, broadly:

Answer 26

no diagnosis: 16%
non-infectious: 47% (mostly dystocia)
infectious: 37% (mostly bacteria)

Question 27

main sign of dystocia

Answer 27

meconium staining, indicates fetal distress

Question 28

congenital abnormalities we might see in the horse:

Answer 28

schistosomus reflexus: body division/reflection

Question 29

what is musculoskeletal disease and thyroid hyperplasia?

Answer 29

subtle disease, variety of skeletal abnormalities
-limb deformities, arthrogryposis, osteopetrosis

-microscopic hyperplasia of the thyroid
>found with poor feed in winter, with nitrite/nitrate, but probably more related to micronutrients

Question 30

what lesions will we see if fetus is aborted due to Equid alphaherpesvirus 1?

Answer 30

-fibrin cast in trachea: horse is the only species where this happens, due to bronchiolar necrosis
-interstitial pneumonia: solid, rubbery lungs
-focal necrosis on liver
-prominent lymphoid follicles in spleen (but this is seen in other cases too: every foal has this)

Question 31

umbilical cord too short - what happens?

Answer 31

<36cm, pulls chorion off endometrium, see large avillus region at the insertion of the cord

Question 32

umbilical cord too long - what happens?

Answer 32

> 83cm
-placental infarct: see mineral on placenta due to necrosis
-torsion (>3 turns): 3 or less is the norm. Hemorrhagic appearance, urine wont flow, venous and arterial obstruction.
-strangulation of foal

> cord too long causes problems because tiny fetal heart has to pump blood all through fetus and placenta, and it can’t generate that much pressure (large volume, low pressure system) - if you alter the pressure even slightly, you can cause fetal distress

Question 33

Fescue endophyte mycotoxicosis: what is it? where is it found? symptoms?

Answer 33

◼ Neotyphodium coenophialum: toxic disease that you get from this fungus
◼ Kentucky and southern Ontario!
◼ Ergot alkaloids (vasoactive and prolactin)
◼ Hyperthermia
◼ Placental edema and thickening
◼ Dysmaturity
◼ Prolonged gestation

Question 34

‘Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome’ and ‘Equine
Amnionitis and fetal loss’ in 2002 were related to what?

Answer 34

Processionary caterpillars: eastern tent caterpillar, had tiny hairs which are consumed with food
>hairs penetrate intestine, uterus, and placenta, carrying with them bacteria that infect placenta, causing endotoxemia/bacteremia