University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment researchers have received awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, totaling more than $1.8 million to address some of the most pressing health challenges facing horses and the equine industry.
The projects, led by Department of Veterinary Science faculty working across infectious disease, immunology, reproduction and musculoskeletal health, reflect UK's broad role in equine research and its connection to Kentucky's signature industry.
The funded studies include work on non-antibiotic treatments for Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals, the genetic diversity of equine rotaviruses, the possible effect of joint corticosteroid injections on vaccine protection, the relationship between anti-inflammatory drug use and chronic musculoskeletal inflammation, and a long-sought biological signal tied to early pregnancy maintenance in mares.
"The number and variety of research topics funded within a single grant cycle is highly unusual and reflects the scope and expected world-wide impact of the research conducted in the Department of Veterinary Sciences," said Associate Dean for Research James Matthews.
Projects at a glance
Foal health is central to a $650,000 project led by Feng Li, who will study antigenic and genetic diversity in equine rotaviruses. Equine rotavirus A is a major cause of severe diarrhea in foals under six months old and can become rapidly fatal if left untreated. Annual outbreaks during foaling season create health and economic concerns for breeding farms.
Li's project will develop genetic tools to isolate and study equine rotaviruses, examine how the viruses change over time and determine how those changes affect the immune system's ability to recognize and fight infection. The work could help guide next-generation vaccine strategies for equine rotavirus and related diseases in other agricultural animals.
In that same vein, Yosra Helmy, principal investigator of a $300,000 project, will study alternatives to classical antibiotics for treating subclinical R. equi pneumonia in foals. The bacterial disease can cause serious illness and losses on horse farms, and treatment has become more difficult as some strains respond poorly to current antibiotics. With few vaccines available, Helmy's team will test small molecules that stopped R. equi growth in early laboratory work and study how well they prevent the bacteria from infecting equine lung immune cells.
The goal is to identify safer, more effective treatment candidates while reducing reliance on traditional antibiotics.
Allen Page will lead a $300,000 study examining whether intra-articular corticosteroid injections affect horses' response to vaccination. Corticosteroids are commonly used in joints to treat pain and inflammation, but these drugs can affect immune function. Page's team will test whether administering a joint corticosteroid injection at the same time as a booster vaccine reduces vaccine protection and increases susceptibility to illness after influenza exposure.
The findings could help veterinarians better time treatments and vaccines for horses that travel, compete or breed -- situations where infectious disease outbreaks can be costly and disruptive.
Another $300,000 award, led by Bruno Menarim, will examine the hidden link between anti-inflammatory drugs and chronic musculoskeletal inflammation in horses. Musculoskeletal conditions are among the leading causes of loss in the horse industry and carry major welfare and financial costs. Menarim's project will focus on phenylbutazone, a commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and whether it interferes with the inflammatory processes horses need for exercise adaptation and recovery.
The study will use horses exposed to increasing exercise and experimental joint inflammation to measure how phenylbutazone affects the body's ability to adapt to training and resolve inflammation.
Hossam Elsayed will lead a $300,000 project focused on one of equine reproduction's long-standing unanswered questions: how the early horse embryo signals pregnancy to the mare. Successful pregnancy depends on maternal recognition of pregnancy, a process in which the embryo sends a biochemical message that helps the mare maintain the corpus luteum, a temporary ovarian structure that produces progesterone.
Elsayed's project will test whether a hormone, known as CG-beta, may be that signal in horses. Since early pregnancy loss is a major concern in the horse breeding industry, identifying this signal could lead to better pregnancy tests and future treatments to reduce losses.
"Together, the five projects represent a wide look at horse health, from the first weeks of a foal's life to reproductive success, disease prevention and athletic soundness and illustrates the comprehensive equine research capacity possessed by the faculty and facilities of the Department of Veterinary Sciences," Matthews said.
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