TEHRF research grants: 2022-23

Three equine health research studies, which involve scientists at the WCVM and their collaborators, received a total of $51,607 in support from TEHRF.

Is Chlamydia psittaci causing equine abortions in Canada?
Drs. Bruce Wobeser and Madison Ricard, WCVM

WCVM researchers are investigating the prevalence of Chlamydia psittaci (C. psittaci) in aborted horse placentas. This bacterial pathogen causes psittacosis, a disease that’s transmitted by birds, and leads to reproductive problems and respiratory disease in horses, people and other mammals.

Determining seasonality of baseline plasma ACTH and serum insulin in Saskatchewan horses
Drs. Julia Montgomery, Paula Viviani, Valentina Ragno and Melissa Meachem, WCVM

The WCVM research team are working to establish baseline measurements for adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and insulin in normal horses living in Saskatchewan. These specific reference values will help western Canadian veterinarians diagnose horses suffering from equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and/or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) as early as possible.

Exosomes and equine pregnancy
Drs. Claire Card and Dr. Daniel McPhee, WCVM; Dr. Mariana Diel de Amorim, Cornell University; and Dr. Maria Suarez Lopez

Exosomes are key regulators of physiologic, pathologic and immunologic processes in pregnancy, and so far, no one has investigated their role in horses. This research team will be the first to examine and compare the specific protein and lipid content of exosomes from the endometrium and embryo in mares.