1. Pigment retinopathy in warmblood horses with equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy and equine motor neuron disease.
- Author
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Finno CJ, Kaese HJ, Miller AD, Gianino G, Divers T, and Valberg SJ
- Subjects
- Animals, Brain Diseases diagnosis, Female, Horse Diseases pathology, Horses, Male, Motor Neuron Disease diagnosis, Motor Neuron Disease pathology, Neurologic Examination veterinary, Pedigree, Retinal Diseases diagnosis, Retinal Diseases pathology, Vitamin E Deficiency diagnosis, Vitamin E Deficiency pathology, alpha-Tocopherol blood, Brain Diseases veterinary, Horse Diseases diagnosis, Motor Neuron Disease veterinary, Pigments, Biological, Retinal Diseases veterinary, Vitamin E Deficiency veterinary
- Abstract
Objective: A pigment retinopathy has been reported in adult horses with equine motor neuron disease (EMND) arising from chronic α-tocopherol (α-TP) deficiency. A pigment retinopathy has not been identified in horses with neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (NAD/EDM) that affects genetically susceptible young horses with α-TP deficiency. The objective of this report is to describe, for the first time, a pigment retinopathy in a family of α-TP-deficient Warmbloods (WB) with clinically apparent NAD/EDM or EMND., Animals and Procedures: Twenty-five WB horses from one farm underwent complete neurologic and ophthalmic examinations and serum α-TP concentrations were assessed. Two of the most severely ataxic horses were euthanized and postmortem examinations performed., Results: Alpha-TP deficiency was widespread on this farm (22 of 25 horses). Eleven of 25 horses were clinically normal (age range 2-12 years), one had signs of EMND (6 years of age), 10 had signs of ataxia consistent with NAD/EDM (1-10 years), and two of these were postmortem confirmed concurrent NAD/EDM and EMND. A pigment retinopathy characterized by varying amounts of granular dark pigment in the tapetal retina was observed in four clinically apparent NAD/EDM horses (two postmortem confirmed concurrent NAD/EDM and EMND) and one horse with clinical signs of EMND., Conclusions: A pigment retinopathy can be present in young α-TP-deficient Warmblood horses with clinical signs of EMND as well as those with signs of NAD/EDM., (© 2016 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.)
- Published
- 2017
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