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identifiable. Dissectionof all 10 pairs of limbs revealed there to be no pathology, in accordance with the imaging findings. The authors concluded that the combination of CT and


computed tomographic contrast tenography may be useful adjunctive diagnostic techniques to define digital flexor tendon sheath pathology prior to surgical exploration in horses.


Equine idiopathic haemorrhagic cystitis


In this retrospecitve study, Fauna Smith and colleagues in the USA document haemorrhagic cystitis as a novel cause of stranguria and haematuria in horses. This syndrome may be difficult to differentiate from bladder neoplasia because they share several clinical features. This cohort study included 11 horses with idiopathic


haemorrhagic cystitis and seven horses with bladder neoplasia. Haemorrhagic cystitis was detected on cystoscopy of affected horses, with haemorrhagic and thickened apical bladder mucosa. Clinical signs and endoscopic appearance of the bladder resolved within 3–8 weeks. Histopathology of bladder mucosal biopsy specimens featured neutrophilic and haemorrhagic cystitis. Histopathology suggested dysplasia or neoplasia in three horses with haemorrhagic cystitis, yet the horses experienced complete resolution, indicating that small biopsy specimens obtained by endoscopy can be difficult to interpret. Horses with bladder neoplasia had lower haematocrits, were older, more likely to be female, and more likely to have a mass detected on ultrasonographic examination of the bladder than horses with haemorrhagic cystitis syndrome. The authors concluded that haemorrhagic cystitis


represents a novel differential diagnosis for horses with haematuria, and is associated with a favourable prognosis. Although histopathology may suggest a neoplastic process, affected horses should be monitored cystoscopically, because complete resolution of haemorrhagic cystitis occurs. The cause of this disease is unknown, and warrants investigation.


Longitudinal tears of the DDFT


In this knowledge summary, UK-based veterinarians Daniel Castillo and Neal Ashton address the question: “In horses with longitudinal tears of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) within the digital flexor tendon sheath, is surgical repair as effective as tenoscopic debridement alone for returning to previous level of performance?” The authors found that current literature on the efficacy of


surgical repair or tenoscopic debridement is limited. Criteria to define and evaluate performance outcomes is not uniform and confounded with multiple variables, merely representing low quality evidence that is difficult to draw meaningful conclusions from. However, the literature suggests tenoscopic debridement alone has been associated with improved outcomes. A more definitive conclusion cannot be made until higher quality evidence is made available on this topic.


Environmental survival of S. equi


In this study, Andy Durham and colleagues in the UK and USA investigated the environmental survival of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi. S. equi was inoculated onto wood, the rubber sole of a


shoe, cotton overalls, inside a nasogastric tube, dental rasp, wet plastic bucket and onto an outdoor fence post. Samples were taken from all surfaces at 24-h intervals for the first 5 days, 48-h intervals until Day 23, followed by bi-weekly intervals until no viable bacteria could be cultured from two consecutive samplings. The protocol was carried out during both summer and winter months. Bacterial growth and vigour was higher in wet conditions


and during the winter. In winter, the longest period over which successful cultures of S. equi were obtained was 30 days from the wet bucket. In contrast, the longest period over which successful cultures were obtained in summer was 7 days, from the nasogastric tube. These findings suggest that S. equi is likely to survive for


longer periods in wet, humid, and cold conditions and could survive for longer than previously thought.


S. WRIGHT EVE Editorial Office, References


Agass, R., Dixon, J. and Fraser, B. (2018) Computed tomographic contrast tenography of the digital flexor tendon sheath of the equine hindlimb. Vet. Radiol. Ultrasound. 59, 279-288.


Biscoe, E.W., Whitcomb, M.B., Vaughan, B., Dechant, J.E. and Magdesian, K.G. (2018) Clinical features and outcome in horses with severe large intestinal thickening diagnosed with transabdominal ultrasonography: 25 cases (2003–2010). J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 253, 108-116.


Castillo, D. and Ashton, N. (2018) Tenoscopic debridement or surgical repair for longitudinal tears of the equine deep digital flexor tendon within the digital flexor tendon sheath? Veterinary Evidence 3,2.


Durham, A.E., Hall, Y.S., Kulp, L. and Underwood, C. (2018) A study of the environmental survival of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi. Equine Vet. J. Epub ahead of print; https://doi.org/10.1111/evj. 12840.


Isgren, C.M., Salem, S.E., Townsend, N.B., Timofte, D., Maddox, T.W. and Archer, D.C. (2018) Sequential bacterial sampling of the midline incision in horses undergoing exploratory laparotomy. Equine Vet. J. Epub ahead of print; https://doi.org/10.1111/evj. 12958.


Smith, F.L., Magdesian, K.G., Michel, A.O., Vaughan, B. and Reilly, C.M. (2018) Equine idiopathic hemorrhagic cystitis: clinical features and comparison with bladder neoplasia. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 32, 1202-1209.


Wong, D.M., Ruby, R.E., Dembek, K.A., Barr, B.S., Reuss, S.M., Magdesian, K.G., Olsen, E., Burns, T., Slovis, N.M. and Wilkins, P.A. (2018) Evaluation of updated sepsis scoring systems and systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria and their association with sepsis in equine neonates. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 32, 1185-1193.


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