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Britain’s Animal Health Trust To Close; Equine Research Affected

Britain's Animal Health Trust (AHT) is set to shutter its doors forever. A nonprofit organization dedicated to veterinary and scientific research, the AHT has undertaken extensive disease surveillance work around the world. The Trust has virus and bacteria isolates that date back 50 years and it holds DNA samples for every registered Thoroughbred in Britain. The Trust has also completed cutting-edge research on equine sarcoid treatment and the use of HDR brachytherapy to address equine cancer.

The AHT board of trustees reported that they were unable to secure funding to make the organization viable long term and that additional announcements would be forthcoming. The AHT was established by Dr. Reginald Wooldridge in 1942 and has offered veterinary services to cats, dogs and horses since its inception. The staff included scientists, veterinarians, nurses and support staff.

The board began indicating in March that the organization was facing financial struggles and began exploring reorganization options, including closing its small animal and equine practices.

Though financial donations were offered, the board noted that it needed longer-term, substantial funding options to remain functioning. They reported that they would feel dishonest if they accepted the donations and were still forced to close.

Read the AHT full statement here.

Ointment Containing Semi-metallic Element Helps Heal Equine Leg Wounds

Texas A&M researchers have found that an ointment containing a semi-metallic element is showing promise in healing lower-leg wounds on horses. The cream, which contains 0.5 percent gallium maltolate, reduced wound size more rapidly, reduced proud flesh and reduced the number of bacteria present on the skin when compared to a similar ointment without the element.

Drs. Shauna Lawless, Noah Cohen, Sara Lawhon, Ana Chamoun-Emanuelli, Jing Wu, Andrés Rivera-Vélez, Brad Weeks and Canaan Whitfield-Cargile noted that wounds on the lower legs of horses are difficult to manage: they can be difficult to keep clean and can be difficult to manage.

Gallium possesses antimicrobial properties, but it had not been studied in relation to equine injuries. The scientists sought to compare healing rates between gallium-treated and untreated wounds to see if gallium could help heal wounds that were inoculated with the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus.

The study team used six horses with induced injuries. The use of the gallium-infused ointment reduced healing time, saw less granular tissue growth and reduced the amount of bacteria in the wound when compared to wounds that were not treated with the element. The researchers concluded that its not just the antimicrobial properties of gallium that assist in healing; the element alters the expression of specific genes that aid in wound healing.