Blood types and antibody profiles of Straight Egyptian Arabian horses in Qatar: Preliminary results.

The characterization of the blood groups, antibody profiles, and its distribution pattern among different horse breeds and geographic locations, can be very useful in life-threatening situations where a blood transfusion is needed, and compatibility tests are not readily available. This study estimated the distribution of blood types and antibody profiles in Straight Egyptian Arabian horses from Qatar. A total of 20 Straight Egyptian Arabian horses, from multiple origins and genetic background were included. Venous blood from each horse was typed and screened for anti-red blood cell (RBC) hemolytic and agglutinating antibodies. Descriptive statistical analysis and Fisher Exact test were applied, considering 95% confidence interval (95% CI). All included horses (100%) had Aa and Ca blood types (95% CI: 83.2%-100.0%). Other blood types found less frequently included Ua (50%), Qc (45%), Pa (40%), Qb (25%) and Qa (5%). Only horses with travel history developed anti-RBC antibodies (6 out of 9), however, no horse carried more than one type of anti-RBC antibodies, supporting the premise that environmental factors may influence the development of alloantibodies. Although pre-transfusion testing regardless the circumstances should be prioritized, even considering a small population of horses, our findings suggest that Straight Egyptian Arabian horses in Qatar could be safely used as blood donors, due to the apparent omnivalence of Aa and Ca blood types and lower incidence of alloantibodies, important in emergency situations where pre-transfusion testing is unavailable.

Agreement of stall-side and laboratory major crossmatch tests with the reference standard method in horses.

BACKGROUND: Crossmatching is used to prevent life-threatening transfusion reactions in horses. Laboratory methods are laborious and technically challenging, which is impractical during emergencies. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Evaluate agreement between a stall-side crossmatch kit (KIT) and a laboratory method (LAB) in horses with known and unknown blood types. ANIMALS: Twenty-four blood-typed and alloantibody-screened healthy adult horses (Aim 1) and 156 adult horses of unknown blood type (Aim 2). METHODS: Prospective, blinded study. Expected positive (n = 35) and negative (n = 36) crossmatches among 24 antibody and blood-typed horses were used to determine sensitivity and specificity of KIT and LAB against the reference method. Agreement in 156 untyped horses was evaluated by reciprocal crossmatch (n = 156). RESULTS: Sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI]) for LAB and KIT compared with expected reactions was 77.1% (59.9%-90.0%) and 91.4% (77.0%-98.2%), and specificity 77.8% (60.9%-89.9%) and 73.5% (55.6%-87.1%), respectively. The KIT was 100% sensitive for Aa reactions; LAB was 100% sensitive for Qab; and both were 100% sensitive for Ca. Cohen's κ agreement for LAB and KIT with expected positive and negative reactions (n = 71) was moderate (0.55 [0.36-0.74]) and substantial (0.65 [0.47-0.82]), respectively. Agreement was fair comparing LAB with KIT in Aim 1 (0.30 [0.08-0.52]) and in untyped horses in Aim 2 (0.26 [0.11-0.41]). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Agreement between KIT and LAB with expected reactions was blood type dependent. Performance of both methods depends on blood type prevalence.

150th anniversary of veterinary education and the veterinary profession in North America: part 4, US veterinary colleges in 2011 and the distribution of their graduates.

This fourth article in an ongoing series of articles published in the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education on veterinary education and the veterinary profession provides information on the colleges and schools that exist in the US in 2011. This article provides a brief description of the educational programs and recent accreditation of the veterinary schools at Western University of the Health Sciences and Ross University on the Island of St. Kitts. Without taking into consideration Caribbean colleges, the number of veterinary student positions in US colleges has increased by approximately 24% in the past decade. The number of students attending veterinary colleges is unevenly distributed across the country with many of the more populous states having fewer students per 100,000 people than less populous states. The percentage of veterinarians who reside in the state of their alma mater also varies widely with alumni from some colleges remaining in the state of the college from which they graduated (e.g., Texas A&M and the University of California at Davis) and the graduates of other colleges (e.g., Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania) being more widely distributed across the country. The location of veterinarians is also provided by state and adjusted for population and state size.