About

Anthony Blikslager is a faculty member at the College of Veterinary Medicine at NC State University. The page text does not provide specific details about his research focus, background, or key contributions. Therefore, no detailed biography information is available from the provided content.

Research topics

• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Biology
• Cell biology
• Sociology
• Immunology
• Surgery
• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Gastroenterology
• Genetics
• Pathology
• Pharmacology
• Pediatrics
• Intensive care medicine
• Bioinformatics

Selected publications

• Abdominal palpation per rectum is highly sensitive for identifying small versus large intestinal lesions in horses presenting for colic

  Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association · 2026-04-17

  article

  Objective: To describe the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and accuracy of abdominal palpation per rectum in horses treated surgically for colic. Methods: Medical records were gathered over 5 years (2019 to 2024). Findings of abdominal palpation per rectum were collected and compared to surgical diagnosis, and cases were categorized as true or false positive and negative. Signalment, physical examination parameters, hematologic values, and years of examiner experience were recorded. Results: Records of 453 horses were included. Overall sensitivity and positive predictive value were 86% and 79%, respectively. Specificity and negative predictive value were low at 5% and 7%, respectively. Accuracy (71%) was not different between small (72%) and large (70%) intestinal lesions. Small intestinal lesions were significantly associated with nonsurvival. There was no association between a correct diagnosis on abdominal palpation per rectum and short-term survival. Elevated heart rate, PCV, serum and peritoneal lactate concentrations, and age were associated with nonsurvival. There was no association between examiner experience and accurate diagnosis on palpation per rectum or patient survival. Conclusions: Abdominal palpation per rectum is highly sensitive for correctly identifying small intestinal versus large intestinal lesions in horses undergoing surgery for treatment of colic. Lack of association between examiner experience and accuracy or survival supports abdominal palpation per rectum at all levels of experience. Clinical Relevance: This study demonstrates an increase in accuracy of abdominal palpation per rectum compared to previous reports and supports its inclusion in the colic diagnostic plan when safe for the patient and examiner.

  PublisherDOI

• A novel dataset of 2,362 equine fecal microbiomes from veterinary teaching hospitals across three countries reveals effects of geography and disease

  Animal Microbiome · 2025-12-03

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Horses and other equids are reliant on the gut microbiome for health, and studies have reported associations between certain clinical conditions and features of the fecal microbiome. However, research to date on the equine fecal microbiome has often relied on small sample sizes collected from single and relatively localized geographic regions. Previous work also largely employs single timepoint analyses, or horses selected based on limited health criteria. RESULTS: To address these limitations and expand our understanding of the core microbiome in health, and the changes associated with adverse outcomes, the Equine Gut Group (EGG) has collected and performed 16S rRNA sequencing on 2,362 fecal samples from 1,190 healthy and affected horses. This resource of 16S rRNA sequencing data with accompanying demographic and clinical metadata represent a diverse equine population in health and disease. We identified features making up the core microbiome of healthy equids and metadata factors influencing the relative abundance of those features. We then identified microbial markers of acute gastrointestinal disease at the community and taxonomic levels. CONCLUSIONS: Here we present the EGG database and demonstrate its utility in characterizing the equine microbiome in health and acute gastrointestinal disease. The EGG 16S rRNA database is a valuable resource to study the equine microbiome and its role in equine health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Comparison of histochemical methods for the analysis of eosinophils and mast cells using a porcine model of eosinophilic esophagitis

  Frontiers in Veterinary Science · 2025-03-19 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Introduction: Accurate identification of eosinophils in tissue sections is required for diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis in humans and the assessment of severity of disease in allergy models. The pig may be a good model for sensitization and allergy models due to anatomical, physiological, and immunological similarities to humans. However, comparative studies on histochemical detection of eosinophils in fixed porcine tissue are lacking. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative comparisons were performed for six histochemical methods previously reported for eosinophil and mast cell detection in other species. Astra Blue/Vital New Red, Congo Red, Luna, Sirius Red, Toluidine Blue, and modified regressive Hematoxylin & Eosin were applied to formalin-fixed paraffin embedded full-thickness sections of porcine esophagus. Specimens were collected from young, crossbred pigs sensitized to ovalbumin with or without subsequent oral exposure to ovalbumin to produce eosinophilic esophagitis lesions for comparison to non-allergic controls. Results: Ease of eosinophil quantitation was analyzed, and varied by histochemical stain, to determine whether stain selection increased accuracy and efficiency of evaluation. Noticeable differences in color contrast between intracytoplasmic granules, surrounding tissue, and cellular components aided detection and identification of eosinophils and mast cells with Astra Blue/New Vital Red and Toluidine Blue, respectively. For eosinophils, Congo Red and H&E were adequate, while Luna and Sirius Red presented challenges for quantitation. Discussion: In this case, rapid and reliable characterization of porcine esophageal allergy models was made possible by using Astra Blue/New Vital Red for eosinophils and Toluidine Blue for mast cells.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Single-cell transcriptomics predict novel potential regulators of acute epithelial restitution in the ischemia-injured intestine

  American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology · 2025-01-24

  articleOpen access

  These studies validate an approach to identify and predict upstream regulation of restituting epithelium in a unique pig intestinal ischemic injury model. Identification of potential molecular mediators of restitution, such as CSF-1, will inform the development of targeted therapeutic interventions for the medical management of patients with ischemia-mediated intestinal injury.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Mo1337: ROLE OF MAST CELLS AND CORRELATION OF SYSTEMIC CD4 T-CELL ACTIVTATION WITH ESOPHAGEAL EOSINOPHIL INFILTRATION IN A PORCINE MODEL OF EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS

  Gastroenterology · 2025-05-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Comparison of histochemical methods for the analysis of eosinophils and mast cells using a porcine model of eosinophilic esophagitis

  UNC Libraries · 2025-04-02

  articleOpen access

  Accurate identification of eosinophils in tissue sections is required for diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis in humans and the assessment of severity of disease in allergy models. The pig may be a good model for sensitization and allergy models due to anatomical, physiological, and immunological similarities to humans. However, comparative studies on histochemical detection of eosinophils in fixed porcine tissue are lacking. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons were performed for six histochemical methods previously reported for eosinophil and mast cell detection in other species. Astra Blue/Vital New Red, Congo Red, Luna, Sirius Red, Toluidine Blue, and modified regressive Hematoxylin & Eosin were applied to formalin-fixed paraffin embedded full-thickness sections of porcine esophagus. Specimens were collected from young, crossbred pigs sensitized to ovalbumin with or without subsequent oral exposure to ovalbumin to produce eosinophilic esophagitis lesions for comparison to non-allergic controls. Ease of eosinophil quantitation was analyzed, and varied by histochemical stain, to determine whether stain selection increased accuracy and efficiency of evaluation. Noticeable differences in color contrast between intracytoplasmic granules, surrounding tissue, and cellular components aided detection and identification of eosinophils and mast cells with Astra Blue/New Vital Red and Toluidine Blue, respectively. For eosinophils, Congo Red and H&E were adequate, while Luna and Sirius Red presented challenges for quantitation. In this case, rapid and reliable characterization of porcine esophageal allergy models was made possible by using Astra Blue/New Vital Red for eosinophils and Toluidine Blue for mast cells.

  PublisherDOI

• Lactate and colic–Shetland ponies as an example of one size does not fit all

  Equine Veterinary Education · 2025-11-16

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Summary The clinical commentary discusses the utility of peritoneal lactate alone, and in the context of other clinical factors, in determining the presence of a strangulating intestinal obstruction. A current study on Shetland ponies has revealed that peritoneal lactate well outside the range typically to be considered at risk of strangulating obstruction actually had simple obstruction, and therefore suggests caution in interpretation of lactate values when making clinical decisions on equine patients with colic.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Examination of the Digestive Tract

  2024-02-09 · 1 citations

  other
  PublisherDOI

• Equine Enteric Glial Culture and Application to the Study of A Neural Inflammatory Mechanism in Equine Colic

  Journal of Visualized Experiments · 2024-10-04

  articleSenior author

  Inflammatory postoperative conditions of equine colic (acute abdomen) contribute not only to increased client cost, patient discomfort, and hospitalization time, but in many cases, prove to be life-threatening. A unique population of intestinal cells, enteric glia, are increasingly acknowledged for their roles in sensing the gastrointestinal environment and communicating with surrounding cell types. Interactions between enteric glia and intestinal epithelia may prove critical in establishing how equine enteric glia can alter the mucosal barrier to modulate inflammation in health and colic. To study this interaction, we present a method of establishing primary equine enteric glial cultures from equine jejunum and exposing the cultures to inflammatory conditions known to be present in colic. Primary enteric glial cultures were obtained from adult horses euthanized for reasons unrelated to colic. Intestinal villi and lamina propria were micro-dissected to expose the submucosa. The isolated submucosa underwent enzymatic digestion with collagenase, protease, and bovine serum albumin for 2-3 h. Next, mechanical digestion involving centrifugation, pipetting, and cell strainers (40-100 µm), yielded a pellet used for plating on 0.05 mg/mL poly-L-lysine-coated wells at a concentration of ~400,000 cells/300 µL of media. Following confluence and first passage, the enteric glial cells were then exposed to equine recombinant IL-1β (0, 10, 25 ng) for 24 h. To model epithelial-glial interactions at the time of colic, medium conditioned by either control or treated enteric glia was added directly to confluent equine jejunal monolayers while measuring transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) using a dual-electrode EndOhm chamber. These data demonstrate just one of many potential impactful applications of equine enteric glial culture.

  PublisherDOI

• Protocol to culture enteric glial cells from the submucosal and myenteric plexi of neonatal and juvenile pig colons

  STAR Protocols · 2024-05-18 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Here, we present our protocol to culture enteric glial cells from the submucosal and myenteric plexus of neonatal and juvenile pig colons. We describe steps for colon isolation, microdissection, and enzymatic and mechanical dissociation. We include procedures for passaging and analyzing cell yield, freeze/thaw efficiency, and purity. This protocol allows for the generation of primary cultures of enteric glial cells from single-cell suspensions of microdissected layers of the colon wall and can be used to culture enteric glia from human colon specimens. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Ziegler et al.1

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R29DK053284

  NIH · $515k · 2003

• Pilot and Feasibility Program

  NIH · $11.4M · 1996–2030

• NIH Grant F32DK009400

  NIH · $105k

• Post-natal development of enteric glial cell-epithelial interactions in repair of ischemic-injured intestine

  NIH · $1.8M · 2019–2025

Frequent coauthors

• Amanda L. Ziegler

  North Carolina State University

  48 shared

• Robert A. Argenzio

  University of California, Davis

  41 shared

• Dianne Little

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  37 shared

• Callie Fogle

  North Carolina State University

  36 shared

• Jack Odle

  North Carolina State University

  35 shared

• Liara M. Gonzalez

  North Carolina State University

  34 shared

• Mathew P. Gerard

  North Carolina State University

  34 shared

• Alison J. Morton

  33 shared

Labs

• K9/Feline Oncology Diagnostic LabPI

Education

• Ph.D., Comparative Medicine

  North Carolina State University

  2003

• M.S., Comparative Medicine

  North Carolina State University

  1999

• B.S., Animal Science

  University of Georgia

  1997

Awards & honors

• AVMA Clinical Research Award (2020)
• Alumni Distinguished Professor
• Ned E. Huffman Leadership Award from NC State University (20…
• Applied Equine Research Award from the World Equestrian Vete…
• Pfizer Award for Excellence in Research from NC State Univer…