About

Rana Bozorgmanesh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine & Epidemiology at the School of Veterinary Medicine. She holds a BVetMed degree from The Royal Veterinary College, London, obtained in 2008, and a BSc from the same institution earned in 2005. Her research focuses on the critical neonate and broodmare, with particular interest in periparturient conditions of the mare and foal, as well as hemolytic and hemorrhagic disorders and advances in their treatment. Her specialty is equine internal medicine, with a special emphasis on critical cases involving broodmares and neonates. Bozorgmanesh has contributed to the field through her work on immunologic disorders of ruminants, equine vasculopathies, gastrointestinal conditions in post-foaling mares, and various diagnostic and treatment approaches for equine health issues. She is actively involved in research related to the evaluation of post-foaling mares with colic, management of infectious diseases in horses, and factors affecting survival and future foaling rates in Thoroughbred mares. Her work aims to improve clinical outcomes for equine patients through advanced diagnostic techniques and targeted therapies.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Sociology
• Pathology
• Veterinary medicine
• Animal science
• Andrology
• Endocrinology
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Medical physics
• Physiology

Selected publications

• Evaluating the post-foaling mare with colic. 1: gastrointestinal conditions

  UK-Vet Equine · 2024-07-02

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Colic is commonly encountered in the post-foaling mare and can pose a diagnostic challenge for the equine practitioner. Many conditions can contribute to signs of colic in these mares, including conditions of the gastrointestinal, reproductive and genitourinary tracts. Diagnostic workup is similar to that of most other cases of colic, with additional attention paid to the udder, vulva and vaginal vault. Transabdominal ultrasound examination is important in the assessment of these mares and allows identification of key features for diagnosis. Conditions of the gastrointestinal tract include large colon displacement or volvulus, caecal tympany, impaction, necrosis and rupture, small intestinal strangulation through a mesenteric rent, large or small colon impaction, bruised bowel, diaphragmatic herniation, ischaemic necrosis of the descending colon after tearing of the mesocolon and rectal prolapse. Aggressive therapy is generally required for most of these conditions and prognosis is variable.

  PublisherDOI

• Evaluating the post-foaling mare with colic. Part 2: the genitourinary and reproductive tracts

  UK-Vet Equine · 2024-11-02

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Post-foaling colic is a common presenting complaint for equine practitioners that requires careful evaluation. Colic signs can be attributed to conditions of the gastrointestinal, reproductive and genitourinary tracts. Diagnostic workup is similar to that of most other cases of colic, with additional attention paid to the udder, vulva and vaginal vault; transabdominal ultrasound examination is often key in establishing a diagnosis. Conditions of the genitourinary and reproductive tracts include periparturient haemorrhage, which may be intra-abdominal, intrauterine, intramural, vaginal and/or into the broad ligament, uterine tear with or without intestinal evisceration, bladder rupture, septic metritis and/or retained foetal membranes, invagination of a uterine horn, uterine prolapse and bladder prolapse. Prompt diagnosis is vital as aggressive therapy is generally required for the majority of these conditions and prognosis is variable depending on the condition and severity.

  PublisherDOI

• Immune-mediated Equine Vasculopathies

  Veterinary Clinics of North America Equine Practice · 2024-05-23 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Fecal microbiota transplant for treatment of diarrhea in adult hospitalized horses – 111 cases (2013 – 2018)

  Open Veterinary Journal · 2023-01-01 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Background: Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is increasingly administered as part of the treatment of colitis in horses, yet there are little data as to effectiveness. Aim: Retrospective evaluation of the effects of FMT on discharge status, fecal consistency, length of hospitalization and improvement in clinical signs in horses hospitalized for diarrhea. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Medical records of adult horses (>1 year old) that received at least one transfaunation treatment (2013-2018) in two referral hospitals were identified through a medical records database search. Medical records of contemporary adult horses with diarrhea that did not receive FMT at the same study centers were used as controls. Results: Control horses had statistically significant shorter hospitalization (7 [1-21]) as compared to the transfaunation group (12 [3-31]) (P=0.0006). There were no significant differences between groups in number of days to improvement of feces (P=0.38), or in days to normalization of fecal consistency (P=0.43), respiratory rate (P=0.42), heart rate (P=0.27), body temperature (P=0.12), peripheral white blood cell count (P=0.37), improvement in appetite (P=0.81) or attitude (P=0.06). There was also no significant difference in survival to discharge (transfaunation 28/37, 75.7%; control 56/74, 75.7%, P=1.0). Conclusions: There were no significant advantages of performing fecal microbiota transplant in horses with diarrhea in this retrospective study. This highlights the need for prospective, randomized studies to evaluate the efficacy of FMT, as well as different formulations, in horses with colitis before this can become standard practice.

  PublisherDOI

• Successful management of an outbreak of Tyzzer's disease on a Thoroughbred breeding farm in central Kentucky; use of sorbitol dehydrogenase to identify sub‐clinical cases

  Equine Veterinary Education · 2022-07-28 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  Summary Background Tyzzer's disease is rare and usually fatal in the foal. Outbreaks are especially rare and have high educational value. Long‐term recovery of multiple survivors and the use of sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) as a time‐sensitive screening test during an outbreak have not been reported. The epidemiology of Clostridium piliforme acute necrotising hepatitis is enigmatic because the original source is unknown. Objectives The aims of this study were to present highly variable clinicopathologic findings, clinical presentation, progression and challenges, diagnostic and treatment protocols of two confirmed and two presumptive Tyzzer's cases, to determine the utility of plasma SDH measurement in the identification of subclinical or early Tyzzer's disease in the on‐farm population and to identify carrier animals. Study design Case series. Prospective cohort study. Case–control study. Methods A cut‐off value for SDH was determined based on values observed in the critically ill foals and applied to 39 on‐farm foals (114 samplings). SDH values >20 IU/L prompted prophylactic treatment. Faecal PCR testing was performed on the surviving foals, the dams of all affected foals and the dams of foals with SDH values >20 IU/L. A control group of dams with matched foaling dates was sampled. Results The screening test identified one subclinical hepatitis case, in the youngest foal on the farm. No further clinical cases occurred. SDH lacked sensitivity in one confirmed case and specificity in foals >40 days of age. All faecal PCR samples were negative. Main limitations Sorbitol dehydrogenase sampling of on‐farm foals may have been biased by economic value or athletic prospect. Conclusions Two foals were successfully treated; one is a successful athlete. Refractory hypoglycaemia presented the greatest clinical challenge and required aggressive treatment. The source of infection and carrier status remain unknown. SDH lacks specificity but might be the most sensitive test available during a Tyzzer's disease outbreak.

  PublisherDOI

• Ultrasonography of Vascular Structures

  2022-08-01

  other1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Factors Affecting Survival and Future Foaling Rates in Thoroughbred Mares with Hydrops

  Journal of Equine Veterinary Science · 2022-03-31 · 7 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Symmetric dimethylarginine concentrations in healthy neonatal foals and mares

  Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine · 2021 · 8 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Medicine
  • Animal science
  • Physiology

  BACKGROUND: Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is a renal biomarker correlated with glomerular filtration rate (GFR). OBJECTIVES: Describe changes in SDMA in clinically healthy foals and their mares during the first month postfoaling. ANIMALS: Convenience sampling of healthy periparturient Thoroughbred mares and their full-term foals from a population of client-owned horses. METHODS: Serum and EDTA whole blood samples were collected from mares in their last month of pregnancy and then from mares and foals at approximately <12 hours, 48 hours, 7 days, and 30 days postbirth. Samples were processed at a commercial reference laboratory for CBC and serum biochemistry, including SDMA concentrations. RESULTS: A total of 125 foals and 104 mares were included. Upper limits for SDMA concentrations in foals were above the adult horse reference interval for the first 20 or more days of life. Median SDMA concentrations decreased from 70 μg/dL (range, 7-100 μg/dL) to 18 μg/dL (range, 6-27 μg/dL) during the first 3 to 4 weeks of life. At birth, the SDMA concentration reference range was established as 0 to 100 μg/dL (upper limit of the assay); 0 to 85 μg/dL for 1 to 4 days old, 0 to 36 μg/dL for 5 to 10 days old, and 0 to 24 μg/dL for 20 to 30 days old. The upper reference limits for SDMA concentrations in mares did not differ from the general reference interval for adult horses. No correlation was identified between mare and foal SDMA concentrations (ρ = .06, P = .58). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Foal SDMA concentrations remained higher than the upper limit of the adult reference range and foals require a different reference range dependent on age.

  PublisherDOI

• Point-of-Care Diagnostics in Equine Practice

  Veterinary Clinics of North America Equine Practice · 2020 · 12 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Medicine
  • Medical physics
  • Pathology
  PublisherDOI

• Immunologic Disorders

  Elsevier eBooks · 2020-01-01

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• K. Gary Magdesian

  University of California, Davis

  16 shared

• Birgit Puschner

  Michigan State University

  7 shared

• Caroline E. Moore

  San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research

  6 shared

• Kyla M. Walter

  Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital

  6 shared

• Camilla Quattrini

  Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital

  4 shared

• Leslie W. Woods

  University of California, Davis

  4 shared

• E. Swain

  Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital

  4 shared

• D. M. Rhodes

  4 shared