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Topic:Pneumonia
Pneumonia in horses is a respiratory condition characterized by inflammation of the lungs, often caused by bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. It can affect horses of all ages, though young and immunocompromised animals are more susceptible. Clinical signs of pneumonia in horses may include coughing, nasal discharge, fever, and labored breathing. Diagnosis typically involves a combination of clinical examination, imaging techniques such as radiography or ultrasonography, and laboratory tests including blood work and microbial cultures. Treatment strategies vary depending on the underlying cause and may involve antimicrobial therapy, supportive care, and environmental management. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of pneumonia in equine populations.
Inflammation and increased numbers of bacteria in the lower respiratory tract of horses within 6 to 12 hours of confinement with the head elevated. Confinement of horses with their heads elevated for periods up to 24 hours was used to evaluate the extent and the effects of bacterial contamination of the equine lower respiratory tract. Significant (P < 0.05) increases in bacterial numbers (up to 10(9) colony forming units/mL in transtracheal aspirate derived samples) occurred within 6 or 12 hours in most horses. Pasteurella/Actinobacillus spp and Streptococcus spp were most commonly isolated. Lowering of the head for 30 minutes every 6 hours to facilitate postural drainage did not prevent multiplication of organisms to levels equivalent...
Plasmid profiles of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from horses. Plasmid profiles of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from horses were examined. Thirty-nine strains of K. pneumoniae capsular type 1 (K1) isolated from cervical swabs of mares suffering from metritis, and from semen of stallions showed similar plasmid profile patterns, and all strains possessed a 125 megadaltons (Md) plasmid. There was no difference in plasmid profiles between the heavily-encapsulated and the less heavily-encapsulated strains of K. pneumoniae K1. Non-capsulated variants derived from the strains of K1 showed the same plasmid profile pattern as the parent strains. Plasmid profiles...
Clinical, serological and virological characteristics of an outbreak of paresis and neonatal foal disease due to equine herpesvirus-1 on a stud farm. An outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) occurred on a large stud farm with 133 mares, 54 foals and four stallions, and at least 85 mares, 22 foals and three stallions were infected. Clinical disease was observed in 16 mares, two stallions and 13 foals and the predominant clinical signs were scrotal oedema, ataxia and loss of libido in the stallions, ataxia and recumbency in the mares and uveitis and nasal discharge in the foals, although pneumonia and colic with intussusception were also recorded at autopsy. Neurological disease was more common in the mares nursing foals (12 of 38 infected...
Rhodococcal abortion and pneumonia in an equine fetus. No abstract available
Endocarditis and pulmonary aspergillosis in a horse. No abstract available
Survival and replication of Rhodococcus equi in macrophages. Rhodococcus equi is a facultative intracellular bacterium of macrophages that can cause serious pneumonia in both young horses and immunocompromised people. Essential to understanding rhodococcus pathogenesis is a quantitative documentation of the intracellular events that follow macrophage phagocytosis of the organism. By using a bacterial immunofluorescence staining assay, we verified the intracellular survival and replicative potential of R. equi in both murine peritoneal macrophages and equine alveolar macrophages in vitro. Following an initial lag period of 6 to 12 h, the intracellular nu...
Review of 40 cases of lung abscesses in foals and adult horses. A retrospective study of 40 horses with primary lung abscesses without pleuropneumonia showed that lung abscesses occurred predominantly in young horses, usually in foals aged < or = 6 months. Hyperfibrinogenaemia was present in all but 2 horses, and other common clinical and haematological findings were hyperthermia, tachycardia, polypnoea, and neutrophilic leucocytosis. The most common bacterial species isolated from transtracheal aspirates were Streptococcus zooepidemicus (20/34) and Rhodococcus equi (13/34). Most horses (23/27) discharged from the hospital were long term survivors. Of t...
Pathology of equine pneumonia associated with transport and isolation of Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus. Seven horses that died of pneumonia associated with transport yielded Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (S.z.) from their pulmonary lesions. These lesions were divisible roughly into two types, serous haemorrhagic pneumonia and multiple foci of coagulative necrosis, which were considered to reflect a temporal difference in the process of lesion formation. Immunohistologically, S.z. antigen was detected in both types of lesion. Acute necrotic lacunar tonsillitis was considered to play an important role in the onset of the pneumonia.
Causes of and farm management factors associated with disease and death in foals. A prospective study was conducted to describe the causes of and farm management factors associated with disease and death in a population of foals in Texas. Data from 2,468 foals at 167 farms were provided by veterinarians for all 12 months during 1991. Among 2,468 foals, 116 deaths were reported (4.7%). Pneumonia was the most commonly reported cause of death, followed by septicemia. When considered as a group, musculoskeletal disorders (traumatic, infectious, or deforming problems) represented the most common cause of all reported deaths. Daily risk of death was greatest during the first 7 da...
Pleuropneumonia associated with pulmonary hydatidosis in a horse. Hydatid cysts (metacestode of Echinococcus grunulosus) are a
common incidental post-mortem finding in horses in the United
Kingdom (Cranley 1982), being found most frequently in the liver
and the lungs (Schwabe 1986). However, hydatid cysts are well
tolerated by horses and clinical hydatidosis is rare, even in
heavily infected animals (Thompson and Smyth 1975; Thompson
and Allsopp 1988). Clinical disease has been attributed to hydatid
cysts in the equine retrobulbar region (Bamett et ul. 1988), brain
(Gordon 1974, quoted by Thompson 1977) and liver (Barvaux
and Derzelle 1947). This is...
Ventilatory support of the neonatal foal. Many sick neonatal foals have respiratory failure secondary to perinatal hypoxia, sepsis, or pneumonia. These foals require ventilatory support to prevent respiratory embarrassment and other complications associated with chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia. This article discusses practical aspects of ventilatory therapy, such as choosing a candidate for mechanical ventilation, choosing the proper ventilatory mode, placing a foal on a ventilator, maintaining a foal on mechanical ventilation, and weaning from mechanical ventilation. This article details some of the techniques that have been develope...
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in foals. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was diagnosed in 3 foals. In 2 foals (No. 1 and 2), diagnosis was by histologic evaluation of pulmonary tissue. On retrospective evaluation, P carinii cysts were found on sediment smears of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in 1 foal (No. 1). A different foal (No. 3) was diagnosed as having pneumocytosis by finding P carinii cysts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and was treated successfully. Definitive diagnosis of pneumocytosis in animals is usually made at necropsy. However, careful cytologic evaluation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid sediment can provide a diagnos...
Neonatal development of the diaphragm of the horse, Equus caballus. The diaphragm of neonatal horses is significantly different from the diaphragm of adult horses in terms of histochemical fiber type composition, myosin heavy chain isoform, and native myosin isoform composition. There is a significant increase in the percentage of type I fibers present in the diaphragm with increasing age from birth through about seven months postnatal age. A possible lack of postural tone in the hiatal region of the neonatal diaphragm is suggested to account for increased incidence of vomiting or aspiration pneumonia in younger horses. The isoform data lead to rejection of th...
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in a thoroughbred foal. Typical Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was found in a male thoroughbred foal (46 days old) suffering from diarrhea and hypogammaglobulinemia after birth. The characteristics of the organisms were demonstrated by Grocott methenamine silver staining, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The present focal had no histological lesions suggesting immunodeficiency. However, he could not get adequate colostrum from his dam, because she died of hemorrhagic shock due to immuno-mediated thrombocytopenia at delivery. This condition was considered to have predisposed the foal to the pneumonia...
Comparison of oral erythromycin formulations in the horse using pharmacokinetic profiles. The pharmacokinetic properties of four erythromycin formulations were compared in six adult horses after administration of single and multiple oral doses. Formulations of erythromycin administered were estolate and phosphate given 37.5 mg/kg every 12 h and 25 mg/kg every 8 h, and stearate and ethylsuccinate given 25 mg/kg every 8 h. Areas under the curve (AUC) and maximum plasma erythromycin concentrations (Cmax) were equal or greater (P > or = 0.05) following administration of erythromycin phosphate and stearate compared with those values following administration of erythromycin estolate or e...
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in thoroughbred foals: identification of a genetically distinct organism by DNA amplification. Genetically distinct forms of Pneumocystis carinii infect several mammalian hosts. We report the amplification of P. carinii DNA from samples of two infected thoroughbred foal lungs by using primers designed from the sequence of a P. carinii mitochondrial rRNA gene; these primers also prime the amplification of P. carinii DNA from other hosts. The nucleotide sequence of part of the mitochondrial rRNA gene amplified from P. carinii infecting one of the foals was determined and found to be distinct from that of published rat-, rabbit-, ferret-, and human-derived P. carinii sequences.
Susceptibility of ponies to infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae (capsular type 3). Welsh Mountain ponies were inoculated with an isolate of Streptococcus pneumoniae, SPE 1618 (capsular type 3) recovered from the equine respiratory tract: 10 ml of a suspension of 10(8) or 10(9) cfu/ml were instilled intratracheally. Fever was observed after either dose but the greater concentration also produced coughing, ocular and nasal discharge, depression and enlargement of submandibular lymph nodes. Cytological evidence of infection was also observed in tracheal washings during the first week after inoculation and corresponded with isolation of S. pneumoniae from the washes. Morbid anat...
Lack of residual lung damage in horses in which Rhodococcus equi-induced pneumonia had been diagnosed. The effect of prior Rhodococcus equi-induced pneumonia on pulmonary health was investigated in 5 horses (< 24 months old) using endoscopy, radiography, hematologic and bronchoalveolar lavage analyses, and pulmonary function testing. Rhodococcus equi-induced pneumonia had been diagnosed in principal horses when they were foals. Diagnosis was based on positive results of transtracheal aspiration and thoracic radiography at the time of initial clinical examination. Results of reevaluation of the respiratory system of these horses (R+) were compared with those of 5 age-matched healthy horses (R...
Sensitivity and specificity of bronchoalveolar lavage and protected catheter brush methods for isolating bacteria from foals with experimentally induced pneumonia caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae. One indication for referral of horses to veterinary hospitals is for diagnosis of the microbiologic cause of pneumonia, particularly when the initial treatment fails. Although endoscopic methods have long been available for microbiologic sample collection, accuracy of these methods under these conditions have not been studied in detail. We compared the bacteria isolated from samples obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) with those obtained by protected catheter brush (PCB) from foals with unilateral pneumonia induced by inoculation with Klebsiella pneumoniae. As part of previously described...
Microbiologic changes during antimicrobial treatment and rate of relapse of distal respiratory tract infections in foals. Despite the high incidence of distal respiratory tract infection of undetermined cause on farms, to our knowledge, the microbiologic effects of conventional antimicrobial treatment for this condition have not been studied. We evaluated the possible pathogenic role of bacterial isolates from the distal airways of foals with clinical respiratory tract disease, by correlating changes in their numbers (increase or decrease) with clinical, endoscopic, and pulmonary cytologic signs of disease resolution during treatment with antimicrobial drugs. We also determined qualitative changes in in vitro ant...
Clinical and endoscopic study to estimate the incidence of distal respiratory tract infection in thoroughbred foals on Ontario breeding farms. Respiratory tract infections are prevalent in foals, yet the frequency with which the distal airways are affected in clinical episodes of respiratory tract disease has not been evaluated to our knowledge. The objective of the study was to determine the incidence of distal respiratory tract infection (DRTI) in foals on a sample of Thoroughbred breeding farms (n = 10) in Ontario. In a pilot study, clinical criteria commonly used to select foals for antimicrobial treatment (detection of abnormal lung sounds, plus nasal discharge, cough, fever, tachypnea, and/or lethargy) were found to segregate f...
Association of microbiologic flora with clinical, endoscopic, and pulmonary cytologic findings in foals with distal respiratory tract infection. Undifferentiated distal respiratory tract disease (nasal discharge, cough, pneumonia) in foals (1 to 8 months old) is a burdensome economic problem on breeding farms; yet, the infective agents associated with these episodes have not been well described. Possible causes of these episodes of illness were investigated by culturing specimens of proximal and distal airways of clinically diseased foals (n = 101), prior to any treatment, for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and viruses (rhinoviruses, equine arteritis virus, equine herpesvirus subtype 1 [EHV-1], influenza virus, and adenovirus). Pairs o...
Bronchointerstitial pneumonia and respiratory distress in young horses: clinical, clinicopathologic, radiographic, and pathological findings in 23 cases (1984-1989). Twenty-three foals, between 1 and 7 months old, with signs of acute respiratory distress, were examined at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH), University of California, Davis, between 1984 and 1989. Characteristic features included sudden onset of severe respiratory distress and tachypnea, cyanosis unresponsive to nasal oxygen, pyrexia, hypoxemia, hypercapneic respiratory acidosis, poor response to treatment, and histopathologic lesions of bronchiolitis and bronchointerstitial pneumonia. Seven of the 23 foals were normal before the onset of respiratory distress, 3 foals were found...
Rhodococcus equi. This article summarizes recent advances in understanding of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical and laboratory diagnosis, immunology, treatment, and control of Rhodococcus equi infections in foals. Our understanding of these aspects currently is sufficient to ensure control of this problem on affected farms and in infected foals. More information, however, is needed on factors predisposing foals to R. equi pneumonia, in particular, the nature of the naturally occurring cellular immunodeficiency in foals of 2 to 4 months of age, which also predisposes them to severe respiratory infection w...
Histoplasmosis in horses. Histoplasmosis was diagnosed in nine horses during 1986-1990. The infection with Histoplasma capsulatum caused granulomatous placentitis and abortion in one mare in the 7th month of gestation and three mares in the 10th month. Four newborn foals died from severe granulomatous pneumonia within a few days of birth; and a weanling thoroughbred developed granulomatous pneumonia and lymphadenitis at 5 months of age.
Streptococci and Pasteurella spp. associated with disease of the equine lower respiratory tract. The likelihood of finding evidence of inflammation in 551 tracheal washes collected endoscopically from 278 Thoroughbred racehorses increased with the number of bacterial colony forming units (cfu) per ml of wash (P < 0.001). The aerobic bacteria Streptococcus zooepidemicus, Pasteurella/Actinobacillus-like species and Streptococcus pneumoniae were significantly associated with lower airway inflammation whereas coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp., alpha-haemolytic Streptococcus spp., Acinetobacter spp., Bacillus spp., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, non-haemolytic Streptococcus spp...
