Respiratory disease in horses encompasses a range of conditions affecting the respiratory system, including the upper and lower airways. These diseases can result from various etiologies such as infectious agents, environmental factors, or genetic predispositions. Common respiratory conditions in horses include equine asthma, equine influenza, and strangles. Clinical signs often associated with respiratory disease in horses include coughing, nasal discharge, and labored breathing. Diagnostic approaches may involve endoscopy, imaging, and laboratory tests to assess the function and health of the respiratory tract. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of respiratory diseases in equine populations.
Tutluoglu B, Atiş S, Anakkaya AN, Altug E, Tosun GA, Yaman M.This study aimed to investigate the rate of occupational sensitization to horse hair in grooms and whether occupational exposure to horse hair increases respiratory and allergic symptoms and affects lung function in grooms or not. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Two hundred grooms were randomly selected among 1000 grooms working in Veliefendi Hippodrome of Istanbul. One hundred and twenty-five subjects agreed to enter the study. Ninety-two workers who worked in the different parts of this hippodrome enrolled as the control group. A detailed questionnaire including respiratory and all...
Feige K, Fürst A, Eser MW.In a random population of Swiss horses 54% suffered from a subclinical to moderate COPD. Cause of a COPD is a hypersensitivity of the respiratory tract to spores of fungi and thermophil actinomyces. Teeth problems are strongly associated with the type of diet and the feeding regime. Problems of the teeth belong to the most often treated equine diseases by large animal practitioners. Racehorses are the population of horses most often affected by gastric ulcers with an ulcer prevalence between 63 and 90%. In contrast, a much lower prevalence (37%) of stomach ulcers is seen in pleasure horses and...
Holcombe SJ, Berney C, Cornelisse CJ, Derksen FJ, Robinson NE.To determine the effect of a commercially available nasal strip on airway mechanics in exercising horses. Methods: 6 horses (5 Standardbreds and 1 Thoroughbred). Methods: Horses exercised on a treadmill at speeds corresponding to 100 and 120% of maximal heart rate with and without application of a commercially available nasal strip. Concurrently, tracheal pressures, airflow, and heart rate were measured. Peak inspiratory and expiratory tracheal pressures, airflow, respiratory frequency, and tidal volume were recorded. Inspiratory and expiratory airway resistances were calculated by dividing pe...
Valentine BA, Hammock PD, Lemiski D, Hughes FE, Gerstner L, Bird KE.Severe diaphragmatic necrosis occurred in horses with degenerative myopathy due to polysaccharide storage myopathy (n = 2), nutritional myopathy (n = 1), and vasculitis (n = 1). Blood gas analysis performed in 1 horse indicated development of respiratory acidosis. Respiratory muscle necrosis can be severe in horses with degenerative myopathy and can lead to respiratory failure.
Duggan VE, MacAllister CG, Davis MS.An 18-month-old Quarter Horse filly was evaluated because of dorsal displacement of the soft palate associated with epiglottic dysfunction that caused exercise intolerance and an abnormal respiratory noise. The abnormality of the epiglottis was corrected by use of a sedative dose of xylazine hydrochloride. There was no familial predisposition to hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, which may cause similar laryngopharyngeal signs, and the horse did not respond to administration of acetazolamide. There was no known history of trauma that could have caused neuritis, which has also been suggested as a...
Sander K, Deegen E, Ohnesorge B.In a placebo-controlled drug study data were collected about flow, volume and expiratory CO2-concentration in 13 horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease before and until 2.5 h after intravenous injection of clenbuterol. An ultrasonic flow measuring unit and an infrared-CO2-analyser (Spiroson Scientific) were used. functional deadspace and expiratory mixed volume were calculated. In addition the effect on the partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and carbon dioxide (PaCO2) in arterial blood was tested and the alveolo-arterial oxygen difference (AaDO2) determined. The volume of the functio...
Patterson-Kane JC, Harrison LR.A 5-month-old male Thoroughbred foal with a history of chronic septic arthritis of the tibiotarsal joint and recent respiratory distress was euthanized and a postmortem examination performed. A giant diverticulum communicating with the lateral aspect of the right atrial cavity of the heart was observed. Histologically, the wall was comprised of myocardial tissue containing cavernous vascular spaces. There was gross and histologic evidence of right-sided heart failure. Congenital right atrial diverticula are rare anomalies in humans and have not previously been reported in foals.
Kleiboeker SB, Schommer SK, Johnson PJ, Ehlers B, Turnquist SE, Boucher M, Kreeger JM.Over a period of 6 years, antemortem and postmortem examinations were performed on a number of donkeys suffering from respiratory disease. For many cases, initial diagnostic efforts failed to identify an etiology consistent with the pathologic findings. However, retrospective examination of these cases using consensus primer polymerase chain reaction, designed to recognize herpesviruses from all 3 subfamilies of the Herpesviridae, amplified a fragment of the highly conserved herpesvirus DNA polymerase gene from a number of these animals. Two novel herpesviruses, herein designated asinine herpe...
Pirie RS, Dixon PM, McGorum BC.To investigate the relative importance of inhaled particulates and soluble components in the response to inhaled hay dust suspension (HDS), heaves (previously termed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; n = 7) and control (n = 6) horses were given inhalation challenges with whole and fractionated HDS. Fractionation was achieved by centrifugation to yield supernatant (SUP) and particulate debris. The particulates were then washed repeatedly in saline to produce a washed particulate (WP) fraction which comprised mainly fungal spores, and a wash fraction (WF) which comprised saline and soluble ...
Pirie RS, Collie DD, Dixon PM, McGorum BC.To evaluate inhaled hay dust suspensions (HDS) as a tool for the diagnosis and investigation of heaves, the pulmonary inflammatory and functional consequences of inhalation challenge with 3 different HDS were determined in 6 control and 7 asymptomatic heaves horses. Heaves horses given HDS challenge developed the characteristic features of heaves, including airway neutrophilia, obstructive airway dysfunction and mucus hypersecretion. While HDS challenge induced a mild airway neutrophilia in controls, the no-response threshold for controls was greater than that of heaves horses, and there was n...
Pirie RS, McLachlan G, McGorum BC.Currently, heaves is investigated by exposing susceptible horses to dusty hay. Consequently, the response will be dependent on the organic dust content and composition of the hay. It was hypothesised that the use of a hay dust suspension (HDS) would reduce the variability of the challenge and therefore standardise experimental protocols. Furthermore, analysis of HDS would also permit further investigation of the organic dust components responsible for the response. Three hay dust suspensions (HDS-1, 2 and 3) were prepared for use in the diagnosis and investigation of heaves. HDS were produced ...
Beadle RE, Horohov DW, Gaunt SD.We hypothesised that horses affected with summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOPD) react to an allergen or allergens in their summer environment that is either absent or present at lower levels in their winter environment; and that such allergens stimulate SPAOPD-affected horses to produce a different T helper lymphocyte cytokine profile from that of control horses. The primary objective of this study was to determine the cytokine mRNA profile of T helper lymphocytes obtained from summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOPD) affected horses when 1) t...
Fernández-Távora L, Rico P, Martín S.This open clinical study was designed to investigate the occurrence of adverse reactions of specific immunotherapy (SIT) with horse dander and to recognize signs of efficacy regarding horse-induced cutaneous and respiratory symptoms. Methods: Twenty-four patients attending our Outpatient Clinic in Huelva (Spain) with horse-induced allergy were selected for receiving a standardized extract of horse dander (Alutard SQ). Results: Local and systemic reactions (five adverse reactions in four patients) were observed during the induction phase of treatment when administering the doses with the highes...
Pickles K, Pirie RS, Rhind S, Dixon PM, McGorum BC.The aim of this study was to develop a diagnostically useful smear method for preparation of equine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) for use by practitioners. A smear method for equine BALF preparation which included the addition of serum was developed, and cell morphology, differential cell counts (DCC) and repeatability of counting DCC compared with those of cytocentrifuged BALF preparations. BALF samples (n = 21) were collected from 5 control horses and 5 heaves-susceptible horses. Smear preparations of BALF produced smaller, darker, staining cells, making cytological identification more...
Pickles K, Pirie RS, Rhind S, Dixon PM, McGorum BC.The aim of this study was to investigate whether initial equine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) aliquots were more representative of bronchial cytology that bronchiolar and alveolar cytology. Cell viability and total nucleated (TCC), differential (DCC) and absolute cell counts of cytocentrifuged preparations of 3 sequentially collected BALF aliquots (Aliquots 1-3) were compared with those of pooled BALF (Aliquot 4) to assess whether all aliquots were representative of the lavaged lung segment. BALF samples (n = 21) were collected from control horses (n = 5) or heaves-affected horses (n = 5...
Peroni DL, Stanley S, Kollias-Baker C, Robinson NE.Based on its efficacy for the treatment of human asthma, the corticosteroid prednisone is commonly used in horses for treatment of recurrent airway obstruction. However, recent studies have failed to show any benefit of prednisone tablets for the treatment of this condition. The purpose of this study was to determine why oral prednisone has poor efficacy for the treatment of heaves in horses. In a crossover study, 5 horses were given the following treatments: prednisone tablets, prednisone liquid, prednisolone tablets, prednisolone liquid and i.v. prednisolone sodium succinate (positive contro...
Uhl EW, Giguère S, Jack TJ, Hodge T.Previous studies revealed that foals inoculated with virulent Rhodococcus equi had significantly higher pulmonary levels of interleukin-1beta, interleukin-12 p40, interferon-gamma, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha mRNA compared to foals inoculated with an avirulent plasmid-cured derivative. The purpose of this study was to determine if the increases in cytokine expression were associated with increased pulmonary activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). Electrophoretic mobility shift assays were performed on pulmonary nuclear protein extracted from foals treated with phosphate-buffered s...
van Maanen C, Cullinane A.Equine influenza is one of the most economically important contagious respiratory diseases of horses. In this paper the current state of knowledge of equine influenza virus and the most important aspects of these virus infections, e.g. epidemiology, clinical aspects, pathogenesis and pathology, immunity, diagnosis, treatment, management and vaccination, are reviewed with an emphasis on epidemiology, diagnosis and vaccinology. Many questions have remained and with the advent of improved technology new questions have arisen. Consequently, research priorities should be set in an attempt to answer...
Herholz C, Straub R, Gerber V, Wampfler B, Lüthi S, Imhof A, Moens Y, Busato A.The pulmonary health of 66 horses was assessed by a clinical examination and simple supplementary diagnostic methods. Single breath diagrams for CO(2) (SBD-CO(2)) and derived lung function indices were used to determine pulmonary function. The clinical signs in different groups were related to the results of the lung function indices derived from the SBD-CO(2). In horses with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a significant relationship was found between the respiratory frequency and the ratio of Bohr's dead space to the tidal volume (VD(Bohr)/VT), and between the...
Bowles KS, Beadle RE, Mouch S, Pourciau SS, Littlefield-Chabaud MA, Le Blanc C, Mistric L, Fermaglich D, Horohov DW.Equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO; a term combining both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and summer pasture associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOPD)) is one of the most common equine respiratory diseases with up to 50% of horses affected worldwide. The etiopathogenesis of RAO is unknown although pulmonary hypersensitivity to inhaled mold antigens may be involved. Recent work in our laboratory demonstrating elevated levels of IL-4 and IL-13 mRNA in the airways and peripheral blood of horses with RAO is consistent with an atopic component to RAO. Little is known rega...
Lindberg A, Näsman-Glaser B, Lindgren JA, Robinson NE.To evaluate leukotriene (LT) biosynthetic capacity in lung tissue from healthy horses and horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Methods: Lung parenchyma and airway specimens from 8 RAO-affected and 5 healthy horses. Methods: Horses were stabled for > or = 72 hours. Blood was drawn before euthanasia, after which lung specimens were collected. Tissue strips from small airways and parenchyma were incubated in organ baths with the precursor LTA4 or stimulated with calcium ionophore A23187 or the tripeptide N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP), with or without exogenous arachidonic acid, in the...
Herholz C, Straub R, Lüthi S, Moens Y, Imhof A, Busato A.The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy with which pulmonary function indices derived from the volumetric capnogram can diagnose different degrees of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) in 63 warmblood horses. The sensitivity, specificity, the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC), optimal cut-off values and predictive values of the indices were calculated. The results obtained have shown that there is no single index characterised by specificity and sensitivity to differentiate with an accuracy of >90 per cent between the different degrees of RAO compared to the cl...
Steinman A, Sutton GA, Lichawski D, Johnston DE.We describe a case of osteoma in the frontal and maxillary sinuses of a 3-year-old Arabian mare, presented due to an inspiratory dyspnoea. The mare underwent two surgical procedures in order to excise the tumour. Twelve months after admission the mare was healthy with no signs of respiratory abnormalities. Sinus radiographs and endoscopy repeated at that time revealed some regrowth of the tumour in the maxillary sinus, however, twenty-two months following surgery the mare did not show clinical signs of upper airway disease.
Sanchez B, Nieto A, de Ruiz Leon MA, Rodríguez J, Flores J.A lymphangiosarcoma with metastases was found in a horse that presented with respiratory distress and edema in the ventral thorax and abdomen. The necropsy revealed diffuse edema in the subcutaneous connective tissue. Mediastinal, mesenteric, iliac, and renal lymph nodes were enlarged and white with soft, yellowish necrotic areas. Histologic examination revealed numerous channels and disorganized vessels lined by large polyhedral, polymorphic cells. Tumor metastases were observed in the spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the tumor cells demonstrated positive staining...
Kidd JA, Slone DE.The medical records of 80 horses treated for left laryngeal hemiplegia by prosthetic laryngoplasty, ventriculectomy and vocal cordectomy were examined, first to compare the subjective and objective success rates for groups of horses of different ages and used for different purposes, and secondly, to compare the efficacy of including vocal cordectomy in the surgical protocol with published success rates for laryngoplasty and ventriculectomy alone. Subjectively, 70 per cent of the horses were said to have had a successful surgical outcome. The success rate for thoroughbred racehorses (66 per cen...
Lavoie JP, Léguillette R, Pasloske K, Charette L, Sawyer N, Guay D, Murphy T, Hickey GJ.To evaluate whether the leukotriene (LT) D4 receptor antagonist L-708,738 is therapeutically beneficial in treating horses with recurrent airway obstruction (heaves). Methods: 12 adult horses with heaves and healthy lung lobes from 20 slaughtered horses. Methods: Lung lobes were used for smooth muscle tension and radioligand binding studies. Horses with heaves were given a placebo for 14 days and administered L-708,738 (n = 6; 2.5 mg/kg PO, q 12 h) or dexamethasone (6; 0.04 mg/kg, IV, q 24 h) from days 14 to 28. Pulmonary function was measured weekly for 36 days, and bronchoalveolar cells were...
Léguillette R, Désévaux C, Lavoie JP.To determine the effects of pentoxifylline (PTX) administration on lung function and results of cytologic examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in horses affected by recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Methods: 10 RAO-affected horses. Methods: 6 horses were orally administered PTX (16 g) mixed with corn syrup, and 4 horses were administered corn syrup alone, twice daily for 14 days. Pulmonary function was evaluated before administration (day 0) and on days 8 and 15. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed on days 0 and 15. Reversibility of airway obstruction was assessed by measuring ...
Szeredi L, Makrai L, Dénes B.The first objective of this study was to develop an immunohistochemical procedure for rapid detection of Rhodococcus equi in impression smears from affected organs of foals on postmortem examination. The second aim was to demonstrate whether R. equi can be detected in smears of tracheal exudates collected from the same foals using an immunohistochemical method. Impression smears and cryostat and paraffin-embedded sections were made from the lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes of three foals (A, B and C) that had died of respiratory disease caused by R. equi, and also from the caudal mesenteric l...
Velineni S, Timoney JF.Streptococcus zooepidemicus causes opportunist respiratory and other infections in the horse. Capsule expression is highly variable and known to affect resistance to phagocytosis. Most clinical isolates producing small, dry colonies at 37°C produce mucoid colonies at temperatures below 35°C. Objective: The aim was to understand the molecular basis of increased capsule expression by equine isolates of S. zooepidemicus at temperatures lower than 35°C. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study. Methods: Capsule production by groups of equine S. zooepidemicus strains was determined at 23, ...
Punsmann S, Hellige M, Hoppe J, Freise F, Venner M.Acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) in foals is a rare but challenging syndrome. Diagnostic imaging is crucial for its diagnosis. While there are some reports on radiographic findings, ultrasound is sparsely described. Variability in the evaluation of radiographs in AIP has been well described in human literature. Part one of this study is a prospective, observational, observer agreement study investigating inter- and intraobserver agreement in the assessment of thoracic radiographs. Part two is a prospective, controlled, descriptive study on thoracic ultrasonography in foals with AIP. Eighteen...
Höglund N, Koho N, Rossi H, Karttunen J, Mustonen AM, Nieminen P, Rilla K, Oikari S, Mykkänen A.Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound particles that engage in inflammatory reactions by mediating cell-cell interactions. Previously, EVs have been isolated from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of humans and rodents. The aim of this study was to investigate the number and size distribution of EVs in the BALF of asthmatic horses (EA, = 35) and healthy horses ( = 19). Saline was injected during bronchoscopy to the right lung followed by manual aspiration. The retrieved BALF was centrifuged twice to remove cells and biological debris. The supernatant was concentrated and EVs w...
Sanclemente JL, Rivera-Velez SM, Dasgupta N, Horohov DW, Wood PL, Sanz MG.Many foals that develop thoracic ultrasonographic lesions as a result of Rhodococcus equi infection heal on their own. However, most of these foals receive antimicrobials because foals at risk of developing clinical pneumonia cannot be identified. Untargeted lipidomics is useful to identify candidate biomarkers. Objective: (a) To describe the changes that occur in foal lipidomics as a result of ageing (birth to 8 weeks) and (b) To compare these results with those observed in foals after experimental infection with R. equi. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Healthy newborn foals (n = 9) ...
Holcombe SJ, Beard WL, Hinchcliff KW.To investigate the effect of a mask and pneumotachograph on ventilation, respiratory frequency, and tracheal and nasopharyngeal pressures in horses running on a treadmill. Methods: Six horses ran at 50, 75, and 100% of the speed that resulted in maximum oxygen consumption, with and without a mask and pneumotachograph. Tracheal and pharyngeal inspiratory and expiratory pressures, respiratory frequency, and arterial blood gases were measured. Methods: Six Standardbred horses. Methods: Oxygen consumption was measured during an incremental exercise test to determine the speed that resulted in maxi...
The ultra long-acting β -adrenoceptor agonist olodaterol plus the ultra long-acting muscarinic antagonist tiotropium bromide are known to relax equine airways. In human bronchi combining these drugs elicits a positive interaction, thus we aimed to characterize this information further in equine isolated airways stimulated by electrical field stimulation (EFS) and using the Concentration-Reduction Index (CRI) and Combination Index (CI) equations. The drugs were administered alone and together by reproducing ex vivo the concentration-ratio delivered by the currently available fixed-dose combina...
Moore BR, Krakowka S, Mcvey DS, Cummins JM, Robertson JT.Protein and eicosanoid concentrations and procoagulant activity were determined in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from 32 Standardbred racehorses with inflammatory airway disease (IAD) and 6 control horses. Total protein, albumin and immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations were high (P < 0.05) in the BALF from horses with IAD, a finding consistent with exudation of plasma protein into the airway. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations also were increased (P < 0.05) which may signify local immunoglobulin production. Difference was not detected in prostaglandin E2 and 6-ketoprostaglandin...
Raulo SM, Sorsa TA, Maisi PS.To determine whether samples of tracheal epithelial lining fluid (TELF) obtained from horses have elastinolytic activity characteristic of metalloproteinases, to compare elastinolytic activity in TELF obtained from healthy horses and horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to determine whether chemically modified tetracycline-3 (CMT-3) inhibits elastinolytic activity in TELF ANIMALS: 10 horses with COPD and 10 healthy control horses. Methods: Zymography and fluorometry were used to measure elastinolytic activity, and EDTA was used to inhibit elastinolytic activity and ver...
Tanquerel L, Fillion-Bertrand G, Lavoie JP, Leclere M.OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether MgSO solution administered IV would improve the clinical signs and lung function of horses with severe asthma and potentiate the effects of salbutamol inhalation in those horses. ANIMALS 6 adult horses with severe asthma. PROCEDURES Asthmatic horses were used in 3 crossover design experiments (6 treatments/horse). Clinical scores for nasal flaring and the abdominal component associated with breathing and lung function were determined before and after administration of salbutamol (800 μg, by inhalation), MgSO solution (2.2 mg/kg/min, IV, over 20 minutes), and comb...
Beech J.Tracheobronchial aspirates were obtained from 27 normal horses and from 57 horses with respiratory disease. Aspirates from normal horses contained mainly ciliated columnar epithelial cells, mononuclear cells, a few neutrophils and mucus. Aspirates from horses with acute suppurative bronchopneumonias or chronic bronchiolitis had predominantly neutrophils and usually large amounts of mucus; in severe suppurative inflammatory diseases, many of the cells were degenerated, and there were coils of fibrinous material resembling Curschmann's spirals. Eosinophils were rarely found, even from horses wit...
Hoffman AM, Swanson LG, Bruns SJ, Kuehn H, Bedenice D.To determine whether tension of the girth strap of a saddle would sufficiently affect rib motion and reduce lung volume to alter pulmonary resistance in horses. Methods: 10 healthy adult horses. Methods: We used classical techniques to measure the effects of tightening a girth strap (15 kg of tension) on pulmonary dynamics during eupnea and hyperpnea in horses. Respiratory impedance was evaluated by use of oscillometry, and resistance and reactance data were partitioned into lung and chest wall components. Rib cage and abdominal contributions to tidal volume and minute ventilation were measure...
James FM, Parente EJ, Palmer JE.A 1-day-old Standardbred foal with a history of extreme respiratory distress after birth consistent with upper airway obstruction was evaluated. A temporary tracheostomy tube was placed by the referring veterinarian. Results: On initial examination, there was evidence of hypoxic-ischemic syndrome, secondary to perinatal asphyxia. Endoscopy revealed obstruction of both nares at the level of the choanae; a diagnosis of bilateral choanal atresia was made. Results: The foal was anesthetized and underwent transendoscopic laser fenestration of the buccopharyngeal membranes. Three weeks after surgery...
Abdalla MA, Taleb ZA, Ebid MH.An outbreak of infectious influenza was recognized in Menofeia governorate in October 1989. Eight naturally influenza infected as well as 8 healthy control horses, mules and donkeys were selected for collection of blood and sera separation to estimate four lysosomal enzymatic activities and to describe the clinical findings, which were fever, congested nasal, conjunctival membranes and cough. Bronchopneumonia followed later with bilateral purulent nasal discharge as a complication in 2 donkeys. Thereafter laboured breathing occurred. Therefore a therapeutic penicillin-streptomycin dose was inj...
Narváez SÁ, Fernández I, Patel NV, Sánchez S. is an important veterinary pathogen that takes the lives of many foals every year. With the emergence and spread of MDR to current antimicrobial treatment, new tools that can provide a fast and accurate diagnosis of the disease and antimicrobial resistance profile are needed. Here, we have developed and analytically validated a multiplex qPCR for the simultaneous detection of and related macrolide resistance genes in equine respiratory samples. The three sets of oligos designed in this study to identify housekeeping gene and macrolide resistance genes (46) and (51) showed high analytic se...
Hackett ES, Leise BS.Upper respiratory tract (URT) endoscopy at rest is commonly used to evaluate competition draught horses with URT conditions. Overground endoscopy might be preferred for draught horse URT evaluation as it allows the horses to be driven with harness, overcheck and cart-load under similar conditions to those experienced in the show ring where airway conditions are most prominent. Objective: To describe the exercising URT findings of competition draught horses with abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance. Methods: Case series. Methods: Medical records of competition draught horses under...
Hawkins JF, Tulleners EP.Epiglottitis was diagnosed and treated in 20 horses (13 Thoroughbreds and 7 Standardbreds) over a 5-year period. Eighteen horses were used for racing, and 2 Standardbreds were broodmares. Primary clinical signs were exercise intolerance, respiratory noise, and coughing. The most common endoscopic diagnosis made by referring veterinarians was epiglottic entrapment (11 horses). In 19 horses, endoscopic evaluation at admission revealed mucosal ulceration and thickening of the lingual surface of the epiglottis. Other endoscopic findings included dorsal displacement of the soft palate (14 horses), ...
Raidal SL, Burnheim K, Evans D, Hughes KJ.Sedation is often required to perform pulmonary function testing (PFT) in horses, but drug effects may influence respiratory function. The current study was designed to characterise the effects of sedation and bronchodilator administration on absolute and relative indices of pulmonary function during eupnoeic respiration and carbon dioxide-induced hyperpnoea (rebreathing) in healthy horses using a pneumotachographic spirometry system. Sedation with acetylpromazine (ACP), xylazine, or both drugs in combination was associated with significant reductions in respiratory frequency, minute ventilati...
Moore BR.Lower respiratory tract disease is an important source of poor performance and exercise intolerance in racehorses and middle-aged sport horses. Horses that perform high-intensity exercise are predisposed to development of infectious and noninfectious respiratory disease. Diagnostic aids for investigation of lower respiratory tract disease include thorough thoracic auscultation with rebreathing, endoscopic examination, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and thoracic radiographic examination. The therapeutic approach for horses with lower respiratory tract diseases often can be directed by cytologic ...
Murphy JR, McPherson EA, Lawson GH.80 mg sodium cromoglycate (SCG) was administered by inhalation to two COPD-affected animals known to have respiratory hypersensitivity to Micropolyspora faeni. SCG treatment 20-30 minutes prior to inhalation challenge with M. faeni prevented exacerbation of respiratory disease, usually seen 4-8 hours after challenge. duration of protection against antigen challenge after a single SCG treatment was 4-5 days. The duration of protection was not prolonged by reducing the frequency of antigen challenge. Multiple antigen challenge, using M. faeni and Aspergillus fumigatus, shortened the protective p...
Carlson GP, O'Brien MA.Anaerobic bacterial pneumonia with septicemia was diagnosed in 2 Thoroughbred racehorses referred with respiratory tract disease that had failed to respond to initial treatment with various antibiotics including penicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Multiple anaerobic organisms, including Bacteroides spp and Fusobacterium spp, were isolated from blood and transtracheal aspirates obtained from both horses and from aspirates of cutaneous nodules obtained from 1 horse. The latter horse responded to metronidazole treatment followed by procaine penicillin G administration and regained its h...
Steffey EP, Woliner MJ, Puschner B, Galey FD.To quantitate the effects of desflurane and mode of ventilation on cardiovascular and respiratory functions and identify changes in selected clinicopathologic variables and serum fluoride values associated with desflurane anesthesia in horses. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: Horses were anesthetized on 2 occasions: first, to determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of desflurane in O2 and second, to characterize cardiopulmonary and clinicopathologic responses to 1X, 1.5X, and 1.75X desflurane MAC during both controlled and spontaneous ventilation. Results: Mean +/- SEM MAC ...
Jukic CC, Cowling NR, Perkins NR, van Eps AW, Ahern BJ.Laser salpingopharyngostomy has been used as an adjunct to primary medical therapy allowing for topical debridement, topical treatment or to potentially alter the guttural pouch environment in horses with guttural pouch disease. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a laser salpingopharyngostomy on the guttural pouch environment in healthy horses. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: In six adult Standardbred female horses, under standing sedation a stab incision was made ventral to the sternocephalicus tendon and a customised trocar inserted into the medial guttural pouch compartment. Baselin...
Willingham-Lane JM, Berghaus LJ, Berghaus RD, Hart KA, Giguère S.The soil-dwelling, saprophytic actinomycete is a facultative intracellular pathogen of macrophages and causes severe bronchopneumonia when inhaled by susceptible foals. Standard treatment for disease is dual-antimicrobial therapy with a macrolide and rifampin. Thoracic ultrasonography and early treatment with antimicrobials prior to the development of clinical signs are used as means of controlling endemic infection on many farms. Concurrently with the increased use of macrolides and rifampin for chemoprophylaxis and the treatment of subclinically affected foals, a significant increase in t...
Fretz PB, Babiuk LA, McLaughlin B.The serological results from this study clearly show that both equine influenza and equine rhinopneumonitis viruses were present during spring and autumn epidemics of respiratory disease on Western Canadian racetracks. Approximately 11% of the horses showed significant convalescent titres to influenza while 9% showed significant convalescent titres for equine viral pneumonitis. It was noted in our study a positive vaccination history corresponded with a reduction in the severity of the respiratory infection.
Pusterla N, Stacy BA, Vernau W, De Cock HE, Magdesian KG.The clinical findings in two horses with secretory multiple myeloma and secondary immunoglobulin A (IgA) monoclonal gammopathy were non-specific and included weight loss, pale mucous membranes, limb oedema and bacterial respiratory tract infection. Consistent laboratory abnormalities included hyperproteinaemia, hyperglobulinaemia, hypoalbuminaemia and hypercalcaemia. The diagnosis was based on the presence of IgA monoclonal gammopathy in serum and urine and bone marrow plasmacytosis (> 10 per cent). One horse was euthanased; it had neoplastic plasma cell infiltrates in its kidneys, spleen, ...
Bayless RL, Sheats MK, Jones SL.Neutrophils play a major role in many equine conditions, including equine asthma, laminitis, and intestinal ischemia and reperfusion injury, and therefore represent an attractive target for innovative therapeutic approaches. Novel strategies for reducing neutrophilic inflammation include modulation of neutrophil functions and lifespan. Withaferin A (WFA) is a phytochemical with well-established and anti-inflammatory properties, but its direct effects on neutrophils are largely unknown. We hypothesized that WFA would inhibit adhesion, migration, and respiratory burst by equine neutrophils and...
Calzetta L, Rogliani P, Pistocchini E, Mattei M, Cito G, Alfonsi P, Page C, Matera MG.Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is a main characteristic of horses with severe equine asthma syndrome. The presence of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the airways of horses is thought to play a crucial role in the clinical expression of this disorder. This study pharmacologically characterized the effect of LPS on the responsiveness of equine bronchial tissue. Equine isolated bronchi were incubated overnight with LPS (0.1-100 ng/ml) and then stimulated by electrical field stimulation (EFS). The role of capsaicin sensitive-sensory nerves (capsaicin desensitization treatment), neuroki...
Ataseven VS, Oğuzoğlu TÇ, Başaran-Karapınar Z, Bilge-Dağalp S.Equine adenovirus type 1 (EAdV-1) is a cause of repiratory tract infection in equids. In present study for the first time in Turkey, the prevalence of EAdV-1 in nasal swab samples obtained from horses showing respiratory symptoms was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and molecular characterization of the hexon gene detected in the Turkish (TR) strain was performed. Overall, the prevalence of EAdV-1 was found low (1.4%) as indicated by a positive PCR reaction from the nasal swab extracts tested. Phylogenetic analysis based on the partial sequences of the hexon gene of a TR-EAdV-1...
Grandguillot L, Fairbrother JM, Vrins A.A protected catheter brush introduced by fiberoptic bronchoscopy was used to sample the tracheai and bronchial mucosa in 28 horses with small airway disease. Tracheal and bronchial brushings were examined for the presence of fungi, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and a cytoiogical evaluation was also done on fluid collected by the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) technique. Microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) were isolated more often in tracheal brushings (53.6%) than in bronchial brushings (10.7%). Anaerobic bacteria were not isolated. Results of this study indicate that fiberoptic bronchoscopy u...
Morris E.Each case of suboptimal equine athletic performance should be evaluated in a comprehensive manner, including physical examination; clinical pathologic analysis; and evaluation of the neurologic system, the musculoskeletal system, and the upper and lower respiratory system. A vital part of this examination is the clinical evaluation of dynamic upper respiratory tract function of the horse during treadmill exercise, which allows the observation of upper respiratory tract function during conditions simulating competitive racing. It generally is agreed that the endoscopic identification of an uppe...
