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Home / Equine Research Bank / Am Rev Respir Dis / Bronchoalveolar lavage in ponies with recurrent airway obstr...
The American review of respiratory disease1985; 132(5); 1066-1070; doi: 10.1164/arrd.1985.132.5.1066

Bronchoalveolar lavage in ponies with recurrent airway obstruction (heaves).

Abstract: We performed bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in 2 groups of ponies. Principal ponies had a history of heaves, a disease characterized by recurrent airway obstruction and airway hyperreactivity when ponies are housed in a barn and fed hay; control ponies had no history of airway obstruction. Ponies were paired (principal and control), and BAL was performed after 2 months of being pastured when principal ponies were in clinical remission (Period A), after barn housing when principal ponies had acute airway obstruction (Period B), and after a 1- and a 2-wk recovery phase of pasture grazing (Periods C and D). At Periods A, C, and D, white blood cell counts and immunoglobulin/albumin ratios in peripheral blood and BAL fluid of principal and control animals did not differ. Peripheral blood white cell counts and immunoglobulin/albumin ratios were unaffected by barn exposure and return to pasture. However, at Period B, neutrophil numbers in the BAL fluid were increased in the principal but not in the control animals. The IgG/albumin ratio of the principal animals increased at Period C. We conclude that in ponies with a history of heaves, barn exposure results in increased neutrophils in BAL fluid. In this pony model of lung disease, pulmonary leukostasis follows a time course similar to that of airway obstruction and airway hyperreactivity.
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Publication Date: 1985-11-01 PubMed ID: 4062037DOI: 10.1164/arrd.1985.132.5.1066Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support
  • U.S. Gov't
  • P.H.S.

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research involved studying two groups of ponies – one group suffering from recurrent airway obstruction, known as ‘heaves’, and a control group of healthy ponies. The study found that barn exposure led to a significant increase in neutrophils in the lung fluid acting as an indicator of inflammation in the ponies with heaves.

Aims of the research

  • The study was primarily conducted to understand the pattern of inflammation in ponies suffering from ‘heaves’, a disease characterized by repeated airway obstruction and increased sensitivity of the airways when housed in a barn and fed hay.

Methodology

  • Two groups of ponies were involved in the study – one healthy control group and another group which had a history of ‘heaves’.
  • These ponies were paired (one from each group), and Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL), a medical procedure involving examination of the bronchi and lung spaces, was performed on them under different conditions – after being pastured for two months (Period A), after being housed in a barn (Period B), and post recovery phases of one and two weeks of pasture grazing (Periods C and D).

Findings

  • The study found no difference in white blood cell counts and immunoglobulin/albumin ratios in the peripheral blood and BAL fluid of the two groups of ponies at Periods A, C, and D.
  • However, during barn exposure (Period B), there was a significant increase in neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, in the BAL fluid of principal ponies, and not in the control ones.
  • There was no difference in peripheral blood white cell count or immunoglobulin/albumin ratios with barn exposure or return to pasture.
  • An unexpected observation was the increased IgG/albumin ratio in the principal ponies during Period C, implying an immune response.

Conclusion

  • Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that barn exposure for ponies with a history of heaves led to an increase in neutrophils in BAL fluid, indicating an inflammation response.
  • In the horse model of lung disease, this inflammation follows a similar timeline as airway obstruction and increased sensitivity of the airways.

Cite This Article

APA
Derksen FJ, Scott JS, Miller DC, Slocombe RF, Robinson NE. (1985). Bronchoalveolar lavage in ponies with recurrent airway obstruction (heaves). Am Rev Respir Dis, 132(5), 1066-1070. https://doi.org/10.1164/arrd.1985.132.5.1066

Publication

The American review of respiratory disease
ISSN: 0003-0805
NlmUniqueID: 0370523
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 132
Issue: 5
Pages: 1066-1070

Researcher Affiliations

Derksen, F J
    Scott, J S
      Miller, D C
        Slocombe, R F
          Robinson, N E

            MeSH Terms

            • Albumins / analysis
            • Animals
            • Bronchi / immunology
            • Horse Diseases / immunology
            • Horses
            • Immunoglobulins / analysis
            • Leukocyte Count
            • Lung Diseases, Obstructive / immunology
            • Lung Diseases, Obstructive / veterinary
            • Neutrophils
            • Ozone / toxicity
            • Pulmonary Alveoli / immunology
            • Recurrence

            Grant Funding

            • HL-27619 / NHLBI NIH HHS
            • HL-30669 / NHLBI NIH HHS

            Citations

            This article has been cited 14 times.
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              doi: 10.1111/jvim.16140pubmed: 33942932google scholar: lookup
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              pubmed: 30026642
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              doi: 10.1155/2016/5693205pubmed: 28053371google scholar: lookup
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              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019678pubmed: 21602926google scholar: lookup
            11. Naylor JM, Clark EG, Clayton HM. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Usefulness of clinical signs, bronchoalveolar lavage, and lung biopsy as diagnostic and prognostic aids. Can Vet J 1992 Sep;33(9):591-8.
              pubmed: 17424075
            12. Hare JE, Viel L, Conlon PD, Marshall JS. Evaluation of an in vitro degranulation challenge procedure for equine pulmonary mast cells. Can J Vet Res 1998 Apr;62(2):133-9.
              pubmed: 9553713
            13. Bartenschlager F, Kuropka B, Schmitz P, Dumke F, Landmann K, Gruber AD, Weise C, Schnabel CL, Gehlen H, Mundhenk L. Proteomic profiling of equine airway mucus reveals compositional changes in asthmatic phenotypes. Sci Rep 2026 Feb 10;16(1):5880.
              doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-38766-3pubmed: 41667845google scholar: lookup
            14. Woodrow JS, Hopster K, Palmisano M, Payette F, Kulp J, Stefanovski D, Nolen-Walston R. Time to resolution of airway inflammation caused by bronchoalveolar lavage in healthy horses. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Sep-Oct;38(5):2776-2782.
              doi: 10.1111/jvim.17169pubmed: 39198933google scholar: lookup
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