Caprine serum fraction immunomodulator as supplemental treatment of lower respiratory disease in the horse.
Abstract: Suppurative lower airway disease is a common debilitating disease in performance horses and, while rarely fatal, is often recalcitrant to conventional therapy. A variety of treatments have been used to combat this condition and we conducted two types of studies to determine if caprine serum fraction--immunomodulator (CSFI), a nonspecific immunomodulator, improved recovery from lower respiratory disease. Two dose response studies were performed to ascertain the efficacy of CSFI. Horses were maintained daily on conventional antibiotic therapy. Respiratory tract exudate, nasal discharge, dyspnoea, chest auscultation and cough frequency were monitored weekly. One hundred percent of the horses treated with 2 i.m. injections of either 60 or 120 mg CSFI one week apart showed significant improvement with each weekly evaluation and were fully recovered by week 3. Horses treated with 15 or 30 mg CSFI did not differ significantly from the control group. Only 10% of the control horses responded to conventional antibiotic therapy. An expanded field trial utilising 80 horses diagnosed with lower respiratory disease and housed at 4 equine clinics was conducted. Thirty-five percent of the 40 control horses, treated solely by conventional antibiotic therapies, recovered while 75% of the horses treated with a supplemental administration of 60 mg CSFI as described above recovered. The combined data from these studies showed that CSFI was able to promote an overall recovery from lower respiratory disease of 86%.
Publication Date: 2002-01-31 PubMed ID: 11817554DOI: 10.2746/042516402776181204Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Clinical Trial
- Journal Article
- Multicenter Study
- Randomized Controlled Trial
Summary
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The research study discusses the efficiency of Caprine Serum Fraction–Immunomodulator (CSFI) in the supplemental treatment of Lower Respiratory Disease (LRD) in horses. It shows that CSFI improves the recovery in horses suffering from LRD when used in conjunction with conventional antibiotic therapy.
Research Objectives and Methodology
The research was aimed at assessing the efficacy of CSFI in treating lower respiratory disease in horses. The disease, which is a common problem in performing horses, was treated in two dose-response studies:
- Horses were kept on a daily regimen of conventional antibiotic therapy.
- The effects of CSFI on the horses’ respiratory tract exudate, nasal discharge, difficulty in breathing, chest sound examination, and frequency of cough were observed weekly.
Results of the Research
The research demonstrated significant improvements in the condition of the horses treated with two Intramuscular injections of 60mg or 120mg CSFI, administered one-week apart:
- All the horses that received this treatment showed considerable improvements in their condition with each weekly evaluation.
- They were completely recovered by the third week.
However:
- Horses treated with 15mg or 30mg CSFI showed no significant difference from the control group, suggesting that these doses were ineffective.
- Only 10% of the horses in the control group responded to the conventional antibiotic therapy alone.
- In a subsequent field trial with 80 horses suffering from LRD, 75% of those treated with 60mg CSFI recovered, compared to 35% in the control group which was treated solely with conventional antibiotic therapies.
Conclusions Drawn from the Study
From the combined data, researchers found that CSFI was able to promote an overall recovery from Lower Respiratory Disease of 86%. This implies that CSFI could be instrumental in supplementing conventional therapy in the treatment of LRD in horses, provided it is used in sufficient doses. Further studies may be required to explore the full potential and limitations of this treatment approach.
Cite This Article
APA
Hamm D, Willeford KO, White G, Reed SM, Hamm J.
(2002).
Caprine serum fraction immunomodulator as supplemental treatment of lower respiratory disease in the horse.
Equine Vet J, 34(1), 71-75.
https://doi.org/10.2746/042516402776181204 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Research for Animal Health, Inc., Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Adjuvants, Immunologic / therapeutic use
- Animals
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Drug Therapy, Combination
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horses
- Injections, Intramuscular / veterinary
- Respiratory Tract Infections / drug therapy
- Respiratory Tract Infections / veterinary
- Treatment Outcome
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Thacker JD, Balin BJ, Appelt DM, Sassi-Gaha S, Purohit M, Rest RF, Artlett CM. NLRP3 inflammasome is a target for development of broad-spectrum anti-infective drugs. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2012 Apr;56(4):1921-30.
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