Comparison of tracheal aspirates and bronchoalveolar lavage in racehorses. 1. Evaluation of cytological stains and the percentage of mast cells and eosinophils.
- Comparative Study
- Evaluation Study
- Journal Article
- Animal Health
- Animal Science
- Animal Study
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage
- Comparative Study
- Cytology
- Diagnostic Technique
- Eosinophils
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Equine Research
- Inflammation
- Inflammatory Response
- Mast Cells
- Racehorses
- Respiratory Disease
- Respiratory Health
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
- Veterinary Science
Summary
The study compares two different cytological stains and sampling methods to detect mast cells and evaluate proportions of inflammatory cells in the lower airways of racehorses. Leishman’s stain was more reliable in detecting mast cells and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples exhibited higher percentages of mast cells compared to tracheal aspirate (TA) samples.
Research Methodology
The research comprises a retrospective case series involving 48 young Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses experiencing poor racing performance. The researchers collected 51 paired TA and BAL samples from these horses after treadmill exercise. They prepared two slides from each sample, one stained with Diff-Quik (a fast Romanowsky cytological stain), and another with Leishman’s stain. From each slide, they recorded differential cell counts of eosinophils and mast cells.
Comparison of Cytological Stains and Sample Types
The study did a comparison on:
- The suitability of Diff-Quik and Leishman’s stains for mast cell detection
- The percentages of eosinophil and mast cells in both TA and BAL samples.
They used the non-parametric Wilcoxon matched pairs test for the analysis.
Results and Conclusions
Results showed significantly higher percentages of mast cells in Leishman stained slides in both TA and BAL samples, compared to those stained with Diff-Quik. Moreover, mast cell percentages were significantly higher in BAL than in TA samples using Leishman’s stain.
No significant difference was observed in eosinophil percentages between TA and BAL samples.
Implications
The research findings suggest that Fast Romanowsky type stains, such as Diff-Quik, fail to reliably identify mast cells in the equine lower respiratory tract. Thus, this study recommends using a metachromatic stain that reliably identifies mast cells, for example, Leishman’s, when evaluating mast cells in the equine lower respiratory tract.
The study also found that mast cells are more prevalent in the distal small airways and alveoli that are reached through a BAL while eosinophils appear to be evenly distributed in the lower respiratory tract.
Therefore, both a TA and BAL should be employed for thorough evaluation of eosinophils and mast cells within the equine lower respiratory tract.
Cite This Article
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University Veterinary Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, PMB 4 Narellan Delivery Centre, Narellan, New South Wales 2567.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
- Bronchoscopy / veterinary
- Eosinophils / cytology
- Exercise Test / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Male
- Mast Cells / cytology
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Pneumonia / diagnosis
- Pneumonia / veterinary
- Predictive Value of Tests
- Retrospective Studies
- Staining and Labeling / veterinary
- Trachea / cytology
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Lakshminarayana S, Sowmya SV, Rao RS. Efficacy of Csaba stain to demonstrate mature and immature mast cells in oral inflammatory lesions: An in-vitro study.. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol 2022 Oct-Dec;26(4):483-487.
- Shawaf T, Almubarak A, Alhumam N, Almathen F, Hussen J. Cytological analysis of tracheal wash and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in health and respiratory disease in dromedary camels.. PeerJ 2021;9:e11723.
- Bond S, Léguillette R, Richard EA, Couetil L, Lavoie JP, Martin JG, Pirie RS. Equine asthma: Integrative biologic relevance of a recently proposed nomenclature.. J Vet Intern Med 2018 Nov;32(6):2088-2098.
- Rossi H, Virtala AM, Raekallio M, Rahkonen E, Rajamäki MM, Mykkänen A. Comparison of Tracheal Wash and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cytology in 154 Horses With and Without Respiratory Signs in a Referral Hospital Over 2009-2015.. Front Vet Sci 2018;5:61.
- Karagianni AE, Kapetanovic R, Summers KM, McGorum BC, Hume DA, Pirie RS. Comparative transcriptome analysis of equine alveolar macrophages.. Equine Vet J 2017 May;49(3):375-382.
