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Journal of veterinary internal medicine2007; 21(1); 149-156; doi: 10.1892/0891-6640(2007)21[149:eogaef]2.0.co;2

Effects of genetic and environmental factors on chronic lower airway disease in horses.

Abstract: Environment and genetics influence the manifestation of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), but the associations of specific factors with mild, moderate, and severe clinical signs are unknown. Objective: We hypothesized that sire, feed, bedding, time outdoors, sex, and age are associated with clinical manifestations of mild, moderate, and severe lower airway disease. Methods: Direct offspring of 2 RAO-affected Warmblood stallions (F1S1, n = 172; F1S2, n = 135); maternal half-siblings of F1S1 (mHSS1, n = 66); and an age-matched, randomly chosen control group (CG, n = 33). Methods: A standardized questionnaire was used to assess potential risk factors and to establish a horse owner assessed respiratory signs index (HOARSI 1-4, from healthy to severe) according to clinical signs of lower airway disease. Results: More F1S1 and F1S2 horses showed moderate to severe clinical signs (HOARSI 3 and HOARSI 4 combined, 29.6 and 27.3%, respectively) compared with CG and mHSS1 horses (9.1 and 6.2%, respectively; contingency table overall test, P < .001). Sire, hay feeding, and age (in decreasing order of strength) were associated with more severe clinical signs (higher HOARSI), more frequent coughing, and nasal discharge. Conclusions: There is a genetic predisposition and lesser but also marked effects of hay feeding and age on the manifestation of moderate to severe clinical signs, most markedly on coughing frequency. In contrast, mild clinical signs were not associated with sire or hay feeding in our populations.
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Publication Date: 2007-03-07 PubMed ID: 17338163DOI: 10.1892/0891-6640(2007)21[149:eogaef]2.0.co;2Google Scholar: Lookup
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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.

The research investigated the impact of both genetic and environmental factors on chronic lower airway disease in horses, revealing a significant influence from sire lineage, age, and the type of feed utilized.

Objective and Hypothesis

The main objective of the research was to understand the correlation between various factors (namely sire, feed, bedding, time outdoors, sex, and age) with different intensities of clinical manifestations, such as mild, moderate, and severe lower airway disease in horses. The scientists hypothesized that these factors had a significant association with the severity of these diseases.

Methods

The researchers studied three groups of horses for this experiment.

  • The first group consisted of the direct offspring of two Warmblood stallions affected by Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO), generating two sub-groups F1S1 and F1S2.
  • The second group included maternal half-siblings of the F1S1 group.
  • The third group was used as a control group, consisting of an age-matched, randomly chosen set of horses.

The researchers used a standardized questionnaire to assess possible risk factors and gather data on the clinical signs of lower airway disease. They also established a Horse Owner Assessed Respiratory Signs Index (HOARSI), ranging from 1-4 (healthy to severe), to effectively assess the severity of the disease manifestations.

Results

The researchers found that compared to the control and maternal half-sibling groups, more horses from the stallion offspring groups (F1S1 and F1S2) showed moderate to severe clinical signs. In particular, they discovered correlations between the sire, hay feeding, and age with more severe signs of lower airway disease, which included more frequent coughing and nasal discharge.

Conclusion

The study concludes that genetic predisposition plays a critical role in the manifestation of moderate to severe clinical signs of chronic lower airway disease among horses. It identified sire lineage, age, and type of feed, specifically hay feeding, as significant factors. Interestingly, mild signs of the disease were not associated with either sire lineage or hay feeding within the studied population. It is evident by the study findings that while there is a lesser effect from feed type and age, they too make a marked impact on the severity of lower airway disease symptoms.

Cite This Article

APA
Ramseyer A, Gaillard C, Burger D, Straub R, Jost U, Boog C, Marti E, Gerber V. (2007). Effects of genetic and environmental factors on chronic lower airway disease in horses. J Vet Intern Med, 21(1), 149-156. https://doi.org/10.1892/0891-6640(2007)21[149:eogaef]2.0.co;2

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 0891-6640
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 21
Issue: 1
Pages: 149-156

Researcher Affiliations

Ramseyer, Alessandra
  • Equine Clinic, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Berne, Switzerland.
Gaillard, Claude
    Burger, Dominik
      Straub, Reto
        Jost, Ursula
          Boog, Cornel
            Marti, Eliane
              Gerber, Vincent

                MeSH Terms

                • Animals
                • Chronic Disease
                • Genetic Predisposition to Disease
                • Horse Diseases / etiology
                • Horse Diseases / genetics
                • Horses
                • Male
                • Respiratory Tract Diseases / etiology
                • Respiratory Tract Diseases / genetics
                • Respiratory Tract Diseases / veterinary
                • Risk Factors

                Citations

                This article has been cited 46 times.
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