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Experimental induction of recurrent airway obstruction with inhaled fungal spores, lipopolysaccharide, and silica microspheres in horses.
Abstract: To evaluate experimental induction of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) with inhaled fungal spores, lipopolysaccharide, and silica microspheres in horses. Methods: 7 horses with and 3 horses without a history of RAO. Methods: RAO-susceptible horses ranged in age from 17 to approximately 30 years, and control horses ranged in age from 7 to approximately 15 years. Pure mold cultures were derived from repeated culture of hay and identified via gene amplification and sequencing. Pulmonary function testing and bronchoalveolar lavage were performed before and after nebulization with a suspension of spores derived from 3 fungi, lipopolysaccharide, and 1-microm silica microspheres in all horses. This was followed by a 4-month washout period and a further pulmonary function test followed by saline (0.9% NaCl) solution challenge and bronchoalveolar lavage. Results: Lichtheimia corymbifera, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Eurotium amstelodami were consistently identified in cultures of moldy hay. Nebulization with fungal spores, lipopolysaccharide, and microspheres induced significant increases in pleural pressure in RAO-susceptible but not control horses. Airway neutrophilia developed in both groups of horses with exposure to challenge material but more severely in RAO-susceptible horses. Conclusions: Results indicated that inhalation of fungal spores in combination with lipopolysaccharide and silica microspheres can induce disease exacerbation in susceptible horses and may thus be a useful model for future standardized studies of RAO in horses.
Publication Date: 2010-06-02 PubMed ID: 20513185DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.71.6.682Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article outlines an experiment assessing the effects of inhaled fungal spores, lipopolysaccharide, and silica microspheres on horses susceptible to recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). The study finds that inhalation of these substances can exacerbate disease symptoms in susceptible horses and proposes this as a potential model for future RAO studies.
Research Methodology
- The study was conducted on 7 horses with a history of RAO and 3 without, ranging in age from 7 to approximately 30 years.
- Three types of mold were cultured from hay and identified using gene amplification and sequencing: Lichtheimia corymbifera, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Eurotium amstelodami.
- Each horse was subjected to pulmonary function testing and bronchoalveolar lavage before and after nebulization – a process of inhaling a fine mist – with a suspension of spores derived from the three molds, lipopolysaccharide, and 1-microm silica microspheres.
- This was followed by a 4-month washout period – time in which no treatment is applied – and a further round of pulmonary function testing. After this, a saline solution was introduced as a challenge and a subsequent bronchoalveolar lavage was performed.
Results
- The three types of mold were consistently identified in samples of moldy hay, confirming their derivation source.
- Nebulization with the fungal spores, lipopolysaccharide, and microspheres led to an increase in pleural pressure – the pressure inside the thoracic cavity – in horses susceptible to RAO, but no significant increase in control horses.
- Airway neutrophilia – an excess of a type of white blood cell known as neutrophils in the blood – developed in both groups of horses following exposure to the challenge material, but it was more severe in RAO-susceptible horses.
Conclusions
- The study concludes that inhalation of fungal spores combined with lipopolysaccharide and silica microspheres exacerbates disease symptoms in horses susceptible to RAO.
- Based on the results, the researchers suggest that this could be a useful model for future standardized studies of RAO in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Beeler-Marfisi J, Clark ME, Wen X, Sears W, Huber L, Ackerley C, Viel L, Bienzle D.
(2010).
Experimental induction of recurrent airway obstruction with inhaled fungal spores, lipopolysaccharide, and silica microspheres in horses.
Am J Vet Res, 71(6), 682-689.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.71.6.682 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Airway Obstruction / etiology
- Airway Obstruction / immunology
- Airway Obstruction / microbiology
- Airway Obstruction / veterinary
- Animals
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / chemistry
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / microbiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Lipopolysaccharides / administration & dosage
- Lipopolysaccharides / immunology
- Macrophages, Alveolar / ultrastructure
- Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / veterinary
- Pilot Projects
- Respiratory Function Tests / veterinary
- Silicon Dioxide / administration & dosage
- Silicon Dioxide / immunology
- Spores, Fungal / immunology
Citations
This article has been cited 19 times.- Bouverat VMA, Pradervand N, Wichert BA, Greim E, Dolf GJ, Gerber V. Sensory Assessment of Hay Samples: Abnormal Odor Predicts Increased Dust Levels and Impurities Suggest Microbiological Contamination. Animals (Basel) 2025 Sep 14;15(18).
- Mańkowska A, Witkowska D. The Most Common Environmental Risk Factors for Equine Asthma-A Narrative Review. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jul 14;14(14).
- Diez de Castro E, Fernandez-Molina JM. Environmental Management of Equine Asthma. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jan 30;14(3).
- Frippiat T, Art T, Tosi I. Airway Hyperresponsiveness, but Not Bronchoalveolar Inflammatory Cytokines Profiles, Is Modified at the Subclinical Onset of Severe Equine Asthma. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 1;13(15).
- Kang H, Lee GKC, Bienzle D, Arroyo LG, Sears W, Lillie BN, Beeler-Marfisi J. Equine alveolar macrophages and monocyte-derived macrophages respond differently to an inflammatory stimulus. PLoS One 2023;18(3):e0282738.
- Di Pietro R, Dubuc V, Manguin E, Giroux-Lafond R, Bédard C, Boivin R, Lavoie JP, Vesper SJ, Leclere M. Characterization of fungal exposure and dectin-1 expression in healthy horses and horses with severe asthma. Am J Vet Res 2022 May 8;83(6).
- Lee GKC, Kang H, Beeler-Marfisi J, Sears W, Lillie BN, Bienzle D. Effects of equine SALSA on neutrophil phagocytosis and macrophage cytokine production. PLoS One 2022;17(3):e0264911.
- Adamič N, Prpar Mihevc S, Blagus R, Kramarič P, Krapež U, Majdič G, Viel L, Hoffman AM, Bienzle D, Vengust M. Effect of intrabronchial administration of autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells on severe equine asthma. Stem Cell Res Ther 2022 Jan 21;13(1):23.
- Lee GKC, Beeler-Marfisi J, Viel L, Piché É, Kang H, Sears W, Bienzle D. Bronchial brush cytology, endobronchial biopsy, and SALSA immunohistochemistry in severe equine asthma. Vet Pathol 2022 Jan;59(1):100-111.
- Kang H, Bienzle D, Lee GKC, Piché É, Viel L, Odemuyiwa SO, Beeler-Marfisi J. Flow cytometric analysis of equine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cells in horses with and without severe equine asthma. Vet Pathol 2022 Jan;59(1):91-99.
- Leclere M, Costa MC. Fecal microbiota in horses with asthma. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Mar;34(2):996-1006.
- Lee GKC, Tessier L, Bienzle D. Salivary Scavenger and Agglutinin (SALSA) Is Expressed in Mucosal Epithelial Cells and Decreased in Bronchial Epithelium of Asthmatic Horses. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:418.
- Orard M, Hue E, Couroucé A, Bizon-Mercier C, Toquet MP, Moore-Colyer M, Couëtil L, Pronost S, Paillot R, Demoor M, Richard EA. The influence of hay steaming on clinical signs and airway immune response in severe asthmatic horses. BMC Vet Res 2018 Nov 15;14(1):345.
- Siegers EW, Anthonisse M, van Eerdenburg FJCM, van den Broek J, Wouters IM, Westermann CM. Effect of ionization, bedding, and feeding on air quality in a horse stable. J Vet Intern Med 2018 May;32(3):1234-1240.
- Klier J, Geis S, Steuer J, Geh K, Reese S, Fuchs S, Mueller RS, Winter G, Gehlen H. A comparison of nanoparticullate CpG immunotherapy with and without allergens in spontaneously equine asthma-affected horses, an animal model. Immun Inflamm Dis 2018 Mar;6(1):81-96.
- Tessier L, Côté O, Clark ME, Viel L, Diaz-Méndez A, Anders S, Bienzle D. Impaired response of the bronchial epithelium to inflammation characterizes severe equine asthma. BMC Genomics 2017 Sep 8;18(1):708.
- Ivester KM, Couëtil LL, Zimmerman NJ. Investigating the link between particulate exposure and airway inflammation in the horse. J Vet Intern Med 2014 Nov-Dec;28(6):1653-65.
- Côté O, Clark ME, Viel L, Labbé G, Seah SY, Khan MA, Douda DN, Palaniyar N, Bienzle D. Secretoglobin 1A1 and 1A1A differentially regulate neutrophil reactive oxygen species production, phagocytosis and extracellular trap formation. PLoS One 2014;9(4):e96217.
- Bosshard S, Gerber V. Evaluation of coughing and nasal discharge as early indicators for an increased risk to develop equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). J Vet Intern Med 2014 Mar-Apr;28(2):618-23.
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