Fibrin deposits and organ failure in newborn foals with severe septicemia.
Abstract: Septicemia in human neonates frequently is complicated by activation of the coagulation system, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and multiple organ failure syndrome, which may contribute to high mortality. In adult horses with DIC, the lung has been the organ most frequently affected by fibrin deposits. In addition, in vivo studies suggest that hemostatic mechanisms may be immature in foals < 1-day old. Objective: Newborn foals with severe septicemia have fibrin deposits in their tissues independently of their age, and these fibrin deposits are associated with organ failure. Methods: Thirty-two septic and 4 nonseptic newborn foals euthanized for poor prognosis. Methods: Tissue samples (kidney, lung, and liver) collected on postmortem examination were stained with phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin (PTAH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for blind histologic examination. A fibrin score (grades 0-4) was established for each tissue sample and for each foal. Medical records were reviewed for assessing clinical evidence of organ failure during hospitalization. Results: Fibrin deposits were found in most septic foals (28/32 when using IHC and 21/32 when using PTAH), independently of the age of the foal. The lung was the most affected tissue (97% of the septic foals). Additionally, organ failure was diagnosed in 18/32 septic foals (8 with respiratory failure, 14 with renal failure), although a statistical association with severe fibrin deposition was not identified. Conclusions: Nonsurviving septic foals have fibrin deposits in their tissues, a finding consistent with capillary microthrombosis and DIC.
Publication Date: 2008-09-09 PubMed ID: 18783354DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2008.0178.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The study investigates the presence of fibrin deposits in the tissues of newborn foals with severe septicemia, and their potential association with organ failure. The research uncovers that most septic foals showed fibrin deposits in their tissues regardless of their age, but could not establish a statistical link between significant fibrin deposition and organ failure.
Study Objective and Methods
- The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether newborn foals with severe septicemia develop fibrin deposits in their tissues, irrespective of their age, and if these deposits are associated with organ failure.
- The researchers studied tissue samples from 32 septic and 4 non-septic newborn foals that were euthanized due to a poor prognosis. Tissues from kidney, lung, and liver were collected during a postmortem examination.
- The tissues were then stained using phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin (PTAH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for a blind histologic examination and a fibrin score was determined for each sample and foal.
- Medical records were also reviewed to identify clinical evidence of any organ failure during the foals’ hospitalization.
Results
- Out of 32 septic newborn foals examined, fibrin deposits were found in 28 of them when using IHC and in 21 when using PTAH, showing that age is not a factor.
- The lung was the tissue most affected by the deposits, seen in 97% of the septic foals.
- Additionally, organ failure was diagnosed in 18 out of the 32 septic foals, with respiratory failure in 8 and renal failure in 14. However, the researchers could not identify a statistical association between severe fibrin deposition and organ failure.
Conclusions
- The conclusion of the study is that fibrin deposits inexplicably occur in the tissues of non-surviving septic foals – a finding that implies the occurrence of capillary microthrombosis and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), conditions known to trigger severe health complications.
- However, the study could not establish whether these fibrin deposits are directly associated with the occurrence of organ failure.
Cite This Article
APA
Cotovio M, Monreal L, Armengou L, Prada J, Almeida JM, Segura D.
(2008).
Fibrin deposits and organ failure in newborn foals with severe septicemia.
J Vet Intern Med, 22(6), 1403-1410.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2008.0178.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Fibrin / metabolism
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Immunohistochemistry / veterinary
- Kidney / pathology
- Lung / pathology
- Multiple Organ Failure / metabolism
- Multiple Organ Failure / pathology
- Multiple Organ Failure / veterinary
- Sepsis / pathology
- Sepsis / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Jaramillo C, Renaud DL, Arroyo LG, Kenney DG, Gamsjaeger L, Gomez DE. Serum haptoglobin concentration and liver enzyme activity as indicators of systemic inflammatory response syndrome and survival of sick calves. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Mar;36(2):812-819.
- Ortega MA, Asúnsolo Á, Pekarek L, Alvarez-Mon MA, Delforge A, Sáez MA, Coca S, Sainz F, Mon MÁ, Buján J, García-Honduvilla N. Histopathological study of JNK in venous wall of patients with chronic venous insufficiency related to osteogenesis process. Int J Med Sci 2021;18(9):1921-1934.
- Satué K, Gardon JC, Muñoz A. Clinical and laboratorial description of the differential diagnoses of hemostatic disorders in the horse. Iran J Vet Res 2020 Winter;21(1):1-8.
- Sheats MK. A Comparative Review of Equine SIRS, Sepsis, and Neutrophils. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:69.
- Litvinov RI, Weisel JW. What Is the Biological and Clinical Relevance of Fibrin?. Semin Thromb Hemost 2016 Jun;42(4):333-43.
- Cesarini C, Cotovio M, Ríos J, Armengou L, Jose-Cunilleras E. Association Between Necropsy Evidence of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation and Hemostatic Variables Before Death in Horses With Colic. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Jan-Feb;30(1):269-75.
- Ortolan LS, Sercundes MK, Barboza R, Debone D, Murillo O, Hagen SC, Russo M, D' Império Lima MR, Alvarez JM, Amaku M, Marinho CR, Epiphanio S. Predictive criteria to study the pathogenesis of malaria-associated ALI/ARDS in mice. Mediators Inflamm 2014;2014:872464.
- van Galen G, Divers TJ, Savage V, Schott HC 2nd, Siwinska N. ECEIM consensus statement on equine kidney disease. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Jul-Aug;38(4):2008-2025.
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