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Journal of veterinary internal medicine2019; 33(4); 1789-1795; doi: 10.1111/jvim.15505

Investigation of blood biomarkers for the diagnosis of mild to moderate asthma in horses.

Abstract: Asthma in horses is associated with nonspecific respiratory clinical signs and may be manifested only as exercise intolerance. Its diagnosis relies on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology in the presence of compatible clinical signs. The identification of blood biomarkers for this condition would facilitate diagnosis in the field, because there are regional areas where BAL is not routinely performed in clinical practice. Objective: Identification of blood biomarkers for the diagnosis of asthma in horses. Methods: Fourteen horses with asthma with increased neutrophil numbers in BALF (neutrophilic asthma), 9 healthy control horses, and 10 horses with other pathologic conditions (pathologic controls). Methods: Physical examination, clinical score, hematology, and BALF cytology (in a subset of horses) were performed. Serum concentrations of surfactant protein D (SP-D), haptoglobin, and secretoglobin (SCGB) were measured using commercial ELISA assays. Results: Serum concentration of SP-D > 43 ng/mL, serum concentration of haptoglobin >5730 ng/mL, and serum concentration of SCGB <19 ng/mL allowed differentiation of horses with neutrophilic asthma from horses of the control groups (healthy and pathologic) with sensitivity of 55, 95, and 75%, and specificity of 67, 28, and 60%, respectively. Specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 45% were obtained with the combination of SP-D, haptoglobin, and SCGB at the serum concentrations indicated above. Specificity of 95% and sensitivity of 45% were obtained with the combination of SP-D and SCGB serum concentrations. Conclusions: Haptoglobin, SCGB, and SP-D may be diagnostic aids in horses with clinical signs of lower airway disease and neutrophilic pulmonary inflammation.
© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2019-05-16 PubMed ID: 31099114PubMed Central: PMC6639487DOI: 10.1111/jvim.15505Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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 study examines potential methods for diagnosing asthma in horses by checking the levels of certain proteins in their blood, in hopes of creating an easier and more accessible diagnostic method for areas that lack specific medical equipment.

Background

  • The research addresses a significant issue in veterinary medicine—the diagnosis of asthma in horses. Typically, this condition presents with nonspecific signs, and at times, the only symptom could be the reduced capacity to exercise.
  • The standard diagnostic method is to inspect the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) for cytological anomalies. BALF refers to the fluid obtained from a washout of the bronchoalveolar region. However, it’s not always feasible to perform this procedure, particularly in remote regions.

Objective

  • The objective of the study is to identify specific blood biomarkers for diagnosing equine asthma, which would make diagnosis simpler, especially in remote areas where bronchoalveolar lavage may not be an option.

Methodology

  • The researchers studied a total of 33 horses. Included in the sample were horses diagnosed with asthma, healthy control horses, and horses with other health conditions.
  • They performed clinical examinations, scored each horse’s status, ran hematology tests, and conducted BALF cytology tests for some horses.
  • They used enzymatic assays to measure the serum concentrations of three potential biomarkers namely, surfactant protein D (SP-D), haptoglobin, and secretoglobin (SCGB).

Findings

  • Through their collected data, researchers established threshold concentrations for each potential biomarker that could differentiate asthmatic horses from healthy horses or those with different disorders. These values include SP-D concentrations above 43 ng/mL, haptoglobin concentrations above 5730 ng/mL, and SCGB concentrations less than 19 ng/mL.
  • Each biomarker showed varying degrees of sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity refers to the proportion of correctly identified positive results; specificity refers to the proportion of correctly identified negative results.
  • The combination of all three biomarkers showed a 100% specificity and a sensitivity of 45%. The combination of SP-D and SCGB offered slightly lower levels of specificity and sensitivity at 95% and 45%, respectively.

Conclusions

  • The results suggest that these three biomarkers, haptoglobin, SCGB, and SP-D, could potentially be useful tools in diagnosing horses with asthmatic symptoms and neutrophilic pulmonary inflammation.

Cite This Article

APA
Gy C, Leclere M, Vargas A, Grimes C, Lavoie JP. (2019). Investigation of blood biomarkers for the diagnosis of mild to moderate asthma in horses. J Vet Intern Med, 33(4), 1789-1795. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15505

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 33
Issue: 4
Pages: 1789-1795

Researcher Affiliations

Gy, Clementine
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
Leclere, Mathilde
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
Vargas, Amandine
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
Grimes, Carolyn
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
Lavoie, Jean-Pierre
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Asthma / blood
  • Asthma / diagnosis
  • Asthma / veterinary
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Female
  • Haptoglobins / analysis
  • Horse Diseases / blood
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
  • Horses
  • Male
  • Neutrophils
  • Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D / blood
  • Secretoglobins / blood

Grant Funding

  • Fonds du Centenaire
  • Fonds en santu00e9 u00e9quine de l'Universitu00e9 de Montru00e9al
  • Zoetis

Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 16 times.
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