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Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc2021; 34(3); 389-395; doi: 10.1177/10406387211031944

Leukocyte numbers and intestinal mucosal morphometrics in horses with no clinical intestinal disease.

Abstract: Healthy horses and other animals have large numbers of resident leukocytes in the intestinal wall, but there is scant information regarding which and how many leukocytes are normally present in the equine intestinal wall. Our aim was to provide a reference range of leukocytes in the intestinal mucosal and submucosal propria of normal horses. We included in our study intestinal tissues from 22 Thoroughbred racehorses with no clinical intestinal disease, which had been euthanized because of catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries. Neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, macrophages, and plasma cells were counted in 5 random 17,600-µm areas of villus lamina propria of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, and deep lamina propria of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, right ventral colon, left ventral colon, left dorsal colon, right dorsal colon, and small colon. Other features investigated in the same intestinal segments included villus height and width (small intestine), presence of ciliated protozoa, Paneth cells number, subcryptal leukocyte layers (number of leukocyte layers between the bottom of the crypts and the muscularis mucosae), and submucosal leukocytes. Lymphocytes were the most numerous cells in all segments analyzed, followed by plasma cells, eosinophils, macrophages, and neutrophils. Eosinophil numbers were significantly higher in both lamina propria and submucosa of the large intestine than in the small intestine. The duodenum had shorter and thinner villi than either jejunum or ileum. The data provided from our study will be useful for diagnosticians examining inflammatory processes in the intestinal tract of horses.
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Publication Date: 2021-07-23 PubMed ID: 34293980PubMed Central: PMC9254073DOI: 10.1177/10406387211031944Google 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.

This research study was conducted to establish a reference range for leukocyte count in the intestinal mucosal and submucosal propria of horses without any clinical intestinal diseases. The study involved the analysis of intestinal tissues from 22 Thoroughbred racehorses that were euthanized due to catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries.

Study Approach

  • The researchers used intestinal tissues from 22 Thoroughbred racehorses that had no clinical intestinal disease. These horses had been euthanized because of catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries. The intestinal tissues were analyzed to establish the normal population of leukocytes (a type of white blood cell) in the intestines of healthy horses.
  • The cells that were counted in the study included neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, macrophages, and plasma cells. These cells were counted in random areas of the intestinal tissues from different parts including the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, and various parts of the colon.
  • The researchers also investigated other features of the intestinal segments such as the number of ciliated protozoa, villus height and width (in the small intestine), number of Paneth cells, number of leukocyte layers between the bottom of the crypts and the muscularis mucosae, and submucosal leukocytes.

Findings and Conclusion

  • The most numerous cells in all segments analyzed were lymphocytes, followed by plasma cells, eosinophils, macrophages, and neutrophils. This forms the baseline for the kinds of cells usually found in horses’ intestinal tissues.
  • The study also found that the eosinophil numbers were significantly higher in the lamina propria and submucosa of the large intestine than in the small intestine. This is a critical finding that might be handy in diagnosing inflammatory conditions in horses.
  • The researchers also found that the duodenum had shorter and thinner villi than either the jejunum or ileum. These morphological variations are important in understanding the structural differences in various parts of the intestine.
  • The data derived from this study will be useful in diagnosing inflammatory processes in the intestinal tract of horses. The established reference ranges form a basis upon which pathological cases could be compared to identify anomalies.

Cite This Article

APA
Rocchigiani G, Ricci E, Navarro MA, Samol MA, Uzal FA. (2021). Leukocyte numbers and intestinal mucosal morphometrics in horses with no clinical intestinal disease. J Vet Diagn Invest, 34(3), 389-395. https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387211031944

Publication

Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
ISSN: 1943-4936
NlmUniqueID: 9011490
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 34
Issue: 3
Pages: 389-395

Researcher Affiliations

Rocchigiani, Guido
  • Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, UK.
Ricci, Emanuele
  • Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, UK.
Navarro, Mauricio A
  • California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, San Bernardino, CA, USA.
Samol, Monika A
  • California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, San Bernardino, CA, USA.
Uzal, Francisco A
  • California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, San Bernardino, CA, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Colon
  • Horse Diseases
  • Horses
  • Intestinal Diseases / veterinary
  • Intestinal Mucosa
  • Jejunum
  • Leukocyte Count / veterinary

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Citations

This article has been cited 8 times.
  1. Bardell D, Rocchigiani G, Ressel L, Milner P. Histological Evaluation of Resected Tissue as a Predictor of Survival in Horses with Strangulating Small Intestinal Disease. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 26;13(17).
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  2. Cui C, Li L, Wu L, Wang X, Zheng Y, Wang F, Wei H, Peng J. Paneth cells in farm animals: current status and future direction. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2023 Aug 15;14(1):118.
    doi: 10.1186/s40104-023-00905-5pubmed: 37582766google scholar: lookup
  3. Onzere CK, Hulbert M, Sears KP, Williams LBA, Fry LM. Tulathromycin and Diclazuril Lack Efficacy against Theileria haneyi, but Tulathromycin Is Not Associated with Adverse Clinical Effects in Six Treated Adult Horses. Pathogens 2023 Mar 14;12(3).
    doi: 10.3390/pathogens12030453pubmed: 36986375google scholar: lookup
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  6. Hostetter JM, Uzal FA. Gastrointestinal biopsy in the horse: overview of collection, interpretation, and applications. J Vet Diagn Invest 2022 May;34(3):376-388.
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  7. Pekkarinen HM, Simola U, Niinistö KE, Syrjä PES. Clinical features, diagnostic findings, and treatment response in Finnish horses examined for equine inflammatory bowel disease. Acta Vet Scand 2025 Dec 3;68(1):2.
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