FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Equine Vet J Suppl / Prevalence of inflammatory airway disease in national hunt h...
Equine veterinary journal. Supplement2007; (36); 529-534; doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05599.x

Prevalence of inflammatory airway disease in national hunt horses referred for investigation of poor athletic performance.

Abstract: Inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is thought to be an important cause of poor performance in young Thoroughbred racehorses. However, little study has been made of IAD in older National Hunt (NH) horses. Objective: To determine the prevalence of IAD in NH racehorses referred for investigation of poor athletic performance and identify some of the risk factors that may be associated with IAD in this group of horses. Methods: Tracheal mucus was graded, and tracheal wash (TW) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) performed after treadmill exercise in 91 NH horses referred to the University of Bristol. Comparisons were made between the different methods for diagnosing IAD and potential risk factors investigated. Results: Tracheal mucus was observed in 68% and lower airway inflammation identified in 70% of horses. There was poor agreement between TW and BAL techniques for a diagnosis of IAD. The prevalence of increased proportions of neutrophils in TW was 40% compared with 59% in BAL. There was a significant association between presence of tracheal mucus and increased neutrophils in TW but not between tracheal mucus and BAL cytology. No significant association between IAD and age, EIPH or URT obstruction was observed. Conclusions: Inflammatory airway disease was a common finding in NH horses referred for investigation of poor performance. In contrast to studies in younger, flat racehorses the prevalence of disease did not decrease with increasing age. Conclusions: Horses of all ages presented for investigation of poor performance require a thorough clinical investigation of the lower airways. The collection of both TW and BAL samples is indicated in order to confirm a diagnosis of IAD.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2007-04-04 PubMed ID: 17402478DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05599.xGoogle 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.
LinkedInCopy
  • 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 research paper is a study of Inflammatory Airway Disease’s (IAD) prevalence and associated risk factors in National Hunt (NH) racehorses suffering from poor athletic performance.

Objective and Methodology

The study aimed to discover the pervasiveness of IAD among NH racehorses referred due to subpar athletic performance and to identify the associated risk factors. The researchers examined tracheal mucus and performed tracheal wash (TW) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), post treadmill exercise, on 91 NH horses referred to the University of Bristol for investigation. To diagnose IAD, the researchers compared findings from the different tests and examined potential risk factors.

  • Tracheal mucus was graded, and tracheal wash and bronchoalveolar lavage were performed on the horses after treadmill exercise.
  • Different methodologies were compared to diagnose inflammatory airway disease, and potential risk factors were investigated.

Results and Findings

The paper asserts that 68% of horses showed tracheal mucus and lower airway inflammation in 70% of horses. However, the agreement between TW and BAL techniques for diagnosing IAD was poor. There was also a significant variation with TW showing 40% increased proportions of neutrophils and 59% in BAL. A significant association was observed between the presence of tracheal mucus and increased neutrophils in TW, but no such correlation was found between tracheal mucus and BAL cytology.

  • IAD turned out to be prevalent in horses referred for investigation due to poor performance. Contrary to studies on younger flat racehorses, the prevalence of disease did not decrease with increasing age.
  • There was no significant association observed between IAD and age, exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), or upper respiratory tract (URT) obstruction.

Conclusion

The conclusion drawn from this research suggests that IAD is a commonplace disease in NH horses referred due to poor performance. It emphasizes that a thorough clinical investigation of the lower airways is needed for horses of all ages presenting with symptoms of poor performance. The research strongly recommends collecting both TW and BAL samples for a confirmed diagnosis.

  • Regardless of age, horses presenting symptoms of underperformance should undergo a thorough lower airway clinical examination.
  • Acquiring both Tracheal Wash and Bronchoalveolar Lavage samples is crucial for an accurate diagnosis of Inflammatory Airway Disease.

Cite This Article

APA
Allen KJ, Tremaine WH, Franklin SH. (2007). Prevalence of inflammatory airway disease in national hunt horses referred for investigation of poor athletic performance. Equine Vet J Suppl(36), 529-534. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05599.x

Publication

Equine veterinary journal. Supplement
NlmUniqueID: 9614088
Country: United States
Language: English
Issue: 36
Pages: 529-534

Researcher Affiliations

Allen, K J
  • Jim Joel Equine Sports Medicine Centre, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol, BS40 5DU, UK.
Tremaine, W H
    Franklin, S H

      MeSH Terms

      • Age Factors
      • Animals
      • Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
      • Diagnosis, Differential
      • Female
      • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
      • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
      • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
      • Horses
      • Inflammation / diagnosis
      • Inflammation / epidemiology
      • Inflammation / physiopathology
      • Inflammation / veterinary
      • Male
      • Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
      • Prevalence
      • Respiratory Tract Diseases / diagnosis
      • Respiratory Tract Diseases / epidemiology
      • Respiratory Tract Diseases / physiopathology
      • Respiratory Tract Diseases / veterinary
      • Risk Factors
      • Trachea / cytology
      • Trachea / metabolism

      Citations

      This article has been cited 21 times.
      1. Cullinane A, Garvey M, Walsh C, Gibbons J, Creighton A. A Scoping Review of Non-Structural Airway Disease as a Cause of Poor Performance in Racehorses. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jan 27;13(3).
        doi: 10.3390/ani13030429pubmed: 36766318google scholar: lookup
      2. Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Stancari G, Ferrucci F. Impact of Lower Airway Inflammation on Fitness Parameters in Standardbred Racehorses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Nov 21;12(22).
        doi: 10.3390/ani12223228pubmed: 36428455google scholar: lookup
      3. Karagianni AE, Kurian D, Cillán-Garcia E, Eaton SL, Wishart TM, Pirie RS. Training associated alterations in equine respiratory immunity using a multiomics comparative approach. Sci Rep 2022 Jan 10;12(1):427.
        doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-04137-3pubmed: 35013475google scholar: lookup
      4. Karagianni AE, Eaton SL, Kurian D, Cillán-Garcia E, Twynam-Perkins J, Raper A, Wishart TM, Pirie RS. Application across species of a one health approach to liquid sample handling for respiratory based -omics analysis. Sci Rep 2021 Jul 12;11(1):14292.
        doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-93839-9pubmed: 34253818google scholar: lookup
      5. Payette F, Charlebois A, Fairbrother JH, Beauchamp G, Leclere M. Nicoletella semolina in the airways of healthy horses and horses with severe asthma. J Vet Intern Med 2021 May;35(3):1612-1619.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.16140pubmed: 33942932google scholar: lookup
      6. Brankston G, Greer AL, Marshall Q, Lang B, Moore K, Hodgins D, Hennessey JTG, Beeler-Marfisi J. Increased Weekly Mean PM(2.5), and NO(2) Are Associated With Increased Proportions of Lower Airway Granulocytes in Ontario Horses. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:185.
        doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00185pubmed: 32432128google scholar: lookup
      7. Dauvillier J, Ter Woort F, van Erck-Westergren E. Fungi in respiratory samples of horses with inflammatory airway disease. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Mar;33(2):968-975.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.15397pubmed: 30576012google scholar: lookup
      8. Ivester KM, Couëtil LL, Moore GE. An observational study of environmental exposures, airway cytology, and performance in racing thoroughbreds. J Vet Intern Med 2018 Sep;32(5):1754-1762.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.15226pubmed: 30222207google scholar: lookup
      9. Rossi H, Virtala AM, Raekallio M, Rahkonen E, Rajamäki MM, Mykkänen A. Comparison of Tracheal Wash and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cytology in 154 Horses With and Without Respiratory Signs in a Referral Hospital Over 2009-2015. Front Vet Sci 2018;5:61.
        doi: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00061pubmed: 29632867google scholar: lookup
      10. da Silva KM, Otaka JNP, Gonçalves CAP, Silva EGA, de Alencar NX, Lessa DAB. Association between exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage and inflammatory airway disease in polo ponies. J Equine Sci 2017;28(2):55-59.
        doi: 10.1294/jes.28.55pubmed: 28721124google scholar: lookup
      11. Barton AK, Gehlen H. Pulmonary Remodeling in Equine Asthma: What Do We Know about Mediators of Inflammation in the Horse?. Mediators Inflamm 2016;2016:5693205.
        doi: 10.1155/2016/5693205pubmed: 28053371google scholar: lookup
      12. Couëtil LL, Cardwell JM, Gerber V, Lavoie JP, Léguillette R, Richard EA. Inflammatory Airway Disease of Horses--Revised Consensus Statement. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Mar-Apr;30(2):503-15.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.13824pubmed: 26806374google scholar: lookup
      13. Frellstedt L, Gosset P, Kervoaze G, Hans A, Desmet C, Pirottin D, Bureau F, Lekeux P, Art T. The innate immune response of equine bronchial epithelial cells is altered by training. Vet Res 2015 Jan 17;46(1):3.
        doi: 10.1186/s13567-014-0126-3pubmed: 25595212google scholar: lookup
      14. Mazan MR, Lascola K, Bruns SJ, Hoffman AM. Use of a novel one-nostril mask-spacer device to evaluate airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in horses after chronic administration of albuterol. Can J Vet Res 2014 Jul;78(3):214-20.
        pubmed: 24982553
      15. Kusano K, Ishikawa Y, Seki K, Kusunose R. Characteristic of inflammatory airway disease in Japanese thoroughbred racehorses. J Equine Sci 2008;19(2):25-9.
        doi: 10.1294/jes.19.25pubmed: 24833952google scholar: lookup
      16. Beekman L, Tohver T, Dardari R, Léguillette R. Evaluation of suitable reference genes for gene expression studies in bronchoalveolar lavage cells from horses with inflammatory airway disease. BMC Mol Biol 2011 Jan 28;12:5.
        doi: 10.1186/1471-2199-12-5pubmed: 21272375google scholar: lookup
      17. Bozzola C, Sala G, Stancari G, Ferrucci F, Zucca E. Comparison Between Tracheal Wash and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cytology for the Assessment of Airway Inflammation in Racehorses Affected by Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage. Animals (Basel) 2025 Sep 5;15(17).
        doi: 10.3390/ani15172609pubmed: 40941404google scholar: lookup
      18. Röschmann J, Naef J, Doras C, Gerber V. Respiratory Rate Recovery After Submaximal Lunging Exercise Is Delayed in Asthmatic Horses with Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation. Animals (Basel) 2025 Mar 2;15(5).
        doi: 10.3390/ani15050713pubmed: 40075996google scholar: lookup
      19. Hansen S, Otten ND, Ceron JJ, González-Arostegui LG, Peres-Rubio C. Redox Biomarker Variations With Severity of Asthma in Horses Across Different Sample Types. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Mar-Apr;39(2):e70031.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.70031pubmed: 40035177google scholar: lookup
      20. Lendl L, Barton AK. Equine Asthma Diagnostics: Review of Influencing Factors and Difficulties in Diagnosing Subclinical Disease. Animals (Basel) 2024 Dec 4;14(23).
        doi: 10.3390/ani14233504pubmed: 39682469google scholar: lookup
      21. Karagianni AE, Richard EA, Toquet MP, Hue ES, Courouce-Malblanc A, McGorum B, Kurian D, Aguilar J, Mazeri S, Wishart TM, Pirie RS. Distinct Molecular Profiles Underpin Mild-To-Moderate Equine Asthma Cytological Profiles. Cells 2024 Nov 20;13(22).
        doi: 10.3390/cells13221926pubmed: 39594673google scholar: lookup
      Subscribe to our newsletter
      Join 99,357 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.