Respiratory disease in thoroughbred horses in training: the relationships between disease and viruses, bacteria and environment.
Abstract: A longitudinal study of respiratory disease in racehorses was carried out to assess its relative associations with different infectious agents and to examine any role that the environmental conditions might play. The relationships between coughing, nasal discharge, pyrexia and lower respiratory tract disease were also examined to provide information for improving clinical diagnosis, particularly of disease of the lower respiratory tract. Lower airway disease was closely associated with infection with Streptococcus zooepidemicus. It was also found that equine herpesvirus seroconversions and S pneumoniae infections were independently associated with the development of nasal discharge. Coughing was a specific, but insensitive measure of lower respiratory tract disease (specificity 84 per cent, sensitivity 38 per cent). However, horses that coughed were very likely to have had lower airway disease for more than one month. Horses housed on straw in loose boxes were twice as likely to suffer from lower airway disease as those kept on shredded paper in American barns. The study was not large enough to assess the significance of rarer infections but it did improve the definition of the problem of respiratory disease in racehorses and revealed some of the trends in the associations between viruses, bacteria and the environment in respiratory disease.
Publication Date: 1996-09-28 PubMed ID: 8893488DOI: 10.1136/vr.139.13.308Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research investigates the relationship between different infectious agents, environmental conditions, and respiratory disease in thoroughbred racehorses. The study found that a bacterial infection, equine herpesvirus, and certain housing conditions were significant factors in the development of these respiratory issues.
Objectives of the Research
- The primary goal of this study was to understand the correlation between different infectious pathogens and respiratory disease in racehorses. The researchers also sought to evaluate the impact of the horses’ environment on their health.
- The investigators also analyzed the connection between symptoms such as coughing, nasal discharge, pyrexia (fever), and lower respiratory tract disease, aiming to enhance clinical diagnoses mainly concerning lower respiratory tract diseases.
Key Findings
- Infections with Streptococcus zooepidemicus, a bacteria, were closely linked to lower airway disease.
- Equine herpesvirus seroconversions and infections with S. pneumoniae were independently associated with the development of nasal discharge in the equine subjects.
- Coughing, although being a specific indicator of lower respiratory tract disease, was found to lack sensitivity, meaning that not all horses with lower respiratory tract disease manifested coughing. The research found that when coughing did occur, it was likely the horse had been experiencing lower respiratory tract disease for over a month.
- Environmental conditions, particularly the housing conditions of the horses, played a significant role in their health. Horses living on straw in loose boxes demonstrated twice the likelihood of contracting lower airway disease compared to those housed on shredded paper in American barns.
Implications of the Study
- This research helped to better define the issue of respiratory disease in racehorses by recognizing the trends in the relationships between bacterial and viral infections, the environment, and the manifestation of respiratory disease.
- The study was not large enough to assess the significance of rarer infections, calling for larger studies to further elucidate these relationships.
Cite This Article
APA
Burrell MH, Wood JL, Whitwell KE, Chanter N, Mackintosh ME, Mumford JA.
(1996).
Respiratory disease in thoroughbred horses in training: the relationships between disease and viruses, bacteria and environment.
Vet Rec, 139(13), 308-313.
https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.139.13.308 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, Suffolk.
MeSH Terms
- Adenoviridae / isolation & purification
- Animals
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horse Diseases / virology
- Horses
- Incidence
- Longitudinal Studies
- Picornaviridae / isolation & purification
- Respiratory Tract Diseases / microbiology
- Respiratory Tract Diseases / physiopathology
- Respiratory Tract Diseases / veterinary
- Respiratory Tract Diseases / virology
- Seasons
- Streptococcus / isolation & purification
Citations
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