FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Diagn Invest / Retrospective study of pneumonia in non-racing horses in Cal...
Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc2022; 34(4); 587-593; doi: 10.1177/10406387221094273

Retrospective study of pneumonia in non-racing horses in California.

Abstract: Pneumonia is a significant disease of horses. Although pneumonia has traditionally been studied in racehorses, little information is available for non-racing horses. Non-racing horses that died with pulmonary lesions ( = 156) were available from cases submitted for autopsy from January 2015 to June 2020. Bronchopneumonia (35%), interstitial pneumonia (29%), embolic pneumonia (21%), granulomatous pneumonia (13%), and pleuritis (2%) were observed in the examined horses. Seventy-four horses died or were euthanized because of pulmonary diseases, and 82 horses died or were euthanized because of non-pulmonary causes but had lung lesions. Of the horses that died from pulmonary causes, the most common finding was bronchopneumonia, with abscesses and/or necrosis in the cranioventral aspect of the lung. Bacteria isolated from cases of bronchopneumonia were subsp. (48.5%), (12.1%), and subsp. (9.1%). The most common extrapulmonary lesions responsible for death in horses that also had lesions in the lung were mainly in the gastrointestinal system (30%), multiple systems (septicemia and/or toxemia; 27%), and musculoskeletal system (12%). The main postmortem findings in cases of bronchopneumonia of non-racing horses were similar to those reported previously in racehorses. However, some non-racing horses also had interstitial and granulomatous pneumonia, patterns not described previously in racehorses in California, likely as a result of the inclusion of extended age categories for non-racing horses. We also found that the equine lung was frequently affected in cases of sepsis and gastrointestinal problems of infectious origin.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2022-05-09 PubMed ID: 35535386PubMed Central: PMC9266512DOI: 10.1177/10406387221094273Google 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 retrospective study on pneumonia found in non-racing horses in California, where findings revealed distinct varieties of pneumonia and their connection with other diseases, offering essential insights into the conditions specific to non-racing equine populations.

Research Methodology

  • The study was conducted by observing non-racing horses in California that had incurred pulmonary lesions and later died or were euthanized. The data used in the study was collected from cases of such horses submitted for autopsy, between January 2015 and June 2020.
  • The selection criteria included a total of 156 horses that had pulmonary lesions, irrespective of the cause of death or euthanasia. Hence, the research included horses that died due to pulmonary diseases and those who died owing to non-pulmonary causes but had lung lesions.

Findings of the Study

  • Upon examining the collected cases, several types of pneumonia were identified. These included Bronchopneumonia (35%), Interstitial pneumonia (29%), Embolic pneumonia (21%), and Granulomatous pneumonia (13%). The smallest percentage was found to be pleuritis at just 2%.
  • The most common pulmonary cause of death was found to be bronchopneumonia. The disease was characterized by abscesses and/or necrosis in the cranioventral aspect of the lung.
  • The microorganisms isolated from the cases of bronchopneumonia included different bacterial subspecies, with one type constituting almost half of the total instances (48.5%).
  • When evaluating horses that suffered from lesions in the lung and died from non-pulmonary causes, it was discovered that the primary extrapulmonary lesions causing death were mostly in the gastrointestinal system (30%), multiple systems in cases of septicemia and/or toxemia (27%), and the musculoskeletal system (12%).

Comparison with Previous Studies

  • The key findings in cases of bronchopneumonia in non-racing horses were consistent with previous reports about racing horses.
  • A distinct difference was found, however, in the presence of interstitial and granulomatous pneumonia in non-racing horses, patterns not previously described in the racing equine population in California. This difference is likely attributed to the broader age categories included in the non-racing horse study.
  • The study also highlighted a frequent occurrence of lung disease in cases of sepsis and digestive tract problems of infectious origin in horses.

Conclusion

  • Overall, the research provides pertinent findings about the types of pneumonia found in non-racing horses, the presence of pulmonary lesions in horses died from both pulmonary and non-pulmonary causes, and the linkages between pneumonia and various other diseases in horses, thereby offering valuable insights for further research and understanding of diseases in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Rahman A, Uzal FA, Hassebroek AM, Carvallo FR. (2022). Retrospective study of pneumonia in non-racing horses in California. J Vet Diagn Invest, 34(4), 587-593. https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387221094273

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: 4
Pages: 587-593

Researcher Affiliations

Rahman, Ariana
  • Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Uzal, Francisco A
  • California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, University of California-Davis, San Bernardino, CA, USA.
Hassebroek, Anna M
  • Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Carvallo, Francisco R
  • Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Actinobacillus
  • Animals
  • Bronchopneumonia / veterinary
  • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
  • Horse Diseases / pathology
  • Horses
  • Pneumonia / veterinary
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Streptococcus equi

Conflict of Interest Statement

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

References

This article includes 30 references
  1. Anzai T, Walker JA, Blair MB, Chambers TM, Timoney JF. Comparison of the phenotypes of Streptococcus zooepidemicus isolated from tonsils of healthy horses and specimens obtained from foals and donkeys with pneumonia.. Am J Vet Res 2000 Feb;61(2):162-6.
    pubmed: 10685688doi: 10.2460/ajvr.2000.61.162google scholar: lookup
  2. Barr BS. Pneumonia in weanlings.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2003 Apr;19(1):35-49.
    pubmed: 12747660doi: 10.1016/s0749-0739(02)00065-2google scholar: lookup
  3. Beech J. Respiratory problems in foals.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 1985 Apr;1(1):131-49.
    pubmed: 2866829doi: 10.1016/s0749-0739(17)30773-3google scholar: lookup
  4. Bianchi MV. Lung lesions of slaughtered horses in southern Brazil. Pesq Vet Bras 2018;38:2056–2064.
  5. Bianchi MV, Mello LS, Ribeiro PR, Wentz MF, Stolf AS, Lopes BC, de Andrade CP, Snel GGM, Sonne L, Driemeier D, Pavarini SP. Causes and Pathology of Equine Pneumonia and Pleuritis in Southern Brazil.. J Comp Pathol 2020 Aug;179:65-73.
    pubmed: 32958150doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2020.07.006google scholar: lookup
  6. Broberg CA, Palacios M, Miller VL. Klebsiella: a long way to go towards understanding this enigmatic jet-setter.. F1000Prime Rep 2014;6:64.
    pmc: PMC4126530pubmed: 25165563doi: 10.12703/p6-64google scholar: lookup
  7. Burrell MH, Wood JL, Whitwell KE, Chanter N, Mackintosh ME, Mumford JA. Respiratory disease in thoroughbred horses in training: the relationships between disease and viruses, bacteria and environment.. Vet Rec 1996 Sep 28;139(13):308-13.
    pubmed: 8893488doi: 10.1136/vr.139.13.308google scholar: lookup
  8. Carrillo MF, Kemper D, Woods LW, Carvallo FR. Chronic interstitial pneumonia with features of organizing pneumonia in an adult horse.. J Vet Diagn Invest 2020 Jul;32(4):621-625.
    pmc: PMC7438643pubmed: 32687009doi: 10.1177/1040638720936251google scholar: lookup
  9. Carvallo FR, Uzal FA, Diab SS, Hill AE, Arthur RM. Retrospective study of fatal pneumonia in racehorses.. J Vet Diagn Invest 2017 Jul;29(4):450-456.
    pubmed: 28681687doi: 10.1177/1040638717717290google scholar: lookup
  10. Caswell JL, Williams KJ. Respiratory system. Jubb, Kennedy, and Palmer’s Pathology of Domestic Animals Vol. 2. 6th ed. Elsevier, 2016:465–591.
  11. Cohen ND. Causes of and farm management factors associated with disease and death in foals.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1994 May 15;204(10):1644-51.
    pubmed: 8050947
  12. Estell KE, Young A, Kozikowski T, Swain EA, Byrne BA, Reilly CM, Kass PH, Aleman M. Pneumonia Caused by Klebsiella spp. in 46 Horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Jan-Feb;30(1):314-21.
    pmc: PMC4913652pubmed: 26492860doi: 10.1111/jvim.13653google scholar: lookup
  13. Galvin N, Corley K. Causes of disease and death from birth to 12 months of age in the Thoroughbred horse in Ireland.. Ir Vet J 2010 Jan 1;63(1):37-43.
    pmc: PMC3113843pubmed: 21851741doi: 10.1186/2046-0481-63-1-37google scholar: lookup
  14. Hensel M, Meason-Smith C, Plumlee QD, Myers AN, Coleman MC, Lawhon S, Rodrigues Hoffmann A, Rech RR. Retrospective Analysis of Aetiological Agents Associated with Pulmonary Mycosis Secondary to Enteric Salmonellosis in Six Horses by Panfungal Polymerase Chain Reaction.. J Comp Pathol 2020 Jan;174:1-7.
    pmc: PMC8212182pubmed: 31955794doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2019.10.002google scholar: lookup
  15. Löfstedt J. White muscle disease of foals.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 1997 Apr;13(1):169-85.
    pubmed: 9106350doi: 10.1016/s0749-0739(17)30262-6google scholar: lookup
  16. Mair TS, Lane JG. Pneumonia, lung abscesses and pleuritis in adult horses: a review of 51 cases.. Equine Vet J 1989 May;21(3):175-80.
    pubmed: 2731504doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1989.tb02135.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  17. Meijer WG, Prescott JF. Rhodococcus equi.. Vet Res 2004 Jul-Aug;35(4):383-96.
    pubmed: 15236672doi: 10.1051/vetres:2004024google scholar: lookup
  18. Miller MA, Moore GE, Bertin FR, Kritchevsky JE. What's New in Old Horses? Postmortem Diagnoses in Mature and Aged Equids.. Vet Pathol 2016 Mar;53(2):390-8.
    pubmed: 26459516doi: 10.1177/0300985815608674google scholar: lookup
  19. Muscatello G. Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in the foal--part 1: pathogenesis and epidemiology.. Vet J 2012 Apr;192(1):20-6.
    pubmed: 22015138doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2011.08.014google scholar: lookup
  20. Pierezan F. Necropsy findings related to the cause of death in 335 horses: 1968–2007. Pesq Vet Bras 2009;29:275–280.
  21. Racklyeft DJ, Love DN. Bacterial infection of the lower respiratory tract in 34 horses.. Aust Vet J 2000 Aug;78(8):549-59.
    pubmed: 10979512doi: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2000.tb11901.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  22. Reuss SM, Cohen ND. Update on bacterial pneumonia in the foal and weanling.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2015 Apr;31(1):121-35.
    pubmed: 25600452doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2014.11.004google scholar: lookup
  23. Rush B, Mair T. Lower respiratory tract infectious disease and diagnostic techniques. Equine Respiratory Diseases 1st ed. Blackwell, 2004:249–304.
  24. Slocombe RF, Slauson DO. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis of horses: an association with acute enteritis.. Vet Pathol 1988 Jul;25(4):277-81.
    pubmed: 3407097doi: 10.1177/030098588802500405google scholar: lookup
  25. Sturgill T, Carter C. Causes of foal mortality, a one-year snapshot. Equine Diseases Quarterly Newsletter, Gluck Equine Research Center 2008;17:6.
  26. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Equine 2015: baseline reference of equine health and management in the United States, 2015. Dec 2016.
  27. Wilkins PA. Lower respiratory problems of the neonate.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2003 Apr;19(1):19-33, v.
    pubmed: 12747659doi: 10.1016/s0749-0739(02)00064-0google scholar: lookup
  28. Wilkins PA, Lascola KM. Update on interstitial pneumonia.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2015 Apr;31(1):137-57.
    pubmed: 25770067doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2014.11.006google scholar: lookup
  29. Williams KJ, Robinson NE, Lim A, Brandenberger C, Maes R, Behan A, Bolin SR. Experimental induction of pulmonary fibrosis in horses with the gammaherpesvirus equine herpesvirus 5.. PLoS One 2013;8(10):e77754.
    pmc: PMC3795644pubmed: 24147074doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077754google scholar: lookup
  30. Wilson WD, Madigan JE. Comparison of bacteriologic culture of blood and necropsy specimens for determining the cause of foal septicemia: 47 cases (1978-1987).. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1989 Dec 15;195(12):1759-63.
    pubmed: 2624660

Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Asin J, Carvallo F, Gonzales-Viera OA, Macías-Rioseco M, Streitenberger N, Abdelrazek S, Crossley B, Pesavento PA, Uzal FA. Interstitial pneumonias of undetermined etiology in foals in California, 1990-2020. J Vet Diagn Invest 2026 Jan 29;:10406387251410524.
    doi: 10.1177/10406387251410524pubmed: 41612676google scholar: lookup
  2. Barrantes Murillo DF, Berrocal A, Ali IKM, Uzal FA. Systemic Acanthamoeba T17 infection in a free-ranging two-toed sloth: case report and literature review of infections by free-living amebas in mammals. J Vet Diagn Invest 2025 Jan;37(1):164-172.
    doi: 10.1177/10406387241292346pubmed: 39473116google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,357 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.