Surfactant protein D concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from young healthy horses on pasture and in a barn environment.
Abstract: To evaluate surfactant protein D (SP-D) concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from young healthy horses on pasture or housed in a typical barn. Methods: 20 young healthy horses. Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups (pasture, n = 10; barn, 10), and serum and BALF samples were collected for SP-D determination at baseline (all horses on pasture) and 2 weeks and 4 weeks after the barn group of horses was relocated from the pasture to the barn. Other evaluations included physical and tracheoscopic examinations. Findings were compared within and between groups. Results: Physical and tracheoscopic examinations, CBC, and serum biochemical analysis did not reveal evidence of respiratory disease, and no significant differences were present within and between groups. Serum SP-D concentrations did not significantly differ within and between groups, but BALF SP-D concentrations were significantly lower for the barn group at 2 weeks but not at 4 weeks, compared with baseline. The BALF SP-D concentration-to-BALF total protein concentration ratio was < 1.5 and did not significantly differ within and between groups. Conclusions: A mild decrease was evident in the concentration of SP-D in the BALF collected from young healthy horses after 2 weeks of exposure to a barn environment. The clinical importance of this finding remains to be determined.
Publication Date: 2021-01-23 PubMed ID: 33480279DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.82.2.152Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Veterinary
Summary
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The research article investigates the impact of different environments, specifically pasture versus barn, on the levels of surfactant protein D (SP-D) in the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of young, healthy horses. No significant differences were found except a mild decrease in BALF SP-D concentrations in barn-raised horses after two weeks.
Objective and Methodology
- The main goal of the study was to evaluate and compare the levels of SP-D in serum and BALF of young healthy horses living in different environments – in the pasture and in a barn.
- The study involved 20 horses that were randomly assigned to live either in a pasture (10 horses) or in a barn (10 horses).
- For the experiment, serum and BALF samples were collected at baseline (when all horses were on pasture) and then after 2 weeks and 4 weeks, particularly from those horses that were moved to the barn.
- The study also encompassed physical and tracheoscopic examinations, checking for any signs of respiratory disease.
Results and Findings
- Neither physical nor tracheoscopic examinations, or serum biochemical analysis, indicated evidence of respiratory diseases in the horses, irrespective of their environment.
- There wasn’t any significant variance in the serum SP-D concentrations within and between the two groups (pasture and barn).
- However, the BALF SP-D concentration dropped significantly for the barn group after 2 weeks of relocation from the pasture. By the 4th week, this decline was not observed.
- The ratio of BALF SP-D concentration to BALF total protein concentration in both groups was under 1.5, and there weren’t any notable differences between or within the groups in this aspect.
Conclusion
- The study observed a mild decrease in BALF SP-D levels in the horses after two weeks of exposure to a barn environment, but the significance of this observation in relation to horse health is yet to be delineated.
Cite This Article
APA
Daly AE, Deible CG, Lamb CE, Santacaterina SM, Marzolf NL, Page AE, Horohov DW, Wood PL, Werre SR, Chapman SE, Christmann U.
(2021).
Surfactant protein D concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from young healthy horses on pasture and in a barn environment.
Am J Vet Res, 82(2), 152-157.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.82.2.152 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage / veterinary
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid
- Horse Diseases
- Horses
- Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D
- Respiratory Tract Diseases / veterinary
Citations
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