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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / The Relationship between Lung Inflammation and Aerobic Thres...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(8); doi: 10.3390/ani10081278

The Relationship between Lung Inflammation and Aerobic Threshold in Standardbred Racehorses with Mild-Moderate Equine Asthma.

Abstract: Mild-moderate equine asthma (MEA) is a common disease of young racehorses characterized by inflammation of the lower airways diagnosed by cytological examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and it is considered an important cause of poor performance. The most common parameter of athletic capacity associated with horse performance is the speed at 4 mmol/L of lactate (VLA4). The aim of the present work was to evaluate the relation between the different BALF inflammatory cells and VLA4 in racehorses affected by MEA. A population of Standardbred racehorses that underwent an accurate protocol for poor performance evaluation was collected for a retrospective study. Horses with any other alteration potentially influencing performance were excluded, thus considering only subjects with BALF cytology consistent with MEA. A sample of 30 horses (3.4 ± 1.0 years old) was selected. The relationship between BALF inflammatory cell differential count and VLA4 was evaluated by means of linear regression. Statistical analysis showed a significant relation (p = 0.015, r2 = 0.19) between the increase in the differential count of neutrophils in BALF and the decrease in VLA4. The results obtained suggested that the accumulation of neutrophils in the airways of MEA horses may have a direct impact on athletic capacity, possibly due to impaired alveolar blood-gas exchanges during strenuous exercise.
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Publication Date: 2020-07-27 PubMed ID: 32727062PubMed Central: PMC7459439DOI: 10.3390/ani10081278Google Scholar: Lookup
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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 article investigates the impact of lung inflammation on the athletic performance of racehorses suffering from mild-moderate equine asthma (MEA). It reveals a negative correlation between lung inflammation and athletic capacity in these horses, as indicated by a significant decrease in speed at a given lactate threshold when the count of inflammatory cells in the lung is high.

Study Summary

  • The research focuses on MEA, a common condition among young racehorses that is characterized by inflammation in the lower airways.
  • The study aims to evaluate the relationship between the different inflammatory cells found in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) – a diagnostic fluid used to examine lung health – and the speed at which the horse reaches a lactate level of 4 mmol/L during exercise (VLA4).
  • The most common measure of a horse’s athletic ability is the VLA4 reading. High VLA4 scores indicate superior performance capacity.

Methodology

  • The study includes a sample of 30 Standardbred racehorses, all between 3.4 and 4.4 years old.
  • Only horses showing signs of MEA via BALF cytology and no other ailments that could affect performance were selected for the study.
  • A linear regression was conducted to evaluate the relationship between the count of inflammatory cells in BALF and the VLA4.

Key Findings

  • The study discovered a significant relationship between the count of neutrophil cells, a type of inflammatory cell, in the BALF and the VLA4 (p = 0.015, r2 = 0.19).
  • A higher count of neutrophils in a horse’s BALF coincided with a lower VLA4, implying reduced athletic performance.
  • The researchers concluded that excessive neutrophil accumulation within a horse’s airways could negatively impact their athletic capacity, potentially due to obstructed alveolar blood-gas exchanges during intensive physical activity.

Cite This Article

APA
Stucchi L, Alberti E, Stancari G, Conturba B, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. (2020). The Relationship between Lung Inflammation and Aerobic Threshold in Standardbred Racehorses with Mild-Moderate Equine Asthma. Animals (Basel), 10(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10081278

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 8

Researcher Affiliations

Stucchi, Luca
  • Equine Sports Medicine Laboratory "Franco Tradati", Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milano, Italy.
Alberti, Elena
  • Equine Sports Medicine Laboratory "Franco Tradati", Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milano, Italy.
Stancari, Giovanni
  • Equine Sports Medicine Laboratory "Franco Tradati", Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milano, Italy.
Conturba, Bianca
  • Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Equine Medicine Unit, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy.
Zucca, Enrica
  • Equine Sports Medicine Laboratory "Franco Tradati", Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milano, Italy.
Ferrucci, Francesco
  • Equine Sports Medicine Laboratory "Franco Tradati", Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milano, Italy.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 11 times.
  1. Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Stancari G, Conturba B, Bozzola C, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Associations between Medical Disorders and Racing Outcomes in Poorly Performing Standardbred Trotter Racehorses: A Retrospective Study. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 9;13(16).
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  2. Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Stancari G, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome affects fitness parameters in poorly performing Standardbred racehorses. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:1014619.
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  3. 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
  4. Stucchi L, Lo Feudo CM, Stancari G, Conturba B, Ferrucci F. Effect of the Administration of a Nutraceutical Supplement in Racehorses with Lower Airway Inflammation. Animals (Basel) 2022 Sep 19;12(18).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12182479pubmed: 36139339google scholar: lookup
  5. Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Stancari G, Alberti E, Conturba B, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Associations between Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) and Fitness Parameters Measured by Incremental Treadmill Test in Standardbred Racehorses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Feb 12;12(4).
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  6. Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Alberti E, Stancari G, Conturba B, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. The Role of Thoracic Ultrasonography and Airway Endoscopy in the Diagnosis of Equine Asthma and Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage. Vet Sci 2021 Nov 15;8(11).
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