FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
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.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2020-07-27 PubMed ID: 32727062PubMed Central: PMC7459439DOI: 10.3390/ani10081278Google 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 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.

References

This article includes 30 references
  1. Lange-Consiglio A, Stucchi L, Zucca E, Lavoie JP, Cremonesi F, Ferrucci F. Insights into animal models for cell-based therapies in translational studies of lung diseases: Is the horse with naturally occurring asthma the right choice?. Cytotherapy 2019 May;21(5):525-534.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2019.02.010pubmed: 30929991google scholar: lookup
  2. 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.13824pmc: PMC4913592pubmed: 26806374google scholar: lookup
  3. Christley RM, Hodgson DR, Rose RJ, Wood JL, Reids SW, Whitear KG, Hodgson JL. A case-control study of respiratory disease in Thoroughbred racehorses in Sydney, Australia.. Equine Vet J 2001 May;33(3):256-64.
    doi: 10.2746/042516401776249796pubmed: 11352347google scholar: lookup
  4. Cardwell JM, Wood JL, Smith KC, Newton JR. Descriptive results from a longitudinal study of airway inflammation in British National Hunt racehorses.. Equine Vet J 2011 Nov;43(6):750-5.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00338.xpubmed: 21496098google scholar: lookup
  5. Gy C, Leclere M, Vargas A, Grimes C, Lavoie JP. Investigation of blood biomarkers for the diagnosis of mild to moderate asthma in horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Jul;33(4):1789-1795.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.15505pmc: PMC6639487pubmed: 31099114google scholar: lookup
  6. Fogarty U, Buckley T. Bronchoalveolar lavage findings in horses with exercise intolerance.. Equine Vet J 1991 Nov;23(6):434-7.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1991.tb03756.xpubmed: 1778160google scholar: lookup
  7. Richard EA, Fortier GD, Lekeux PM, Van Erck E. Laboratory findings in respiratory fluids of the poorly-performing horse.. Vet J 2010 Aug;185(2):115-22.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.05.003pubmed: 19481964google scholar: lookup
  8. Lavoie JP, Cesarini C, Lavoie-Lamoureux A, Moran K, Lutz S, Picandet V, Jean D, Marcoux M. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology and cytokine messenger ribonucleic Acid expression of racehorses with exercise intolerance and lower airway inflammation.. J Vet Intern Med 2011 Mar-Apr;25(2):322-9.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.0664.xpubmed: 21281348google scholar: lookup
  9. Nolen-Walston RD, Harris M, Agnew ME, Martin BB, Reef VB, Boston RC, Davidson EJ. Clinical and diagnostic features of inflammatory airway disease subtypes in horses examined because of poor performance: 98 cases (2004-2010).. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013 Apr 15;242(8):1138-45.
    doi: 10.2460/javma.242.8.1138pubmed: 23547679google scholar: lookup
  10. 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.15226pmc: PMC6189343pubmed: 30222207google scholar: lookup
  11. Bond SL, Greco-Otto P, MacLeod J, Galezowski A, Bayly W, Léguillette R. Efficacy of dexamethasone, salbutamol, and reduced respirable particulate concentration on aerobic capacity in horses with smoke-induced mild asthma.. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Mar;34(2):979-985.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.15696pmc: PMC7096652pubmed: 31953974google scholar: lookup
  12. Widmer A, Doherr MG, Tessier C, Koch C, Ramseyer A, Straub R, Gerber V. Association of increased tracheal mucus accumulation with poor willingness to perform in show-jumpers and dressage horses.. Vet J 2009 Dec;182(3):430-5.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2008.08.015pubmed: 18835198google scholar: lookup
  13. Gerber V, Schott Ii HC, Robinson NE. Owner assessment in judging the efficacy of airway disease treatment.. Equine Vet J 2011 Mar;43(2):153-8.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00156.xpubmed: 21592208google scholar: lookup
  14. Persson S.G.B.. Evaluation of exercise tolerance and fitness in the performance horse. Equine Exercise Physiology 1983;Volume 1:441–457.
  15. Couroucé A, Chatard JC, Auvinet B. Estimation of performance potential of standardbred trotters from blood lactate concentrations measured in field conditions.. Equine Vet J 1997 Sep;29(5):365-9.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1997.tb03140.xpubmed: 9306062google scholar: lookup
  16. Leleu C, Cotrel C, Courouce-Malblanc A. Relationships between physiological variables and race performance in French standardbred trotters.. Vet Rec 2005 Mar 12;156(11):339-42.
    doi: 10.1136/vr.156.11.339pubmed: 15789646google scholar: lookup
  17. Lindner AE. Relationships between racing times of Standardbreds and v4 and v200.. J Anim Sci 2010 Mar;88(3):950-4.
    doi: 10.2527/jas.2009-2241pubmed: 19933440google scholar: lookup
  18. Couëtil LL, Hoffman AM, Hodgson J, Buechner-Maxwell V, Viel L, Wood JL, Lavoie JP. Inflammatory airway disease of horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2007 Mar-Apr;21(2):356-61.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2007.tb02975.xpubmed: 17427403google scholar: lookup
  19. Stucchi L., Valli C., Stancari G., Zucca E., Ferrucci F.. Creatine-kinase reference intervals at rest and after maximal exercise in Standardbred racehorses. Comp. Exerc. Physiol. 2019;15:319–325.
    doi: 10.3920/CEP190020google scholar: lookup
  20. Newell J, Higgins D, Madden N, Cruickshank J, Einbeck J, McMillan K, McDonald R. Software for calculating blood lactate endurance markers.. J Sports Sci 2007 Oct;25(12):1403-9.
    doi: 10.1080/02640410601128922pubmed: 17786693google scholar: lookup
  21. Ferro E., Ferrucci F., Zucca E., di Fabio V., Castoldi S.. Arterial blood gas analysis in 53 racehorses with a diagnosis of Small Airway Inflammatory Disease (SAID). J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2002;22:165–168.
    doi: 10.1016/S0737-0806(02)70142-1google scholar: lookup
  22. Ferrucci F., Stucchi L., Salvadori M., Stancari G., Conturba B., Bronzo V., Ferro E., Zucca E.. Effetti dell’amikacina per via inalatoria in cavalli sportivi affetti da sindrome da calo di rendimento e confronto con la somministrazione endovenosa. Ippologia 2013;24:3–9.
  23. Fraipont A, Van Erck E, Ramery E, Richard E, Denoix JM, Lekeux P, Art T. Subclinical diseases underlying poor performance in endurance horses: diagnostic methods and predictive tests.. Vet Rec 2011 Aug 6;169(6):154.
    doi: 10.1136/vr.d4142pubmed: 21795311google scholar: lookup
  24. Trilk JL, Lindner AJ, Greene HM, Alberghina D, Wickler SJ. A lactate-guided conditioning programme to improve endurance performance.. Equine Vet J Suppl 2002 Sep;(34):122-5.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2002.tb05403.xpubmed: 12405671google scholar: lookup
  25. Couroucé A, Chrétien M, Valette JP. Physiological variables measured under field conditions according to age and state of training in French Trotters.. Equine Vet J 2002 Jan;34(1):91-7.
    doi: 10.2746/042516402776181141pubmed: 11817559google scholar: lookup
  26. Persson SG. Heart rate and blood lactate responses to submaximal treadmill exercise in the normally performing standardbred trotter--age and sex variations and predictability from the total red blood cell volume.. Zentralbl Veterinarmed A 1997 May;44(3):125-32.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0442.1997.tb01094.xpubmed: 9197201google scholar: lookup
  27. Couëtil LL, Denicola DB. Blood gas, plasma lactate and bronchoalveolar lavage cytology analyses in racehorses with respiratory disease.. Equine Vet J Suppl 1999 Jul;(30):77-82.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1999.tb05193.xpubmed: 10659227google scholar: lookup
  28. Sánchez A, Couëtil LL, Ward MP, Clark SP. Effect of airway disease on blood gas exchange in racehorses.. J Vet Intern Med 2005 Jan-Feb;19(1):87-92.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2005.tb02663.xpubmed: 15715053google scholar: lookup
  29. Holcombe SJ, Robinson NE, Derksen FJ, Bertold B, Genovese R, Miller R, de Feiter Rupp H, Carr EA, Eberhart SW, Boruta D, Kaneene JB. Effect of tracheal mucus and tracheal cytology on racing performance in Thoroughbred racehorses.. Equine Vet J 2006 Jul;38(4):300-4.
    doi: 10.2746/042516406777749191pubmed: 16866195google scholar: lookup
  30. Koblinger K, Nicol J, McDonald K, Wasko A, Logie N, Weiss M, Léguillette R. Endoscopic assessment of airway inflammation in horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2011 Sep-Oct;25(5):1118-26.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2011.00788.xpubmed: 21985142google scholar: lookup

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).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13162569pubmed: 37627359google scholar: lookup
  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.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1014619pubmed: 36504861google scholar: lookup
  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).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12040449pubmed: 35203157google scholar: lookup
  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).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci8110276pubmed: 34822649google scholar: lookup
  7. Alberti E, Stucchi L, Lo Feudo CM, Stancari G, Conturba B, Ferrucci F, Zucca E. Evaluation of Cardiac Arrhythmias before, during, and after Treadmill Exercise Testing in Poorly Performing Standardbred Racehorses. Animals (Basel) 2021 Aug 16;11(8).
    doi: 10.3390/ani11082413pubmed: 34438870google scholar: lookup
  8. Borowska A, Wolska D, Niedzwiedz A, Borowicz H, Jaworski Z, Siemieniuch M, Szwaczkowski T. Some Genetic and Environmental Effects on Equine Asthma in Polish Konik Horses. Animals (Basel) 2021 Aug 3;11(8).
    doi: 10.3390/ani11082285pubmed: 34438743google scholar: lookup
  9. Busechian S, Di Salvo A, Orvieto S, Rueca F, Villella C, Sollevanti G, Pieramati C, Nisi I, Della Rocca G. Changes in Fitness Parameters in Ridden Trained Showjumping Horses After Healing of Gastric Ulcers: Preliminary Results. Vet Sci 2025 Dec 21;13(1).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci13010009pubmed: 41600665google scholar: lookup
  10. 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
  11. Mańkowska A, Witkowska D. The Most Common Environmental Risk Factors for Equine Asthma-A Narrative Review. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jul 14;14(14).
    doi: 10.3390/ani14142062pubmed: 39061524google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,850 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.