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[Pathomorphology of chronic obstructive lung disease in the horse].

The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in horses is primarily based on a chronic bronchitis/bronchiolitis with constriction of the tubes in the lower respiratory tract. The outward appearance of the lung is characterized by a diffuse or marginal alveolar emphysema. The big bronchial tubes are usually not altered. Small bronchi and bronchioli can often be seen through the pulmonal pleura. On the sectional area they are visible as opaque grey-red nodules with a central lumen detectable under a magnifying glass. The histopathological picture of alterations in the bronchial tree can vary from case to case. In the smaller bronchi and bronchioli, three basic types of inflammatory and obstructive processes can be distinguished: Type 1: accumulation of mucous exudate in the bronchial tubes and bronchioli, in some cases also in the alveoles; Type 2: desquamative purulent bronchitis/bronchiolitis; Type 3: non-purulent peribronchitis/peribronchiolitis. Indications of a chronic process cannot always be demonstrated. Interstitial lymphocytic infiltrations can be regarded as a manifestation of the chronic course. Hypertrophy of the muscles of the bronchi, metaplasia of the epithelium, fibrosis of the bronchial walls and the neighboring alveoles with hyperplasia of the epithelium are rarely found. The histopathological picture is representative for the final stage of pulmonary diseases without any hint as to the etiology. However, if eosinophilic granulocytes are detected in the peribronchial tissue, an allergic origin is most likely.

Animals↗

Equine pituitary neoplasia: a clinical report of 21 cases (1990-1992).

The records of 21 horses with an adenoma of the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland were reviewed. The animals comprised nine Dutch warmblood horses and 12 ponies. They ranged in age from 12 to 30 years (mean +/- sem 21 +/- 1.3 years) for 20 of the horses, and comprised 13 geldings and eight mares. All the animals showed hirsutism. In 1991, nine horses were diagnosed as having the adenoma, equivalent to 0.5 per cent of the horses examined in 1991. The mean +/- sem survival time of four of the horses (from discharge to the development of complications which required euthanasia) was 192 +/- 59 days (range 120 to 368 days). Routine biochemical measurements were within their normal ranges except for a high alkaline phosphatase activity (768 +/- 487 iu/litre) and a high plasma glucose concentration (7.8 +/- 0.9 mmol/litre) in 16 of the horses; only six had a glucose concentration above 9.0 mmol/litre. The basal plasma concentration of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) in the diseased horses was at least 191 pg/ml. Eight of the horses had mean plasma cortisol concentrations before and after the administration of 25 iu of synthetic ACTH1-24 of 168 +/- 21 (range 74 to 248) and 478 +/- 58 nmol/litre (range 248 to 771), respectively. Analysis of the urine of five of the horses revealed a mean specific gravity of 1.034 +/- 0.0034 (range 1.025 to 1.045).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenoma↗

Treatment and pathogenesis of navicular disease ('syndrome') in horses.

The future directions of navicular disease research are unclear. Often researchers investigate only one of the multitude of factors likely to be important in understanding the disease. Two exceptions to this is work done by Wright in this issue of EVJ and by MacGregor (1988) who compared a number of the treatment regimens (e.g. rest, warfarin, isoxsuprine, shoeing with egg bars) and found that approximately 75% of the horses improved in their performance. Perhaps this percentage of 'recovered' horses from this disease is what can be realistically expected, as often horses with navicular disease remain undiagnosed until the disease has advanced to the stage where problems exist in the foot or to where the conformation-balance of the hoof is irrecoverable. Perhaps the key to controlling the disease is prevention by maintaining good overall hoof husbandry in a conservative and consistent manner. I would advocate that efforts be made to evaluate hoof 'balance' and the validity of the hoof wall-pastern axis being parallel, as these are clearly of importance in this debilitating disease.

Animals↗

Cytology of 100 samples of abdominal fluid from 100 horses with abdominal disease.

A total of 100 samples of abdominal fluid (AF) from 100 horses with abdominal disease were evaluated by cytology. Cytology results were subsequently correlated with the final outcome of the disease. The horses were classified into 4 groups: Group I, horses that were treated with conventional (nonsurgical) therapy and recovered; Group II, horses that had surgery and survived; Group III, horses that had surgery but died; and Group IV, horses that were subjected to euthanasia prior to surgery. Statistical analysis showed that both nucleated cell count and total neutrophils were significantly higher in Group III than in Group I; and that the total mesothelial cells were significantly higher in Group III than in Groups I and II. No significant differences were found for erythrocyte counts and fluid total protein levels among the 4 groups. The findings suggest that classifying AF as transudate, modified transudate and exudate, as well as grading of inflammation as mild, moderate and severe on the basis of nucleated cell count (NCC) and fluid total protein (AFTP) can be greatly misleading. Differential identification of the nucleated cells was found to be far more reliable than the NCC alone, with or without the AFTP, and rendered valuable information, which overruled many times a diagnosis of transudate or modified transudate. Bands, metamyelocytes, toxic changes, plasma cells, and neutrophils penetrating rafts or fronds of mesothelial cells, supported a diagnosis of inflammation, even when the NCC, and the AFTP (interpreted according to currently accepted values) suggested otherwise. Several morphological features were found, including some cell types for which little or no mention was found at all in 22 major studies of this fluid in horses. Among these were 'reddish neutrophils', large granular lymphocytes (LGL), plasma cells, Mott cells, blasts, and a unique hitherto undescribed granular mesothelial cell.

Animals↗

Airway inflammation in Michigan pleasure horses: prevalence and risk factors.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Although subclinical airway inflammation is thought to be common in horses, there is little information on its prevalence and none on risk factors. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and risk factors for an increased number of inflammatory cells and for mucus accumulation in the trachea of pleasure horses. METHODS: Horses (n = 266) in stables (n = 21) in Michigan were examined endoscopically, once in winter and once in summer 2004. Visible tracheal mucoid secretions were graded 0-5 and inflammatory cell numbers counted in a tracheal lavage sample. Information collected about each horse included age, gender, presence of cough, percent time indoors and source of roughage. The repeated measures were analysed by generalised estimating equations and linear mixed models. RESULTS: Horses eating hay, especially from round bales, had the most neutrophils, whereas horses feeding from pasture had the fewest. Being female and being outdoors in winter were associated with increased numbers of inflammatory cells. Older horses had fewer macrophages than young horses. More than 70% of horses had >20% neutrophils in tracheal lavage. Twenty percent of horses had a mucus accumulation score >1; 17% had both a mucus score >1 and >20% neutrophils. The significant risk factors for mucus accumulation >1 were age >15 years, feeding on hay as compared to pasture, and being outdoors for more than 80% time in winter. Even though mucus accumulation score >1 was a risk factor for cough, only half of such horses coughed. Cough and mucus accumulation were associated with increased number of neutrophils. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison to pasture feeding, hay feeding, particularly from round bales, was associated with an increased number of neutrophils in the airway. Being outdoors in winter was associated with increased numbers of inflammatory cells and with mucus accumulation. Because 70% of horses have >20% neutrophils, this value should not be used as the sole indicator of airway inflammation. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: The study reinforces the importance of hay feeding and older age as risk factors for inflammatory airway disease. Horses that do not have 'heaves' may be best kept indoors when winters are cold.

Age Factors↗

Phenylalanine inhibited p-nitrophenyl phosphatase activity in the serum as an indication of intestinal cellular disruption in the horse.

Examination of tissues obtained from thoroughbred horses showed that the 'intestinal' phosphatase activity could be differentiated from other phosphatases by analysis at a pH of 9-5 and inhibition with 15 mM L-phenylalanine. A simple method for the measurement of 'intestinal' phosphatase in heparinised plasma or serum is described. Application of the technique to serum or plasma from normal and diseased horses indicates that the increase in the activity of 'intestinal' phosphatase is associated with cases showing clinical, biochemical and haematological evidence of intestinal damage.

4-Nitrophenylphosphatase↗

The effect of arthritis in the carpal joint on performance in Norwegian cold-blooded trotters.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of arthritis of the carpal joint on performance of Norwegian cold-blooded trotters. Two performance variables were used in the analyses. The first was the start status, for which horses that had started in one or more races within a certain age received the value 1, and horses that had not raced were correspondingly assigned the value 0. The second variable was the accumulated, transformed and standardized earnings (ATSE), which is the power transformation of earnings (earnings .2, with unraced horses assigned a value of zero) expressed as a standardized normal deviate by birth year. With the exception of the first year of racing, the number of horses that had raced was larger in the group of unaffected horses than in the groups with arthritis (carpitis or bilateral carpitis), although the difference between the groups was not significant for any of the age classes. A similar picture was observed for ATSE and, in general, the diseased horses earned less money. None of these differences was significant at the 5% level. However, the statistical power was less than 0.3, which means that the probability of detecting a true difference was less than 30%. The data were deemed inadequate to show a significant effect of arthritis on racing performance. This may only be achieved through investigations in which more of the error variance can be statistically modelled, and in which arthritis can be observed as an incidence rather than as a prevalence.

Age Factors↗

Immunodiagnostic assays.

The immune system is a complex interactive network. Defects in its function can be characterized broadly as being the result of actual deficiencies in the network or misdirection of normal immunologic functions. The assays that are available to detect deficiencies in the immunologic network barely scrape the surface of the possibilities. These assays primarily evaluate humoral immune function, but undetected defects in innate and cellular immunity are sure to exist. Although assays of humoral immunity have allowed the characterization of a number of immunodeficiency syndromes in horses, closer evaluation of the equine immune system using newer assays described in this text, as well as future assays yet to be developed are sure to determine new syndromes. Assays of misdirected immunologic functions have been limited to detection of misdirected antibody responses, but the dependence of antibody production on help from T cells could reflect an underlying defect of cellular immunity. Similar to immunodeficiency syndromes, misdirected responses of the innate and adaptive arms of immunity are sure to occur but will only be detected by more diligent surveillance of diseased horses and application of new immunodiagnostic technologies.

Animals↗

Magnetic resonance for evaluation of neurologic disease in 12 horses.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was used as a neurodiagnostic modality in the assessment of 12 horses with neurologic disease localized cranial to the foramen magnum. This retrospective study included a mixed population of horse breeds and consisted of three foals and nine adult horses. MR sequences of the head and central nervous system of each horse were acquired. Routine MR sequences included transverse T1 weighted (T1wt), T2 weighted (T2wt), and proton density images. Additional imaging sequences were obtained on a patient-dependent basis. Eight neurologic related diseases were diagnosed. MRI imaging of the horse head is a feasible and valuable neurodiagnostic modality in the assessment of equine neurologic diseases.

Animals↗