Assessing fitness in endurance horses.

A field test and a standardized treadmill test were used to assess fitness in endurance horses. These tests discriminated horses of different race levels: horses participating in races of 120 km and more showed higher values of VLA4 (velocity at which blood lactate reached 4 mmol/L) and V200 (velocity at which heart rates reached 200 beats per min) than horses of lower race levels.

Equine gammaherpesviruses: pathogenesis, epidemiology and diagnosis.

Equine gammaherpesviruses (γEHV) have been widely studied over the past 45 years and many isolates have been characterised. Despite this, the diagnosis of γEHV infection remains difficult to establish as its clinical manifestations lack specificity, ranging from mild respiratory signs in a small number of animals to outbreaks in large groups of young horses. This review focuses on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and diagnosis of equine herpesvirus (EHV)-2 and -5 infections, as well as on the genetic variation of these viruses. Study of these variations has resulted in hypotheses relating to viral re-infection and re-activation. Interestingly, the viruses were found to contain genetic sequences identical to those of eukaryotic cells which are considered central to the development of viral latency through interfering with host immune and inflammatory responses. Future molecular biological studies will further elucidate the virulence mechanisms of these equine pathogens.

Laboratory findings in respiratory fluids of the poorly-performing horse.

Any disorder impairing a performance horse's ability to ventilate its lungs and exchange oxygen compromises exercise performance in any discipline. Since bronchoalveolar lavage was described in horses in the early 1980s, laboratory evaluation of respiratory fluids, along with clinical and functional assessment of the respiratory system, has become a relevant step in the diagnosis of respiratory disease affecting performance. The aim of this review is to provide objective information to assist clinicians in interpreting laboratory findings by (1) summarising published cytological references values in both clinically healthy horses and those with various airway diseases, (2) assessing the influence of physiological circumstances, such as exercise, on the cytological evaluation, (3) discussing the relationship between cytological and microbiological analyses, clinical signs and respiratory function, and (4) suggesting how this latter relationship may affect performance.

Herpesviruses in respiratory liquids of horses: putative implication in airway inflammation and association with cytological features.

The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence and the potential role of equine herpesviruses (EHVs) detection in both bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and tracheal wash (TW). The population included a control group (CTL; 37 TW and 25 BAL) and a pathological group (PAT; 259 TW and 387 BAL), including horses either suffering from respiratory diseases including syndrome of tracheal inflammation, inflammatory airway disease, recurrent airway obstruction, or submitted to respiratory investigation because of exercise intolerance or poor performance. Each respiratory liquid was submitted to a standardised cytological analysis, mentioning the morphological abnormalities of exfoliated epithelial cells (ECAb) and ciliocytophthoria (CCPh) as markers of potential viral infection, as well as PCR assays including a consensus PCR and virus-specific PCR for both equine alphaherpesviruses (EHV-1; EHV-4) and gammaherpesviruses (EHV-2; EHV-5). The EHV infections were more prevalent in the TW of PAT group (P=0.004), with the highest prevalence being for EHV-2 (P=0.006). The EHV detection in BALs was not significantly different between groups. The EHVs detection in TW was correlated to the polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) counts in the respiratory liquid but not with CCPh or ECAb. CCPh or ECAb were associated with both consensus PCR and EHV-2 and EHV-5 virus-type PCR in the BAL only. The significant detection of EHVs in the TW of PAT group in association with the PMN increased counts could lead to further investigations about their putative role in equine syndrome of tracheal inflammation.

Identification of equid herpesvirus-5 in respiratory liquids: a retrospective study of 785 samples taken in 2006-2007.

During a case control study undertaken in 2006-2007, a screening and consensus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to evaluate the potential role of equid herpesviruses (EHV) in several occurrences of respiratory disorders in 661 horses. Of 785 bronchoalveolar or tracheal lavage fluid samples submitted for analysis, 20 were positive for EHV-5 DNA by sequential analysis of the consensus PCR product. Nineteen of those samples were confirmed using a specific EHV-5 PCR. No particular changes in cytological profile could be associated with the detection of EHV-5 in contrast to suggestions in previous reports of natural or experimental respiratory viral infections in horses or ponies. This is the first description of EHV-5 isolation in equine respiratory fluids in Europe, but further investigations are needed to determine the potential pathogenic role of this gammaherpesvirus in the horse.

Use of the impulse oscillometry system for testing pulmonary function during methacholine bronchoprovocation in horses.

OBJECTIVE: To compare sensitivity of the impulse oscillometry system (IOS) with that of the conventional reference technique (CRT; ie, esophageal balloon method) for pulmonary function testing in horses. ANIMALS: 10 horses (4 healthy; 6 with recurrent airway obstruction [heaves] in remission). PROCEDURE: Healthy horses (group-A horses) and heaves-affected horses (group-B horses) were housed in a controlled environment. At each step of a methacholine bronchoprovocation test, threshold concentration (TC(2SD); results in a 2-fold increase in SD of a value) and sensitivity index (SI) were determined for respiratory tract system resistance (R(rs)) and respiratory tract system reactance (X(rs)) at 5 to 20 Hz by use of IOS and for total pulmonary resistance (RL) and dynamic lung compliance (C(dyn)), by use of CRT. RESULTS: Bronchoconstriction resulted in an increase in R(rs) at 5 Hz (R(5Hz)) and a decrease in X(rs) at all frequencies. Most sensitive parameters were X(rs) at 5 Hz (X(5Hz)), R(5Hz), and R(5Hz):R(10Hz) ratio; RL and the provocation concentration of methacholine resulting in a 35% decrease in dynamic compliance (PC(35)C(dyn)) were significantly less sensitive than these IOS parameters. The TC(2SD) for X(rs) at 5 and 10 Hz was significantly lower in group-B horses, compared with group-A horses. The lowest TC(2SD) was obtained for X(5Hz) in group-B horses and R(5Hz) in group-A horses. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In contrast to CRT parameters, IOS parameters were significantly more sensitive for testing pulmonary function. The IOS provides a practical and noninvasive pulmonary function test that may be useful in assessing subclinical changes in horses.