Coughing in the horse Flashcards
What is the most common cause of pneumonia in the foal?
Bacterial. Strep zooepidemicus
What are the clinical signs associated with infectious pneumonia in the weanling?
Pyrexia, Mucopurulent discharge, noise on auscultation, coughing
Why is it difficult to listen to LRT infection in the horse?
They have a large reserve volume
What would you be able to see on endoscopy of a horse with infectious pneumonia?
mucopurulent exudate
How does infectious pneumonia present on X-ray?
bronchointerstitial pattern
What will you see on the BAL of an animal suffereing with infectious pneumonia?
bacteria and degenerate neutrophils
What strains of herpes virus cause URT and LRT disease in the horse?
1 and 4
How should you treat bacterial pneumonia in the horse?
Treat with antibiotics based on culture and sensitivity. Possibly bronchodilators
In what age group of horses is URT infection most common?
Yearling who first encounter viruses
What is the symptoms of URT infect?
Fever, Nasal discharge, coughing, enlarged sub mandibular lymph nodes.
Where does Equine herpes virus remain latent?
Bronchial lymph nodes, sub-mandibular LN, trigemminal ganglion
Where in the respiratory tract does the herpes virus replicate?
In the upper respiratory tract then disseminates to the lower respiratory tract
How long does immunity to equine herpes virus last?
3-5 months
How can you diagnose equine herpes virus ?
nasopharyngeal swab combined with PCR or paired serology
How long is the equine influenza virus immunity effective for?
2-3 months
what are the clinical signs of equine herpes virus?
raised temp, inappetance, nasal discharge, coughing depression and abortion
What is the basic disease process in RAO?
Spores and allergens deposit in bronchioles stimulating immune reactions including type1, 3 and 4. The airways then become hyper sensitive and react to everything
What are the acute symptoms of RAO?
Increased inspiratory and expiratory effort
What are the chronic symptoms of RAO?
Poor performance, coughing and possibly hypertrophy of abdominal muscles
What other disease can look like RAO but is seasonal?
Summer pasture associated pulmonary disease
What group is inflammatory airway disease usually seen in?
Young performance horses
What is EIPH?
Exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage
What can you see on cytology of lavage of RAO patient?
Increased cellularity, non degenerate neutrophils and presence of curshmanns spirals
What are curshmanns spirals?
These are spiral shapped mucus plugs that are the result of chronic inflammation
