Effect of hospitalization on equine local intestinal immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentration measured in feces.
Authors: May A, Gerhards H, Wollanke B
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Fecal IgA as a Stress Marker in Hospitalized Horses Hospitalization exposes horses to multiple stressors that can compromise intestinal immunity and trigger secondary gastrointestinal disease, yet the mechanisms underlying this clinical observation remain poorly characterised. May and colleagues measured faecal immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentration via ELISA in 110 hospitalized horses and 14 controls across a week-long hospitalization period, collecting samples on days 1, 2, 3, and 7, alongside blood cortisol measurements before and after anaesthesia where applicable. Control horses maintained stable faecal IgA levels (mean 0.30 OD₄₅₀ ± 0.11) throughout the study period, whereas hospitalized horses showed a significant decline in faecal IgA following general anaesthesia, regardless of surgical type or duration (P < 0.001 for elective procedures; P = 0.043 for traumatic surgery), with elevated plasma cortisol weakly correlating with reduced faecal IgA on day 3 post-operatively (r = 0.113). These findings demonstrate that transport, surgery, and the hospitalization environment collectively suppress local intestinal immune function through stress-mediated pathways, potentially explaining why hospitalized horses remain susceptible to enterocolitis and other secondary gastrointestinal complications. Faecal IgA measurement may warrant consideration as a non-invasive biomarker for assessing immunosuppression risk in hospitalized patients, though further investigation of intervention strategies to preserve mucosal immunity during high-stress periods would be clinically valuable.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Hospitalized horses experience immunosuppression in the gut during and after surgery; heightened vigilance for signs of enterocolitis (colic, diarrhea, fever) is warranted in the post-operative period
- •Stress management strategies during hospitalization and transport may help preserve local intestinal immunity and reduce gastrointestinal disease risk
- •Fecal IgA measurement could become a useful biomarker for assessing hospitalization stress and predicting gastrointestinal complications in clinical practice
Key Findings
- •Fecal IgA concentrations decreased considerably after general anesthesia regardless of surgery type (P < 0.001 for elective surgery, P = 0.043 for traumatic surgery)
- •Control group maintained constant fecal IgA levels (mean 0.30 OD450 ± 0.11) across all sampling days, while hospitalized horses showed decline
- •High plasma cortisol concentrations showed weak but significant negative correlation with fecal IgA on day 3 post-surgery (r = 0.113, P = 0.012)
- •Stress from transport, surgery, and hospitalization compromises local intestinal immune function, potentially predisposing horses to gastrointestinal disease