Influence of short distance transportation on tracheal bacterial content and lower airway cytology in horses.
Authors: Allano Marion, Labrecque Olivia, Rodriguez Batista Edisleidy, Beauchamp Guy, Bédard Christian, Lavoie Jean-Pierre, Leclere Mathilde
Journal: Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
Summary
# Editorial Summary Researchers examined whether short-distance transportation might confound airway disease diagnosis by altering airway samples in eight healthy horses transported for 2.5 hours under different conditions (with and without hay access), collecting tracheal washes and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid both at rest and post-transport. Transport without hay availability triggered significant increases in lower airway neutrophil counts and BALF neutrophilia frequency, suggesting that sampling protocols alone can artificially elevate inflammatory markers independent of underlying disease. Tracheal bacterial culture results and tracheal cytology remained unchanged across conditions, indicating that bacterial contamination was not a confounding factor in this transport scenario. These findings carry important implications for referral centre diagnostics: elevated neutrophils in lower airway fluid may reflect transport stress rather than conditions such as recurrent airway obstruction or inflammatory airway disease, particularly when samples are collected shortly after arrival. Clinicians should therefore consider transport conditions, timing of sample collection, and pre-referral management when interpreting airway cytology results, and ideally allow appropriate acclimatisation periods or document transport circumstances to avoid misdiagnosis.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Allow hay access during transportation to reduce transport-induced lower airway inflammation that could complicate clinical diagnosis
- •Be aware that horses transported without feed may show increased airway neutrophilia on BAL even when healthy, potentially leading to misdiagnosis of inflammatory airway disease
- •Consider transport conditions (duration, feed availability, environmental factors) when interpreting airway cytology results from recently transported referral cases
Key Findings
- •Short-distance transportation (2.5 hours) without hay increased BALF neutrophil counts, percentages, and neutrophilia frequency (P<0.05) in healthy horses
- •Transportation with hay did not significantly increase BALF neutrophilia, suggesting feed access may mitigate transport-induced airway inflammation
- •Tracheal cytology and bacterial culture were not significantly affected by short-distance transportation
- •Transport-induced BALF neutrophilia could confound airway disease diagnosis in horses presented to referral centers shortly after transport