Research article expression of surfactant protein-A and D, and CD9 in lungs of 1 and 30 day old foals.

Summary

# Editorial Summary Understanding pulmonary immune competence in neonatal foals remains poorly characterised, despite respiratory disease being a leading cause of morbidity and mortality across all equine ages. Bocking and colleagues investigated the expression patterns of three key immune molecules—surfactant proteins A and D (SP-A, SP-D) and the tetraspanin CD9—in lung tissue from foals aged 1 and 30 days, utilising immunohistochemistry to map their cellular distribution and abundance. Expression of all three molecules increased significantly between day 1 and day 30 of life, suggesting a developmental trajectory in pulmonary innate immunity during the critical early postnatal period when foals transition from placental to autonomous respiratory function. These findings illuminate the maturation timeline of surfactant-mediated and cell-contact-dependent immune mechanisms in the foal lung, providing a foundation for understanding why neonatal foals remain particularly vulnerable to respiratory pathogens and informing future research into immunomodulatory interventions for at-risk populations, whether through colostrum optimisation, vaccination timing, or supportive therapies during the first month of life.

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Key Findings

• •CD9, SP-A, and SP-D expression was examined in foal lungs at 1 and 30 days of age to understand immune molecule development
• •Study provides foundational data on tetraspanin and surfactant protein expression patterns during early foal life

Conditions Studied

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