Evaluation of Treatment With Respiratory Gene Technology and Serum in a Group of Standard Bred Racehorses With Cytological Evidence of Mild Equine Asthma.
Authors: Hansen Sanni, Laustsen Louise, Otten Nina D, Skovgaard Kerstin, Bech Rune, Byrgesen Simon, Hopster-Iversen Charlotte, Fjeldborg Julie
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary Equine asthma management in racehorses typically relies on glucocorticoids, which present significant withdrawal-time constraints in competition animals. This randomised clinical trial compared the efficacy of autologous conditioned serum (produced via Respiratory Gene Technology) against plain serum in 36 Standardbred trotters with cytologically confirmed mild asthma, administering 12 intramuscular injections over 6 weeks with assessments at baseline, 6 weeks, and 16 weeks post-treatment. Both treatment groups demonstrated substantial reductions in bronchoalveolar lavage neutrophils and mast cells between baseline and 6 weeks (neutrophils: RGT P = 0.002, serum P = 0.002), with mast cell improvements sustained through to 10 weeks post-treatment, whilst tracheal wash cytology showed no meaningful changes and untreated controls remained unaltered. The findings suggest intramuscular serum administration—whether gene-conditioned or standard—may offer a glucocorticoid-sparing alternative for managing mild equine asthma in athletic horses, though the practical advantages of RGT over standard serum remain unclear and warrant larger-scale validation before recommending widespread adoption in clinical practice.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Intramuscular serum and RGT treatment offer glucocorticoid-free alternatives for managing mild equine asthma, eliminating medication withdrawal concerns for racehorses
- •Both treatments effectively reduced airway inflammation markers (neutrophils and mast cells) with effects persisting 10 weeks after completing therapy
- •Tracheal wash cytology did not reflect treatment response; bronchoalveolar lavage appears necessary for accurate assessment of treatment efficacy in mild asthma
Key Findings
- •Both RGT and serum treatment significantly reduced BAL neutrophils between baseline and 6 weeks (P = 0.002 for both groups)
- •BAL mast cells decreased significantly in both treatment groups at 6 weeks and remained reduced at 16-week follow-up
- •No significant changes in tracheal wash cytology were observed at any time point
- •Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine expression was regulated according to treatment protocol