Evaluation of Eosinopenia as a SIRS Biomarker in Critically Ill Horses.
Authors: Martín-Cuervo María, Gracia-Calvo Luis Alfonso, Macías-García Beatriz, Ezquerra Luis Javier, Barrera Rafael
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Eosinopenia as a SIRS Biomarker in Critically Ill Horses Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) develops frequently in critically ill equine patients, yet reliable, readily available biomarkers to identify affected horses and predict outcome remain limited; whilst plasma cortisol correlates strongly with disease severity, routine measurement is impractical in clinical settings, prompting investigation of eosinophil counts as a potential alternative. Researchers stratified 102 hospitalised horses into three cohorts—healthy controls, sick horses without SIRS, and horses meeting ≥2 SIRS criteria—and compared haematological and inflammatory markers between groups. SIRS-positive horses demonstrated significantly lower eosinophil counts than healthy controls, and non-surviving horses exhibited lower eosinophil counts than those discharged alive, suggesting eosinopenia reflects the severity of systemic inflammation and stress response. The practical value lies in eosinophil enumeration being a routine component of a complete blood count; practitioners can assess SIRS status and prognosis without requiring specialised assays, making this parameter particularly useful for emergency and intensive care decisions. These findings support incorporating eosinophil interpretation into clinical assessment protocols, though eosinopenia should be integrated alongside other SIRS criteria and established markers (lactate, temperature, heart and respiratory rates) rather than used in isolation for prognostication.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Eosinophil counts offer a practical, routinely-available alternative to plasma cortisol for identifying SIRS in emergency cases when intensive care assessment is needed
- •Lower eosinophil values in sick horses correlate with worse prognosis; use this as a quick prognostic indicator alongside other clinical parameters
- •Include eosinophil evaluation in standard hemograms of critically ill horses as part of your SIRS assessment protocol
Key Findings
- •Horses with SIRS exhibited significantly lower eosinophil counts compared to healthy control horses
- •Non-surviving critically ill horses had lower eosinophil counts than surviving horses
- •Eosinopenia can serve as a reliable biomarker to identify horses meeting SIRS criteria
- •Eosinophil count may have prognostic value for predicting survival outcomes in critically ill horses