Microbiological Findings of Tracheobronchial Washes of Healthy Horses and Those With Respiratory Diseases - ARS VETERINARIA (v.27, n.2)

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The study assessed microbiological characteristics of tracheobronchial washes collected by tracheal puncture from 25 healthy horses and 65 horses with respiratory distress admitted to Hospital Veterinario (HOVET, USP). In the healthy group, only 8 of 25 samples showed no bacterial growth, while the subset with bacterial bronchopneumonia (12.3% of studied animals) yielded bacterial growth in all samples, highlighting Streptococcus alpha-hemolyticus. The sampling technique proved effective, supporting its use as a complementary diagnostic exam, while further research is needed to refine interpretation across populations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

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Introduction

Respiratory tract as a performance-limiting factor

Sampling methods and rationale

Study objective

Material and Methods

Animals and admission criteria

ARS VETERINARIA, Jaboticabal, SP, v.27, n.2, 073-079, 2011. ISSN 2175-0106 MICROBIOLOGICAL FINDINGS OF TRACHEOBRONCHIAL WASHES OF HEALTHY HORSES AND THOSE WITH RESPIRATORY DISEASES ACHADOS MICROBIOL”GICOS DO LAVADO TRAQUEOBR‘NQUICO DE EQUINOS CLINICAMENTE SADIOS E DAQUELES PORTADORES DE AFEC«’ES DO SISTEMA RESPIRAT”RIO W. R. FERNANDES1, A. SANCHES2, M. C. C. RAMOS3, V. R. C. SOUZA4, C. S. COELHO5* SUMMARY This study evaluated the microbiological aspects of tracheobronchial washes obtained through tracheal puncture of 25 healthy horses and 65 horses with respiratory distress admitted to the Hospital Veterinario (HOVET, USP) . In the control group, only 8 of the 25 animals did not present bacterial growth in the obtained samples. Furthermore, the group that included eight horses with bacterial bronchopneumonia ( 12.3% of the animals studied) presented bacterial growth in 100% of the samples, with special attention to Streptococcus alpha-hemolyticus. The technique proved to be efficient, but more research is needed to improve its use as a complementary exam on the diagnosis of equine respiratory disorders. KEYWORDS: Equines. Tracheobronchial washes. Microbiology. RESUMO Foram avaliados os achados microbiolÛgicos do lavado traqueobrÙnquico, obtido por coleta transtraqueal, de 65 equinos com sintomas de alteraÁ„o do sistema respiratÛrio e de 25 equinos assintom ticos (grupo controle) encaminhados ao HOVET - USP. No grupo controle somente oito dos 25 animais n„o apresentaram crescimento de patÛgenos nas amostras obtidas, enquanto que no grupo que incluiu oito equinos portadores de broncopneumonia bacteriana (12,3%dos animais estudados) houve crescimento em 100% das amostras, destacando-se Streptococcus alfa hemolÌtico. A tÈcnica mostrou-se eficiente, porÈm mais estudos precisam ser conduzidos tanto em equinos saud veis como naqueles portadores de afecÁıes do sistema respiratÛrio com o propÛsito de aperfeiÁoar o uso de tal exame complementar no diagnÛstico definitivo de doenÁas respiratÛrias em equinos. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Equinos. Lavado traqueobrÙnquico. Microbiologia. 1Faculdade de Medicina Veterin·ria e Zootecnia ñ Universidade de S„o Paulo (USP). [wilsonrf@usp.br](wilsonrf@usp.br) 2MÈdica Veterin ria AutÙnoma. 3LAB &VET DiagnÛstico e Consultoria Veterin·[ria LTDA.](ria LTDA. chris@labvet.com.br)[ ](ria LTDA. chris@labvet.com.br)[chris@labvet.com.br](ria LTDA. chris@labvet.com.br)[ ](ria LTDA. chris@labvet.com.br)4Centro Universit rio Vila Velha (UVV). [vinicius.sou](vinicius.souza@uvv.br)[z](vinicius.souza@uvv.br)[a@uvv.br](vinicius.souza@uvv.br) 5*Centro Universit rio Vila Velha (UVV) . Rua Comiss rio JosÈ Dantas de Melo 21 ñ Vila Velha , ES. CEP: 29102-770. Corresponding author [clarisse.coelho@uvv.br](clarisse.coelho@uvv.br) Submitted: 02/06/2010 Accepted: 09/06/2011 73 INTRODUCTION Studies with athlete horses showed evidence that the respiratory system is a limiting factor for maximum performance, since any mild or moderate pulmonary dysfunction can interfere significantly in the aerobic metabolism (SANTOS et al., 2007) . The disorders of the respiratory system are responsible for 42% of decreasing performance of athlete horses, second to diseases of the musculoskeletal system (SANTOS et al., 2007) . The mucous membrane lining of the respiratory tract of mammals is the site of intense activity of the organic defense mechanisms of both immune and inflammatory response, which manifest themselves through the action of phagocytes, lymphocytes and immunoglobulins. Thus, analysis of representative samples of respiratory tract secretions can provide extensive information about the nature of the changes that affect this system, be it infectious, parasitic or allergic (MAIR et al., 1987; FREEMAN et al., 1993) . The methods investigated for this purpose include the aspirate (obtained via endoscopy), tracheobronchial and bronchoalveolar washes as well. Pecora ( 1959) introduced the tracheal wash

FAQs

How were the tracheobronchial wash samples collected in the study?

Samples were obtained through tracheal puncture, using tracheobronchial wash collection from the horses.

What microbiological results were observed in healthy horses versus horses with respiratory diseases?

In the healthy group, bacterial growth was absent in only 8 of 25 animals. In the group that included horses with bacterial bronchopneumonia, bacterial growth occurred in 100% of the samples, with particular emphasis on Streptococcus alpha-hemolyticus.

Why is proper interpretation important when using this technique as a complementary diagnostic tool?

Correct interpretation is essential because bacterial or fungal findings (including environmental contamination) and cytological results do not always indicate the true causative agent of respiratory disease.

Sep 8, 2026

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