Many horses with nasal discharge do not require
antimicrobial treatment, according to a recent study into infectious and
non-infectious respiratory disease in horses.
Knowing whether the disease is caused by
infection or is an inflammatory condition resulting from
environmental factors helps guide treatment and
management. Infectious diseases may require additional measures to prevent
spread of the disease to other animals.
In some cases, the involvement of infection may be obvious. Disease
affecting more than one horse might suggest infection but could be the result
of common environmental factors. Fever would be a good indication of infection,
although it may be missed if transient.
Research by Dr Molly Viner and colleagues suggests that
Serum Amyloid A (SAA) is a reliable marker for infectious respiratory disease.
SAA is an acute phase protein - a group of serum proteins
that are produced early in the body’s response to inflammation. Very low levels
are found in healthy horses, but they rise dramatically in animals with severe
inflammation.
SAA is a useful marker of inflammation as it increases
rapidly in the early stages of inflammation and falls rapidly once the
inflammation subsides.
The researchers found that SAA values greater than 52 μg /ml
correctly differentiated infectious from non-infectious respiratory disease 98%
of the time.
Although horses with bacterial disease tended to have higher
SAA levels than did those with viral diseases, the difference was not as
distinct as that between infectious and non-infectious disease.
They conclude: “SAA is more reliably elevated with
infections of the respiratory tract rather than noninfectious airway
conditions. This can facilitate early detection of respiratory infections, help
track disease progression, and aid practitioners in making recommendations
about proper biosecurity and isolation of potentially contagious horses.”
For more details, see:
Comparison
of Serum Amyloid A in horses with infectious and noninfectious respiratory
diseases
Molly Viner,
Melissa Mazan, Daniela Bedenice, Samantha Mapes, Nicola Pusterla.
Journal of
Equine Veterinary Science (2017) 49, Pages 11–13
For a video of Dr Viner discussing her findings, go to:
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