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A case‐control study of atypical guttural pouch empyema in Arabian foals

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submitted on 2024-08-25, 05:17 and posted on 2024-08-25, 05:18 authored by Nicole van der Vossen, Paulo Cavalcante, Sarah Glynn, Devaya Achappa, Wasiq Mehmood, Masaaki Oikawa, Tatiana Vinardell, Camilla Jamieson

Background

Upper respiratory disease was reported over many seasons in Arabian foals on a single stud farm in the Middle East. Affected foals were noted to have mucopurulent nasal discharge, cough, fever and tachypnea. All affected foals had been empirically treated with a macrolide and rifampicin, by the referring veterinarian without improvement. On endoscopic examination, all affected foals had significant guttural pouch empyema (GPE).

Objectives

(1) To document a previously unreported presentation of guttural pouch empyema (GPE) in a family of juvenile Arabian foals; (2) To document the cytological and microbial composition of the empyema; (3) To identify clinical signs significantly correlated with the presence of GPE, as predictors for the need for guttural pouch (GP) endoscopy; (4) To demonstrate successful resolution of the identified syndrome with mechanical GP lavage and evidence based antimicrobial use, improving antibiotic stewardship and the one-health approach to respiratory disease in this demographic of foals.

Methods

Evaluation and scoring of clinical signs, upper airway endoscopy and thoracic ultrasound were performed in 14 affected foals and 10 age-matched controls, followed by comparative tracheal and guttural pouch sputum culture and cytological evaluation. Therapeutic GP lavage was performed and response to therapy monitored.

Results

GPE, cranioventrally distributed ultrasonographic lesions and opportunistic pathogen infection suggested a primary lesion of GPE with aspiration of GP discharge into the lungs. GP lavage resolved the empyema and associated clinical signs in all cases.

Conclusions

Cytological examination of tracheal and guttural pouch aspirates revealed a neutrophilic exudate with lipid-laden phagocytes, suggestive of engulfed milk. Bacteriology revealed a high prevalence of Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus admixed with other opportunistic pathogens. Streptococcus equi ssp. equi was not isolated in any case.

Other Information

Published in: Veterinary Medicine and Science
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
See article on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/vms3.1142

Funding

Equine Veterinary Medical Center Intramural Research Fund (G19_CJ2).

History

Language

  • English

Publisher

Wiley

Publication Year

  • 2023

License statement

This Item is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Institution affiliated with

  • Hamad Bin Khalifa University
  • College of Health and Life Sciences - HBKU
  • Al Shaqab
  • Equine Veterinary Medical Center - Al Shaqab

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