Tracheal aspiration of clinically healthy quarter horses after three barrel competition

Abstract

The aim of the present study was
to evaluate through endoscopy the tracheal
aspiration cytology in twenty seven Quarter Horses
from Curitiba and surroundings, following the
Three Barrel Competittion. Upper respiratory tract
secretion was obtained by tracheal aspiration using
a polyethylene catheter introduced through the
endoscopic fiberoptic working channel, at the level of
tracheal bifurcation. Cytologic slides were prepared
by smear and stained by diff-quick technique and
the differential was performed in 500 cells counting
by 1,000X optic microscopy. None of the horses
presented abnormality, including epixtasis, at the
clinical examination. However, hemosiderophages
were detected at cytology in three animals,
suggesting that some may be suffering of subclinical
pulmonary hemorrhage. Differential cell counting
of tracheal aspiration results were, in average:
44.09 ± 35.68% of epithelial cells; 1.10 ± 2.18%
of Globet cells; 23.10 ± 35.93% of neutrophils;
0.13 ± 0.37% of lymphocytes; 0.91 ± 2.81% of
eosinophils; 30.57 ± 23.62% of macrophages and
0.13 ± 0.93% of hemosiderophages. In conclusion,
based in the present study, the evaluation of cellular
populations with the tracheal aspiration may offer
important additional information to the clinician,
particularly about the inflammatory processes of
lower respiratory tract and pulmonary bleeding.