Presença de obstrução recorrente das vias aéreas em um grupo de cavalos criollos colombianos com signologia respiratória

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) through bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in a group of twenty Colombian native horses with respiratory symptoms. Each animal underwent a clinical examination in order to corroborate the respiratory disturbance and later perform the BAL. The results obtained showed that 65% of the animals under study tested positive for RAO, based on the clinical and BAL results, and that, among the total number of animals that tested positive, 61.5% suffered a severe form of such condition. We also found an association between the number of neutrophils and the color of the BAL fluid, and an inverse relationship between cell cytology of macrophages and neutrophils. It is concluded that the Colombian native horse, like other horse breeds, suffers from RAO, sometimes severely, related to predisposing factors such as accommodation and stabling.