Diagnosis of Lower Respiratory Tract Diseases With the Help of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid in the Equines

Abstract

The clinical study was carried out in the ten horses age between 4-8 years having history of chronic respiratory symptoms during the winter season presented for the second opinion. The aim of this study was to diagnose lower respiratory tract diseases with the help of bronchoalveolar lavage and to study the pathological alteration present in the mentioned study. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected using BALF catheter and it was processed for cytological and bacteriological alterations. The results included total nucleated cell count (0.67 ± 0.07%), alveolar macrophages (31.3 ± 3.84%), lymphocytes (47.6 ± 5.89%), neutrophils (8.1 ± 1.66%), mast cell (1.6 ± 0.52%) and eosinophils (1.6 ± 0.22%). The bacteria like E. coli were also isolated. Thus, bronchoalveolar lavage cytology technique serves as important tool for diagnosing lower airway diseases.