Open AccessInvestigating the Link between Particulate Exposure and Airway Inflammation in the Horse
Author(s) -
Ivester K.M.,
Couëtil L.L.,
Zimmerman N.J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of veterinary internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.356
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1939-1676
pISSN - 0891-6640
DOI - 10.1111/jvim.12458
Subject(s) - medicine , horse , intoxicative inhalant , respiratory tract , air quality index , immunology , airway , barn , airway obstruction , respiratory system , toxicology , anesthesia , biology , paleontology , ecology , civil engineering , engineering
Inhalant exposure to airborne irritants commonly encountered in horse stables is implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory airway disease ( IAD ) and recurrent airway obstruction ( RAO ), non‐infectious, inflammatory pulmonary disorders that impact the health and performance of horses across all equine disciplines. IAD and RAO have overlapping clinical, cytological, and functional manifestations of the pulmonary response to organic dust and noxious gases encountered in the barn environment. Study of these diseases has provided important but incomplete understanding of the effect of air quality upon the respiratory health of horses. In this review, the principles of particulate exposure assessment, including health‐related aerosol size fractions and size‐selective sampling, the factors influencing air quality in equine environments, and the effect of air quality on the equine respiratory tract are discussed. The objective of this review is to provide the reader with a summary of the most common chronic inflammatory airway diseases in the horse and the principles of air sampling that are essential to the planning, interpretation, and assessment of equine respiratory health‐related exposure studies.