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Temporary Suppression of Cell-Mediated Immunity in Standardbred Horses with Decreased Athletic Capacity

Temporär suppression av det cellmedierade immunförsvaret hos varmblodiga tråvare

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 39, pages 25–33 (1998)Cite this article

Abstract

Eighty Standardbred horses, originating from 5 training campuses, with decreased athletic performance in association with symptoms such as intermittent fever and mild pharyngitis were examined. As control animals, 10 horses from a stable with normally performing horses were used. Virus isolation and clinico-chemical and serological tests were performed. Lymphocyte proliferation tests were carried out to evaluate the capacity of the cell-mediated immunity. In addition, a bioassay for equine type I interferon, as a marker for early viral infections, was established. No specific microbe could be linked to these symptoms, but there was a temporary suppression of the cell-mediated immunity, which might be explained by the serological evidence of an EHV-2 and/or rhinovirus infection.

Sammanfattning

Åttio varmblodiga tråvare med nedsatt prestationsförmåga från 5 olika träningsstallar undersöktes. Förutom försämrad prestation uppvisade flertalet av hästarna intermittent feber och lindrig faryngit. Många var även matta och krustösa i hårremmen.

Kontrollgruppen bestod av 10 normalpresterande tävlingshästar från ett annat träningsstall.

Virusisolering, serologi, hematologi samt lymfocytproliferationstester, som speglar det cellmedierade immunsystemet, utfördes. Som en markör för en tidig viral infektion etablerades en bioassay för ekvint interferon typ 1.

Ingen specifik mikrob kunde knytas till den nedsatta prestationsförmågan, däremot kunde en temporär suppression av det cellmedierade immunsystemet beläggas. Möjligen kan denna immunosuppression associeras till de serologiska indikationerna på EHV-2 och/eller rhinovirus infektion. Samtliga hästar med nedsatt kapacitet tävlade och tränade på sin förväntade förmåga efter en konvalescens på 6 till 10 månader.

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Acknowledgments

The financial support by the Swedish Horse Race Totalization Board (ATG) is gratefully acknowledged. We thank Lisbeth Fuxler for the tedious work with the IFN-α bioassay and for carrying out the proliferation tests. Thanks are also due to Dr. Susann Adehed for performing the ECG and Drs. Bengt Ronéus, Nils Ronéus and Lars-Erik Ullberg for pleasant co-operation in the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicin and Surgery, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

    M. Jensen-Waern & S.G.B. Persson

  2. Department af Veterinary Microbiology, Division of Immunology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

    C. Fossum

  3. Department of Virology, National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden

    A. Nordengrahn & M. Mérza

Authors
  1. M. Jensen-Waern
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  2. S.G.B. Persson
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  3. A. Nordengrahn
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  4. M. Mérza
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  5. C. Fossum
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Correspondence to M. Jensen-Waern.

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Jensen-Waern, M., Persson, S., Nordengrahn, A. et al. Temporary Suppression of Cell-Mediated Immunity in Standardbred Horses with Decreased Athletic Capacity. Acta Vet Scand 39, 25–33 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03547804

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147