Pulmonary function measurements immediately after exercise are correlated with neutrophil percentage in tracheal aspirates in horses with poor racing performance.

Inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is common in racehorses, and is a cause of wastage in the industry. IAD has been diagnosed by measurement of percent neutrophils (N%) in tracheal aspirates (TA). The aim of this study was to investigate whether spirometric indices of pulmonary function were correlated with N% in TAs. Limits to breathing were measured by analyses of relationships between relative times and relative respiratory gas flows during inspiration and expiration in individual breaths recorded after exercise. Horses with higher N% had significantly lower relative gas flows at the same relative times during inspiration and expiration, suggesting a limit to breathing. These findings confirm a physiological basis for the measurement of N% in TA after exercise for diagnosis of IAD. Spirometric pulmonary function testing using analyses of individual breaths after exercise has application for assessment of pulmonary function and poor exercise performance.