Respiratory disease and biomarkers in the foal

Summary

Tissue damage and reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) resulting from oxidative stress play significant roles in the development and susceptibility of a variety of airway diseases in humans and animals. This project aims to investigate the significance of oxidative stress on the respiratory health of foals. Primarily through the development of methodologies to measure oxidative stress biomarkers and then through the application of this technqiue in a small casecontrol study designed to evaluating the significance of oxidative stress on a respiratory diseases that contributes greatly to wastage in the Australian Thoroughbred industry; rattles in foals (Pilkington and Wilson 1993).

Program

Thoroughbred Horses

Research Organisation

The University of Sydney

Objective Summary

The major project objectives are to: 1. Adapt existing technologies to assess and quantify the respiratory and systemic oxidative stress status of the foal. 2. Develop a valid method to relate the respiratory health of the foal and measures of oxidative stress in respiratory samples and blood. 3. Investigate the relationship between local and systemic oxidative stress and R. equi pneumonia in foals.