Evaluation of the measurement of leukotriene B4 concentrations in exhaled condensate as a noninvasive method for assessing mediators of inflammation in the lungs of calves.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether measurement of an inflammatory mediator in exhaled condensate could provide a noninvasive method for evaluating lungs of calves.


METHODS
84 calves < or = 2 months old.


METHODS
Concentration of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) was evaluated in the exhaled condensate of healthy calves and calves with experimentally induced respiratory tract infections. For collection of samples of exhaled condensate, the total amount of exhaled air was directed into a cooled double-jacketed tube. Each tube was sealed and stored at -80 C. The LTB4 concentration was measured, using an ELISA.


RESULTS
In exhaled condensates of clinically healthy calves, normally distributed and highly reproducible LTB4 concentrations (mean +/- SD, 116.1 +/- 55.4 pg/ml) were measured. After experimentally induced infection with Pasteurella multocida serovar D, LTB4 in exhaled condensate increased significantly (mean, 179% increase), compared with basal concentrations before infection; this increase in LTB4 was significantly correlated with deterioration in lung function. In 2 of 4 calves experimentally infected with bovine respiratory syncytial virus, the LTB4 concentration in exhaled condensate increased (300 to 400% increase), compared with baseline values, which was associated with development of bronchial hyperresponsiveness after infection.


CONCLUSIONS
Collection of exhaled condensate is tolerated well by calves and is an acceptable method for obtaining fluid from exhaled air originating from the lungs. This method provides alternatives for diagnosing and evaluating treatment of naturally acquired and experimentally induced diseases of the lungs and airways in calves.
Reinhold
P
P
Federal Institute for Health Protection of Consumers and Veterinary Medicine, Jena Branch, Germany.
Becher
G
G
Rothe
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods; D018893:Bronchoalveolar Lavage / Q000662:veterinary; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D002217:Carbachol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002417:Cattle / Q000276:immunology*; D002452:Cell Count / Q000662:veterinary; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D007975:Leukotriene B4 / Q000032:analysis*; D016014:Linear Models; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010326:Pasteurella Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary; D016979:Pasteurella multocida / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary; D018112:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Bovine / Q000472:pathogenicity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D007975:Leukotriene B4; D002217:Carbachol