title: Cellular composition of bronchial brushings obtained from healthy dogs and dogs with chronic cough and cytologic composition of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained from dogs with chronic cough.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether bronchial brushings from dogs with chronic cough have increased numbers of goblet cells and WBCs, compared with numbers for healthy dogs, or have differing WBC populations, compared with populations in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid obtained from dogs with chronic cough.
  
  
  METHODS
  9 healthy dogs and 10 dogs with chronic cough.
  
  
  METHODS
  Specimens were collected by use of bronchoscopy. Cellular composition was determined for brushings, and results from dogs with chronic cough were compared with those from healthy dogs. Cellular composition of brushings was compared with composition of BAL obtained from dogs with chronic cough.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Brushings from healthy dogs contained a median of 2.9 x 10(6) epithelial cells, comprising 100% epithelial cells (96% ciliated, 3% goblet, and 1% other) and no WBCs. Brushings from dogs with chronic cough had 4.5 x 10(6) epithelial cells, comprising 93% epithelial cells (86% ciliated, 2% goblet, and 12% other). Dogs with chronic cough had significantly greater percentages of WBCs (7%) and neutrophils (6%), compared with values for healthy dogs. Five dogs with chronic cough had no neutrophilic inflammation evident in BAL, but 4 of these had evidence of neutrophilic inflammation in brushings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neutrophils, but not goblet cells, were increased in brushings from dogs with chronic cough. Analysis of bronchial brushings provides information about airway inflammation that differs from that found by examination of BAL in some dogs with chronic cough and is a more sensitive indicator of airway inflammation than cytologic examination of BAL in these dogs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA.
authors.forename: Eleanor C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: Allison R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Rogala
authors.forename: Edward E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Large
authors.forename: Julie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: Carol B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Grindem
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001980:Bronchi / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology*; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000662:veterinary; D003371:Cough / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D020397:Goblet Cells / Q000166:cytology; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000662:veterinary; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric