title: Blood phagocyte activity after race training sessions in Thoroughbred and Arabian horses.
abstract: Intensive exercise and exertion during competition promote many changes that may result in the impairment of immunity and increased susceptibility to infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of "the first line of defense": neutrophils and monocytes in racing Thoroughbred and Arabian horses after routine training sessions. Twenty-three (12 Thoroughbred and 11 Arabian) horses were examined. Routine haematological (number of red blood cells - RBC, haemoglobin concentration - HGB, haematocrit - HCT, total number of white blood cells - WBC), biochemical (creatine phosphokinase activity - CPK and total protein concentration - TP) parameters, cortisol concentration as well as phagocytic and oxidative burst activity of neutrophils and monocytes were determined. The values of basic parameters and the activity of phagocytes differed between breeds and distinct patterns of exercise-induced changes were observed. The training sessions did not produce the decrease in phagocyte activity that might lead to the suppression of immunity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Veterinary Diagnostics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland. anna_cywinska@sggw.pl
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cywinska
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Szarska
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Degorski
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guzera
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gorecka
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Strzelec
authors.forename: Sylwester
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kowalik
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schollenberger
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Winnicka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology*; D013177:Sports
keywords: Exercise; Horse; Oxidative burst; Phagocytosis; Race