Equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF): Five case reports

Abstract

Equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF), a progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease has been associated with gammaherpesviruses. This case series describes five horses with EMPF. Three of the horses (two in Hungary, one in the Czech Republic) were diagnosed with EMPF ante mortem. They presented with typical clinical signs of EMPF including dyspnoea and weight loss. Arterial blood gas analysis revealed hypoxaemia. Blood work showed signs of inflammation like neutrophilia and hyperfibrinogenaemia. An endoscopic examination of the respiratory tract including cytology and culture of tracheobronchial secretion and bronchoalveolar lavage were performed, revealing secondary bacterial infection in one case. A suspected diagnosis of EMPF was made on the basis of a positive EHV-5 PCR from bronchoalveolar lavage and the findings of thoracic radiographs and ultrasound examination. In one case the diagnosis was confirmed by lung biopsy. All horses died or had to be euthanised despite treatment. Two horses (from Austria) were diagnosed with EMPF post mortem. They not only had EMPF but also concurrent other diseases which seemed to be associated with immunosuppression. Three horses showed the discrete form and two horses the diffuse form of EMPF. EHV-5 DNA was identified in lung tissue of all horses by PCR.