Background: Septicemia in human neonates frequently is complicated by activation of the coagulation system, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and multiple organ failure syndrome, which may contribute to high mortality. In adult horses with DIC, the lung has been the organ most frequently affected by fibrin deposits. In addition, in vivo studies suggest that hemostatic mechanisms may be immature in foals o1-day old.Hypothesis: Newborn foals with severe septicemia have fibrin deposits in their tissues independently of their age, and these fibrin deposits are associated with organ failure.Animals: Thirty-two septic and 4 nonseptic newborn foals euthanized for poor prognosis. Methods: Tissue samples (kidney, lung, and liver) collected on postmortem examination were stained with phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin (PTAH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for blind histologic examination. A fibrin score (grades 0-4) was established for each tissue sample and for each foal. Medical records were reviewed for assessing clinical evidence of organ failure during hospitalization.Results: Fibrin deposits were found in most septic foals (28/32 when using IHC and 21/32 when using PTAH), independently of the age of the foal. The lung was the most affected tissue (97% of the septic foals). Additionally, organ failure was diagnosed in 18/32 septic foals (8 with respiratory failure, 14 with renal failure), although a statistical association with severe fibrin deposition was not identified.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Nonsurviving septic foals have fibrin deposits in their tissues, a finding consistent with capillary microthrombosis and DIC.

BackgroundLeishmania infantum and Toxoplasma gondii are protozoa with zoonotic and economic importance. Prevalences of antibodies to these agents were assessed in 173 horses from the north of Portugal.FindingsAntibodies to L. infantum were detected by the direct agglutination test (DAT); seven (4.0%) horses were seropositive with DAT titres of 200 (n = 5), 800 (n = 1) and ≥ 1600 (n = 1). Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed by the modified agglutination test (MAT); 23 (13.3%) horses were seropositive with MAT titres of 20 (n = 13), 40 (n = 5), 80 (n = 3) and ≥ 160 (n = 2). No statistical differences were found among equine categories of gender (female, male and gelding), age (1.5–6, 7–12 and 13–30 years), type of housing (indoors and mixed/outdoors), ability (recreation, farming and sports) and clinical status (apparently healthy and sick) for both agents.ConclusionsHorses are exposed to and may be infected with L. infantum and T. gondii in the north of Portugal.

Background: In humans and experimental animals, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) causes fibrin deposition in several organs, which eventually leads to ischemia and multiorgan failure.Hypothesis: Horses who died or were euthanized for severe gastrointestinal disorders could have fibrin deposits in different tissues.Animals: Tissue-organ samples collected during postmortem examinations on 66 colic horses with poor prognoses (eg, severe intestinal ischemia, enteritis, peritonitis), from 11 colic horses with good prognoses (eg, large-colon obstruction or displacement), and from 16 slaughter horses.Methods: Tissue samples (kidney, lung, liver) were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin for a blinded histologic examination. A fibrin score (grades 0 to 4) was established for each tissue sample and for each horse.Results: Fibrin deposits were found in tissue specimens of 11 of 27 of horses (40.7%) in the ischemic group, 8 of 21 in the enteritis group (38.1%), and 7 of 18 in the peritonitis group (39.0%), whereas none of the horses in the obstructive group (n 5 11) and only 1 horse in the slaughter group (n 5 16) had fibrin deposits in their tissues. In addition, the mean fibrin score values for the ischemic, enteritis, and peritonitis groups (1.3 6 1.7, 1.1 6 1.6, and 0.9 6 1.3, respectively) were statistically higher than those for the obstructive and slaughter groups (0.0 6 0.0 and 0.1 6 0.5, respectively). The largest fibrin deposits were found in the lungs.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Horses with severe gastrointestinal disorders have fibrin deposits that are consistent with capillary microthrombosis, multiorgan failure, and DIC.

IHC technique for fibrin antigens was very effective in the detection and identification of fibrin deposits in equine tissues and may be a reliable technique for the postmortem diagnosis of DIC.

Horses with severe gastrointestinal disorders have fibrin deposits that are consistent with capillary microthrombosis, multiorgan failure, and DIC.