Íslenskar landbúnaðarrannsóknir - 01.09.1981, Side 78

76 ÍSLENZKAR LANDBÚNAÐARRANNSÓKNIR
artment of Allergology, Sahlgren’s
Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden, and at
the Institute of Experimental Pathology,
Keldur, Reykjavík. The responses of these
two laboratories diífered only slightly in
grading and the differences are accor-
dingly not further referred to. Precipitin
tests in sera from horses in Group E (the
stallions) were done at the Institute of
Experimental Pathology only. Results of
the work with Groups A, B, C and D are
shown in Tables 1—4. Only one horse in
Group A showed a slightly positive ( + )
reaction for Rhizopus. Reactions to the six
antigens used were otherwise uniformly
negative in these horses. In Group B on
the other side every horse had a positive
reaction to M.faeni, and two showed pos-
itive reactions to other antigens. All horses
in Group B, with one exception, were
clinically ill. In this single horse clinical
symptons were provoked when offered
mouldy hay. The prominent symptoms
were dyspnoe or laboured breathing
(including excessive movements in abdo-
minal and intercostal muscles in expirat-
ion) and dilated nostrils in inspiration)
and cough. The respiratory rate was sign-
ificantly increased as compared to Group
A. Respiratory frequency is however of
doubtful significance as a diagnostic sign
in hay-sickness. In Group C five horses
had a history of respiratory symtoms, and
all of them had positive reactions to M.
faeni. Besides these horses two horses with
no history of symptoms showed faint pos-
itive reaction to M.faeni. It was felt that
storing hay inside with the animals might
have provoked clinical symptoms in the
horses in this group. In Group D all horses
were without history of clinical symptoms.
However, four of them, those being fed
and kept outside, showed positive react-
ions to M.faeni and doubtful positive re-
actions to two other antigens. Thus it app-
ears that positive, even strongly positive,
reactions to M. faeni may occur in sera
from horses that have not suffered from
respiratory ailments. Among the stallions
(Group E) 15 out of 82 had a history of
respiratory symtoms. Fourteen had pos-
itive reactions to M.faeni and at least 10 of
those also showed or had shown resp-
iratory symptoms. Some of the stallions
also had doubtful positive reactions to A.
fumigatus. In summary it can be stated that
the results of our study strongly indicate
that hay-sickness in both humans and
horses is of the same or similar origin but
further studies are necessary in order to
substantiate the diagnostic or diagnostic
predictive value of the precipitin tests in
equine veterinary practice.
Pakkarorð
Þakkir eru færðar Þorkeli Bjarnasyni,
hrossaræktarráðunauti Búnaðarfélags
Islands, fyrir ýmsa fyrirgreiðslu og aðstoð
svo og Sigurði Haraldssyni hrossaræktar-
bónda, Kirkjubæ, Rangárvöllum, fyrir
veitta aðstoð.
Höfundar vilja einnig þakka dýralækn-
unum Brynjólfi Sandholt og Helga Sig-
urðssyni fyrir margvíslega aðstoð og
ábendingar.