Blood Sample results

[Chestnutmare]

I am posting this on behalf of a friend who has had her horse testing for moving livery yards just recently and has the following results:

Expanded ratio's of neutrophils to lymphocytes, most likely stress related.

White and Red cell count very good.

This is all that was written on results sheet given to friend.

Can anyone please explain what the 1st bit is about?

Friend is curious as to know what this means, vet hasnt explained anything.

 

[Paint it Lucky]

Neutrophils are white blood cells, so get produced in response to infection, illness etc, or stress. So as the vet says the mare was probably feeling a bit stressed so some reason and this caused her neutrophil levels to rise. As other counts are good should be nothing to worry about.

Sorry if i haven't explained this very well! Hope it helps.

 

[Mandy_b]

Neutrophils
These are the shock troops of the body - responding quickly (in less than four hours) to a stimulus. They react to certain chemicals introduced into the body or released from the body's cells. Their aim is to swamp any invader and/or clean away and debris quickly. They usually total about 60% of the Total White Cell Count and, in absolute terms, number between 3500 and 6000.
With certain stimuli such as severe infections, they may rise as high as 40 000. Neutrophil numbers in the blood drop during the early stages of viral infection and in acute stress situations such as transportation or severe inflammatory injury because they leave the bloodstream in large numbers. There is a type of cell called a Band Neutrophil - when these are seen in the bloodstream, this indicates that the horse is pulling up the young reserves from the bone marrow and the animal is under pressure.



Lymphocytes
There are several types of these cells and since the work with human AIDS, the name T-Cell (one of the Lymphocytes) has become well-known.
The Lymphocytes' function is to be the second line of defence. They carry immune system proteins and are involved in the production of antibodies. They are long-lived and are the major cells in the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system runs parallel to the bloodstream and is involved with fighting foreign proteins. Lymphocyte numbers are low in conditions of chronic stress and cortisone production (eg. growth, injury, travel, nervous disposition, teething and overwork). They are raised in cancers and some chronic infections, particularly viral ones such as Ross River Virus. Reactive lymphocytes also indicate a viral picture.

The ratio of Neutrophils to Lymphocytes has been used for years to assess stress states. If the percentage of Lymphocytes is greater than the Neutrophils, this is called a Reversal.

Normally, the Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio is 60:40. If it reverses (ie. 40:60), then it usually means that there is an acute stress (eg. virus, pain, tying up, travel). When the Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio goes from 60:40 to 70:30 or 80:20 then these are signs of chronic stress. Generally, if the ratio is greater than 2:1 (eg. 67:33) there is a chronic stress and the level is affecting performance. At 3:1 or 75:25, the horse is unwell and usually will not recover without time off or a spell. At 4:1, normally there is clinically a problem and at 5:1 we usually have colics and/or extreme pain. At 10:1, usually you do not have to do anything except get out of the way because the horse is about to fall on top of you!

Persistent chronic stress occurs when the Lymphocytes do not regenerate after a spell or ease-up and this will lead to an aborted preparation as the horse will not come up to anywhere near its ability.

I summary, I have mentioned the generalisations associated with White Series interpretations. Obviously we have not touched on all of the causes and effects but a very good summary of what causes White Cell changes is shown below... <font color="purple"> </font> <font color="purple"> </font>