PLASMA CLEARANCE OF [CR-15] ALBUMIN INTO INTESTINAL-TRACT OF NORMAL AND CHRONICALLY DIARRHEAL HORSES

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 38  (11) , 1769-1774
Abstract
Five clinically normal, mature horses and 11 with chronic diarrhea were given 51Cr-tagged Cohn fraction V equine albumin i.v. All urine and feces were collected separately and blood for plasma analysis was taken periodically for 5-8 days after the isotope injection. Plasma clearance of albumin into the intestinal tract of normal horses was calculated as 0.67 .+-. 0.23 (SD) ml/kg of body wt/day, with 1.33 .+-. 0.69% of the 51Cr dose appearing in the feces in 5 days. Of the 11 diarrheal horses, 8 had a plasma clearance of 0.49 .+-. 0.21 ml/kg per day with 1.12 .+-. 0.68% of the dose of 51Cr in a 5 day fecal collection, suggesting that excessive losses of plasma protein into the bowel was not a component of their intestinal disease. The 3 other diarrheal horses had a marked protein-losing enteropathy; 1 of these horses had granulomatous enteritis due to Mycobacterium avium infection; another had severe intercellular edema of small and large intestinal mucosa, cause unknown; intestinal biopsies were not obtained from the 3rd horse. Daily loss of plasma protein into the bowel of horses apparently is small, and most horses with chronic diarrhea do not have protein-losing enteropathy.