Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with swelling and bleeding issues - what is eosinophilic
By Morris, D D et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1984·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Eosinophilic myeloproliferative disorder in a horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 10-month-old Standardbred colt was diagnosed with a condition called eosinophilic myeloproliferative disorder, which caused swelling and bleeding issues. Blood tests showed he had very low platelet counts, anemia (low red blood cells), slightly low protein levels, and a high number of immature white blood cells called eosinophils. Despite receiving a blood transfusion and treatment with a steroid called dexamethasone, his condition did not improve enough, and he was euthanized because the outlook was poor. A postmortem exam revealed that he had a parasitic infection in his intestines and abnormal eosinophils in his spleen, indicating a serious underlying problem. Overall, the treatment only provided some temporary improvement, but ultimately it was not successful.
Abstract
An eosinophilic myeloproliferative disorder resulted in edema and hemorrhagic diathesis in a 10-month-old Standardbred colt. Laboratory abnormalities included severe thrombocytopenia, anemia, mild hypoproteinemia, and marked eosinophilia. Circulating eosinophils were immature or atypical with variation in granule size, disproportionate nuclear to cytoplasmic maturation, and abnormal nuclear size and shape. Bone marrow aspirate had mainly atypical eosinophil precursors, few erythroid precursors, and no megakaryocytes. A blood transfusion and dexamethasone therapy resulted in some improvement; however, the horse was euthanatized due to poor prognosis. Postmortem examination showed gastrointestinal parasitism; histologically the spleen was infiltrated by atypical eosinophils and there were sites of eosinophilopoiesis. The disease was broadly similar to idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome in people, but typical cardiac and neurologic involvement of hypereosinophilic syndrome were absent. Progressive myelophthesis and marked eosinophil atypia suggested malignancy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6511643/