Surfactant protein D concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from young healthy horses on pasture and in a barn environment.

Objective: To evaluate surfactant protein D (SP-D) concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from young healthy horses on pasture or housed in a typical barn.

Animals: 20 young healthy horses.

Procedures: Horses were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups (pasture, n = 10; barn, 10), and serum and BALF samples were collected for SP-D determination at baseline (all horses on pasture) and 2 weeks and 4 weeks after the barn group of horses was relocated from the pasture to the barn.