UTILIZAÇÃO DA HEMOGLOBINA COMO ADJUVANTE DURANTE INFECÇÃO EXPERIMENTAL EM EQÜINOS, VIA INTRAPERITONERAL, COM Escherichia coli E/OU Bacteroides fragilis.

C. N. MENDES, L.C MARQUES, L.A. BARNABÉ, P.R. LEMOS, K.A. CADIOLI, F.R. PEIRÓ, J.NAKANO, V.J. AVILA-CAMPOS, M.P SCHOKEN-ITURRINO, R.A. ÁVILA, F.

The goals of this study were to evaluate if hemoglobin played a role as adjuvant in experimental peritonitis in horses and could cause clinical and haematological alterations that could be used for diagnosis and prognosis of cases of peritonitis. Fifteen adult horses were randomly divided into 5 equal groups, which were injected intraperitoneally with the following suspension: GI: 1x109 colony-forming units (CFU) of E. coli diluted in 500 mL of 0.9% saline solution plus 5 g of hemoglobin; GII: 1x109 CFU of B. fragilis diluted in 500 mL of 0.9% saline plus 5 g of hemoglobin; GIII: 1x109 CFU of E. coli in combination with 1x109  CFU of B. fragilis diluted in 500 ml of 0.9% of saline plus 5 g of hemoglobin; GIV: 500 mL of 0.9% saline plus 5 g of hemoglobin and GV: 500 mL of 0.9% saline. Leukopenia with neutropenia was observed in GI and GIII  and a significant increase in plasma fibrinogen concentration occurred in horses of GI. There was a significant increase in total nucleated cell count in peritoneal fluid in horses of GI, GII, GIII and GIV. Fever, tachycardia, tachypnea, abdominal wall sensibility and tension, diarrhoea, colic, and decreased borborygmi sounds were the most frequent clinical signs observed in horses of GI, GII, GIII and GIV. In conclusion, hemoglobin was able to cause chemical peritonitis in horses, it had an adjuvant effect when associated t