Endocrine Dysregulation in Critically Ill Horses and Foals

Sepsis, defined as the presence of pathogenic organisms or their toxins in blood or tissues, is the number one cause foal mortality. Although major improvements in treating septic foals have been made in recent years, there is limited information on endocrine dysregulation during this pathological condition in foals. To address specific questions in this field, we have established a research program to study various endocrine factors that we believe are relevant to the pathogenesis of sepsis in foals. Areas under study include the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, calcium metabolism/parathyroid hormone, and the energy metabolism (glucose, leptin, insulin).

Selected Publications

• Hurcombe SD, Toribio RE, Slovis N, Kohn CW, Refsal K, Saville W, Mudge MC. Blood arginine vasopressin, adrenocorticotropin hormone, and cortisol concentrations at admission in septic and critically ill foals and their association with survival. J Vet Intern Med. 2008;22:639-647.