Thirty-eight guttural pouch lavages from 19 clinically healthy horses were collected transendoscopically. Cytological examination and bacteriological culture of the samples were carried out. All 38 lavages assessed for cytology contained less than five per cent neutrophils and could be termed as cytologically 'normal'. In none of the lavages did the neutrophil count vary between five and 25 per cent or exceed 25 per cent, which are the borderlines for being termed 'reactive' or 'pathological', respectively. Epithelial cells were the most commonly represented cell type in all lavages. Bacteriological culture was positive in 16 out of 38 lavages, but specific pathogenic bacteria were not cultivated in any of them, and only transient microflora was present. Although the relationship between the presence of specific bacteria, neutrophil count and total cell count could not be statistically evaluated due to the absence of 'reactive' and 'pathological' lavages, transendoscopic lavage appears to be a reliable method for obtaining a sample for bacteriological culture.
Keywords: Horse; cultivation; guttural pouch; transendoscopic lavage; transient microflora.