DISCUSSION
Our study demonstrated that fungal elements were commonly present in the trachea, with a positive TW mycology obtained in 81.9% of samples and fungal elements present upon cytological examination of TW in 75.5% of samples. In contrast, fungal detection was scarce in the BALF, with fungal elements found upon cytological examination in 18.1% of samples and a positive BALF mycology culture obtained in 23.9% of samples. The results from this study partially supported our hypothesis that exposure to fungal elements was a risk factor for asthma, since only horses with MA had almost 5-fold higher odds of positive mycology in BALF compared with CTL horses. Furthermore, horses with an increased score of tracheal mucus were more likely to exhibit positive fungal culture in BALF, as well as horses with an increased proportion of neutrophils in BALF.