Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2013 Sep;54(9):853-8.

Lawsonia intracellularis-associated ulcerative and necro-hemorrhagic enteritis in 5 weanling foals

Luis G Arroyo  1 , Federica Ter Woort, John D Baird, Laetitia Tatiersky, Josepha Delay, Tony van Dreumel
Affiliations
Case Reports

Lawsonia intracellularis-associated ulcerative and necro-hemorrhagic enteritis in 5 weanling foals

Luis G Arroyo et al. Can Vet J. 2013 Sep.

Abstract
in English, French

This report describes 5 cases of fatal Lawsonia intracellularis-associated ulcerative and necro-hemorrhagic enteritis in weanling Thoroughbred and Standardbred foals. The lesions are similar to those of the L. intracellularis-associated ulcerative and necro-hemorrhagic enteritis syndrome in pigs. Two foals had concurrent severe typhlo-colitis as a result of a large burden of encysted cyathostomes. The clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic challenges, and the potential complications encountered during the management of such cases are discussed.

Entérite ulcérative et nécro-hémorragique associée àLawsonia intracellularischez 5 poulains sevrés. Ce rapport décrit 5 cas mortels d’entérite ulcérative et nécro-hémorragique associée à Lawsonia intracellularis chez des poulains Thoroughbred et Standardbred. Les lésions sont semblables à celles du syndrome de l’entérite ulcérative et nécro-hémorragique associée à L. intracellularis chez les porcs. Deux poulains étaient atteints d’une typhlo-colite grave concomitante en raison d’une charge importante de cyathostomes enkystés. Les difficultés cliniques, diagnostiques et thérapeutiques ainsi que les complications potentielles rencontrées durant la gestion de ces cas sont analysées.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ultrasonographic image of an 8-month-old Thoroughbred filly (case 5), showing small intestinal loops with severely thickened walls (white bar = 9 mm; normal < 3 mm).
Figure 2
Figure 2
A — Ulcerative and necro-hemorrhagic enteritis. Terminal ileum of an 8-month-old Thoroughbred filly (case 5). Irregularly thickened (between arrows), ulcerated (arrowheads), and hyperemic mucosa covered by a thin layer of necrotic debris. B — Ulcerative and necro-hemorrhagic enteritis. Ileum, 8-month-old Thoroughbred colt (case 3). Necrosis and hemorrhage of the lumenal 50% of mucosa, with crypt epithelial hyperplasia and dysplasia in residual deep mucosa. Hematoxylin and eosin stain. Bar = 100 μm. C — Ulcerative and necro-hemorrhagic enteritis. Ileum, 8-month-old Thoroughbred colt (case 3). Numerous short argentophyllic bacilli are present in apical cytoplasm of epithelial cells lining mucosal crypts (arrows). Warthin-Starry stain. Bar = 10 μm. D — Ulcerative and necro-hemorrhagic enteritis. Ileum, 8-month-old Thoroughbred colt (case 3). Abundant staining for Lawsonia intracellularis antigen in enterocytes (arrow) and in lamina proprial macrophages (arrowhead). DAB chromogen. Bar = 100 μm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Page AE, Slovis NM, Gebhart CJ, Wolfsdorf K, Mapes SM, Pusterla N. Serial use of serologic assays and fecal PCR assays to aid in identification of subclinical Lawsonia intracellularis infection for targeted treatment of Thoroughbred foals and weanlings. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2011;238:1482–1489. - PubMed
    1. Frazer ML. Lawsonia intracellularis infection in horses: 2005–2007. J Vet Int Med. 2008;22:1243–1248. - PubMed
    1. Sampieri F, Hinchcliff KW, Toribio RE. Tetracycline therapy of Lawsonia intracellularis enteropathy in foals. Equine Vet J. 2006;38:89–92. - PubMed
    1. Lavoie J-P, Drolet R. Lawsonia intracellularis proliferative enteropathy. In: Robinson NE, editor. Current Therapy in Equine Medicine. 5th ed. St. Louis, Missouri: Saunders; 2003. pp. 164–166.
    1. Peregrine AS, McEwen B, Bienzle D, Koch TG, Weese JS. Larval cyathostominosis in horses in Ontario: An emerging disease? Can Vet J. 2006;47:80–82. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources