Lawsonia intracellularis associated equine proliferative enteropathy in Danish weanling foals

Abstract

Background Lawsonia intracellularis, an obligate intracellular bacterium, causes equine proliferative enteropathy, mainly in horses around weaning. This disease is rarely reported in the Scandinavian countries. Results Five cases of equine proliferative enteropathy were diagnosed between 2008–2016 at the University of Copenhagen Large Animal Teaching Hospital. Cases were Danish Warmbloods and a Friesian horse, aged 6–7 months, presenting with typical clinical signs of lethargy, poor body condition, pyrexia and diarrhea. Clinical pathology was consistent with previous reports of severe hypoalbuminemia and leukocytosis. Diagnosis was confirmed by fecal polymerase chain reaction, serum immunomonolayer peroxidase assay and/or immunofluorescence and fluorescence in situ hybridization performed on formalin-fixed ileum samples. Concurrent intestinal parasitism was present in all five cases. Treatment consisted of antimicrobial therapy, anti-inflammatories, intravenous crystalloids and plasma. Three foals were euthanised due to deterioration and poor response to treatment, one with complications of septic arthritis and Strongylus vulgaris associated intestinal infarct. The other two foals survived and were reported by the owners to be healthy on long-term follow-up. Conclusions Equine proliferative enteropathy is a disease to consider in young horses presenting with diarrhea and hypoproteinemia in Denmark.

Occurrence of Lawsonia intracellularis in horses raised in three regions of the state of Paraná, Brazil

“…However, the detection of positive animals by both qPCR and serological testing demonstrates that the bacterium is circulating on the farms of the west and northwest regions of the state, even if not apparently, without the development of the clinical disease itself. These data are of great relevance, because as EPE has clinical signs similar to those of other diseases, it must be considered as a differential diagnosis for these diseases (Gabardo et al, 2015;Bohlin et al, 2019), especially in areas with known circulation of the agent. Additionally, it should be emphasized that the state of Paraná has a great contribution to Brazilian pig farming, accounting for around 19.85% of pigs slaughtered in the country in 2019.…”

“…Among the positive animals ( 16), only 1/16 (6.25%) were less than one-year old at the time of collection, which was detected by serological testing (Table 2). Most literature reports of equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) are of growing foals aged up to 12 months (Bohlin et al, 2019;Pusterla & Gebhart, 2013). However, of the 23 animals under one year of age, only one (4.35%) was positive (Table 2).…”

“…Unlike most infections in swine, the proliferative lesion in horses can occur in the duodenum and in segments of the large intestine (Gabardo, Sato, Resende, & Guedes, 2015). Foals at weaning age are the most affected and may develop lethargy, anorexia, weight loss, colic, diarrhea and hyperthermia and death (Gabardo et al, 2015;Bohlin, Olsen, Laursen, Ohman, & Van Galen, 2019). However, adult animals can also occasionally develop a similar condition (Pusterla & Gebhart, 2013).…”

“…Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has been used to detect L. intracellularis in animal feces with suspected proliferative enteropathy (Bohlin et al, 2019). However, because some factors can reduce the sensitivity of this technique, the serological and molecular methods must be performed together to increase the chances of diagnosing the infection in animals (Pusterla & Gebhart, 2013).…”

“…However, there are still no reports of EPE or studies demonstrating the occurrence of this pathogen in the state of Paraná. Information about the epidemiology of this disease is of paramount importance so it can be included as a differential diagnosis of enteric diseases in horses, since it can involve clinical manifestations similar to those of other pathologies (Gabardo et al, 2015;Bohlin et al, 2019).…”