title: Lawsonia intracellularis-associated proliferative enteritis in weanling foals in the Netherlands.
abstract: Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) is an emerging infectious enteric disease caused by the obligate intracellular gram-negative bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis. EPE was tentatively diagnosed in six weanling foals, aged between 5 and 7 months. Clinical signs included depression, anorexia, ventral oedema, and weight loss. Plasma biochemistry consistently revealed severe hypoproteinaemia. The ante-mortem diagnosis of EPE was based on clinical signs, hypoproteinaemia (6/6), the detection of moderate-to-high titres of L. intracellularis antibody (6/6), and severe thickening of the small intestinal wall on ultrasonography (2/2), or L. intracellularis detected in faeces by PCR (I/2). The first foal died despite treatment and at post-mortem examination the tentative diagnosis was EPE. Three foals from the same farm, which showed similar clinical symptoms were treated with azithromycin and rifampicin; two survived. Post-mortem examination of the foal that died confirmed the tentative clinical diagnosis of EPE on the basis of the lesions found and the detection of L. intracellularis--DNA in the ileum and jejunum. The fifth foal died despite intensive treatment and the post-mortem examination revealed lymphohistiocytic enteritis, typhlitis, and widespread thrombosis in several organs. The sixth foal recovered completely after treatment. This report confirms the presence of clinical L. intracellularis infection in weanling foals in the Netherlands and shows the difficulty in reaching a definitive ante-mortem diagnosis.
authors: DAP Bodegraven, Zuidzijde 63, 2411 RT Bodegraven, the Netherlands. info@dapbodegraven.nl
authors: L
authors: L
authors: van den Wollenberg
authors: C M
authors: CM
authors: Butler
authors: D J
authors: DJ
authors: Houwers
authors: M W
authors: MW
authors: de Grootv
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Panhuijzen
authors: C
authors: C
authors: van Maanen
authors: M M Sloet
authors: MM
authors: van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017963:Azithromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D045824:Desulfovibrionaceae Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D004751:Enteritis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006736:Horses; D020639:Lawsonia Bacteria; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D012293:Rifampin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014886:Weaning
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017963:Azithromycin; D012293:Rifampin