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Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract / Gastritis, Enteritis, and Colitis in Horses.
The Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice2015; 31(2); 337-358; doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2015.04.006

Gastritis, Enteritis, and Colitis in Horses.

Abstract: The gastrointestinal system of horses is affected by a large variety of inflammatory infectious and noninfectious conditions. The most prevalent form of gastritis is associated with ulceration of the pars esophagea. Although the diagnostic techniques for alimentary diseases of horses have improved significantly over the past few years, difficulties still exist in establishing the causes of a significant number of enteric diseases in this species. This problem is compounded by several agents of enteric disease also being found in the intestine of clinically normal horses, which questions the validity of the mere detection of these agents in the intestine.
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Publication Date: 2015-06-02 PubMed ID: 26048413PubMed Central: PMC7127504DOI: 10.1016/j.cveq.2015.04.006Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research talks about the various inflammatory conditions that affect the gastrointestinal system of horses. It discusses the diagnostic difficulties and attempts to distinguish between disease-causing agents and those found in healthy horses.

Understanding the Gastrointestinal Issues in Horses

This research revolves around the various inflammatory conditions, both infectious and noninfectious, that affect the gastrointestinal tract of horses. The key focus is on gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining), enteritis (inflammation of the intestine), and colitis (inflammation of the colon).

It was found that these inflammatory conditions could severely affect a horse’s health. The prevalent form of gastritis was found to be associated with ulceration of pars esophagea, a part of the horse’s esophagus.

  • Gastritis: This condition is often related to the ulceration of the pars esophagea. As per the research, this is the most common form of gastritis in horses.
  • Enteritis and Colitis: Enteritis, the inflammation of the intestine, and colitis, inflammation of the colon, are conditions that can be caused by a number of factors. However, their precise causes remain somewhat elusive.

Challenges in Diagnosis

The research also highlights the challenges in diagnosing and establishing the causes of these alimentary diseases in horses. Even though the techniques for diagnosing these diseases have significantly improved over the years, the research indicates that there remain several difficulties in accurately identifying the causes of a significant number of these diseases.

One of the main challenges is that several agents of enteric diseases can also be found in the intestine of clinically normal horses. This overlaps make identifying the actual disease-causing agents a complex process.

  • Improved but Insufficient Diagnostic Techniques: The researchers noted that while there have been vast improvements in diagnostics over the years, accurately identifying the cause of enteric disease in horses remains difficult.
  • Agents Found in Healthy Horses: One particular stumbling block identified in the research is that many agents responsible for enteric diseases can also be found in the intestines of horses that display no clinical symptoms of disease. This suggests that the mere presence of these agents isn’t enough to definitively diagnose a disease.

Cite This Article

APA
Uzal FA, Diab SS. (2015). Gastritis, Enteritis, and Colitis in Horses. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract, 31(2), 337-358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cveq.2015.04.006

Publication

The Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice
ISSN: 1558-4224
NlmUniqueID: 8511904
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 31
Issue: 2
Pages: 337-358

Researcher Affiliations

Uzal, Francisco A
  • California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, 105 West Central Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92409, USA. Electronic address: fuzal@cahfs.ucdavis.edu.
Diab, Santiago S
  • California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Colitis / microbiology
  • Colitis / parasitology
  • Colitis / veterinary
  • Enteritis / microbiology
  • Enteritis / parasitology
  • Enteritis / veterinary
  • Gastritis / microbiology
  • Gastritis / parasitology
  • Gastritis / veterinary
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
  • Horse Diseases / etiology
  • Horse Diseases / microbiology
  • Horse Diseases / parasitology
  • Horses

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