Granulomatous enteritis and Campylobacter bacteremia in a horse.

The research article discusses a clinical case of a 10-month-old horse suffering from granulomatous enteritis and bacteremia caused by Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus, which led to significant health issues like weight loss, fever, and subcutaneous edema. Despite attempts to treat with antimicrobials and glucocorticoids, the horse’s condition did not improve and was euthanized.

Case presentation

• The horse under discussion in this paper is a 10-month-old Standard-bred colt, which presented with significant weight loss, a fever, and an extensive pooling of fluid beneath the skin (scientifically known as subcutaneous edema) of its lower torso.

Diagnosis

• The diagnosis of granulomatous enteritis, an inflammatory condition of the intestines, was based on a series of factors including D-xylose malabsorption (a type of sugar not efficiently absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract indicating intestinal problems), hypoproteinemia (abnormally low levels of protein in the blood), and tissue samples taken from the rectal mucosa.
• Additionally, the bacterium Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus was cultured twice from the horse’s blood drawn from its jugular vein, indicating a systemic infection (bacteremia).

Treatment and Outcome

• Treatment involved administering suitable antibiotics to target the Campylobacter infection and glucocorticoids, a type of steroid hormone, likely used to control inflammation.
• Despite these interventions, the horse did not recover. The disease progressed, and the decision was made to euthanize the horse due to poor prognosis.
• In the post-mortem examination, the initial diagnosis of granulomatous enteritis was confirmed, but the Campylobacter bacterium could not be found in the examined tissues. This might suggest that the bacteria was cleared from the tissue but could not confirm that it had caused no lasting damage.