Lawsonia intracellularis-associated proliferative enteritis in weanling foals in the Netherlands.

This research study focuses on Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE), a disease in horses that is caused by the bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis. Six young horses in the Netherlands exhibited symptoms of the disease and were subsequently treated, with varying results. The study confirms the presence of this disease in the Netherlands and highlights the challenges in diagnosing it.

Overview of the Research

• The research primarily concentrates on Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE), a rising infectious disease in horses that is caused by Lawsonia intracellularis, a particular type of bacteria.
• The disease was tentatively diagnosed in six young foals in the Netherlands, aged between 5 to 7 months. The symptoms observed in these foals included depression, anorexia, ventral oedema, and weight loss.
• Through plasma biochemistry, researchers noticed that the foals had severe hypoproteinaemia, or low levels of protein in the blood.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• The ante-mortem diagnosis, which is the diagnosis before death, was based on the observed symptoms, hypoproteinaemia, the detection of the bacteria’s antibodies and through ultrasound imaging and PCR testing of their faeces.
• Of the six infected foals, one died despite treatment. Post-mortem examination i.e., the examination after death, tentatively diagnosed EPE.
• Three other foals from the same farm showed similar symptoms and were treated with specific antibiotics. Out of these three, two survived the treatment.
• An examination of the foal that did not survive confirmed the earlier tentative diagnosis of EPE. This was based on the lesions found and the detection of the bacteria’s DNA in the foal’s ileum and jejunum.
• The fifth foal, despite intensive treatment, died. Post-mortem examination showed lymphohistiocytic enteritis, typhlitis, and widespread thrombosis in several organs.
• The sixth foal recovered completely after the treatment.

Conclusions from the Study

• This study confirms the presence of clinical L. intracellularis infection in weanling foals in the Netherlands.
• It also demonstrates the challenges in reaching a definitive ante-mortem diagnosis of EPE as the symptoms may be difficult to associate directly with the infection.