Oral infection of weanling foals with an equine isolate of Lawsonia intracellularis, agent of equine proliferative enteropathy.
Abstract: Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) is an emerging disease of weanling foals. Objective: Describe clinical, hematologic, biochemical, serologic, molecular, and ultrasonographic findings in foals experimentally infected with Lawsonia intracellularis. Methods: Eight foals. Methods: Recently weaned foals were assigned to either the challenge (n = 3), the sentinel (n = 3), or the control (n = 2) group. Foals were experimentally challenged via intragastric inoculation of 3 x 10(10)L. intracellularis organisms grown in culture. Each experimentally infected foal was housed with a sentinel foal in order to assess feco-oral transmission. All foals were monitored daily for the development of clinical abnormalities and were weighed once weekly for the duration of the study (90 days). Abdominal ultrasound examination was performed weekly. Feces were collected every other day for 60 days, then weekly for an additional 30 days for the quantitative molecular detection of L. intracellularis. Blood was collected weekly for hematologic, biochemical, and serologic analysis. Results: Only challenged foals developed transient clinical signs of EPE consisting of anorexia, lethargy, fever, loose feces, and peripheral edema. Two challenged foals developed transient hypoalbuminemia. Fecal shedding of L. intracellularis was first detected in the challenged foals between days 12 and 18 postinoculation and lasted for 7-21 days. Seroconversion was documented in all challenged foals and in 1 sentinel foal. The remaining sentinel and control foals remained unaffected. Conclusions: Clinical EPE of variable severity was induced in all foals infected with L. intracellularis. Furthermore, L. intracellularis can be transmitted via the feco-oral route to susceptible herdmates.
Publication Date: 2010-03-10 PubMed ID: 20337907DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.0482.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The study examines the effects of equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE), a rising disease in foals, which involves oral infection with a horse-derived strain of Lawsonia intracellularis. In the experiment, foals that were experimentally infected displayed temporary symptoms of EPE and the bacteria could be transmitted orally through feces to other animals.
Objective and Methods of the Study
- The main aim of this study was to describe the clinical, hematologic (concerning the blood), biochemical, serologic (concerning serum), molecular, and ultrasonographic findings in foals who were experimentally infected with Lawsonia intracellularis.
- In this experiment, eight recently weaned foals were divided into three groups – the challenge, sentinel, or the control. Three foals in the challenge group were infected with 3 x 10(10) L.intracellularris grown in culture.
- The infected foals were kept with a foal from the sentinel group to study feco-oral transmission, or the passing of the bacteria from one animal to another through feces. Foals were monitored daily for clinical abnormalities and weighed weekly for 90 days, along with weekly ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen.
- Blood was taken weekly for different analyses, while feces were collected every other day for 60 days, followed by weekly for another 30 days to detect any presence of L. intracellularris.
Results of the Experiment
- Only the foals that were experimentally challenged showed temporary signs of the EPE that included loss of appetite, lethargy, fever, loose feces, and peripheral edema or swelling caused by accumulation of fluid in tissues.
- Two of these foals also developed a temporary condition of hypoalbuminemia, or low levels of albumin in the blood. Fecal shedding of L. intracellularris was first noticed in these foals between days 12 and 18 after the infection was initiated and it lasted for 7-21 days.
- Seroconversion, or the point in time when a specific antibody becomes detectable in the blood, was recorded in all the challenged foals and in one sentinel foal. The remaining sentinel and control foals were unaffected.
Conclusions Derived from the Study
- The study confirmed that EPE with varying severity could be induced in foals infected with L. intracellularis. The bacteria can also be transmitted through the feco-oral route to susceptible animals in the same herd.
Cite This Article
APA
Pusterla N, Wattanaphansak S, Mapes S, Collier J, Hill J, Difrancesco M, Gebhart C.
(2010).
Oral infection of weanling foals with an equine isolate of Lawsonia intracellularis, agent of equine proliferative enteropathy.
J Vet Intern Med, 24(3), 622-627.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.0482.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. npusterla@ucdavis.edu
MeSH Terms
- Administration, Oral
- Animals
- Desulfovibrionaceae Infections / veterinary
- Feces / microbiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Intestinal Diseases / microbiology
- Intestinal Diseases / veterinary
- Lawsonia Bacteria
- Pilot Projects
- Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
- Time Factors
- Weaning
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Niwa H, Higuchi T, Fujii S, Kinoshita Y, Uchida-Fujii E, Sueyoshi M, Nukada T, Ueno T. Prevalence of equine proliferative enteropathy in Hidaka district, Hokkaido, over five seasons. J Equine Sci 2022 Dec;33(4):71-74.
- Bengtsson RJ, Wee BA, Yebra G, Bacigalupe R, Watson E, Guedes RMC, Jacobson M, Stadejek T, Archibald AL, Fitzgerald JR, Ait-Ali T. Metagenomic sequencing of clinical samples reveals a single widespread clone of Lawsonia intracellularis responsible for porcine proliferative enteropathy. Microb Genom 2020 Apr;6(4).
- Ueno Y, Uemura R, Niwa H, Higuchi T, Sekiguchi S, Sasaki Y, Sueyoshi M. Total serum protein reference value as a clinical diagnostic index of equine proliferative enteropathy. J Equine Sci 2019 Sep;30(3):63-67.
- Bohlin AM, Olsen SN, Laursen SH, Öhman A, van Galen G. Lawsonia intracellularis associated equine proliferative enteropathy in Danish weanling foals. Acta Vet Scand 2019 Mar 8;61(1):12.
- Sampieri F, Vannucci FA, Allen AL, Pusterla N, Antonopoulos AJ, Ball KR, Thompson J, Dowling PM, Hamilton DL, Gebhart CJ. Species-specificity of equine and porcine Lawsonia intracellularis isolates in laboratory animals. Can J Vet Res 2013 Oct;77(4):261-72.
- Sampieri F, Allen AL, Pusterla N, Vannucci FA, Antonopoulos AJ, Ball KR, Thompson J, Dowling PM, Hamilton DL, Gebhart CJ. The rabbit as an infection model for equine proliferative enteropathy. Can J Vet Res 2013 Apr;77(2):110-9.
- Pusterla N, Gebhart C. Lawsonia intracellularis infection and proliferative enteropathy in foals. Vet Microbiol 2013 Nov 29;167(1-2):34-41.
- Vannucci FA, Kelley MR, Gebhart CJ. Comparative genome sequencing identifies a prophage-associated genomic island linked to host adaptation of Lawsonia intracellularis infections. Vet Res 2013 Jul 4;44(1):49.
- Pusterla N, Gebhart CJ. Equine proliferative enteropathy--a review of recent developments. Equine Vet J 2013 Jul;45(4):403-9.
- Vannucci FA, Pusterla N, Mapes SM, Gebhart C. Evidence of host adaptation in Lawsonia intracellularis infections. Vet Res 2012 Jun 20;43(1):53.
- Hwang JM, Lee JH, Yeh JY. A multi-laboratory profile of Mycoplasma contamination in Lawsonia intracellularis cultures. BMC Res Notes 2012 Jan 27;5:78.
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