Postmortem examination of equids >1-year-old with enterotyphlocolitis in Ontario: a retrospective descriptive study.
Abstract: Equine enterotyphlocolitis is an inflammatory process of the intestinal tract of horses that is associated with multiple etiologic agents and risk factors. Most clinical cases do not have an etiologic diagnosis. We describe here the pathogens detected and the histologic lesions found in horses with enterotyphlocolitis in Ontario that were submitted for postmortem examination, 2007-2019. We reviewed the medical records of 208 horses that fulfilled inclusion criteria. Cultures were positive in 67 of 208 (32%) equids for Clostridium perfringens, in 16 of 208 (8%) for Clostridioides difficile, and in 14 of 208 (7%) for Salmonella spp.; 6 of 208 (3%) were positive for Neorickettsia risticii by PCR assay. One horse was positive in a Rhodococcus equi PCR assay. All horses tested by PCR assay for equine coronavirus and Lawsonia intracellularis were negative. The histologic lesions were characterized as follows: 6 of 208 (3%) enteritis, 5 of 208 (2%) typhlitis, 104 of 208 (50%) colitis, 37 of 208 (18%) enterocolitis, 45 of 208 (22%) typhlocolitis, and 11 of 208 (5%) enterotyphlocolitis. We strongly recommend standardized testing of diarrheic horses during and/or after postmortem examination, as well as standardized reporting of histologic lesions in enterotyphlocolitis cases.
Publication Date: 2023-05-19 PubMed ID: 37204051PubMed Central: PMC10331376DOI: 10.1177/10406387231176229Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research paper is a retrospective study on the prevalence of pathological agents and histologic lesions involved in equine enterotyphlocolitis in Ontario, based on postmortem examination reports from 2007 to 2019.
Objective
The study aimed to elucidate the etiological agents and histological abnormalities associated with equine enterotyphlocolitis, an inflammation of the equine intestinal tract. The investigation involved the review and inspection of postmortem examinations of horses that were conducted in Ontario from 2007 to 2019.
Methodology
- The researchers reviewed the medical records of 208 horses that met the selection criteria for this study, evaluating histological anomalies and agents identified in each case.
- They performed cultures and PCR assays on samples from the horses and recorded the frequency and type of pathogens detected.
- Furthermore, the histologic lesions were categorized and tallied according to their characteristics.
Findings
- The study revealed that cultures were positive in 32% of horses for unidentified pathogens, followed by 8% for unidentified pathogen 2, and 7% for unidentified pathogen 3. PCR assays also detected an unidentified pathogen 4 in 3% of equids, and a single instance of an unidentified pathogen 5.
- None of the horses tested positive for equine coronavirus or another unidentified pathogen through PCR assays.
- In terms of histologic lesions, 50% of the horses had colitis, 22% had typhlocolitis, 18% had enterocolitis, 3% had enteritis, 2% had typhlitis, and 5% had enterotyphlocolitis.
Conclusion
The researchers recommend the implementation of standardized testing on diarrheic horses during and/or after postmortem examination. They also suggest standardized reporting on histologic lesions in cases of enterotyphlocolitis, for better understanding of the disease and its etiology.
Cite This Article
APA
Zakia LS, Arroyo LG, Gomez DE, Boerlin P, Surette MG, Lillie BN.
(2023).
Postmortem examination of equids >1-year-old with enterotyphlocolitis in Ontario: a retrospective descriptive study.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 35(4), 349-353.
https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387231176229 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Departments of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
- Departments of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
- Departments of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
- Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
- Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Horses
- Animals
- Ontario / epidemiology
- Retrospective Studies
- Autopsy / veterinary
- Enterocolitis / veterinary
- Enterocolitis / microbiology
- Enteritis / diagnosis
- Enteritis / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Petry S, Tapprest J, Maillard K, Barbut F, Duquesne F, Kozak S, Foucher N, Bernez-Romand M, Bridoux L, Poquet I. Clostridioides difficile in equidae necropsied in Northwestern France, between 2019 and 2021. Microbiol Spectr 2026 Feb 3;14(2):e0216525.
- Hain-Saunders NMR, Knight DR, Harvey A, Bruce M, Hampson BA, Riley TV. Clostridioides difficile in feral horse populations in Australia. Appl Environ Microbiol 2025 May 21;91(5):e0211424.
- Haywood LMB, Sheahan BJ. A Review of Epithelial Ion Transporters and Their Roles in Equine Infectious Colitis. Vet Sci 2024 Oct 7;11(10).
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