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Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc2021; 34(3); 412-420; doi: 10.1177/10406387211041091

The comparative pathology of enterocolitis caused by Clostridium perfringens type C, Clostridioides difficile, Paeniclostridium sordellii, Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in horses.

Abstract: To determine if there were significant differences produced by 5 of the most prevalent causes of equine enterocolitis, we studied retrospectively the gross and microscopic pathology of 90 cases of enterocolitis submitted to the San Bernardino laboratory of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory. Included were cases caused by Clostridium perfringens type C (CP; n = 20), Clostridioides difficile (CD; n = 20), Paeniclostridium sordellii (PS; n = 15), Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST; n = 20), and NSAID intoxication (NS; n = 15). Grossly, necrotizing hemorrhagic typhlocolitis was seen most frequently in cases of CD, ST, and NS disease. Cases of CP and PS had enteritis or colitis in similar percentages. Congestion, hemorrhage, and pleocellular inflammatory infiltrates followed by mucosal and submucosal necrosis were the main lesions found in horses with enteritis or colitis produced by any of the etiologic agents investigated. Severe lesions were more frequent in cases of CD and CP than in cases associated with any of the other 3 etiologies. Pseudomembranes were observed with similar prevalence in the small intestine and colon affected by all agents studied. Thrombosis of the lamina propria and/or submucosa was observed in ~50% of the cases of enteritis and colitis by all etiologies, except for PS, in which the majority of the cases had thrombosis. Gross and microscopic lesions of enterocolitis were not sufficiently specific for any of these etiologic agents to enable these enteritides to be distinguished by gross and/or histologic examination.
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Publication Date: 2021-08-28 PubMed ID: 34455808PubMed Central: PMC9254063DOI: 10.1177/10406387211041091Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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 researchers conducted a retrospective study on the effects of five common causes of equine enterocolitis and found that while some differences were observed, gross and microscopic lesions could not solely be used to distinguish the causes studied.

Research Objectives

This research aimed to identify if there were significant differences produced by five of the most prevalent causes of equine enterocolitis. The causes included were Clostridium perfringens type C, Clostridioides difficile, Paeniclostridium sordellii, Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) intoxication.

Methodology

  • Researchers conducted a retrospective (past data) study on the pathology of 90 cases of equine enterocolitis submitted to a California animal health lab.
  • The cases were divided based on the cause, including Clostridium perfringens type C (CP; 20 cases), Clostridioides difficile (CD; 20 cases), Paeniclostridium sordellii (PS; 15 cases), Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST; 20 cases), and NSAID intoxication (NS; 15 cases).

Findings

  • Necrotizing hemorrhagic typhlocolitis, a severe inflammation and damage to the intestine and colon, was most frequently seen in cases caused by CD, ST, and NSAID intoxication.
  • Equally prevalent enteritis (inflammation of the small intestine) or colitis (inflammation of the colon) were observed in cases caused by CP and PS.
  • Common symptoms included congestion, hemorrhage, mucosal and submucosal necrosis, and pleocellular inflammatory infiltrates in horses with enteritis or colitis irrespective of the causative agent.
  • Severe lesions were more prevalent in CD and CP-caused cases compared to others.
  • Pseudomembranes were observed in similar proportions in the small intestine and colon across all causative agents.
  • Except for PS, thrombosis of the lamina propria or/and submucosa was noted in about half the cases of enteritis and colitis. Majority of PS-caused cases showed thrombosis.

Conclusion

While distinct variations were observed among the various causes of enterocolitis, the researchers found that gross and microscopic lesions were not specific enough to identify the different causes of this disease. Further research is thus necessary to distinguish these causes of enterocolitis in horses. This research is significant because it could prove beneficial in disease diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Cite This Article

APA
Mendonça FS, Navarro MA, Uzal FA. (2021). The comparative pathology of enterocolitis caused by Clostridium perfringens type C, Clostridioides difficile, Paeniclostridium sordellii, Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in horses. J Vet Diagn Invest, 34(3), 412-420. https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387211041091

Publication

Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
ISSN: 1943-4936
NlmUniqueID: 9011490
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 34
Issue: 3
Pages: 412-420

Researcher Affiliations

Mendonça, Fábio S
  • Laboratory of Animal Diagnosis, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Navarro, Mauricio A
  • California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, San Bernardino Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, San Bernardino, CA, USA.
  • Current address: Instituto de Patología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Chile.
Uzal, Francisco A
  • California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, San Bernardino Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, San Bernardino, CA, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / adverse effects
  • Clostridioides
  • Clostridioides difficile
  • Clostridium Infections / diagnosis
  • Clostridium Infections / veterinary
  • Clostridium perfringens
  • Clostridium sordellii
  • Colitis / veterinary
  • Enteritis / veterinary
  • Enterocolitis / diagnosis
  • Enterocolitis / veterinary
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
  • Horses
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Salmonella typhimurium
  • Serogroup

Conflict of Interest Statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declared 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 5 times.
  1. Haywood LMB, Sheahan BJ. A Review of Epithelial Ion Transporters and Their Roles in Equine Infectious Colitis. Vet Sci 2024 Oct 7;11(10).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci11100480pubmed: 39453072google scholar: lookup
  2. Uchida-Fujii E, Niwa H, Senoh M, Kato H, Kinoshita Y, Mita H, Ueno T. Clostridioides difficile infection in thoroughbred horses in Japan from 2010 to 2021. Sci Rep 2023 Aug 11;13(1):13099.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-40157-xpubmed: 37567893google scholar: lookup
  3. Navarro MA, Arroyo LG, Uzal FA. Special section on diseases of the equine gastrointestinal tract. J Vet Diagn Invest 2022 May;34(3):353.
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  4. Uzal FA, Navarro MA, Asin J, Henderson EE. Clostridial Diseases of Horses: A Review. Vaccines (Basel) 2022 Feb 17;10(2).
    doi: 10.3390/vaccines10020318pubmed: 35214776google scholar: lookup
  5. Uzal FA, Arroyo LG, Navarro MA, Gomez DE, Asín J, Henderson E. Bacterial and viral enterocolitis in horses: a review. J Vet Diagn Invest 2022 May;34(3):354-375.
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