Emerging Pathogen Lawsonia Detailed in New Study
Lawsonia intracellularis is known to be the causative agent of proliferative enteropathy (a spreading disease involving the intestines) in horses and is an important emerging pathogen responsible for a number of North American outbreaks. But where the bacterium comes from, how it is spread, and how general equine
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Lawsonia intracellularis is known to be the causative agent of proliferative enteropathy (a spreading disease involving the intestines) in horses and is an important emerging pathogen responsible for a number of North American outbreaks. But where the bacterium comes from, how it is spread, and how general equine practitioners can efficiently recognize the disease are questions that researchers are eagerly attempting to answer.
“L. intracellularis infects cells lining the inside of the small intestine, particularly the ileum, and causes these cells to expand and elongate,” explained Michele Frazer, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, an equine practitioner at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky., and author of the study, “Lawsonia intracellularis infection in horses: 2005-2007.”
Consequences associated with the proliferation of the small intestinal lining include loss of protein (e.g., albumin), malabsorption, poor body condition, weight loss, and diarrhea
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