Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Intestinal damage in dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome
By Leipig-Rudolph, Miriam et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2018·Institute of Veterinary Pathology (Leipig-Rudolph, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Intestinal lesions in dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome associated with netF-positive Clostridium perfringens type A.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome (AHDS) showed symptoms like severe diarrhea and vomiting. Researchers examined the intestines of 10 affected dogs and found that most had serious inflammation caused by a type of bacteria called Clostridium perfringens. This bacteria produced a toxin that likely contributed to the intestinal damage. The study suggests that this condition is more accurately described as AHDS rather than hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Treatment for AHDS typically involves supportive care, such as fluids and medications to manage symptoms, and many dogs recover well with prompt veterinary attention.
People also search for: dog vomiting diarrhea treatment · acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome in dogs · Clostridium perfringens in dogs
Abstract
Acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome (AHDS), formerly named canine hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, is one of the most common causes of acute hemorrhagic diarrhea in dogs, and is characterized by acute onset of diarrhea, vomiting, and hemoconcentration. To date, histologic examinations have been limited to postmortem specimens of only a few dogs with AHDS. Thus, the aim of our study was to describe in detail the distribution, character, and grade of microscopic lesions, and to investigate the etiology of AHDS. Our study comprised 10 dogs with AHDS and 9 control dogs of various breeds, age, and sex. Endoscopic biopsies of the gastrointestinal tract were taken and examined histologically (H&E, Giemsa), immunohistochemically ( Clostridium spp., parvovirus), and bacteriologically. The main findings were acute necrotizing and neutrophilic enterocolitis (9 of 10) with histologic detection of clostridia-like, gram-positive bacteria on the necrotic mucosal surface (9 of 10). Clostridium perfringens isolated from the duodenum was identified as type A (5 of 5) by multiplex PCR (5 of 5). In addition, each of the 5 genotyped isolates encoded the pore-forming toxin netF. Clostridium spp. (not C. perfringens) were cultured from duodenal biopsies in 2 of 9 control dogs. These findings suggest that the pore-forming netF toxin is responsible for the necrotizing lesions in the intestines of a significant proportion of dogs with AHDS. Given that the stomach was not involved in the process, the term "acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome" seems more appropriate than the frequently used term "hemorrhagic gastroenteritis."
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29621942/