Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Foal very tired and losing weight - what helped?
By McClintock, S A & Collins, A M·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2004·Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Lawsonia intracellularis proliferative enteropathy in a weanling foal in Australia.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 6-month-old Quarter Horse filly in Australia was brought to the vet because she was very tired, losing weight, eating less than usual, had mild diarrhea, swelling in her belly, and low protein levels in her blood. Tests showed she had high levels of antibodies against Lawsonia intracellularis, a bacteria that can cause intestinal disease, but a test for the bacteria in her stool came back negative. She was diagnosed with proliferative enteropathy, which is an infection affecting the intestines. After being treated for four weeks with oral antibiotics, she made a full recovery.
Abstract
A 6-month-old Quarter Horse weanling filly was presented with lethargy, weight loss, inappetance, mild diarrhoea, marked ventral oedema and severe panhypoproteinaemia. Serum antibody titres for Lawsonia intracellularis were very high but PCR to detect faecal shedding of the organism was negative. Proliferative enteropathy due to L. intracellularis infection was diagnosed. After treatment for 4 weeks with oral erythromycin and rifampicin the filly made a complete recovery.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15648934/