Equine Proliferative Enteropathy in Weanling Foals on A German Breeding Farm: Clinical Course, Treatment and Long-Term Outcome

• Published in: Journal of equine veterinary science Vol. 111; p. 103873
• Main Authors: Dohrmann, Jil, Hildebrand, Franziska, Straub, Janine, Wadephul, Rica, Pusterla, Nicola, Freise, Fritjof, Venner, Monica
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-04-2022
• Subjects: Animals; Desulfovibrionaceae Infections - diagnosis; Desulfovibrionaceae Infections - veterinary; Equine plasma; Farms; Horse; Horse Diseases - diagnosis; Horses; Hypoproteinemia; Intestinal Diseases - diagnosis; Intestinal Diseases - veterinary; Lawsonia Bacteria; Lawsonia intracellularis; Retrospective Studies; Lawsonia intracellularis; Horse; Hypoproteinemia; IPMA; WBC; qPCR; EPE; Equine plasma
• ISSN: 0737-0806; 1542-7412
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2022.103873

•EPE was diagnosed in 40 foals, 39 of these could be treated successfully.•Hypoproteinemia was consistently seen in all diseased animals. Fever was the most common clinical symptom.•The combination of a serological test and PCR for Lawsonia intracellularis in feces is recommended.•Treatment with tetracyclines showed a good efficacy. Long-term effects were not observed.
The goal of the current report was to describe the clinical signs, therapy and outcome of foals with suspected equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) due to an infection with Lawsonia intracellularis. Forty foals, born on the same breeding farm, were diagnosed with suspected clinical EPE between September 2019 and January 2020. Data of these cases were analyzed retrospectively regarding the course of the disease, treatment, outcome and long-term prognosis. All horses, including randomly selected control horses, were reassessed about nine months after the suspicion of EPE. The horses affected were between 5 and 10 months of age. Fever was the most common clinical sign. Hypoproteinemia was shown consistently in all cases. Seroconversion was detected in all horses affected, while fecal shedding of Lawsonia intracellularis via qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was only found in 21 cases. Treatment was based on tetracyclines and the administration of equine plasma IV. A total of 39 of 40 foals survived EPE. No long-term effects in terms of poor body condition or abnormal blood values were observed. If diagnosed and treated early, EPE can generally be described as a disease with a good prognosis and no long-term effects in Warmblood horses.