Prevalence of antibodies against Lawsonia intracellularis in dogs with and without gastrointestinal disease

Abstract

Blood sera from 71 dogs were examined for specific IgG antibodies against <I>Lawsonia intracellularis</I> using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test. The dogs were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of gastrointestinal disease, which could potentially be associated with <I>L. intracellularis</I>. In the group of dogs with gastrointestinal disease (<I>n</I> = 54), 40 dogs were positive (74.1%). Most positive dogs suffered from chronic or intermittent diarrhoea. In the group without signs of primary gastrointestinal disease (<I>n</I> = 17), antibodies were found in 13 dogs (76.5%). The overall positivity was 74.7%. These results indicate that dogs may be an important host species of <I>L. intracellularis</I>.