Lawsonia intracellularis in a dog with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

A two-year-old male German short-haired pointer was presented with a 1.5-year history of intermittent small-bowel diarrhoea. Inflammatory bowel disease (chronic lymphocytic-plasmacytic gastritis, enteritis and colitis) was diagnosed on the basis of histological examination of biopsies obtained on repeated endoscopy and by exclusion of other possible causes. Warthin-Starry silver staining of stomach mucosa revealed the presence of gastric spiral organisms. The evidence of L. intracellularis was provided by a positive nested polymerase chain reaction in one biopsy of duodenal mucosa and in one rectal smear. In 5 blood sera collected over a period of 8 months the IgG antibodies to L. intracellularis were found by an indirect fluorescent antibody test. Treatment with oral prednisone led only to a temporary improvement.