Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Intestinal lesions in dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome associated with netF-positive Clostridium perfringens type A.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2018
- Authors:
- Leipig-Rudolph, Miriam et al.
- Affiliation:
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology (Leipig-Rudolph · Germany
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome (AHDS) is a serious condition in dogs that causes sudden, severe diarrhea and vomiting. In a study involving 10 dogs with AHDS, researchers found that most had significant damage to their intestines, specifically a type of inflammation called necrotizing enterocolitis. They discovered that a specific bacteria, Clostridium perfringens type A, was present in the intestines of these dogs and produced a harmful toxin. The study suggests that this toxin is likely responsible for the intestinal damage seen in many dogs with AHDS. Overall, the findings indicate that the treatment of AHDS should focus on addressing this bacterial infection and its effects on the intestines.
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: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29621942/