Poster presentations “General Session” (1 st session)
S1 - P - 01 LAWSONIA INTRACELLULARIS IN BLUE FOXES IN FINLAND. A CASE REPORT Heli Kallio, Heikki Ahola Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, Production Animal and Wildlife Health Research Unit, Seinäjoki, Finland Lawsonia intracellularis, blue fox, enteritis, diarrhoea, rectum prolapse Introduction Lawsonia intracellularis-bacteria is commonly detected in the enteritis in domestic pigs with proliferative enteropathy, intestinal adenomatosis and ileitis. In addition to pigs, Lawsonia intracellularis has been detected in wide variety <strong>of</strong> domestic and wild animals, including wild red foxes, and it is also suggested to be found in blue foxes reared in a fur farm. However, pathogenesis <strong>of</strong> Lawsonia intracellularis enteritis in fur farm animals is poorly studied. In this study we detected Lawsonia intracellularis for the first time in enteritis from blue fox in a Finnish fur farm. A 1 2 3 4 Materials & methods A blue fox was submitted to laboratory for diagnostic because <strong>of</strong> occurrence <strong>of</strong> diarrhoea in a single farm. Symptoms <strong>of</strong> the foxes were, in addition to diarrhoea with loose faeces, decreased weight gain, and rectal prolapses. Necropsy was performed for the fox. Then intestinal samples were prepared for HE- and WS staining. Nested-PCR for the epithelium <strong>of</strong> the intestine was performed as earlier described by Jones et al. to detect Lawsonia intracellularis -bacteria. Prior to PCR DNA was extracted by boiling procedure according to Moeller et al. Intestinal samples were cultured on sheep blood agar in aerobic and anaerobic atmosphere, as well as plated onto a Campylobacter blood-free selective medium. The Sheather's sugar flotation technique was used to detect parasites. Results In necropsy rectal prolapse, severe hyperemia, oedema and thickening <strong>of</strong> mucosa in the distal ileum, colon and rectum were detected. Signs <strong>of</strong> poor growth and loss <strong>of</strong> fluid were also seen. In histology the fox had proliferative enteritis, colitis and proctitis with severe villushyperemia and –necrosis, and hypertrophic dilated crypts with vigorously branching structure. By WS-staining curved organisms, in the apical cytoplasm <strong>of</strong> hyperplastic epithelium lining intestinal glands, were detected. Using nested- PCR, Lawsonia intracellularis was discovered from the intestinal samples. No other putative pathogens were identified in bacteriological and parasitological studies. Figure 2. Amplification <strong>of</strong> Lawsonia intracellularis after nested- PCR analysis from intestine. Negative amplification control (1), positive amplification control (2), two separate samples from the epithelium <strong>of</strong> the intestine (3, 4). DNA ladder, 100-1000 bp (A) Discussion & conclusions The results obtained by this study show the Lawsonia intracellularis caused diarrhoea for the first time in Finnish blue fox farm. The fox examined showed typical changes in necropsy and histology. Lawsonia intracellularis was detected by PCR and WS-staining. Eriksen et al. reported earlier adenomatosis in blue foxes reared in a fur farm, most likely caused by Lawsonia intracellularis. Lawsonia intracellularis has been detected also from faeces <strong>of</strong> wild red foxes. However, according to our knowledge, other reports about Lawsonia intracellularis in foxes have not been published. Significance <strong>of</strong> Lawsonia intracellularis for fox farming is still poorly understood and further studies are required. References 1. Tomanova,K Literak,I, Klimes,J Pavlacik,L, Mrlik,V and Smola,J ( 2003). Lawsonia intracellularis in Wild Mammals in the Slovak Carpathians. Journal <strong>of</strong> Wildlife Diseases, 39(2), 407-411 2. Eriksen,K, Landsverk,K.T and Bratberg,B. (1990). Morphology and immunoperoxidase studies <strong>of</strong> intestinal adenomatosis in the blue fox, Alopex lagopus. Journal <strong>of</strong> Comparative Pathology, 102, 265-278 3. Jones,GF, Ward,GE, Murtaugh,MP, Lin G, Gebhart,CJ (1993) Enhanced detection <strong>of</strong> intracellular organism <strong>of</strong> swine proliferative enteritis, ileal symbiont intracellularis, in feces by polymerase chain reaction. J Clin Microbiol, 31(10), 2611-5 4. Møller,K, Jensen,TK, Jorsal,SE, Leser,TD, Carstensen,B (1998) Detection <strong>of</strong> Lawsonia intracellularis, Serpulina hyodysenteriae, weakly beta-haemolytic intestinal spirochaetes, Salmonella enterica, and haemolytic Escherichia coli from swine herds with and without diarrhoea among growing pigs. Vet Microbiol, 30;62(1), 59-72 Figure 1. Curved organisms in the apical cytoplasm <strong>of</strong> hyperplastic epithelium lining intestinal glands stain positively in WS-staining.