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Granulomatous inflammation
- Mucor, a fungi, invades the rumen wall, e.g. after damage caused by rumenal acidosis.
- Produces chronic ongoing granulomatous rumenitis.
- Difficult to diagnose in life.
- May produce pain and poor growth
- Infective process may penetrate wall and produce peritonitis.
Pathology
Gross
- Thickening and ulceration of mucosal surface of rumen.
- Feels like thick leather.
- Rumen wall becomes fibrosed.
Histological
- Classical granulomatous inflammation
- May have giant cells in addition to sheets of macrophages.
- Can visualise fungal hyphae in tissue using special stains (PAS),
- Often grow along blood vessels.
- May cause thrombosis of small blood vessels, leading to further necrosis (infarction) of rumen wall.
- Often grow along blood vessels.