Enteritis, Lymphocytic - Plasmacytic

Signalment

Basenjis have been reported to suffer from a severe form of this disease.

Description

Lymphocytic - plasmacytic enteritis (LPE) is the most common form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. As its name suggests, the predominant cell type in the intestinal mucosa is lymphocytes and plasma cells. Enteric parasites, bacteria in dogs and Toxoplasma in cats have been reported to associated with LPE. This disorder in cats have also been shown to associate with concurrent disease of the pancreas and liver such as pancreatitis, cholangitis and hepatic lipidosis.

The small intestines is affected to a variable degree of serverity. It has also been known to affect other parts of the gastrointestinal tract such as the stomach and the colon. In severely affected animals, a protein-losing enteropathy will result.

Produces chronic diarrhoea with lymphocytic or plasma cell (rather than macrophage) infiltration of the lamina propria. Produces a severe protein losing enteropathy. Sometimes eosinophil infiltration is quite marked. Has a hereditary basis in the Basenji

References

• Ettinger, S.J. and Feldman, E. C. (2000) Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine Diseases of the Dog and Cat Volume 2 (Fifth Edition) W.B. Saunders Company.
• Hall, E.J, Simpson, J.W. and Williams, D.A. (2005) BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Gastroenterology (2nd Edition) BSAVA
• Nelson, R.W. and Couto, C.G. (2009) Small Animal Internal Medicine (Fourth Edition) Mosby Elsevier.