LAWSONIA INTRA CELL ULARIS: MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY IN HORSES

摘要

L. intracellularis is a unique organism which causes an unusual pathology in infected animals, specifically the proliferation of enterocytes as a direct result of the intracellular growth of the organism. Increased awareness of EPE in the field and the availability of diagnostics for detecting the organism in horses will result in earlier detection and prevention of disease. A preliminary epidemiological investigation into the relationships between L. intracellularis isolates from pigs and those fromother species, including horses, suggests that they represent different strains and therefore may exhibit some species-specificity. The ability to type isolates of L. intracellularis will further enhance our understanding of the transmission dynamics and epidemiology of PE in pigs, horses, and other species. Advancements such as this will assist in identifying the natural ecology of this unique pathogen. Limited knowledge of the pathogenesis of L. intracellularis suggests that this organism has adoptedmechanisms of survival and pathogenesis that are unique among bacterial pathogens. Infection models, along with the whole genome sequence, will enable prospective studies on the pathogenesis of this organism. L. intracellularis is genetically unrelatedto any other intracellular pathogen and may possess features that are novel in bacterial pathogenesis; thus, understanding the pathogenic properties of this organism is an intriguing goal.