Chronic inflammation of the GI tract is referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Dogs and cats affected with IBD often have moderate to severe clinical signs such as anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss. Factors that play a role in the pathogenesis of IBD include dietary antigens, environmental factors, immunologic factors, infectious agents, genetic susceptibility, and the microbiome. Eosinophilic enteritis is one of the variants of IBD and is recognized as a diffuse infiltration ofthe small intestinal mucosa with eosinophils (primarily), lymphocytes, and plasma cells. While eosinophils are present in the normal GI tract, clinical studies associate increased numbers of eosinophils with inflammatory GI diseases raising concerns that eosinophils may have a more harmful effect on the gut. Our studies are designed to determine the prevalence, location, clinical characteristics, and activation status of eosinophilic inflammation in canine inflammatory bowel disease.
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