PORCINE COLONIC SPIROCHETOSIS - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 11 CASES

This retrospective study of porcine colonic spirochetosis was done in order to characterize the clinical signs, the macroscopical and micros copical changes, and the bacteriological results of cases observed in Quebec, Necropsy records of all cases of colitis were reviewed, Eleven cases with filamentous bacteria colonizing the colonic epithelium wer e selected, This condition was only observed in weaned piglets, and wa s associated with mild persistent diarrhea and growth retardation, Mac roscopic changes were generally limited to the presence of soft to liq uid colonic contents, Adherence of filamentous helicoidal bacteria to the apical surface of the colonic epithelium and mild diffuse infiltra tion of the colonic lamina propria by mononuclear cells were the main histological findings, Weakly beta-hemolytic spirochetes were isolated in 6 cases. This condition seems to be underestimated for various rea sons, and it is possible that some cases diagnosed as nonspecific coli tis or superficial colitis, in fact, represent later stages of porcine colonic spirochetosis.