Lawsonia intracellularis

Lawsonia intracellularis

the bacterial cause of porcine proliferative enteropathy and of proliferative enteritis in foals. An obligately intracellular gram-negative, curved rod; may also cause proliferative enteropathy in white-tailed deer and has been isolated from birds. Culture is extremely difficult but the infection can be detected serologically and the organism can be detected in the feces by PCR and in tissues by PCR and immunohistochemical staining of infected tissues.