POSSIBLE ROLE OF SPIRAL-SHAPED BACTERIA IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF ABOMASAL ULCERS IN ADULT CATTLE

Enzyme-chemical and histological evaluations were used to examine the abomasal mucosa of adult cattle with or without mucosal lesions of the corpus. Urease activity was detected with the CLO (Campylobacter-like organisms test in the abomasal mucosa of all cattle except one, which had mucosal lesions. Spiral-shaped bacteria were visualized histologically in the mucus layer, with the highest number being found in the pars pylorica. Variable amounts of intra-epithelial mucin were found in the corpus and pars pylorica of both test and control cattle. Most inflammatory cells were found in the lamina propria of the pars pylorica. It is suggested that spiral-shaped bacteria, together with a diminished mucosal barrier, play a role in the pathogenesis of abomasal ulcers in adult cattle.