Fourteen cases of spontaneous mucoid enteritis, five cases that occurred after transmission of material from natural cases, and 13 control animals were studied to define disease characteristics and lesions. Prominent clinical features included diarrhea with passage of mucus, polydipsia, crouched stance, distended abdomen, succussion splash, and subnormal temperature. Transmission of the disease was equivocally successful. Rabbits with mucoid enteritis had moderate leukocytosis, hyperglycemia, azotemia, serum globulin alterations, and electrolyte imbalance. Autopsy consistently revealed distended stomach, fluid-filled small bowel, impacted cecum, and mucus-filled colon. In the small intestine there was mucus-cell hyperplasia and in the colon mucous casts, glandular dilatation, and depletion of acidic mucus. The small-bowel changes in mucoid enteritis are similar to those in enterotoxin-induced secretory diarrheas, and the excessive discharge of mucus is comparable to that of cystic fibrosis.
References
1.
AndersenD. H.:
Cystic fibrosis of the pancreas.J. chron. Dis.7:
58–90
(1958).
2.
AndersenD. H.:
Pathology of cystic fibrosis.Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci.93:
500–517
(1962).
3.
ArringtonL. R.WallaceL. J.:
The effect of diastase upon mucoid enteritis and growth of rabbits.Vet. Med./Small Anim. Clin.61:
1210–1212
(1966).
4.
BanwellJ. G.PierceN. F.MitraR. C.BrighamK. L.CaranasosG. J.KeimowitzR. I.FedsonD. S.ThomasJ.GorbachS. L.SackR. B.MondalA.:
Intestinal fluid and electrolyte transport in human cholera.J. clin. Invest.49:
183–195
(1970).
5.
BinderH. J.PowellD. W.:
Bacterial enterotoxins and diarrhea.Amer. J. clin. Nutr.23:
1582–1587
(1970).
6.
BrownR. C.RichterC. B.BloomerM. D.:
Ultrastructural pathology of an acute fatal enteritis of captive cottontail rabbits. Search for a viral etiologic agent.Amer. J. Path.57:
93–126
(1969).
7.
BrusilowS. W.:
Cystic fibrosis in adults.Ann. Rev. Med.21:
99–104
(1970).
8.
BuchananD. J.RapoportS.:
Chemical comparison of normal meconium and meconium from a patient with meconium ileus.Pediatrics9:
304–309
(1952).
9.
CarpenterC. C. J.jr.:
Cholera enterotoxin — Recent investigations yield insights into transport processes.Amer. J. Med.50:
1–7
(1971).
10.
CasadyR. B.EversonD. O.SuitorA. E.MizeK. E.:
The effect of restricted availability of water on the incidence of enteritis and on growth in young rabbits.Lab. Anim. Care13:
685–688
(1963).
11.
ChenH.-C.ReyesV.FreshJ. W.:
An electron microscopic study of the small intestine in human cholera.Virchows Arch.7:
236–259
(1971).
12.
di Sant'AgneseP. A.:
Fibrocystic disease of the pancreas with normal or partial pancreatic function. Current views on pathogenesis and diagnosis.Pediatrics15:
683–696
(1955).
13.
di Sant'AgneseP. A.:
A distinctive type of biliary cirrhosis of the liver associated with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas. Recognition through signs of portal hypertension.Pediatrics18:
387–408
(1956).
14.
di Sant'AgneseP. A.:
Recent observations on pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis of the pancreas.Pediatrics24:
313–321
(1959).
15.
di Sant'AgneseP. A.:
Recent concepts in cystic fibrosis; in Jakowska Cystic fibrosis and related human and animal diseases: symposium highlights,
pp. 1319
(Gordon & Breach,
New York1970).
16.
di Sant'AgneseP. A.LeporeM. J.:
Involvement of abdominal organs in cystic fibrosis of the pancreas.Gastroenterology40:
64–74
(1961).
17.
DoggettR. G.BentinckB.HarrisonG. M.:
Structure and ultrastructure of the labial salivary glands in patients with cystic fibrosis.J. clin. Path.24:
270–282
(1971).
18.
ElliottH. L.CarpenterC. C. J.SackR. B.YardleyJ. H.:
Small bowel morphology in experimental canine cholera. A light and electron microscopic study.Lab. Invest.22:
112–120
(1970).
19.
FarberS.:
Pancreatic function and disease in early life. V. Pathologic changes associated with pancreatic insufficiency in early life.Arch. Path.37:
238–250
(1944).
20.
FieldM.:
Intestinal secretion. Effect of cyclic AMP and its role in cholera.New Engl. J. Med.284:
1137–1141
(1971).
21.
GibsonL. E.MatthewsW. J.jr.MinihanP. T.:
Hyperpermeable mucus in cystic fibrosis.
Lancetii:
189191
(1970).
22.
GorbachS. L.:
Acute diarrhea — A ‘toxin’ disease?New Engl. J. Med.283:
44–45
(1970).
23.
GrandR. J.:
Changing patterns of gastrointestinal manifestations of cystic fibrosis. Survey of recent progress in diagnosis and treatment.Clin. pediat.9:
588–593
(1970).
24.
GreenM. N.ClarkJ. T.ShwachmanH.:
Studies in cystic fibrosis of the pancreas. Protein pattern in meconium ileus.Pediatrics21:
635–641
(1958).
25.
GreenhamL. W.:
Some preliminary observations on rabbit mucoid enteritis.Vet. Rec.74:
79–85
(1962).
26.
HagenK. W.jr.:
Infectious disease of the rabbit;
in Animal diseases, yearbook of agriculture,
pp. 562563.
(US Government Printing Office,
Washington1956).
27.
HendrixT. R.BanwellJ. G.:
Pathogenesis of cholera.Gastroenterology57:
751–755
(1969).
28.
HodgsonW. J. B.:
Intestinal obstruction in an adult suffering from mucoviscidosis.Brit. J. Surg.56:
472–473
(1969).
29.
HurtL. M.:
Report of Los Angeles County Livestock Department,
p. 97
(1949).
30.
JahnT. L.:
Lower animals as models for cystic fibrosis; in
Jakowska Cystic fibrosis and related human and animal diseases: symposium highlights,
pp. 102107
(Gordon & Breach,
New York1970).
31.
JohansenP. G.KayR.:
Histochemistry of rectal mucus in cystic fibrosis of the pancreas.J. Path. Bact.99:
299–306
(1969).
32.
JohansenP. G.AndersonC. M.HadornB.:
Cystic fibrosis of the pancreas. A generalized disturbance of water and electrolyte movement in exocrine tissues.
Lancetii:
455460
(1968).
33.
McCuistionW. R.:
Rabbit mucoid enteritis (neonatal hypoamylasemia).Vet. Med.,59:
815–818
(1964).
34.
MandelI. D.KutscherA.DenningC. R.ThompsonR. J.jr.ZegarelliE. V.:
Salivary studies in cystic fibrosis.Amer. J. Dis. Child.113:
431–438
(1967).
MarsdenJ. C.:
A reappraisal of cystic fibrosis.Nature, Lond.223:
214
(1969).
37.
MayC. D.LoweC. U.:
The treatment of fibrosis of the pancreas in infants and children.Pediatrics1:
159–173
(1948).
38.
MoonH. W.WhippS. C.BaetzA. L.:
Comparative effects of enterotoxins from Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae on rabbit and swine small intestine.Lab. Invest.26:
133–140
(1971).
39.
MuirR. O.:
Problems of backyard poultry and rabbits.Vet. Rec.55:
87
(1943).
40.
NiwayamaG.VadakanV. V.:
Intestinal obstruction associated with fibrocystic disease of the pancreas.Tokohu J. exp. Med.104:
289–300
(1971).
41.
NorrisH. T.:
Back to parenchymal inflammation? Pathogenesis of fluid production by the ileum in experimental cholera: A unusual type of host response to bacterial agents.
Biochem. Pharmacol.
Suppl.,
pp. 131141
(1968).
42.
OppenheimerE. H.BraytonJ. B.:
An animal model for human disease. Needed: an animal model for cystic fibrosis.Comp. Path. Bull.111:
3–4
(1971).
43.
PierceN. F.GreenoughW. B.IIICarpenterC. C. J.jr.:
Vibrio cholerae enterotoxin and its mode of action.Bact. Rev.35:
1–13
(1971).
44.
PoutD.:
Mucoid enteritis in rabbits.Vet. Rec.89:
214–216
(1971).
RichterC. B.HendrenR. L.:
The pathology and epidemiology of acute enteritis in captive cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus).Path. vet.6:
159–175
(1969).
47.
RollinsW. C.CasadyR. B.:
An analysis of pre-weaning deaths in rabbits with special emphasis on enteritis and pneumonia.Anim. Pract.9:
87–92
(1967).
48.
RuleA. H.LawrenceD.HagerH. J.HyslopN.jr.ShwachmanH.:
IgA: presence in meconium obtained from patients with cystic fibrosis.Pediatrics48:
601–604
(1971).
49.
SackR. B.GorbachS. L.BanwellJ. G.JacobsB.ChatterjeeB. D.MitraR. C.:
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from patients with severe cholera-like disease.J. infect. Dis.123:
378–385
(1971).
50.
SharpG. W. G.HynieS.:
Stimulation of intestinal adenyl cyclase by cholera toxin.Nature, Lond.229:
266–269
(1971).
51.
ShwachmanH.PrylesC. V.GrossR. E.:
Meconium ileus. A clinical study of twenty surviving patients.Amer. J. Dis. Child.91:
223–244
(1956).
52.
SpockA.:
Theories of the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis.Postgrad. Med.50:
92–97
(1971).
53.
SubbuswamyS. G.:
Patterns of mucin secretion in human intestinal mucosa.J. Anat., Lond.108:
291–293
(1971).
54.
TaylorP. A.:
Mucoid enteritis in rabbits.Ontario Dept. Agric. Food, Vet. Service Branch, Quart. Bull.5:
3–4
(1970).
55.
TempletonG. S.:
New information on mucoid enteritis in rabbits.Amer. Rabbit J.23:
17–18
(1953).
56.
TempletonG. S.:
Domestic rabbit production
(Interstate Print. & Publ.,
Danville1955).
57.
van KruiningenH. J.BlodgettS. B.:
Tyzzer's disease in a Connecticut rabbitry.J. amer. vet. med. Ass.158:
1205–1212
(1971).
ZuelzerW. W.NewtonW. A.jr.:
The pathogenesis of fibrocystic disease of the pancreas. A study of 36 cases with special reference to the pulmonary lesions.Pediatrics4:
53–69
(1949).
