Report of Lawsonia intracellularis Infection in Dogs by Polymerase Chain Reaction

The purpose of this study was to survey Lawsonia intracellularis in dogs in Thailand by using Polymerase chain reaction technique. Lawsonia intracellularis is obligatory intracellular bacterium which causes proliferative enteropathy in animals, including dog. Fecal samples from 48 dogs were collected from Bangkok, Pathumthani and Nakhon Ratchasima and tested for L. intracellularis by PCR technique. The dogs were classified into two groups according to the presence or absence of diarrhea. In the group of dogs with diarrhea (n= 11), 6 dogs were positive (54.4%) and in the group without signs of diarrhea (n= 37), 15 dogs were positive (40.5%). The overall positivity was 43.8% (21/48). These results indicated that L. intracellularis was positive in dogs in Thailand.