Horses with l ' eritonitis

P eritonitis can be induced by a number of infectious (bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic) and noninfectious (traumatic, chemical, neoplastic) causes. Bacterial agents are the most well-recognized cause of peritonitis in horses, and bacterial peritonitis is often described as primary or secondary based on the mode of entry of the infectious agent. Primary peritonitis usually occurs only in association with impaired host defenses. Secondary peritonitis, by far the most common form in horses, occurs when intestinal contents leak through damaged or perforated intestinal wall or via inoculation from external trauma.' Mortality from peritonitis in horses ranges from 30% to 67s . ' Successful treatment and an accurate prognosis depend on correct identification of the cause as well as assessment of the severity of the inflammatory response (Figure 1).