Dear reader,
It usually starts with a case report. In this issue of Veterinary Quarterly Dr Pedersen and co-workers report on “Demonstration of non-specific colitis and increased crypt depth in colon of weaned pigs with diarrhea” in their case report. I have read it with great pleasure and as is common with case reports, it raises various questions. For instance, did histopathology in the pigs reveal normal findings in small intestine in contrast to the increased crypt depth in colon? Not only does this work support the previous statement that the etiology and epidemiology of non-specific colitis might be associated with wheat-based diets (Thomson et al. Citation2007), but the possible association between wheat and the increased crypt depth in colon in their case report reminds me of potential involvement of gluten (sensitivity).
Gluten is the composite of a gliadin and a glutelin, which is conjoined with starch in the endosperm of various cereals like wheat. Coeliac disease (CD) is an auto-immune inflammatory disorder in humans characterized by a partial or total villous atrophy of the proximal small intestine occurring after ingestion of gluten in genetically predisposed patients (Tack et al. Citation2010). Recently, the so-called gluten sensitivity (GS) has received much interest in human medicine, although the limits and possible overlap between GS and CD remain poorly defined (Troncone and Jabri Citation2011). However, in GS antibodies to native gliadin (the alcohol-soluble part of gluten) are more pronounced (Volta et al. Citation2011). In comparison, GS has not received much attention in veterinary medicine yet. The syndrome has been described both in the Irish Setter dog (Hall and Batt Citation1991; Daminet Citation1996) and the Rhesus Macaque (Bethune et al. Citation2008). In this issue of Veterinary Quarterly, it is also addressed in the equine species. To my surprise, information on GS in the porcine species is virtually absent, thereby illustrating the need for excellent observations in case reports to start with.
References
- Bethune , MT , Borda , JT , Ribka , E , Liu , MX , Phillippi-Falkenstein , K , Jandacek , RJ , Doxiadis , GG , Gray , GM , Khosla , C and Sestak , K . 2008 . A non-human primate model for gluten sensitivity . PLoS One , 3 ( 2 ) : e1614
- Daminet , SC . 1996 . Gluten-sensitive enteropathy in a family of Irish setters . Can Vet J , 37 ( 12 ) : 745 – 746 .
- Hall , EJ and Batt , RM . 1991 . Abnormal intestinal permeability could play a role in the development of gluten-sensitive enteropathy in Irish setter dogs . J Nutr , 121 ( 11 Suppl ) : S150 – S151 .
- Tack , GJ , Verbeek , WH , Schreurs , MW and Mulder , CJ . 2010 . The spectrum of celiac disease: epidemiology, clinical aspects and treatment . Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol , 7 ( 4 ) : 204 – 213 .
- Thomson , JR , Chase-Topping , ME , Gunn , G , Strachan , WD , Edwards , SA , Smith , WJ , Hillman , K and Stefopoulou , SN . 2007 . Epidemiology of porcine non-specific colitis on Scottish farms . Vet J , 173 ( 2 ) : 353 – 360 .
- Troncone , R and Jabri , B . 2011 . Coeliac disease and gluten sensitivity . J Intern Med , 269 ( 6 ) : 582 – 590 .
- Volta , U , Tovoli , F , Cicola , R , Parisi , C , Fabbri , A , Piscaglia , M , Fiorini , E and Caio , G . 2011. Serological Tests in Gluten Sensitivity (Nonceliac Gluten Intolerance). J Clin Gastroenterol. 2011 Dec 5. [Epub ahead of print]