Hepatitis, Bacterial
Basic Information 
Definition
Primary bacterial hepatitis (inflammation of the liver caused by bacterial infection) and primary bacterial cholangiohepatitis (inflammation of the liver and biliary system) are infrequent causes of hepatic disease in adult horses.
Clinical Presentation
Etiology and Pathophysiology
• The etiopathogenesis of bacterial hepatitis is uncertain. Retrograde bacterial infection from the small intestine is the probable cause in mature horses as a sequela to biliary stasis, cholelithiasis, chronic active hepatitis, intestinal obstruction, and proximal enteritis.
• The most common isolates associated with ascending bacterial hepatitis in mature horses are enteric organisms, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Citrobacter, Aeromonas, and Acinetobacter spp.
• Hematogenous dissemination secondary to sepsis is the probable cause in neonatal foals. Bacterial sepsis in foals may result in focal to multifocal bacterial hepatitis.
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