ABSTRACT
Endotoxemia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in horses with acute abdominal disease.1,2 In a number of surveys of horses with colic, endotoxin has been detected in the blood in 27%,3 74%,4 and 84%,5 of cases. The highest blood concentrations of endotoxin are detected in horses with lesions of the colon or cecum.4 Horses with detectable endotoxin in the blood3,6 or those with clinical signs attributable to endotoxemia2 have been shown to have poor hospital survival rates when compared with horses without endotoxemia.
