Intestinal adenomatosis in pigs. A patho-morphological investigation

The patho-morphological alterations in porcine intestinal adenomatosis were studied by light- and electron microscopy, and the pathogenetic mechanisms leading to the adenomatous lesions were discussed. The intestinal changes were partly interpreted as degenerative modifications, partly as hyperplastic processes. In some areas there seemed to be an uncontrolled proliferation of poorly differentiated crypt epithelium, resulting in adenomatous changes. These lesions were associated with intracellular location of bacteria. It was assumed that the epithelial hyperplasia in areas with normal differentiation of crypt cells was an expression of a regenerative reaction. It was further assumed that the faulty regeneration of intestinal mucosa occurred in areas where the mesenchymal destruction was too advanced to allow complete morphological restoration.