Enteritis toxin accumulation. Ischemic enteritis is uncommon compared to ischemic colitis due to the highly vascularised nature of the small intestine, allowing for sufficient blood flow in most situations. It develops due to circulatory shock of mesenteric vessels in the absence of major vessel occlusion, often associated with an underlying condition such as hypertension, arrhythmia or diabetes. Thus it has been considered to be associated with atherosclerosis. Surgical treatment is usually required due to the likelihood of stenosis or complete occlusion of the small intestine. Ischemic damage can range from mucosal infarction, which is limited only to the mucosa; mural infarction
Equine proximal enteritis and Europe. Horses in the Southeastern US tend to have a more severe form of the disease relative to other locations. Age, breed, and gender appear to have no effect on disease prevalence. The cause of proximal enteritis is not definitively known. Both "Salmonella" and "Clostridial" species have been isolated from gastric reflux contents of affected horses. "Salmonella" has not been consistently found in all horses with DPJ, although one study cultured toxigenic "Clostridial" species in 100% of affected horses. Other potential causes include "Fusarium" infection and recent increase in dietary concentrate levels, which can alter the microbial population within