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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Imaging
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1588445
Ultrasonographic Appearance of the Ileocecocolic Junction in Cats with Salmonellosis
Provisionally accepted- 1Specialist Animal Hospital Stromsholm, Strömsholm, Sweden
- 2Department of Animal Genetics and Conservation, University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- 3Vet Oracle, Norfolk, United Kingdom
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Salmonellosis is a bacterial infection caused by Salmonella spp. When it affects the gastrointestinal tract of cats, it has a predilection for the ileocecocolic junction. Abdominal ultrasound is a valuable tool in diagnosing gastrointestinal diseases. This retrospective, single-center case series study aimed to describe the ultrasonographic abnormalities of the ileocecocolic junction in feline patients with confirmed Salmonella infection. One hundred cats presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms were tested for Salmonella between 2019 and 2022; 70 tested positive, and 30 tested negative. All of them underwent ultrasonographic examination. The positive group showed a significantly thickened wall of the ileum (p< 0.001, range: 1.9–5.7 mm, mean= 3.25 mm, SD= 0.66), caecum (p< 0.001, range: 2.1–3.9mm, mean= 2.87mm, SD= 0.49), and ascending colon (p< 0.05, range: 1–3.1mm, mean= 1.47mm, SD= 0.55) in comparison to the negative group. In the positive group, the ileocecal lymph nodes were significantly larger in diameter (p< 0.001, range: 2.7–7.8 mm, mean= 4.9 mm, SD= 1.15). All Salmonella-positive cats had focal hyperechoic mesenteric fat, and 23% (16/70) had focal peritoneal effusion at the ileocecocolic junction. The combination of the thickening of the intestinal wall at the ileocecocolic junction, focal hyperechoic mesenteric fat, peritoneal effusion and regional lymphadenopathy may indicate Salmonellosis in cats with compatible clinical signs. Including this diagnosis may prompt further testing, leading to early recognition and effective treatment, resulting in better patient outcomes. Diagnosing this disease is also important as Salmonellosis carries a zoonotic risk, with the potential transmission between pets and humans.
Keywords: Feline1, ultrasound2, ileocecocolic junction3, salmonellosis4, diagnostic imaging5
Received: 05 Mar 2025; Accepted: 18 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Brzozowska, Rapp, Vermeire, Klich and Stanczyk. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Magdalena Anna Brzozowska, Specialist Animal Hospital Stromsholm, Strömsholm, Sweden
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