Veterinary Clinical Medicine-I (General and Systemic)

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

• When the natural defenses fail and excessive bacteria persist in the upper small intestine,
• Because the species and numbers of bacteria in the small intestine may vary between and even within patients, pathophysiology is not consistent.
• Purported mechanisms include deconjugation of bile acids, dehydroxylation of fatty acids, formation of alcohols, and destruction of brush border enzymes.
• Anaerobic bacteria (e.g., Bacteroides spp. and Clostridium spp.) have been considered more likely to cause pathology than many aerobic bacteria; SIBO can cause protein-losing enteropathy.