Histopathology of oesophagogastric lesions in pigs

The development of parakeratotic lesions and ulcers of the oesophagogastric epithelium was studied in pigs from a variety of sources and of ages ranging from 10 to 22 weeks. In general, the severity, as assessed by gross appearance, paralleled the depth to which parakeratotic change extended into the epithelium. However, some early degenerative change and erosion was observed in epithelium graded as macroscopieally normal. Separation and erosion usually occurred beneath a band of epithelial cells with cytoplasmic pallor and nuclear degeneration underlying the parakeratotic layers. These findings are discussed in relation to the possible role of diet and gastric acidity in the pathogenesis of the lesions.