Diarrhea in one to three week-old piglets associated with Clostridium perfringens type A

Investigation on the aetiology of diarrhoea in piglets of one to three weeks of age revealed high numbers of Clostridium perfringens type A in intestinal contents of severely affected animals. Experimental infections with hysterectomy derived, colostrum deprived piglets performed in an isolator resulted in a clinical picture indistinguishable from the clinical signs observed under field conditions i.e. creamy diarrhoea, emaciation, abundant gas in the gut but usually low mortality rate. The predominant post-mortem findings were the presence of gas in the intestinal lumen and in the mucosa, superficial necrosis and villus atrophy.