[Necrotizing enteritis in nursing piglets (Clostridium perfringens type C enterotoxemia) in industrialized swine...

Outbreaks of necrotising enteritis, caused by Clostridium perfringens, Type C, among piglets on five industrialised breeding units are reported in this paper. Original diagnosis was confirmed by clinical, pathologico-anatomic, histological, and bacteriological tests as well as by the detection of beta toxin from the intestinal matter of piglets after death. Cl. per fringens, Type C, was successfully isolated from 71.9 per cent of all animals that had died of necrotising enteritis. Three forms were differentiated by pathologico-anatomic findings: 1. haemorrhagic-necrotising enteritis with excessive bleeding of the intestinal wall and blood loss into the intestinal lumen; 2. necrotising enteritis with small scattered foci of bleeding; 3. necrotising enteritis without any bleeding. The first form usually developed concomitantly with peracute and acute disease in the first three days of age, whereas the third form was primarily recorded from piglets that had died, following subacute disease, between the fourth and ninth days after birth.