Clostridium septicum septicemia in a neonatal foal with hemorrhagic enteritis

Clostridium septicum was isolated by anaerobic culture of blood collected from a 3-day-old foal with hemorrhagic enteritis and signs suggestive of septicemia. The foal responded well to treatment with intravenous fluids, antibiotics, plasma, and oral gastrointestinal protectants. One month after apparent complete recovery from the septicemia and hemorrhagic enteritis, the foal was euthanized during an acute episode of colic that was caused by severe, strangulating intestinal adhesions, thought to have formed as a result of peritonitis secondary to the hemorrhagic enteritis. The value of anaerobic culture of blood in foals with signs suggestive of septicemia is emphasized by the case presented here, as is the importance of evaluating the presence and extent of peritoneal inflammation in foals with hemorrhagic enteritis. To our knowledge, Clostridium septicum has not previously been reported to cause septicemia in neonatal foals.