Systematic Veterinary Bacteriology and Mycology

PATHOGENESIS

• The enterotoxaemias are often precipitated by certain husbandry and environmental factors such as abrupt changes in feeding, usually to a richer diet and overeating and voracity on high protein and energy rich feeds.
• This leads to slowing of peristalsis with retention of bacteria in the intestines, absorption of toxins, inadequately digested carbohydrate and the provision of a rich medium for the proliferation of C.perfringens
• The bacterium inhabits the large intestine in normal animals, but if overgrowth occurs C.perfringens can spill over into the small intestine with the production of a large amount of toxin and enterotoxaemia.