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| | ===Laboratory Tests=== | | ===Laboratory Tests=== |
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| − | Positive ELISA rtest results for identification of toxins in intestinal contents or peritoneal fluid support, but do not confirm the diagnosis because iimmune animals may have high concentrations of toxin but not suffer from its effects.
| + | Intestinal contents or pertioneal fluid may be collected post-mortem and submitted for an ELISA test to identify clostridial exotoxins. A positive result supports a diagnosis of enterotoxaemia but does not confirm it: animals with immunity to ''Clostridium perfringens'' may have high concentrations of toxin with suffering from its effects. |
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| − | | + | Intestinal smears and scrapings readily reveal gram-positive rods<sup>sargison, watt</sup>. Culture of intestinal contents can yield almost pure growths of ''C. perfringens''<sup>watt</sup>, but this is again supportive rather than diagnostic<sup>sargison</sup>. |
| − | watt: similar lesions has been described involving
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| − | Cl wet1ihil type C.) The causal organism is readily demonstrated
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| − | on1 s.mear anld its cxact identity can be conifirmed in the
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| − | laboratory.
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| − | | |
| − | sargison:Numerous Gram-positixe rods are
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| − | present in smears from intestinal scrapings. Almost pure
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| − | anaerobic cultures of C pe):frili,genis from intestinal coIntents,
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| − | and positixe beta and epsiloni toxin ELISA results
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| − | fiom intestinal conitents or peritoneal fluid support, but
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| − | do not confirm, the diagnosis.
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| | ===Pathology=== | | ===Pathology=== |