Do you truly understand the dangers of necrotic enteritis in poultry?

Necrotic enteritis is an acute bacterial disease of poultry caused by *Clostridium perfringens* type A or C and its toxins.  Also known as enterotoxemia or gangrenous enteritis, it is characterized by the passage of black or bloody feces, and edema and necrosis of the intestinal mucosa.

1.Clinical Symptoms 

1）Chickens with acute disease are depressed, with eyes half-closed or closed, reduced feed and water intake, and excrete reddish-brown or dark-brown tarry feces, or feces mixed with sloughed intestinal mucosal tissue.
2）Chickens with chronic diseases have stunted growth, produce grayish-white loose feces, and eventually die of exhaustion.

3）  The resistant chickens were underdeveloped and the area around their anus was contaminated with feces.

2.Pathological Changes

The lesions primarily affect the small intestine, particularly the jejunum, ileum, and part of the cecum. The intestinal lining is thickened, congested, hemorrhagic, and bruised, or hypertrophied and brittle due to the presence of a yellowish-brown pseudomembrane. After removal of the pseudomembrane, the intestinal mucosa exhibits lesions ranging from catarrhal inflammation to necrotizing inflammation. The intestinal contents are fluid, bloody, or dark green. The cecal mucosa is covered with old blood-like material, and much of the mesentery is edematous. The kidneys are enlarged and discolored, and the liver is congested with scattered small, round necrotic foci.

1）Sudden death (especially in fast-growing broilers)。

2）Depression, decreased appetite, ruffled feathers, and diarrhea (yellow-green or bloody stools).

Growth retardation and weight loss.

3)The small intestine (especially the jejunum and ileum) may experience thinning, gas formation, bleeding, or necrosis of the intestinal wall.

4)The intestinal mucosa may be sloughed, with fibrinous pseudomembranes or ulcers.
5)The intestinal contents may appear brown, frothy, or bloody.

Core prevention and Control Measures

Feed Management: Low-protein diets: Control crude protein levels (≤20% for chicks, ≤16% for mature chickens) to reduce undigested protein fermentation.
Enzyme Supplementation: Add xylanase (100-200 g/ton) and protease to reduce intestinal viscosity.
Spoiled Ingredients: Avoid using moldy corn (aflatoxin B1 <20 ppb).
Pathogen Control: Clostridium inhibition: Add Bacillus subtilis (1×10⁹ CFU/kg) or Clostridium butyricum (300 g/ton) to the feed.
Periodic Medication: Add bacitracin zinc (50 g/ton) or enramycin (10 g/ton) during the susceptible period (14-28 days of age).

Environment and Biosafety
Litter Management: Keep litter thickness ≤ 5 cm, turn it weekly, and maintain humidity between 25-35%.
After slaughter, thoroughly clean up manure and spray the floor with 3% sodium hydroxide solution.
Water Hygiene: Flush water lines weekly with potassium persulfate (1:200) to prevent biofilm formation
Immunization and Monitoring