Incidence of avian necrotic enteritis in Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh)

Necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium perfringens is an important infectious disease of chickens, encountered in both broilers and layers. From twelve poultry farms located in and around Jabalpur city, a total of 81 birds suspected to have died of NE were autopsied and examined. Typical lesions of disease were found in the small intestine of 32 birds, from where the anaerobes were isolated. The disease was encountered at 3–4 and 7–8 weeks of age in broiler and layer respectively. The intensity was higher (53.13%) in broiler as compared to layer (46.87%).