Pathology of necrotic enteritis in poultry

Twenty five birds suspected of necrotic enteritis from both commercial broilers and layers were necropsied. The intestine revealed haemorrhages on the serosal surface, dilated with gas and yellowish brown dirty turkish towel diphtheritic membrane. The smears made from intestinal scrapings revealed the presence of large no of gram-positive rods and Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima oocysts on direct microscopic examination. Microscopically, degeneration and necrosis of enterocytes, microcyst formation and mononuclear cells infiltration within the villi and haemorrhages between villi were observed.