Patho-morphology of necro-haemorrhagic enteritis in neonatal calves

The present investigation was carried out to study the pathomorphology of necro-haemorrahgic enteritis in bovine calves. A total of 45 carcasses of calves aged below 3 months of age with the history of diarrhoea (enteritis) were necropsied at the Post-mortem Facility of Division of Pathology, IVRI, Izatnagar during the period from November, 2016 to February, 2018. Out of 45 necropsied calves, 14 calves showed necro-heamorrahic enteritis, including one case of intussusception of intestine and one case of herniation of crypts. Grossly the mucosa of affected intestines was severely congested, hemorrhagic, thickened and lumina filled with yellowish colored diarrheal contents. The serosa of the intestine exhibited multiple petechial and ecchymotic haemorrhages. Microscopically, severe vascular congestion and hemorrhages in the lamina propria of villi, around cryptic glands and submucosa of the jejunum was recorded. Fibrino-hemorrhagic enteritis was also found in few cases, characterized by presence of fibrin material and bacterial colonies in the mucosa and submucosa of the jejunum. The enteritis caused by multiple infectious and non-infectious factors lead to variable calf mortality and associated economic losses. The predominant changes observed in the necro-haemorrhagic diarrhoea were observed in the small and large intestine and adjacent mesenteric lymph node. The proper health monitoring along with feed and fodder management is crucial to reduce the incidence of enteritis and associated deaths.