Figure 2

Histological damage in the bovine small intestine treated with a C. perfringens necro-haemorrhagic enteritis isolate over time. Ligated small intestinal loops were inoculated with sterile bacterial culture medium (A) or BCP62, a C. perfringens type A strain isolated from a case of bovine necro-haemorrhagic enteritis (B–D) [28]. Intestinal loops were injected with 30 min intervals, resulting in loops with different incubation times at time of sampling. Loops incubated with sterile bacterial culture medium for 5 h showed normal intestinal villi with a well-preserved epithelium and lamina propria (A). Histological damage, consisting of epithelial sloughing, is observed within 30 min after injection of C. perfringens (B). Complete loss of the epithelium and congestion of the capillaries was noted after 3 h incubation with C. perfringens (C). After 5 h, more severe haemorrhages and necrosis of the tips of the villi are observed (D).