Necrotic enteritis associated with coccidiosis was diagnosed in 25-day-old broilers. Six live broilers with a history of increased mortality with birds dying with their legs straight out were submitted for laboratory examination. At necropsy, the mucosa of the jejunum and ileum had a “cloth towel” appearance with loose, small mucosal flakes. Moderate numbers of coccidia were detected by the wet mount technique. The diagnosis of necrotic enteritis was confirmed by histopathology, which revealed necrosis of the upper part of the intestinal mucosa associated with large numbers of both rod-shaped bacteria and coccidia. Necrotic enteritis is caused by toxins secreted by Clostridium perfringens, which proliferates in the intestinal lumen when damage of the intestinal mucosa occurs. Coccidiosis is the main predisposing factor to necrotic enteritis.
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