Labuscagne, AnnemarieSpencer, B.T. (Brian Tom)Picard, J.A.Williams, Mark C.2013-04-102013-04-102012-12-13Labuscagne, A, Spencer, BT, Picard, JA & Williams, MC 2012, ‘An investigation to determine the cause of haemorrhagic enteritis in commercial pig grower units in the northern parts of South Africa’, Journal of the South African Veterinary Association 83(1), Art. #19, 6 pages. http://dx.DOI. org/ 10.4102/jsava.v83i1.190038-2809 (print)2224-9435 (online)10.4102/jsava.v83i1.19http://hdl.handle.net/2263/21263A.L. (CS Vet Consultancy) was the project leader and did most of the post-mortems. B.T.S (University of Pretoria) was the primary author’s mentor and provided guidance as to how to approach this study. J.A.P. (University of Pretoria) was responsible for the microbiology, whilst M.C.W. (James Cook University) was responsible for the histopathology.Necropsies were performed on 36 grower pigs that died peracutely on farms in the northern parts of South Africa. All these pigs were suffering from haemorrhagic enteritis and suspected toxaemia. Samples of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum were taken for histopathological examination and a section of ileum was collected for microbiological examination from each animal. Histological lesions characteristic of enterotoxigenic Clostridium infection were found. Large, Gram-positive bacilli were sometimes abundant in sections and mucosal smears of the intestine. However, only 40% of the cultures were positive for Clostridium perfringens.en© 2012. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS OpenJournals. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.PigsHaemorrhagic enteritisToxaemiaClostridium infectionEnteritisSwine -- DiseasesDiarrhea in swineArticle