• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.253-258
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• 2005

A 3-year-old male lion at Gwangju Uchi Zoo presented for acute onset of haemorrhagic diarrhea and died. The lion showed reddening of the anus as the cause of haemorrhagic enteritis. Necropsy revealed a severe haemorrhagic colitis. Grossly, lesions included icterus, excess pericardial fluid. dark kidneys, and an enlarged, friable liver. The intestines were flaccid, thin-walled, dilated, and 9as-filled. The spleen was enlarged and pulpy because of congestion. Most of organs were rapidly postmortem autolysis. Histopathologically, the intestines were edema and transient leukocyte infiltration of the lamina propria, followed by necrosis. Especially of the intestinal submucosa was edematous, haemorrhagic, or filled with leukocytes. The crypts remained intact or dilated. C perfringens was isolated from a lion at bloody feces, and identified C perfringens type A, confirming the presence of C perfringens $\alpha-toxin$ by PCR. These results were suggested that the case were diagnosed as enterotoxicosis in the lion. More studies are needed on lion enterotoxemia. especially of its etiopathogenesis, in order to develop more efficient prevention for this disease.