The incidence of C. perfringens in chickens in different seasons and Governorates in Egypt

A total of 247 intestinal samples from freshly dead broiler and layer chickens were collected from 150 farms in Giza, Sharkia, Qalubia, El-Behera, Daqahlia and Cairo governorates in different seasons. These samples showed different degrees of intestinal lesions from apparently normal to sever necrosis with ulcerations. Clostridium perfringens was isolated from 138 samples with incidence of 55.9%. The incidence of NE was higher in spring and summer than winter and autumn. According to polymerase chain reaction and intradermal injection of guinea pig all isolates were Clostridium perfringens type A. In vitro antibiotic sensitivity tests made for 15 isolates and most of the examined isolates were highly sensitive to amoxicillin, ampicillin, florfenicol, penicillin and metronidazole. Three isolates showed resistance to most of antibiotics were used. Effect of piperazine salt on antibiotic resistance of C. perfringens isolate was studied in this work.