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Fig. 3 | Animal Microbiome

Fig. 3

From: Gut microbiota and age shape susceptibility to clostridial enteritis in lorikeets under human care

Fig. 3

CZA Lorikeet enteritis gross and histopathology. a Enteritis versus non-enteritis deaths by month (2015–2019). Cases were diagnosed histologically. b–d Gross necropsy findings typical of lorikeets with enteritis. b Feathers plucked demonstrating decreased pectoral muscle mass and prominent keel. c Formalin fixed tissues: severely dilated loops of intestines, including paired ceca, with thin intestinal walls and segments of thickened and nodular intestines. d Formalin fixed loop of small intestine: Mesentery thickened by pale tan tissue and nodules on the wall and serosa. e Hematoxylin & eosin stain (H&E) of chronic necrotizing enteritis in a lorikeet. Intestinal loops are markedly dilated with thinning of intestinal wall and replacement with fibrosis. Lumens impacted with coagulum of degenerate red blood cells, bacterial colonies and sloughed mucosa that compress the remaining atrophied and blunted intestinal villi. Inflammation on serosa and adjacent mesentery. f H&E of acute transmural necrotizing and ulcerative enteritis in a lorikeet. Sparse remaining mucosa characterized by large central ulcer, inflammatory cells including macrophages and heterophils throughout intestinal wall centered around the ulcer and overlying large colonies of bacteria. g Modified Brown-Hopps of f intestinal section. Superficially adhered bacterial colonies within the lesion are monomorphic large gram-positive bacilli. h H&E of enteritis: Little remaining mucosa with large central focus of ulceration, numerous heterophils and macrophages, followed by a layer of fibrin and degenerate red blood cells with admixed large bacterial colonies and sloughed necrotic mucosal epithelium. i Immunohistochemistry (IHC) against Clostridium perfringens from (h) intestinal section. Box indicates region in (j) under higher magnification. j IHC against C. perfringens within indicated region from (i). Light brown staining is non-specific labeling of sloughed necrotic mucosa and hemorrhage. Punctate dark brown staining indicates immunolabeling of bacteria within necrohemorrhagic coagulum and focus of ulceration

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