Cardiac lesions in sheep and goats with spontaneous <i>Clostridium perfringens</i> type D enterotoxemia

A 12-year retrospective search identified 106 sheep and goats diagnosed with <i>Clostridium perfringens</i> type D enterotoxemia, and in which the heart was histologically examined. Twenty cases (20/106, 19%), including 10 sheep and 10 goats, had cardiac lesions that were presumed to be associated with enterotoxemia. The lesions included myocardial degeneration and/or necrosis (<i>n</i> = 16, 80%), hemorrhage (<i>n</i> = 17, 85%), and proteinaceous interstitial edema (<i>n</i> = 6, 30%). Myocardial degeneration and/or necrosis was more frequent in goats (10/10, 100%) compared with sheep (6/10, 60%). Hemorrhage was more frequent in sheep (10/10, 100%) compared with goats (7/10, 70%). Myocardial proteinaceous interstitial edema was exclusive to sheep. Cardiac lesions occur in spontaneous cases of <i>C. perfringens</i> type D enterotoxemia in small ruminants and may play a role in the clinical signs and/or the demise of the animal.