Clostridial diarrhea is caused by the gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacteria Clostridium spp. While the most common isolates are C. perfringens and C. difficile, multiple others, including C. septicum, C. cadaveris and C. sordellii, have also been associated with enterocolitis.
In adult horses, clostridial diarrhea has been associated with factors that may alter the balance of the intestinal flora such as the administration of antibiotics, feed changes, and transportation but can occur in the absence of any identifiable risk factors.
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