INTRODUCTION

ALEKSIJA NEIMANIS

Department of Pathology and Wildlife Diseases, National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden

Clostridial bacteria are bacilli that are obligate anaerobes. They form spores to survive adverse environmental condi­tions, and generally stain Gram-positive. They are widely distributed in soil, aquatic environments, decaying organic matter and on mucosal surfaces or within digestive tracts of humans and animals. Many, including the species dis­cussed here, produce toxins that are responsible for their pathogenicity. Although free-ranging wildlife undoubtedly are affected by numerous clostridial species, Clostridium botulinum is the most significant and widely reported.