necrotizing enteritis [Gk, nekros + izein, to cause, enteron, intestine, itis] , acute inflammation of the small and large intestine by the bacterium Clostridium perfringens, characterized by severe abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting. Some people recover completely, some survive with chronic bowel obstruction, and some die of perforation of the intestine, dehydration, peritonitis, or septicemia.
