Clostridium sordellii was isolated from 37 sheep, in 29 flocks, which died suddenly between 1993 and 1995. The sheep were of all ages, but the most severe gross lesions affected lambs four to 10 weeks of age. In older weaned lambs and ewes the gross changes were less marked and more variable. Thirty sheep suffering from a variety of other conditions were examined and C sordellii was not isolated. The isolation of C sordellii has been reported only twice before from sheep in Britain, and on both occasions no detailed investigations were described. The evidence from this study indicates that C sordellii should be considered when investigating the cause of sudden death in sheep of all ages in Britain.
Phenotypic and phylogenetic studies were performed on a Gram-negative obligately anaerobic rod-shaped bacterium isolated from two sea mammals. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated the bacterium represents a hitherto unknown line of descent peripherally associated to the fusobacteria and low G+C relatives. Based on the result of the phylogenetic analysis and phenotypic criteria, it is proposed that the bacterium should be assigned to a new genus, Cetobacterium ceti gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain of Cetobacterium ceti sp. nov. is NCFB 3026.
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of Clostridium perfringens beta toxin in intestinal contents has been developed by a modification of the method reported for epsilon toxin. Although the test results for beta and epsilon toxins cannot be directly compared, lower levels of beta toxin were generally demonstrated in the samples examined. The use of the ELISA for beta toxin in conjunction with that for epsilon toxin allows the differential diagnosis of C perfringens type B, C and D enterotoxaemias in the laboratory.
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