Rapid detection of Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin by a modified ligated intestinal loop technique in rabbits

Abstract

The ligated intestinal loop technique in rabbits for the assay of Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin was improved by decreasing the incubation time from about 6 h to 90 min, and keeping the animal under anaesthesia during this period.The fluid volumes were significantly higher in loops injected with enterotoxin than in loops injected either with saline or with a mixture of enterotoxin and specific antiserum. These differences were mainly due to a net loss of fluid from the control loops.

Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin: a rapid method for preparation of a specific antiserum using an enterotoxin purified by the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis technique

“…The symptoms vary from mild to severe diarrhoea and are due to enterotoxin production during sporulation. Various assays were described for C. perfringens enterotoxin detection: ileal loop test in rabbits [3,4] or mice [5], erythemal skin test in guinea pigs and rabbits [6,7], mouse lethality test [8,9], morphological changes [101, inhibition of plating efficiency of Vero cells [11]; and the following serological assays: immunodiffusion [7], electroimmunodiffusion [12], fluorescent antibody [13], reversed passive hemagglutination [14] and counter-immunoelectrophoresis [15]. These serological methods are highly sensitive and reproducible, and they require a specific anti-enterotoxin serum.…”

Assay Methods for Clostridium perfringens Type A Enterotoxin

“…lambs and rabbits, food poisoning symptoms in monkeys and humans, erythema in guinea pig and rabbit skin, and is lethal to mice (7,8,12,13,(19)(20)(21)(22). Purified preparations of the toxic factor have been produced and the toxin (enterotoxin) has been identified as a heat-sensitive protein of molecular weight of about 35,000 (16,21,22). Detection of enterotoxin is currently accomplished by a number of biological and serological tests of different sensitivity.…”

Experimental Diarrhea in Cynomolgus Monkeys by Oral Administration With Clostridium Perfringens Type a Viable Cells or Enterotoxin

“…Orally ingested enterotoxin may not always be destroyed in the stomach, because the activity of the gastric contents may vary depending upon the quantity and quality of foodstuffs ingested and the physiological state of the human host. If enterotoxin is produced in food and protected by some food factor(s) from gastric juice, consumption of such food may cause vomiting, which is not often observed in human cases of C. perfringens food poisoning (Hobbs, 1969); (2) Enterotoxin administered directly into the intestine of animals or fed orally proved to cause fluid accumulation or diarrhea in such a short time as 2 hr (Hauschild et al, 1971b;Hauschild, Hilsheimer and Rogers, 1971a;Niilo, 1973a). In the present experiments, enterotoxin induced diarrhea in monkeys in 1 to 4 hr (Table I).…”