Toxin genotypes of Clostridium perfringens in animal feed and their role in the ethiology of enterotoxemia in domestic animals

Abstract

Clostridium perfringens is a Gram-positive, endospore-forming, anaerobic rod, ubiquitous in nature. C. perfringens strains can produce about 17 toxins. Many of them can lead to miscellaneous diseases, among which the enteric ailment may be the most common and is of utmost importance. In the present work 34 strains of C. perfringens isolated from feed and one from a cow suspected to have died of clostridial infection were subjected to molecular analysis. In order to detect the genotypes, the following genes coding for toxins were targetted: cpa, cpb, cpb2, cpe, etx and iap. The multiplex PCR assay revealed that all C. perfringens isolates from animal feed were of type A and 2-toxinogenic type A strains, possessing only the cpa (n=21), or both the cpa and the cpb2 genes (n=13). The importance of C. perfringens toxins  and -2 in the pathogenesis of enterotoxemia is discussed and the regulation on the detection of this bacteria in animal feed questioned. The use of PCR in practise could enable the toxin-genotyping of C. perfringens isolates and, thus, provide a real basis for the establishment of maximum acceptable limits of this bacteria in feed.

Insights on toxin genotyping, virulence, antibiogram profiling, biofilm formation and efficacy of disinfectants on biofilms of Clostridium perfringens isolated from poultry, animals and humans

“…However, cpe was previously identified in C. perfringens type A recovered from enterotoxemic case in cattle (Milanov et al . 2018).…”

“…2012), enterotoxemic cases in cattle (Milanov et al . 2018) and sheep (Nazki et al . 2017) was cited.…”

Toxigenic Profile of Clostridium perfringens Strains Isolated from Natural Ingredient Laboratory Animal Diets

“…Because of the bacterium's ubiquitous nature, almost all food sources, whether animal-or plant-based, can be contaminated with Clostridium perfringens (74). Microbial screening for C. perfringens has limited effectiveness since positive results are common which indicates very little unless high numbers of C. perfringens are enumerated (5). Most sterilization processes, including ionizing radiation, do well at destroying vegetative cells, but do not always effectively eliminate their spores (76).…”

“…Not all strains of C. perfringens cause disease in animals or humans, and the presence of Clostridium perfringens in the intestinal tract usually does not lead to illness. Clostridium perfringens typically does not exhibit adherence and invasive properties towards healthy intestinal mucosa, and the development of clinical disease appears to be the result of a complex interaction between host immune status, strain virulence, and other non-specific factors (5). Host stresses leading to abnormal gut microbiota appears to be an important predisposing factor to disease development.…”

Currently Unknown Aspects of Poultry Necrotic Enteritis Pathogenesis

“…For example, in Brazil, out of 80 raw samples of fresh feed ingredients (meat and bone meal, blood and feather meal, poultry viscera meal and vegetable mix samples), 60% were found to be positive for C. perfringens (Casagrande et al, 2013). Th us, feed contamination depends on its composition, the hygiene during production and the storage conditions, and is directly proportional to the levels of soil and faecal contamination (Wojdat et al, 2006;Milanov et al, 2018). Th ermal treatments, the pellet and extrusion processes, typically involve exposure to about 85°C for only a few minutes, which is not high enough to kill C. perfringens spores (Williams, 2005).…”