Clostridium difficile-associated cecitis in guinea pigs exposed to penicillin.
Penicillin treatment resulted in lethal hemorrhagic cecitis in seven of eight guinea pigs. Cecal contents at necropsy from all seven animals contained a cytopathic toxin which was neutralized by Clostridium sordellii and C difficile antitoxins. Bacteriologic cultural examinations of these specimens yielded penicillin-sensitive strains of C difficile which produced a similar or identical cytotoxin in vitro. Stools obtained before penicillin administration and cecal contents from control animals lacked a cytotoxin and cultures failed to yield C difficile. Intracecal injection of cell-free supernatant of C difficile broth cultures reproduced the lesion noted with penicillin treatment. These results implicate C difficile as an agent of penicillin-induced lethal hemorrhagic cecitis in guinea pigs.
D000818:Animals; D002429:Cecal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000662:veterinary*; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000032:analysis; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007249:Inflammation; D008297:Male; D010400:Penicillin G / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000209:etiology*
D003603:Cytotoxins; D010400:Penicillin G