title: Alpha-toxin of Clostridium perfringens is not an essential virulence factor in necrotic enteritis in chickens.
abstract: The Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin has previously been implicated as the major virulence factor in necrotic enteritis in chickens, although definitive proof has not been reported. In this study an alpha-toxin mutant was constructed in a virulent chicken isolate and shown to retain full virulence in a chicken disease model. These results demonstrated that alpha-toxin is not an essential virulence factor in the pathogenesis of necrotic enteritis in chickens.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Livestock Industries, Private Bag 24, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Keyburn
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Sheedy
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Mark M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.forename: Milena M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Awad
authors.forename: Julian I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Rood
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D004751:Enteritis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009336:Necrosis; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000502:physiology*; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; C040649:alpha toxin, Clostridium perfringens