Origin of Clostridium perfringens isolates determines the ability to induce necrotic enteritis in broilers.
Since the ban on growth-promoting antibiotics in animal feed in the European Union, necrotic enteritis has become a major cause of mortality in broiler chickens. Despite the importance of the disease, the pathogenesis is still not completely understood. In the current study, Clostridium perfringens strains isolated from healthy flocks and isolates from outbreaks of necrotic enteritis were evaluated for the ability to cause gut necrosis in an intestinal loop model in laying hens and in an experimental infection model in broilers. High, intermediate and low alpha toxin producing strains were chosen from each isolation source. Only the isolates from field outbreaks induced necrotic gut lesions, independent of the amount of alpha toxin produced in vitro. It was also shown that alpha toxin producing isolates from calf hemorrhagic enteritis cases were not able to induce necrotic enteritis in poultry. These results suggest the presence of host specific virulence factors in C. perfringens strains, isolated from chickens with intestinal necrotic enteritis lesions.
Timbermont
Leen
L
Research Group Veterinary Public Health and Zoonoses, Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. leen.timbermont@ugent.be
Lanckriet
Anouk
A
Gholamiandehkordi
Ahmad R
AR
Pasmans
Frank
F
Martel
An
A
Haesebrouck
Freddy
F
Ducatelle
Richard
R
Van Immerseel
Filip
F
D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D002645:Chickens; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D004751:Enteritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis / Q000473:pathology; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D014774:Virulence
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D004768:Enterotoxins; C109896:cpb2 protein, Clostridium perfringens; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; C040649:alpha toxin, Clostridium perfringens