title: The synergistic necrohemorrhagic action of Clostridium perfringens perfringolysin and alpha toxin in the bovine intestine and against bovine endothelial cells.
abstract: Bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis is a major cause of mortality in veal calves. Clostridium perfringens is considered as the causative agent, but there has been controversy on the toxins responsible for the disease. Recently, it has been demonstrated that a variety of C. perfringens type A strains can induce necrohemorrhagic lesions in a calf intestinal loop assay. These results put forward alpha toxin and perfringolysin as potential causative toxins, since both are produced by all C. perfringens type A strains. The importance of perfringolysin in the pathogenesis of bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis has not been studied before. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the role of perfringolysin in the development of necrohemorrhagic enteritis lesions in calves and its synergism with alpha toxin. A perfringolysin-deficient mutant, an alpha toxin-deficient mutant and a perfringolysin alpha toxin double mutant were less able to induce necrosis in a calf intestinal loop assay as compared to the wild-type strain. Only complementation with both toxins could restore the activity to that of the wild-type. In addition, perfringolysin and alpha toxin had a synergistic cytotoxic effect on bovine endothelial cells. This endothelial cell damage potentially explains why capillary hemorrhages are an initial step in the development of bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis. Taken together, our results show that perfringolysin acts synergistically with alpha toxin in the development of necrohemorrhagic enteritis in a calf intestinal loop model and we hypothesize that both toxins act by targeting the endothelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, Merelbeke B-9820, Belgium. filip.vanimmerseel@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verherstraeten
authors.forename: Evy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goossens
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Valgaeren
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pardon
authors.forename: Leen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Timbermont
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vermeulen
authors.forename: Stijn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schauvliege
authors.forename: Freddy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haesebrouck
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ducatelle
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deprez
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Van Immerseel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D004751:Enteritis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D009154:Mutation; D009336:Necrosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; C020452:Clostridium perfringens theta-toxin; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; C040649:alpha toxin, Clostridium perfringens