title: Diversity of Clostridium perfringens toxin-genotypes from dairy farms.
abstract: Clostridium (C.) perfringens is the causative agent of several diseases in animals and humans, including histotoxic and enteric infections. To gain more insight into the occurrence of its different toxin-genotypes in dairy herds, including those toxin genes previously associated with diseases in cattle or humans, 662 isolates cultivated from feces, rumen content and feed collected from 139 dairy farms were characterized by PCR (detecting cpa, cpb, iap, etx, cpe, and both allelic variants of cpb2).
  
  
  
  Isolates from feces were assigned to type A (cpa positive, n = 442) and D (cpa and etx positive, n = 2). Those from rumen content (n = 207) and feed (n = 13) were all assigned to type A. The consensus and atypical variants of the cpb2 gene were detected in 64 (14.5 %) and 138 (31.22 %) of all isolates from feces, and 30 (14.5 %) and 54 (26.1 %) of all isolates from rumen content, respectively.
  
  
  
  Both allelic variants of cpb2 occurred frequently in animals without signs of acute enteric disease, whereby the atypical variant dominated. Five (0.8 %) of all type A isolates were positive for the cpe gene. Therefore, the present study indicates that dairy cows are no primary source for potentially human pathogenic enterotoxin gene positive strains.
authors: Institute of Food Quality and Food Safety, Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Svenja
authors: S
authors: Fohler
authors: Institute of Food Quality and Food Safety, Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Guenter
authors: G
authors: Klein
authors: Clinic for Cattle, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Hoedemaker
authors: Clinic for Cattle, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Theresa
authors: T
authors: Scheu
authors: Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Seyboldt
authors: Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Amely
authors: A
authors: Campe
authors: Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Katharina Charlotte
authors: KC
authors: Jensen
authors: Institute of Food Quality and Food Safety, Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany. amir.abdulmawjood@tiho-hannover.de.
authors: Amir
authors: 0000-0001-5189-8381
authors: A
authors: Abdulmawjood
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003612:Dairying; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D005858:Germany; D012417:Rumen / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins
keywords: C. perfringens; Cattle; Dairy farms; Rumen content; Toxin-genotype