Molecular analysis of the virulence determinants of Clostridium perfringens associated with foal diarrhoea.
Abstract: During an epidemiological study of foal diarrhoea, over half of the cases yielded Clostridium perfringens which was significantly associated with disease (Netherwood et al., 1996b). However, the association could not be accounted for by enterotoxigenic isolates which had a low prevalence (Netherwood et al., 1997). Nonetheless, we have hypothesized that the association may be caused by a pathogenic sub-population which would be significantly more common amongst C. perfringens-positive cases compared with C. perfringens-positive healthy controls if it acted as a pathogen when present. Conversely, if foal diarrhoea caused by C. perfringens was dependent on a predisposing factor, then such an association might not be evident. As a first step to determine if a molecular marker was more frequently to be found in C. perfringens-positive cases than controls, we have genotyped the study isolates (up to five per foal) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on the published gene sequences for the major lethal toxins alpha, beta, epsilon and iota as well as for theta toxin, large and small sialidases, hyaluronidase and virulence regulation. Isolates of major toxin types B, C, D and E, or isolates which were untypeable, were isolated from less than 15% of C. perfringens-positive foals and these were not associated with diarrhoea nor were they more commonly found in C. perfringens-positive cases. Isolates of type A were found in more than 90% of all C. perfringens-positive foals. A number of different genotypes were identified by their different patterns of gene possession but types without any of the genes for theta toxin, large and small sialidases, hyaluronidase and virulence regulation were found in only 10% of positive foals. Only type A isolates with all of these genes were associated with diarrhoea overall but they were not more commonly isolated from C. perfringens-positive cases than controls. In conclusion, genotyping by the sequenced virulence genes did not identify a marker for a sub-population of C. perfringens which may be acting more frequently as a pathogen when present.
Publication Date: 1998-06-25 PubMed ID: 9638075DOI: 10.1016/s1090-0233(05)80025-5Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research study investigates the molecular make-up of the bacterium, Clostridium perfringens, which is significantly associated with foal diarrhea cases. The researchers seek to identify a virulent sub-population of this bacteria, yet the findings do not reveal a definitive marker for a particularly pathogenic sub-group.
Objective of the Study
- The overall goal of this research was to study the correlation between the Clostridium perfringens bacterium and cases of foal diarrhea, aiming to detect a possibly more virulent sub-population of this bacterium. This was addressed by examining the genes related to different types of toxins and virulence regulation present in C. perfringens isolates from affected foals.
Methodology
- The isolates of C. perfringens were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on the published gene sequences for various lethal toxins. Isolates of major toxin types as well as isolates which were unidentifiable were examined.
- The researchers proposed that if a pathogenic sub-group was present and acting as a catalyst when present, it should be significantly more common amongst C. perfringens-positive cases compared with C. perfringens-positive healthy controls.
Findings
- The study found that major toxin types B, C, D and E or isolates that were untypeable were found in less than 15% of C. perfringens-positive foals, and these were not associated with diarrhea, nor were they more common amongst C. perfringens-positive cases.
- Type A isolates were found in over 90% of all C. perfringens-positive foals.
- Different genotypes were identified by their different patterns of gene possession, but types without any of the genes for theta toxin, large and small sialidases, hyaluronidase and virulence regulation were found in only 10% of positive foals.
- However, Type A isolates with all these genes were associated overall with diarrhea, but not more common in C. perfringens-positive cases than controls.
Conclusion
- The study concluded that the genotyping of sequenced virulence genes did not succeed in identifying a marker for a sub-group within C. perfringens, acting more frequently as a pathogen when present.
Cite This Article
APA
Netherwood T, Wood JL, Mumford JA, Chanter N.
(1998).
Molecular analysis of the virulence determinants of Clostridium perfringens associated with foal diarrhoea.
Vet J, 155(3), 289-294.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s1090-0233(05)80025-5 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Animal Health Trust, Suffolk, UK.
MeSH Terms
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Bacterial Toxins / genetics
- Clostridium Infections / epidemiology
- Clostridium Infections / genetics
- Clostridium Infections / veterinary
- Clostridium perfringens / genetics
- Clostridium perfringens / isolation & purification
- Clostridium perfringens / pathogenicity
- Diarrhea / microbiology
- Diarrhea / veterinary
- Genetic Markers
- Genotype
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / genetics
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Prevalence
- Virulence
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Kopper JJ, Willette JA, Kogan CJ, Seguin A, Bolin SR, Schott HC 2nd. Detection of pathogens in blood or feces of adult horses with enteric disease and association with outcome of colitis. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Sep;35(5):2465-2472.
- Mehdizadeh Gohari I, Unterer S, Whitehead AE, Prescott JF. NetF-producing Clostridium perfringens and its associated diseases in dogs and foals. J Vet Diagn Invest 2020 Mar;32(2):230-238.
- Finley A, Gohari IM, Parreira VR, Abrahams M, Staempfli HR, Prescott JF. Prevalence of netF-positive Clostridium perfringens in foals in southwestern Ontario. Can J Vet Res 2016 Jul;80(3):242-4.
- Mehdizadeh Gohari I, Parreira VR, Nowell VJ, Nicholson VM, Oliphant K, Prescott JF. A novel pore-forming toxin in type A Clostridium perfringens is associated with both fatal canine hemorrhagic gastroenteritis and fatal foal necrotizing enterocolitis. PLoS One 2015;10(4):e0122684.
- Manteca C, Daube G, Jauniaux T, Linden A, Pirson V, Detilleux J, Ginter A, Coppe P, Kaeckenbeeck A, Mainil JG. A role for the Clostridium perfringens beta2 toxin in bovine enterotoxaemia?. Vet Microbiol 2002 May 1;86(3):191-202.
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