FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Can J Vet Res / Prevalence of netF-positive Clostridium perfringens in foals...
Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire2016; 80(3); 242-244; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122684

Prevalence of netF-positive Clostridium perfringens in foals in southwestern Ontario.

Abstract: NetF-producing Clostridium perfringens have recently been identified as a cause of necrotizing enteritis in neonatal foals, but little is known about its prevalence in clinically normal foals. Foals (n = 88) ranging in age from < 1 wk to 2 to 4 mo (median age 2 to 4 wk) on 8 horse-breeding farms in Ontario were examined on 1 or 2 occasions for the presence of C. perfringens. Of the foals that tested positive, 5 isolates (n = 675) were examined for the netF and enterotoxin (cpe) genes. Colonization by C. perfringens was most marked in foals < 1 wk of age [4.85 ± 2.70 log10 colony-forming units (CFU)] and declined markedly over time (1.23 ± 1.06 log10 CFU at 1 to 2 mo of age). Only 2 isolates possessed the cpe gene and none possessed netF. We concluded that netF-positive C. perfringens does not colonize young foals with any detectable frequency in Ontario and this organism is not likely to be adapted to the intestine of the horse. Les isolats de producteurs de NetF ont récemment été identifiés comme une cause d’entérite nécrotique chez les poulains nouveau-nés, mais peu de choses sont connues sur leur prévalence chez des poulains cliniquement normaux. Des poulains ( = 88) variant en âge entre < 1 semaine jusqu’à 2 à 4 mois (âge médian 2 à 4 semaines) provenant de 8 fermes d’élevage en Ontario ont été examinés à 1 ou 2 occasions pour la présence de Des poulains qui se sont avérés positifs, 5 isolats ( = 675) ont été examinés pour la présence des gènes et de l’entérotoxine . La colonisation par était la plus marquée chez les poulains âgés de < 1 semaine [4,85 ± 2,70 log unités formatrices de colonies (UFC)] et diminuait de façon marquée en fonction du temps (1,23 ± 1,06 log UFC à 1 à 2 mois d’âge). Uniquement deux isolats possédaient le gène et aucun ne possédait le gène Nous avons conclu que les isolats de -positif ne colonisent pas les jeunes poulains avec une fréquence détectable en Ontario et que ce microorganisme est peu susceptible de s’adapter à l’intestin du cheval.(Traduit par Docteur Serge Messier).
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2016-07-14 PubMed ID: 27408339PubMed Central: PMC4924560DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122684Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research aimed to determine the prevalence of NetF-producing Clostridium perfringens in healthy foals in southwestern Ontario. The study’s findings suggest that this bacteria, which can cause necrotizing enteritis in neonatal foals, does not noticeably colonize young foals in this region, leading to the conclusion that this organism may not be well-suited to the horse’s intestinal environment.

Research Method

  • The study analyzed 88 foals from 8 horse-breeding farms in Ontario. Their ages varied from less than a week old to 2 to 4 months.
  • These foals were tested for the presence of C. perfringens, a type of bacteria.
  • Of the foals that tested positive for C. perfringens, 5 samples (or isolates) were further investigated for the presence of the netF and enterotoxin (cpe) genes.

Results Overview

  • The research showed the highest colonization by C. perfringens in foals less than a week old and the presence of this bacteria decreased significantly over time.
  • Only two of the test samples had the cpe gene, and none had the netF gene.

Conclusions

  • According to the results, netF-positive C. perfringens does not colonize young foals in Ontario with any detectable regularity.
  • The paper concluded that this bacteria is unlikely to be adapted to the equine intestine.

Implications

  • The results of this research have implications for understanding the causes of necrotizing enteritis in neonatal foals, a condition associated with the netF gene of C. perfringens.
  • The low prevalence of this gene in foals in Ontario may suggest that other factors or organisms could be responsible for this condition in this region’s equine population.

Cite This Article

APA
Finley A, Gohari IM, Parreira VR, Abrahams M, Staempfli HR, Prescott JF. (2016). Prevalence of netF-positive Clostridium perfringens in foals in southwestern Ontario. Can J Vet Res, 80(3), 242-244. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0122684

Publication

Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire
ISSN: 1928-9022
NlmUniqueID: 8607793
Country: Canada
Language: English
Volume: 80
Issue: 3
Pages: 242-244

Researcher Affiliations

Finley, Abigail
  • Department of Pathobiology (Finley, Mehdizadeh Gohari, Parreira, Prescott), Department of Clinical Studies, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario (Abrahams, Staempfli).
Gohari, Iman Mehdizadeh
  • Department of Pathobiology (Finley, Mehdizadeh Gohari, Parreira, Prescott), Department of Clinical Studies, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario (Abrahams, Staempfli).
Parreira, Valeria R
  • Department of Pathobiology (Finley, Mehdizadeh Gohari, Parreira, Prescott), Department of Clinical Studies, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario (Abrahams, Staempfli).
Abrahams, Miranda
  • Department of Pathobiology (Finley, Mehdizadeh Gohari, Parreira, Prescott), Department of Clinical Studies, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario (Abrahams, Staempfli).
Staempfli, Henry R
  • Department of Pathobiology (Finley, Mehdizadeh Gohari, Parreira, Prescott), Department of Clinical Studies, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario (Abrahams, Staempfli).
Prescott, John F
  • Department of Pathobiology (Finley, Mehdizadeh Gohari, Parreira, Prescott), Department of Clinical Studies, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario (Abrahams, Staempfli).

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Carrier State / veterinary
  • Clostridium perfringens / classification
  • Clostridium perfringens / isolation & purification
  • Clostridium perfringens / metabolism
  • Feces / microbiology
  • Horses / microbiology
  • Ontario

References

This article includes 13 references
  1. Kanoe M, Inoue S, Abe T, Anzai T, Kamada M, Imagawa H, Kanemaru T. Isolation of Clostridium perfringens from foals.. Microbios 1990;64(260-261):153-8.
    pubmed: 2084493
  2. East LM, Savage CJ, Traub-Dargatz JL, Dickinson CE, Ellis RP. Enterocolitis associated with Clostridium perfringens infection in neonatal foals: 54 cases (1988-1997).. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998 Jun 1;212(11):1751-6.
    pubmed: 9621884
  3. Netherwood T, Wood JL, Mumford JA, Chanter N. Molecular analysis of the virulence determinants of Clostridium perfringens associated with foal diarrhoea.. Vet J 1998 May;155(3):289-94.
    pubmed: 9638075doi: 10.1016/s1090-0233(05)80025-5google scholar: lookup
  4. Netherwood T, Binns M, Townsend H, Wood JL, Mumford JA, Chanter N. The Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin from equine isolates; its characterization, sequence and role in foal diarrhoea.. Epidemiol Infect 1998 Mar;120(2):193-200.
    pmc: PMC2809390pubmed: 9593490doi: 10.1017/s0950268897008534google scholar: lookup
  5. East LM, Dargatz DA, Traub-Dargatz JL, Savage CJ. Foaling-management practices associated with the occurrence of enterocolitis attributed to Clostridium perfringens infection in the equine neonate.. Prev Vet Med 2000 Jul 3;46(1):61-74.
    pubmed: 10854936doi: 10.1016/s0167-5877(00)00131-8google scholar: lookup
  6. Tillotson K, Traub-Dargatz JL, Dickinson CE, Ellis RP, Morley PS, Hyatt DR, Magnuson RJ, Riddle WT, Bolte D, Salman MD. Population-based study of fecal shedding of Clostridium perfringens in broodmares and foals.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2002 Feb 1;220(3):342-8.
    pubmed: 11829266doi: 10.2460/javma.2002.220.342google scholar: lookup
  7. Frederick J, Giguère S, Sanchez LC. Infectious agents detected in the feces of diarrheic foals: a retrospective study of 233 cases (2003-2008).. J Vet Intern Med 2009 Nov-Dec;23(6):1254-60.
    pmc: PMC7166729pubmed: 19747192doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0383.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  8. Silva RO, Ribeiro MG, Palhares MS, Borges AS, Maranhão RP, Silva MX, Lucas TM, Olivo G, Lobato FC. Detection of A/B toxin and isolation of Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens from foals.. Equine Vet J 2013 Nov;45(6):671-5.
    pubmed: 23452044doi: 10.1111/evj.12046google scholar: lookup
  9. Gohari IM, Arroyo L, Macinnes JI, Timoney JF, Parreira VR, Prescott JF. Characterization of Clostridium perfringens in the feces of adult horses and foals with acute enterocolitis.. Can J Vet Res 2014 Jan;78(1):1-7.
    pmc: PMC3878003pubmed: 24396174
  10. 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.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122684pmc: PMC4390311pubmed: 25853427google scholar: lookup
  11. Smith HW. The development of the flora of the alimentary tract in young animals.. J Pathol Bacteriol 1965 Oct;90(2):495-513.
    pubmed: 4285022
  12. Chan G, Farzan A, Soltes G, Nicholson VM, Pei Y, Friendship R, Prescott JF. The epidemiology of Clostridium perfringens type A on Ontario swine farms, with special reference to cpb2-positive isolates.. BMC Vet Res 2012 Sep 4;8:156.
    pmc: PMC3503845pubmed: 22947389doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-8-156google scholar: lookup
  13. Weese JS, Staempfli HR, Prescott JF. A prospective study of the roles of clostridium difficile and enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens in equine diarrhoea.. Equine Vet J 2001 Jul;33(4):403-9.
    pubmed: 11469775doi: 10.2746/042516401776249534google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 8 times.
  1. Uzal FA, Arroyo LG, Navarro MA, Gomez DE, Asín J, Henderson E. Bacterial and viral enterocolitis in horses: a review. J Vet Diagn Invest 2022 May;34(3):354-375.
    doi: 10.1177/10406387211057469pubmed: 34763560google scholar: lookup
  2. Magdesian KG, Barnum S, Pusterla N. Fecal PCR testing for detection of Clostridium perfringens and Clostridioides difficile toxin genes and other pathogens in foals with diarrhea: 28 cases. J Vet Diagn Invest 2022 May;34(3):396-401.
    doi: 10.1177/10406387211047529pubmed: 34554023google scholar: lookup
  3. 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.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.16238pubmed: 34382708google scholar: lookup
  4. 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.
    doi: 10.1177/1040638720904714pubmed: 32081091google scholar: lookup
  5. Sindern N, Suchodolski JS, Leutenegger CM, Mehdizadeh Gohari I, Prescott JF, Proksch AL, Mueller RS, Busch K, Unterer S. Prevalence of Clostridium perfringens netE and netF toxin genes in the feces of dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Jan;33(1):100-105.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.15361pubmed: 30499621google scholar: lookup
  6. Uzal FA, Navarro MA, Li J, Freedman JC, Shrestha A, McClane BA. Comparative pathogenesis of enteric clostridial infections in humans and animals. Anaerobe 2018 Oct;53:11-20.
    doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2018.06.002pubmed: 29883627google scholar: lookup
  7. Rood JI, Adams V, Lacey J, Lyras D, McClane BA, Melville SB, Moore RJ, Popoff MR, Sarker MR, Songer JG, Uzal FA, Van Immerseel F. Expansion of the Clostridium perfringens toxin-based typing scheme. Anaerobe 2018 Oct;53:5-10.
    doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2018.04.011pubmed: 29866424google scholar: lookup
  8. Haywood LMB, Sheahan BJ. A Review of Epithelial Ion Transporters and Their Roles in Equine Infectious Colitis. Vet Sci 2024 Oct 7;11(10).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci11100480pubmed: 39453072google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,344 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.