Journal
VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY
Volume 127, Issue 3-4, Pages 379-385Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2007.09.013
Keywords
Clostridium perfringens; epsilon toxin; alpha toxin; perfringolysin-O; synergism
Categories
Funding
- NIAID NIH HHS [R01 AI056177, R01 AI056177-04] Funding Source: Medline
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Epsilon toxin (ETX) is the most important virulence factor of Clostridium perfringens type D. Two other important toxins, alpha toxin (CPA) and perfringolysin-O (PFO), are encoded and potentially produced by most C perfringens type D isolates. The biological effects of these toxins are dissimilar although they are all lethal. Since the possible interaction of these toxins during infection is unknown, the effects of CPA and PFO on the lethal activity of ETX were studied in a mouse model. Mice were injected intravenously or intragastrically with CPA or PFO with or without ETX. Sublethal doses of CPA or PFO did not affect the lethality of ETX when either was injected together with the latter intravenously. However, sublethal or lethal doses of CPA or PFO resulted in reduction of the survival time of mice injected simultaneously with ETX when compared with the intravenous effect of ETX injected alone. When PFO was inoculated intragastrically with ETX, a reduction of the survival time was observed. CPA did not alter the survival time when inoculated intragastrically with ETX The results of the present study suggest that both CPA and PFO have the potential to enhance the ETX lethal effects during enterotoxemia in natural hosts such as sheep and goats. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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