Enterotoxemia produced by lambda toxin-positive Clostridium perfringens type D in 2 neonatal goat kids
Acevedo, Schlesinger, Streitenberger, Henderson, Asin, Beingesser, Uzal (2023) Enterotoxemia produced by lambda toxin-positive Clostridium perfringens type D in 2 neonatal goat kids J Vet Diagn Invest (IF: 1.1) 35(4) 448-451
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Abstract
Enterotoxemia caused by Clostridium perfringens type D usually affects sheep and goats ≥ 2-wk-old. The main clinical signs and lesions of the disease are produced by the epsilon toxin (ETX) elaborated by this microorganism. However, ETX is produced in the form of a mostly inactive prototoxin that requires protease cleavage for activation. It has traditionally been believed that younger animals are not affected by type D enterotoxemia given the low trypsin activity in the intestinal content associated with the trypsin-inhibitory action of colostrum. Two Nigerian dwarf goat kids, 2- and 3-d-old, with a history of acute diarrhea followed by death, were submitted for postmortem examination and diagnostic workup. Autopsy and histopathology revealed mesocolonic edema, necrosuppurative colitis, and protein-rich pulmonary edema. Alpha toxin and ETX were detected in intestinal content, and C. perfringens type D was isolated from the colon of both animals. The isolates encoded the gene for lambda toxin, a protease that has been shown previously to activate ETX in vitro. Type D enterotoxemia has not been reported previously in neonatal kids, to our knowledge, and we suggest that lambda toxin activated the ETX.
Links
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10331383http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37212504
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10406387231176995
