Abstract
Simple SummaryClostridium (C.) perfringens in horses causes acute enteritis and death, but research on C. perfringens in South Korea is virtually nonexistent. The purpose of this study was to discover the cause of death of numerous South Korean foals. C. perfringens was isolated from 25 (11.1%) of 225 sampled horses and from 16 (35.56%) of 45 farms investigated in this study. Of the 25 C. perfringens isolates, 15 (60%) were type A and 10 (40%) were type C. Type C was observed on all the farms where the foals’ deaths occurred. The antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed using MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) Evaluator strips test. These results are the first to identify one of the causes of acute foal death in South Korea and can be used as a criterion to determine the cause of acute foal death and to select effective antibiotics.Clostridium (C.) perfringens was isolated from 25 (11.1%) of 225 sampled horses and from 16 (35.56%) of 45 farms. All of the samples were negative for cpe, etx, itx, NetF genes and cpa gene were detected in 100% (25 of 25) of the samples that were positive for C. perfringens. cpb and cpb2 were detected in 40.0% (10 of 25) and 60.0% (15 of 25) of the samples that were positive for C. perfringens, respectively. Of the 25 C. perfringens isolates, 15 (60%) were type A and 10 (40%) were type C. Type C was observed on all the farms where the foals’ deaths occurred. None of the isolates were positive for type B, type D, or type E. The MIC Evaluator strips antimicrobial susceptibility test showed meropenem (96%), ampicillin (92%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (84%), and tetracycline (8%) sensitivity.
Highlights
Clostridium (C.) perfringens is an anaerobic, endospore-forming, gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is ubiquitous in various environments, especially in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The diseases caused by each toxin are somewhat different, we hypothesized that the beta-toxin of C. perfringens type C can cause death in foals
Twenty-five (11.1%) C. perfringens was isolated from 225 samples tested and 16 (35.56%) of 45 farms
Summary
Clostridium (C.) perfringens is an anaerobic, endospore-forming, gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is ubiquitous in various environments, especially in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals [1,2,3,4,5,6]. C. perfringens causes numerous gastrointestinal infections in most mammalian species. These infections are generically called enterotoxemia because toxins produced in the intestine may be absorbed into general circulation [7,8]. C. perfringens produces at least different toxins and, according to the production of the major toxins alpha, beta, epsilon, and iota, it has been classified into five different [8,9] types. The diseases caused by each toxin are somewhat different, we hypothesized that the beta-toxin of C. perfringens type C can cause death in foals. C. perfringens type C produces the highly necrotizing and lethal beta-toxin, which is responsible for severe intestinal necrosis. The beta-toxin is encoded by the cpb gene, which is located on a plasmid [3]
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