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Figure 1. Crystal structures of Clostridium perfringens toxins. Graphic representations of all known toxin structures were prepared using Pymol [ 88 ]. Color coding is shown as a transition from N- terminal (blue) to C-terminal [ 35 ] residues. Note that delta toxin is a pore-forming toxin, but its role in disease has not yet been established. CPA:
C. perfringens alpha toxin (1CA1) [ 89 ]; CPE: C. perfringens enterotoxin (3AM2) [ 40 , 41 ]; Delta: Delta toxin (2YGT) [ 93 ]; ETX: C. perfringens epsilon toxin (1UYJ) [ 92 ]; ITXa: C. perfringens iota toxin a subunit (1GIR) [ 90 ]; NetB: Necrotic enteritis toxin B (4ION) [ 50 ]; PFO: Perfringolysin O (1PFO) [ 91 ].
(Figure omitted. See article PDF.)
Figure 2. Microscopic lesions in mice inoculated with Clostridium perfringens type A (mouse gas gangrene model). The inner tight muscle shows severe necrosis of myofibers characterized by flocculation and fragmentation of the sarcolemma, hypereosinophilia and nuclear pyknosis. A mid-size venule (*) shows marked margination of neutrophils, which are mostly absent in the extravascular tissue. Sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and photographed at 100× magnification. Modified with permission from [ 26 ].
(Figure omitted. See article PDF.)
Figure 3. Histological damage in rabbit ileum treated with lysates from Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin-positive C. perfringens type A strain SM101. Loops inoculated with WT SM101 vegetative culture (WT vegetative) or an isogenic CPE KO sporulating culture lysate (CPE KO sporulating) show normal, full-length intestinal villi with a well-preserved epithelium and lamina propria. Loops inoculated with sporulating culture lysate of WT SM101 (WT sporulating) or the isogenic CPE complement (CPE complement sporulating) show histological damage consisting of necrosis and loss of epithelium, necrosis of lamina propria, villous blunting, and hemorrhage and edema of the mucosa and submucosa. Sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and photographed at 250× magnification. CPE:
C. perfringens enterotoxin; KO: Knockout; WT: Wild-type. Figure and legend modified with permission from [ 44 ].
(Figure omitted. See article PDF.)
Figure 4. Virulence of Clostridium perfringens type A strains in 24-day-old broiler chickens challenged with different C. perfringens strains are shown. Solid horizontal bars depict the mean small intestinal lesion score in each group (n = 10). Lesion scores correspond to...