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Abstract
Type C and type A of C. perfringens were detected in the seat of natural infections in silver foxes characterized by symptoms of haemorrhagic enterotoxemia. In all of the dead foxes characteristic changes were noted in the small intestine and parenchymatous organs. The production of alpha and beta toxins by isolated bacteria was confirmed by the bioassay using white mice and by PCR. The results of the drug sensitivity testing showed that isolated strains were highly susceptible to amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, metronidazole, doxycycline and penicillin with streptomycin.
Key words: Clostridium perfringens type C and type A, silver foxes, haemorhagic enterotoxemia
Introduction
Anaerobic infections caused by bacteria of the genus Clostridium have recently played an increasingly important role as a cause of fatal diseases, predominantly in newborn animals. (Sasaki et al. 1999, Uzal et al. 2008). Most published reports on anaerobic infections in foxes and other fur-bearing animals deal with intoxications or toxoinfections caused by Clostridium botulinum (Uzal et al. 2008). There is little information on the occurrence and course of haemorrhagic enteropathy caused by C. perfringens type C and type A in silver foxes. High numbers of C. perfringens, mainly of the type A, may be present in the intestinal tract of animals with no visible signs of disease. However, this phenotype as well as type C are consistently associated with enteric diseases, especially under conditions allowing the organisms to grow and produce toxins. Our observations show that generalized infections caused by C. perfringens can break out in silver foxes under farm conditions. The...