The roles of Clostridium difficile and enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens in diarrhea in dogs

J Vet Intern Med. 2001 Jul-Aug;15(4):374-8.

Abstract

In this prospective study, feces of dogs with diarrhea were compared with feces of normal dogs for the presence of Clostridium difficile, C difficile toxins A and B, C perfringens, and C perfingens enterotoxin (CPE). C difficile toxins A, B, or both were present in feces of 18 of 87 (21%) dogs with diarrhea and 4 of 55 (7%) normal dogs (P = 0.03), whereas CPE was present in the feces of 24 of 87 (28%) dogs with diarrhea and 3 of 55 (5%) normal dogs (P = 0.01). C difficile was isolated from 2 of 87 (2%) dogs with diarrhea but was not isolated from the feces of 55 normal dogs, possibly because of poor survival of the organism in fecal samples. C perfringens was isolated from the feces of 23 of 24 (96%) CPE-positive dogs with diarrhea, 52 of 63 (83%) CPE-negative dogs with diarrhea, and 39 of 55 (71%) CPE-negative dogs with normal feces. No correlation was found between C perfringens spore number and the presence of CPE.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacterial Toxins / isolation & purification
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Clostridioides difficile / isolation & purification*
  • Clostridium perfringens / isolation & purification*
  • Diarrhea / microbiology
  • Diarrhea / veterinary*
  • Dog Diseases / microbiology*
  • Dogs
  • Enterotoxins / isolation & purification
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
  • Female
  • Male

Substances

  • Bacterial Toxins
  • Enterotoxins