Necrotic enteritis potential in a model system using Clostridium perfringens isolated from field outbreaks

Area of Science:

• Avian health
• Bacteriology
• Disease modeling

Background:

• Necrotic enteritis, caused by Clostridium perfringens, is a significant avian disease.
• Antimicrobial use for control is restricted in some regions, necessitating alternative strategies.
• Reproducing necrotic enteritis experimentally is challenging due to strain variability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate five Clostridium perfringens isolates for their ability to induce necrotic enteritis in a controlled chicken model.
• To assess the pathogenicity and genetic relatedness of field isolates.

Main Methods:

• Five C. perfringens isolates from field cases were used to challenge broiler chickens.
• Birds were fed a wheat-based diet to promote disease and challenged with C. perfringens.
• Lesion scores, mortality, and growth performance were recorded over 25 days.

Main Results:

• Only the SNECP50 isolate caused significantly higher mortality compared to the control group (P < 0.05).
• Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed SNECP43 and SNECP50, derived from a common clone, were genetically similar.
• PCR confirmed toxin types, including the beta2-toxin gene.

Conclusions:

• The SNECP50 isolate is a suitable candidate for recreating necrotic enteritis in experimental models.
• Understanding strain pathogenicity is crucial for developing effective control strategies against C. perfringens in poultry.