Observations on the possible invasiveness of Clostridium botulinum for waterfowl

Twenty-four ducklings given multiple doses of Clostridium botulinum type C spores and toxin per os and 27 affected waterfowl from four natural outbreaks of the disease were examined bacteriologically. No evidence of invasion of the blood or liver was found in any bird and it is suggested that invasiveness and toxigenesis in internal organs are probably of little, if any, importance in the causation of botulism in waterfowl.