Conventional and molecular identification of Iranian Clostridia species associated with animal infection

Clostridial disease causes severe economic losses in livestock by rapidly killing ruminants. Therefore, implementing effective control approaches to prevent this fatal disease is of high importance. The causative agent of this disease is Clostridium spp. Accurate identification of this microorganism is crucial for effectively managing clostridial diseases in farm. There are conventional methods for detecting the disease including microbiological and biochemical tests and many of these tests are time-consuming and exhibit low sensitivity. Therefore, this study aimed to use conventional and molecular approaches to identify Iranian isolates associated with animal infections. To achieve this, 61 samples were collected from 1984 to 2024, cultured on liver media and subsequently subjected to microbiological and biochemical tests. For molecular identification, the DNA of isolates were extracted and confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers. The results of the conventional analysis revealed that all Iranian isolates were identified as Clostridium perfringens and its type was determined using PCR assay. According to our findings, C. perfringens type A was the most prevalent strain in Iran which predominantly found in ostriches and bird samples followed by type D. This study underscored the presence of C. perfringens types across variety hosts and geographic locations in Iran. In conclusion, the combining conventional methods with PCR helped reliably detect Clostridium spp. This information holds the potential to significantly contribute to the development of preventive strategies against clostridial diseases in Iran.