Typing of Clostridium perfringens isolates from sheep in Ahvaz

Clostridium perfringens is an important pathogen which causes numerous different ýdiseases in animals. This bacterium is classified into five different types; A, B, C, ýD and E. Clostridium perfringens type D cause entrotoxemia in animals.ý
The aim of this study was to identify different types of Clostridium perfringens in ýsheep in Ahvaz. For this purpose 369 fecal samples were randomly collected from ýthe sheep from different area. After processing and culturing samples in blood ýagar containing neomycin, Clostridium perfringens suspected isolates were ýidentified morphologically and biochemically. According to biochemical tests, ýfrom 369 feces samples, 56 isolates obtained and identified as Clostridium ýperfringens. For molecular confirmation of the isolate, the DNA of the isolates ýwas extracted and the isolates were verified as Clostridium perfringens by PCR ýusing specific primers for alfa toxin. The results showed that 54 isolated from 56 ýisolated confirmed as Clostridium perfringens. Typing of these isolates was done ýby PCR using specific primers for 5 different exotoxins of this bacterium. The ýresults showed that 10 isolates (18/51%) were type A and 4 (7/4%), 24 (44/44%) ýand 16 isolates (29/62%) were type B, type C and type D respectively. Thus the ýmost prevalent types of Clostridium perfringens were type C and D. In the present ýstudy, all isolates were negative for iota toxin and enterotoxin gene. ý