Comparison of toxin production power in different types of Clostridium perfringens among sheep and goats isolates by ELISA

Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) is one of the most common pathogens that produce an array of toxins that are secreted in the body which cause economic losses in the livestock industry. C. perfringens has four major toxins: alpha, beta, epsilon, and iota. A total of 84 isolates of C. perfringens from various types that originated from sheep and goats' isolates that were identified as C. perfringens by microbiological, biochemical, and toxin typed by PCR method were evaluated for production of alpha, beta, and epsilon toxin by ELISA method. Results showed that out of 84, 64 isolates showed the presence of at least one toxin in ELISA test, 31, and six isolates were positive for only alpha and only epsilon toxin, respectively, 17, six isolates show the presence of both alpha and epsilon and both alpha and beta toxins, respectively furthermore four isolates positive for the presence of all three toxins, meanwhile, 20 C. perfringens isolates didn’t show any of the toxins. The results were compared with the results of toxinotyping by PCR method. The frequency and distribution of toxins in different strains were evaluated, so type C isolates showed the most positive cases of alpha and beta toxin and type B isolates showed the most positive cases of epsilon toxin, which could be related to the pathogenicity of these types in the isolates studied