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. 2007 Nov;73(21):7110-3.
doi: 10.1128/AEM.01108-07. Epub 2007 Sep 7.

Quantification of cell proliferation and alpha-toxin gene expression of Clostridium perfringens in the development of necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens

Weiduo Si  1 , Joshua Gong, Yanming Han, Hai Yu, John Brennan, Huaijun Zhou, Shu Chen
Affiliations

Quantification of cell proliferation and alpha-toxin gene expression of Clostridium perfringens in the development of necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens

Weiduo Si et al. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2007 Nov.

Abstract

Cell proliferation and alpha-toxin gene expression of Clostridium perfringens in relation to the development of necrotic enteritis (NE) were investigated. Unlike bacitracin-treated chickens, non-bacitracin-treated birds exhibited typical NE symptoms and reduced growth performance. They also demonstrated increased C. perfringens proliferation and alpha-toxin gene expression that were positively correlated and progressed according to the regression model y = b(0) + b(1)X - b(2)X(2). The average C. perfringens count of 5 log(10) CFU/g in the ileal digesta appears to be a threshold for developing NE with a lesion score of 2.

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Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
Representative standard curve showing the relationship between real-time PCR amplification threshold cycle numbers (Ct) and copy numbers of cpa. PCR amplification efficiencies were 0.95. Log N, log10 copy numbers of alpha-toxin gene mRNA.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
Progress curves of C. perfringens cell proliferation and alpha-toxin gene expression after challenge. Log CFU/g, log10 CFU per gram of ileal digesta (▪); N, copy number of alpha-toxin gene mRNA (▴). The solid line represents colony counts of C. perfringens, generated from a regression model: y = 1.50694 + 5.41067x − 1.21876x2 (r2 = 0.3385, n = 60). The dashed line represents mRNA copy numbers of the alpha-toxin gene, generated from a regression model: y = 0.10793 + 6.15743x − 1.32615x2 (r2 = 0.3709, n = 58). All slopes in the equations are significant (P < 0.0001). Data points are observed mean values with standard deviation bars.
FIG. 3.
FIG. 3.
Correlation between the cell proliferation and alpha-toxin gene expression of C. perfringens in the ileal digesta of non-bacitracin-treated postchallenge chickens. Panels A through D show data from days 1 through 4 postchallenge, respectively. Log CFU/g, log10 CFU per gram of ileal digesta; N, copy numbers of alpha-toxin gene mRNA; r, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Chickens were challenged with C. perfringens on day 18.
FIG. 4.
FIG. 4.
Relationship between C. perfringens cell proliferation and the incidence of NE.
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References

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