Infections by Clostridium perfringens Type B

Disease caused by the infections by Clostridium perfringens type B have been most frequently been reported in lambs, occasionally in calves, and very rarely in foals. This chapter discusses the etiology, clinical signs, diagnosis, and prevention and treatment of infections by C. perfringens type B. C. perfringens type B isolates carry the genes encoding beta (CPB) and epsilon (ETX) toxins, but different strains can also encode several other non-typing toxins. In young lambs, C. perfringens type B causes acute abdominal pain, a distended abdomen, and hemorrhagic diarrhea. There is multifocal to diffuse transmural hemorrhage of the small intestine, with mucosal coagulation necrosis that may extend to the muscularis and serosa. Final diagnosis relies on detection of both CPB and ETX in the intestinal content of affected animals, together with isolation of C. perfringens type B from the same specimen.