Experimental production of diarrhea in rabbits with Clostridium perfringens

Abstract

Diarrhea, the principal symptom of human food poisoning caused by Clostridium perfringens, was experimentally produced in rabbits by intraluminal injection of C. perfringens, but not by oral challenge. The ability to induce diarrhea was dependent not only on the strain but also on the method of preparation of cells for challenge and the number of cells in the challenge. Good correlation was obtained between the ability of the strains to produce fluid accumulation in rabbit ileal loops and overt diarrhea after injection into the normal ileum.