In the present study, 24 native supernatants isolated from enterotoxemia fatalities were evaluated to characterize lecitinase, hemolytic, in vitro cytotoxicity, and in vivo enterotoxicity activities of the phospholipase C (Cp-PLC) exotoxin. The lecitinase activity was monitored in microplates using egg white emulsifications, the hemolityc and perfringolisine in microplates using sheep and equine eritrocytes respectively, the cytotoxic activity was tested on HEp-2 cells and the enterotoxicity by inoculating within intestinal loops of rabbits. At the molecular level, all the isolates (12 vegetative and 12 sporulated) were found to contain the cpa gene (genotype A), while six also contained cpb2 gene but none had the cpe gene. These isolates were classified, according the lecitinase activity, as high, medium and low producer strains. Most of the vegetative (66.6%) isolates had high and medi...

Se reportan evaluaciones de sobrenadantes bacterianos (nativos) crudos obtenidos de 24 aislados de C. perfringens de casos fatales de enterotoxemia buscando caracterizar propiedades lecitinasas, hemolíticas, citotóxicas in vitro y enterotóxicas in vivo de la exotoxina fosfolipasa C (Cp-PLC). Los aislados (12 en estados vegetativos y 12 esporulados) contenían el gen cpa (genotipo A), y seis de ellos tenían además el gen cpb2, pero todos carecían del gen de la enterotoxina (cpe). Las actividades lecitinasas fueron evaluadas, en microplacas, usando emulsiones de yemas de huevo; las hemolíticas y perfringolisina en microplacas, usando eritrocitos de carnero y de equino respectivamente; las citotóxicas, en células HEp-2; y las enterotóxicas en conejos inoculados intraintestinalmente. Los aislados fueron clasificados, de acuerdo a los niveles de la actividad lecitinasa, en cepas de ...