Experimental development of caprine enterotoxaemia with Clostridium perfringens type D whole culture in natural host and its treatments

The effects of intraduodenal administration of Clostridium perfringens type D whole culture in goats were evaluated to develop a reliable experimental model of enterotoxemia in this species and the eventual evaluation of treatment with different drug preparations was also carried out. A total of 28 conventionally reared healthy unvaccinated black bangle goat kids of 6-12 months of age were dosed intraduodenally with whole cultures of C peliringens type D. Four kids were used as controls and received sterile, nontoxic culture medium intraduodenally. All animals received starch solution into the abomasum. The clinical signs developed within 12 hours of post inoculation that were similar to those observed in naturally occurring cases. Among the clinical signs, diarrhea was most common (96.43%) followed by dyspnea (53.57%) and central nervous system (CNS) signs (25.0%). The most striking postmortem findings consisted of necrotizing pseudomembranous colitis (100.0%), lung edema (69.23%) and fluid filled intestines (61.53%). The protocol thus provided a reasonable model of naturally occurring enterotoxemia in goats, producing a range of clinical signs and postmortem changes similar to those observed in the natural disease. Beside this, treatment trial with different drug preparations showed penicillin combined with antitoxin was most effective (100.0%), followed by combination of oxytetracyclin with antitoxin, and combined preparation of antitoxin and sulfur drugs both showed 75% recovery rate. On the other hand, treatment with antitoxin, penicillin and oxytetracycline singly could protect goat enterotoxaemia only 25.0%, 50.0% and 50.0%, respectively. Thus in the present study, it eas observed that antisera in combination of antibiotics gave better recovery rate than the antitoxin or antibiotics alone.