Histopathological effect ofClostridium perfringens 8-6 enterotoxin on rabbit intestine

Intestinal damage caused by an enterotoxin from a coatless spore mutant ofClostridium perfringens type A (8-6) was identified by both light and scanning electron microscopy. Under the light microscope, damage to the epithelial layer of the villus and to the lamina propria was evident. Whole tissue viewed under the scanning electron microscope confirmed the two distinct forms of damage seen by light microscopy and showed that the action of the enterotoxin on an individual villus appears to occur in a specific sequence. The gross tissue damage observed contrasts with that found in previous studies of the action ofClostridium perfringens enterotoxin on rabbit ileal tissue; this suggests that the 8-6 enterotoxin may have a different mode of action on the cell, which subsequently leads to death and lysis.