Sudden death syndrome in adult cows associated with Clostridium perfringens type E

Clostridium perfringens type E is considered a rare toxinotype and an infrequent cause of enterotoxemia of lambs, calves, and rabbits. Until now, only cases of young animal of C. perfringens type E bovine enterotoxemia, characterized by hemorrhagic enteritis and sudden death, have been reported. The present report details the genotypic characterization of C. perfringens type E isolates obtained from intestinal samples of adult cattle during an outbreak of enterotoxemia in Argentina. The sequences of several housekeeping genes of these isolates were analyzed and compared with those obtained from calves in North America showing a clonal unique lineage.

► Clostridium perfringens type E cause hemorrhagic enteritis in adult cattle.
► Type E strains share a common genetic background.
► Combination of plasmid genes with chromosomal genes increases host fitness.