The interaction of Clostridium perfringens and its toxins in the production of necrotic enteritis of chickens.

The intraduodenal administration of large numbers of Clostridium perfringens cells harvested from broth cultures and resuspended in PBS or fresh sterile thioglycollate broth produced a very mild form of necrotic enteritis. Administering an appropriate number of cells in culture supernatant, however, produced typical field-type disease. Alpha toxin was shown to be the significant toxin recoverable from broth-culture supernatant fluids. Requirements to produce the disease are minor intestinal damage and sufficient numbers of toxigenic C. perfringens in the intestine.