Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Parma, Via del Taglio no. 8, 43100 Parma, Italy.
Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis. 2010 Dec;33(6):e25-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cimid.2009.10.008. Epub 2009 Dec 11.
Clostridium difficile, associated with a wide spectrum of diseases in humans, as well as in several animal species, is an important cause of colitis in adult horses and foals. The aim of this study was to investigate by toxin gene profile and PCR-ribotyping the molecular characteristics of 14 C. difficile strains isolated from 42 faeces of healthy horses. Both toxin genes, tcdA and tcdB, were present in only 1 isolate (7.1%). Six isolates (42.9%) demonstrated tcdA-/tcdB+ genotype, and seven isolates (50.0%) were tcdA-/tcdB-. All strains were binary toxin genes negative (cdtA-/cdtB-). The PCR-positive strains, except for the tcdA+/tcdB+ isolate, tested negative for, in vitro, A and/or B toxins production by EIA. Eleven distinct ribotypes were observed. In conclusion, C. difficile can be present in the normal intestinal flora of healthy adult horses, in addition to foals. These animals could therefore play an important role as potential reservoirs of toxigenic strains.
艰难梭菌与人类和多种动物的多种疾病有关，是成年马和马驹结肠炎的重要病因。本研究旨在通过毒素基因谱和 PCR-核糖体分型技术，研究从 42 份健康马粪便中分离出的 14 株艰难梭菌的分子特征。仅 1 株（7.1%）存在 tcdA 和 tcdB 两种毒素基因。6 株（42.9%）为 tcdA-/tcdB+基因型，7 株（50.0%）为 tcdA-/tcdB-。所有菌株均为二元毒素基因阴性（cdtA-/cdtB-）。除 tcdA+/tcdB+ 株外，PCR 阳性菌株经 EIA 检测均为 A 和/或 B 毒素产生阴性。共观察到 11 种不同的核糖体型。总之，艰难梭菌可存在于健康成年马（包括驹）的正常肠道菌群中。这些动物可能因此成为产毒菌株的重要潜在储主。
