[Pathogenicity of various toxinogenic types of Clostridium perfringens administered by mouth to axenic and holoxenic mice].

Axenic mice died with signs of enterotoxaemia after oral ingestion of Clostridium perfringens type C or D. Under the same conditions, C. perfringens type B was less pathogenic, and types A and E showed no pathogenicity. The microflora of conventional mice prevented the establishment of C. perfringens types B, C and D in the digestive tract and protected them against the pathogenicity of these strains. Toxins produced in the caecum of monoxenic mice harbouring C. perfringens type C were not neutralized by the anti-C. perfringens type C antiserum. This suggests that the toxins produced in vivo by this strain were different from those produced in vitro.