Experimental Diarrhoea in human volunteers following oral administration of Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin
Skjelkvåle, R.; Uemura, T.
Journal of Applied Bacteriology 43(2): 281-286
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-8847 PMID: 201601 Document Number: 120986
Peroral administration of purified enterotoxin to human volunteers provoked diarrhea and abdominal pain, symptoms identical with those encountered in outbreaks of C. perfringens food poisoning. Eight milligrams of enterotoxin caused diarrhea in 1 of 2 volunteers. All 5 subjects given 10 and 12 mg of purified enterotoxin or crude enterotoxin developed the classical symptoms of this food poisoning. Passive hemagglutination anti-enterotoxin titers in serum increased in only 5 of 9 volunteers after exposure to enterotoxin. As such levels of anti-enterotoxin can be detected in normal serum samples, titration of anti-enterotoxin may be of little use in diagnosing C. perfringens food poisoning. Enterotoxin was detected in all diarrheal fecal specimens and the enterotoxin level varied from 0.2-16 .mu.g/g. Detection of enterotoxin in diarrheal faeces may be the most reliable procedure in diagnosing outbreaks of C. perfringens food poisoning.