Virulence studies on chromosomal alpha-toxin and theta-toxin mutants constructed by allelic exchange provide genetic evidence for the essential role of alpha-toxin in Clostridium perfringens-mediated gas gangrene.

Abstract excerpt

The pathogenesis of clostridial myonecrosis, or gas gangrene, involves the growth of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium perfringens in the infected tissues and the elaboration of numerous extracellular toxins and enzymes. The precise role of each of these toxins in tissue invasion and necrosis has not been determined. To enable genetic approaches to be used to study C. perfringens pathogenesis we developed an...

Topics

• Alleles
• Animals
• Bacterial Toxins
• Clostridium perfringens
• Gas Gangrene
• Hemolysin Proteins
• Mice
• Mutagenesis, Insertional
• Necrosis
• Type C Phospholipases
• Virulence