The roles of Clostridium difficile and enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens in diarrhea in dogs

In this prospective study, feces of dogs with diarrhea were compared with f eces of normal dogs for the presence of Clostridium difficile, C difficile toxins A and B, C perfringens and C perfringens enterotoxin (CPE). C diffic ile toxins A, B, or both were present in feces of 18 of 87 (21%) dogs with diarrhea and 4 of 55 (7%) normal dogs (P = 0.03), whereas CPE was present i n the feces of 24 of 87 (28%) dogs with diarrhea and 3 of 55 (5%) normal do gs (P = 0.01). C difficile was isolated from 2 of 87 (2%) dogs with diarrhe a but was not isolated from the feces of 55 normal dogs, possibly because o f poor survival of the organism in fecal samples. C perfringens was isolate d from the feces of 23 of 24 (96%) CPE-positive dogs with diarrhea, 52 of 6 3 (83%) CPE-negative dogs with diarrhea, and 39 of 55 (71%) CPE-negative do gs with normal feces. No correlation was found between C perfringens spore number and the presence of CPE.