Abstract
Through 10 days after oral inoculation of 104 spores of Clostridium botulinum type C, 14-day-old broilers (6 chicks/isolator) showed no clinical signs and they were negative for the microbes in their cecal content. The carrier state failed to be induced after inoculation with 107 spores into broilers (10 chicks/isolator) fasted for 3 days prior to inoculation, and the same results were obtained in day-old chicks. In day-old chicks (10-15 chicks/isolater) reared without litter, however, the organisms were isolated after inoculation of 105 spores from 14 of 15, 10 day-old chicks as well as from 17 of 19, 20 day-old chicks. On the other hand, no organisms were isolated from any 14-day-old chicks (5-15 chicks/isolator) reared without litter and starved for 3 days. When pretreated with endoxan before inoculation all chicks (5 chicks/isolater) under the same conditions were shown to carry the organisms in the cecum and two of them died with typical signs of botulism. Endoxan pretreatment induced the carrier state also in all 24 day-old chicks (6 chicks/isolator), and 4 of them were diseased and died. These results suggested that management stresses and intesinal flora were involved in colonization and pathogenesis of C. botulinum type C.
