Rapid Presumptive Diagnosis Clostridial Infections by Gas Chromatography

Abstract

Gas chromatography (GC) was tried for rapid presumptive diagnosis of clostridial infection in domestic animals. Propionic, butyric, and acetic acids were detected by GC in specimens collected from lesions in the liver and spleen of a pig died of gas gangrene. The volatile fatty acid (VFA) pattern was very similar to that of a culture of Clostridium novyi isolated from these lesions. Emulsions of the lesions in the liver and spleen of the two cows died of blackleg exhibited VFA patterns resembling that of a culture of Clostridium chauvoei isolated from these lesions. The results of GC analyses of subcutaneous lesions of mice and guinea pigs experimentally infected with C. novyi and those with C. chauvoei were very similar to those of the pig and the cows, respectively. The VFA pattern of lesions of domestic animals may be useful for rapid presumptive diagnosis of a certain clostridial infections such as that with C. novyi. It may be difficult, however, to distinguish among infections with Clostridium tetani, Clostridium septicum, and C. chauvoei by GC analysis.