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Standardization of the titration of the epsilon toxin of Clostridium perfringens type D in cell line as an alternative to animal bioassay

Enterotoxemia (also called pulpy kidney disease) is an enteric disease, that affect ruminants, produced by epsilon toxin from Clostridium perfringens type D, an anaerobic commonly isolated from soil and feces of healthy animals. The diagnostic is based on detection of this exotoxin in the intestinal content by soroneutralization in mice. Therefore, this study aimed to standardize a test for detection and titration of the toxin in vitro, and compare it with the phenomenon in vivo. A volume of epsilon toxin was titrated in mice and in some cell lines. After concluding the most sensitive cell line, were held in vitro titrations of dilutions from a toxin wich one had in vivo titer known. The results were grouped and a mathematical equation was developed. MDCK cell line showed that the phenomenon observed in vitro can be expressed by a mathematical equation wich shows a correlation of 98.33% with a minimum lethal dose determined in vivo. Therefore, the soroneutralization using MDCK allows a specific, sensitive, practical, fast, and doesn't requere use of animal titration of epsilon toxin.

enterotoxemias; bioethics; soroneutralization; MDCK


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