Characterization of Clostridium perfringens associated with gangrenous dermatitis in broiler birds and confirmation by PCR

An outbreak of gangrenous dermatitis (GD) was recorded in broiler birds maintained in a poultry Farm in Meghalaya based on isolation of the causative agents and confirmation by PCR. Clostridium perfringens type A and staphylococci were isolated from the clinical cases. Both types of bacteria were sensitive to Gentamicin, Enrofloxacin, Norfloxacin, Ampicillin and Amoxycillin but resistant to Tetracycline, Doxycycline and Bacitracin. Upon PCR analysis, the primer specific for alpha toxin gene of C. perfringens (324 bp) amplified among the 6 primers used such as cpa, cpb, etx, iA, cpe, and cpb2 genes of C. perfringens and this confirmed the involvement of Clostridium perfringens type A in GD.