Clostridium perfringens Type A Isolated from Intestinal Contents of Alpaca

C. perfringens is a Gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium that causes serious diseases in humans and animals. In this study, C. perfringens was isolated from the intestinal content of an alpaca, cultured, and then identified using laboratory methods including Gram staining, biochemical tests, and PCR for 16S rRNA of six toxins. Furthermore, the pathogenicity of different strains was analyzed in mice. The results showed that C. perfringens was identified as type A and caused severe pathology of the spleen, lungs, and duodenum in mice through CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Also, the mRNA expression levels of ZO-1 and Occludin were further quantified by qRT-PCR with normalization to β-actin, which showed decreased expression levels in the duodenum of mice in the gavage group compared to those in the NC groups, with significant differences (n = 3; * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01). The results could inform the development of drugs and vaccines resistant to C. perfringens in alpaca.