Noncytotoxic Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) variants localize CPE intestinal binding and demonstrate a relationship between CPE-induced cytotoxicity and enterotoxicity.

Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) causes the symptoms of a very common food poisoning. To assess whether CPE-induced cytotoxicity is necessary for enterotoxicity, a rabbit ileal loop model was used to compare the in vivo effects of native CPE or recombinant CPE (rCPE), both of which are cytotoxic, with those of the noncytotoxic rCPE variants rCPE D48A and rCPE(168-319). Both CPE and rCPE elicited significant fluid accumulation in rabbit ileal loops, along with severe mucosal damage that starts at villus tips and then progressively affects the entire villus, including necrosis of epithelium and lamina propria, villus blunting and fusion, and transmural edema and hemorrhage.