Effect of Intramuscular or Intrahepatic Injections of Clostridium perfringens on Rabbit Serum Lactate Dehydrogenase.

Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, LDH isoenzyme pattern, phospholipase C activity, phosphorous level, hemoglobin, and erythrocyte osmotic fragility were followed in rabbits after intramuscular (IM) or intrahepatic (IH) injections of Clostridium perfringens. On the first day after IM injection, there was a drop in LDH activity; this was followed by an increase of LDH activity on the third and sixth day. On the seventh day, LDH activity began to decline, and by the ninth day it had almost returned to normal. On the sixth day after IM injection, there was an increase in serum LDH isoenzyme 5, hemoglobin, and erythrocyte osmotic fragility, but the increase of erythrocyte osmotic fragility and serum hemoglobin could not be attributed to phospholipase C activity since that enzyme was not detected nor was there an increase in serum phosphorus. C. perfringens was recovered by culturing the wound of IM-injected rabbits but not recovered from IH-injected rabbits. Rabbits injected IH showed no change from normal values in any of the tests performed.