Pathogenicity of Clostridium perfringens for germ-free guinea pigs after oral ingestion.

Germ-free guinea pigs died with signs and lesions of acute enterotoxemia after oral ingestion of C. perfringens types B, C, D, and E. The signs and lesions observed resembled those seen in acute enterotoxemia of sheep and cattle and the naturally occurring disease seen in "ex-germ-free" guinea pigs. C. perfringens type A was found to be innocuous. Conventional guinea pigs did not become ill after ingestion of any of the five toxigenic types.