Incidence of increased numbers of Clostridium perfringens in the intestinal tract of rats fed xylitol.

Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing up to 20% xylitol for 49 days. When the rats were fed a xylitol regimen intended to produce adaptation to xylitol, approximately half of the animals adapted to xylitol and remained free from diarrhea during the feeding regimen. The other half did not adapt to xylitol and developed severe and persistent diarrhea accompanied by large volumes of intestinal gas. These non-adapted rats had significantly higher levels of intestinal tract Clostridium perfringens (10(6)--10(11) organisms per gram intestinal contents) than did control rats fed a xylitol-free cornstarch diet (0-10(4) organisms per gram). Rats adapted to dietary xylitol did not have detectable levels of C. perfringens in the gastrointestinal tract.