The center breeds endangered animals in captivity and then releases them into the wild. Songer's team has assisted them in preventing and diagnosing enteric diseases. Through the UA Department of Veterinary Science's web site, Songer says he has gotten emails and inquiries from all over the world, including South Africa, New Zealand, Norway, Canada and Japan. The web site describes the multiplex PCR assay and gives instructions on how to send in samples for C. perfringens genotyping. For more information, view the web site at microvet.arizona.edu.
Death comes quickly and violently.
The symptoms vary in intensity and variety depending on the individual toxin and its host. C. perfringens can cause disease in most domestic animals and some wildlife, including horses, poultry, sheep, birds, rabbits, goats, hogs, cattle, mink, ostrich, emu, dogs, cats, and others. Humans have also become infected, although cases of enteritis have been localized, most notably in the highlands of Papua New Guinea where it occurs as a severe, usually fatal form of food poisoning that kills the small intestine. In spite of its potential danger as an infectious agent, the avirulent forms of bacillus are commonly found in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals, and it also inhabits terrestrial, marine and aquatic environments. The trouble starts when the balance of bacteria in the gut is disrupted, giving C. perfringens a chance to proliferate unchecked.