78:889-896
78:889-896. production of the four major toxins, the alpha-, beta-, epsilon-, and iota-toxins (50). Epsilon-toxin is one of the toxins produced by type B and D strains (44). The epsilon-toxin can lead to a fatal illness (enterotoxemia) in a variety of livestock Asiaticoside animals, most frequently in sheep (50). Clinical indicators in intoxicated sheep may include colic, diarrhea, and numerous neurological symptoms. Postmortem analysis reveals widespread increases in vascular permeability with cerebral, cardiac, pulmonary, and kidney edema (52, 53). Experimental intoxication of mice and rats with epsilon-toxin causes a rapidly fatal illness and pathological changes similar to those seen in livestock (12, 13, 28, 46). The dose of epsilon-toxin required to kill 50% of mice has been estimated at between 65 and 110 ng per kg (27), Asiaticoside which indicates…