Clostridium perfringens is a Gram-positive bacillus, strictly anaerobic bacteria that produce spores, which have a wide host range. It has been known as a cause of diarrhea in dogs. This study was conducted to detect C. perfringens by coventional culturing and using single and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to detect toxinotypes of the isolates. Fecal samples were collected from dogs, 131 of which were apparently healthy, and 20 of which were diarrheic. C. perfringens strains were isolated from 5/20 (25%) the diarrheic group and 31/131(23.8%) the non-diarrheic group. All isolates (36/151) were classified as C. perfringens type A (cpa+). Fourteen isolates (38.8%) with cpa+ cpb2+netB-tpeL- profile and one isolate (2.8%) had cpa+cpe+netB-tpeL- toxin’s profile. More studies are needed to elucidate the epidemiology of C. perfringens in dogs and its role as a zoonotic agent and public health hazard. This is the first study to report the cpa+cpe+ gene in C. perfringens strains isolated from healthy dogs in Iran.

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