Background of Clostridium perfringes

Clostridium perfringes is an aerobic bacteria present in the environment and in the intestines of both humans and domestic and feral animals.

Clostridium perfringes was first described by Welch and Nuttall in 1892 after they had isolated the organism from a cadaver.

Since the bacteria are so prevalent, most foods are contaminated with, especially animal proteins such as meat.

However, it takes millions of bacterial cells to cause illness. Bacterial cells double every twenty to thirty minutes so a single bacterium can reach over a trillion cells in twenty four hours if the conditions are favorable.

The small amounts of C. perfringes in foods do not cause any problems unless if it is prepared too long before serving.

Outbreaks occur most commonly in institutional setting like hospitals, school, cafeteria, prisons and nursing homes where food is prepared several hours before serving.

Clostridium perfringes is group into five types based on the production and secretion of four major toxin.

Clostridium perfringes produces a number of other virulence enhancing toxins and hydrolytic enzymes. The most significant of these is probably enterotoxin.

In food poisoning outbreaks, demonstration of hundred of thousands more organisms per gram is a suspect food supports a diagnosis of perfringes poisoning when substantiated by clinical and epidemiological evidence.

Clostridium perfringes type A causes one of the most common food borne illness in the United States. The characteristic diarrhea and abdominal cramps associated with C. perfringes food poisoning are caused by a protein enterotoxin, Clostridium perfringes enterotoxin, CPE (2-4).
Background of Clostridium perfringes