Clostridium
A review of Clostridium.
Clostridium
Adapted from John S. Novak, Michael W. Peck, Vijay K. Juneja and Eric A. Johnson in Foodborne Pathogens: Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Clostridium: Clostridium botulinum produces extremely potent neurotoxins that result in the severe neuroparalytic disease, botulism. Although of lower lethality, the enterotoxin produced by Clostridium perfringens, during sporulation of vegetative cells in the host intestine, still results in debilitating acute diarrhea and abdominal pain. Sales of refrigerated, processed foods of extended durability including sous-vide foods, chilled ready-to-eat meals, and cook-chill foods have increased over recent years. As a result of conditions accommodating growth, anaerobic spore-formers have been identified as the primary microbiological concerns in these foods. Heightened awareness over intentional food source tampering with botulinum neurotoxin has arisen with respect to genes encoding the toxins that are capable of transfer to nontoxigenic clostridia. Similarly, enterotoxin produced by Clostridium perfringens and the genomic location of the cpe gene has epidemiologic significance for understanding the capability to cause foodborne disease in humans. This chapter focuses on the unique characteristics and virulence factors of Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium perfringens that make them foodborne hazards in the food supply. The susceptibility of these bacterial spore-formers to physical and chemical agents is examined as well as recommended control measures. This information is useful in developing molecular strategies to study virulence genes and their regulation as a means to safer foods.
Clostridium Resources
Foodborne Pathogens: Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Bacillus cereus
Emerging foodborne pathogens
Clostridium
Shigella
Salmonella
Listeria monocytogenes
Campylobacter
Staphylococcus aureus
Vibrio spp.
Yersinia enterocolitica
Foodborne pathogens
Current Issues in Molecular Biology
Molecular Biology Resource
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