In studies using indirect immunofluorescence IgG antibodies to Clostridium perfringens were found in sera from healthy adults. Sera from 236 healthy children were examined. The normally occurring IgG antibodies to C perfringens were found to have an age related variation. Preliminary data suggest that they are not correlated to C perfringens alpha toxin. The antigen(s) against which the antibod...

A 21-year-old Japanese man with a history of marked body weight loss over a short period of time died of necrotizing duodenitis caused by Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) type A. C. perfringens type A is considered to usually cause self-limiting gastroenteritis. Necrotizing enteritis sometimes occurs due to C. perfringens in developing countries; however, it is primarily caused by the t...

The endospores formed by strains of type A Clostridium perfringens that produce the C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) are known to be more resistant to heat and cold than strains that do not produce this toxin. The high heat resistance of these spores allows them to survive the cooking process, leading to a large number of food-poisoning cases each year. The relative importance of factors contri...

A 45-year-old woman with suspected Functional Biliary Sphincter Disorder (FBSD) developed Clostridium perfringens related emphysematous cholecystitis after ERCP. A low index of suspicion for emphysematous cholecystitis in this young, otherwise healthy woman led to a significant delay in making the correct diagnosis, and air in the gallbladder was wrongly attributed to a possible gallbladder per...

Clostridial species bacteremia rarely occurs in general population. Usually hosts with organic gastrointestinal lesion or immunocompromised background are more likely to contract this disease. We present a case of Clostridium perfringens bacteremia in an end-stage renal disease patient undergoing peritoneal dialysis, without other underlying disease. The role of uremia and associated dialytic t...

Yamagishi, Takayoshi (Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan), Shoichi Ishida, and Shoki Nishida. Isolation of toxigenic strains of Clostridium perfringens from soil. J. Bacteriol. 88:646-652. 1964-Strains of Clostridium perfringens were isolated from soil specimens heated at various temperatures for different lengths of time and were toxigenically examined. When higher temperatures were used, fe...

Clostridium spiroforme produces the binary actin-ADP-ribosylating toxin CST (C. spiroforme toxin), which has been proposed to be responsible for diarrhea, enterocolitis, and eventually death, especially in rabbits. Here we report on the recombinant production of the enzyme component (CSTa) and the binding component (CSTb) of C. spiroforme toxin in Bacillus megaterium. By using the recombinant t...

The etiology of abomasal ulcers/tympany was investigated in 48 animals from 36 ranches in Wyoming and Nebraska. Results indicate that subclinical trace mineral deficiencies of copper and/or selenium exist in the range cattle in west central Nebraska and Wyoming. Etiological agents most frequently incriminated by bacteriologic cultures and/or histopathic examination were Clostridium perfringens ...

Clostridium perfringens type A, is both a ubiquitous environmental bacterium and a major cause of human gastrointestinal disease, which usually involves strains producing C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE). The gene (cpe) encoding this toxin can be carried on the chromosome or a large plasmid. Interestingly, strains carrying cpe on the chromosome and strains carrying cpe on a plasmid often exhibi...

Recent advances in understanding the genetics of enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens, including whole genome sequencing of a chromosomal cpe strain and sequencing of several cpe-carrying large plasmids, have led to the development of molecular approaches to more precisely investigate isolates involved in human gastrointestinal diseases and isolates present in the environment. Sequence-based...