An overview about C. perfringens

What is it about?

Clostridium perfringens is a spore-forming bacterium and natural inhabitant of soil and the intestinal tracts of many warm-blooded animals, including humans. The ubiquitous nature of this bacterium and its spores makes it a frequent problem for the food industry and establishments where large amounts of food are prepared. C. perfringens causes potentially lethal foodborne diseases in humans, including food poisoning and necrotic enteritis. This bacterium could be controlled properly following safety rules such as adequate heating and cooling of food during processing. Unfortunately, large C. perfringens outbreaks, sometimes with fatal outcomes are still frequently reported. This paper describes the main characteristics of C. perfringens that allow the bacterium to survive and grow in foods, and cause human disease as well as discusses strategies to control this microorganism during food processing.

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Why is it important?

This paper describes the main characteristics of C. perfringens that allow the bacterium to survive and grow in foods, and cause human disease as well as discusses strategies to control this microorganism during food processing.