Epidemiological aspects of Clostridium perfringens foodborne illness

• Published in: Food technology (Chicago) Vol. 34; no. 4
• Main Authors: Hatheway, C.L, Whaley, D.N, Dowell, V.R. Jr
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.04.1980
• ISSN: 0015-6639; 2578-5214

A 1945 report on 4 outbreaks of foodborne illness directly identified Clostridium perfringens in cooked chicken as the cause. Beef, poultry, meat pies, stews, and gravies are usually responsible for the illness; food safety standards have been ignored in part or in total. Five toxin types are based on 4 major deadly toxins: alpha, beta, epsilon, and iota. Spores with high heat resistance are implicated in this illness; further study shows strains causing foodborne illness are not restricted to heat-resistant types. Serotyping procedures, developed by the Communicable Disease Center (CDC) in Atlanta are being used to identify and confirm C. perfringens as the etiologic agent in foodborne illness. CDC personnel indicate the need for development of simpler laboratory techniques which can be used by local and state public health laboratories