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Clostridium perfringens

What is it?

Clostridium perfringens is an anaerobic spore-forming rod that is widely distributed in the environment and occurs within the intestines of humans. These organisms can also persist in soil, sediments and areas subject to human or animal fecal pollution.

What disease does it cause?

The term used to describe the foodborne illness caused by C. perfringens is Perfringens food poisoning, this organism can also cause enteritis necroticans or pig-bel disease.

What are the symptoms?

The primary symptoms of this illness are intense abdominal cramps and diarrhea. The severe symptoms of the illness usually only last for 24 hours but less severe symptoms may still occur for 1 to 2 weeks A few deaths have been reported. The more severe illness caused, Necrotic enteritis, is often fatal and begins when an individual ingests large numbers of the bacteria. These deaths are caused by infection and necrosis of the intestines as well as septicemia. In order to become infected an individual needs to swallow a huge amount of the bacteria's (greater than 10 to the 8th).

How is the illness diagnosed?

This illness is diagnosed by its symptoms as well as the delayed onset of illness and is confirmed by detecting the toxin in the feces of the individual.

What are the foods associated?

Most of the time the cause of poisoning by this organism is the temperature abuse of prepared foods when the food is allowed to cool down too much. Meats, meat products and gravy are the foods that are most frequently implicated.

What is the frequency of the disease?

Perfringens poisoning is one of the most commonly reported foodborne illnesses in the United States with around 10-20 outbreaks reported annually in the last two decades. The CDC estimates that about 10,000 actual cases occur every year in the United States. Usually the disease only lasts for 24 hours however in the elderly or infirm the symptoms can last 1-2 weeks.

Who is the target population?

The target populations for this disease are people who feed in institutions such as school cafeterias, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, etc..., where large quantities of food are prepared several hours before served.

What we can do to help

Contact us on our website: http://www.milavetzlaw.com/

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Links for more info

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodborneIllness/FoodborneIllnessFoodbornePathogensNaturalToxins/BadBugBook/ucm070483.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=1502&lvl=3

Links for recent updates

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=330272

http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/850947.html