Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Clostridium perfringens (formerly known as C. welchii, or Bacillus welchii) is a Gram-positive, bacillus (rod-shaped), anaerobic, spore-forming pathogenic bacterium of the genus Clostridium. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] C. perfringens is ever-present in nature and can be found as a normal component of decaying vegetation, marine sediment , the intestinal tract ...
This toxin has been shown to be the key virulence factor in infection with C. perfringens; the bacterium is unable to cause disease without this toxin. [1] Further, vaccination against the alpha toxin toxoid protects mice against C. perfringens gas gangrene. [2]
The key Clostridium septicum virulence factor is a pore-forming toxin called alpha-toxin, though it is unrelated to the Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin. Clostridium sordellii can also produce two major toxins: all known virulent strains produce the essential virulence factor lethal toxin (TcsL), and a number also produce haemorrhagic toxin ...
Clostridioides difficile infection [5] (CDI or C-diff), also known as Clostridium difficile infection, is a symptomatic infection due to the spore-forming bacterium Clostridioides difficile. [6] Symptoms include watery diarrhea, fever, nausea, and abdominal pain. [1] It makes up about 20% of cases of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. [1]
Because C. perfringens beta toxin shares homology with S. aureus pore-forming alpha toxin, it was hypothesized that beta toxin acts in a similar way. Upon investigation, it was found that C. perfringens beta toxin forms cation-selective pores in cell membranes [4] of 1.6–1.8 nm [5] and results in swelling and lysis in HL60 cells. [6]
Most species of the genus Clostridium are saprophytic organisms that ferment plant polysaccharides [2] and are found in many places in the environment, most notably the soil. However, the genus does contain some human pathogens (outlined below). The toxins produced by certain members of the genus Clostridium are among
Clostridium is a genus of anaerobic, Gram-positive bacteria.Species of Clostridium inhabit soils and the intestinal tracts of animals, including humans. [1] This genus includes several significant human pathogens, including the causative agents of botulism and tetanus.
The major virulence factor of C. perfringens is the CPE enterotoxin, which is secreted upon invasion of the host gut, and contributes to food poisoning and other gastrointestinal illnesses. [3] It has a molecular weight of 35.3 kDa, and is responsible for the disintegration of tight junctions between epithelial cells in the gut. [6]