Application of FA Techniques to Detection of Clostridium perfringens

Abstract

t 7OOD POISONING caused by Clostridziwm perfringens (welchii) has, in recent years only, received appreciable attention. Many States, however, have never reported an outbreak of food poisoning caused by this organism. Kemp and associates (1), in a review of the incidence of food poisoning in California, reported that approximately 50 percent of all food poisoning outbreaks were classified as et iology unknown. 'They concluded that perhaps a considerable number of these may have been due to C. perfringens, which was overlooked because anaerobic cultures were not performed. On the national level, statistics are quite similar. In 1962, 214 food poisoning outbreaks were reported to the Public Health Service's Communicable Disease Center, and 111 of these were listed as etiology unknown (Mlorbidity and Mortality Weekly Report). Historically, McClung (2) reported several outbreaks attributable to large numbers of C. perfringens organisms in foods containing chicken. More recently Hobbs and associates (3) reviewed the literature and made a rather complete study of the situation in England. These authors maintain that C. perfringens food poisoning is usually caused by heat-resistant, nonhemolytic strains of the organisms. In the United States, Hall and associates (4) studied various so-called food poisoning strains and concluded that any strain of type A C. perfringens can cause food poisoning, if present in adequate numbers. Symptoms (3) of C. perfringens food poisoning are relatively mild; the victims usually experience gastrointestinal upsets, diarrhea, and cramps within 8 to 15 hours afteir eating food containing 10 million or more organisms per gram. The species C. perfringens consists of a group of closely related strains of gram-positive, noinmotile, spore-forming anaerobic bacteria. They are wideily distributed in nature, cause several different kinds of illnesses in men and in other animals, produce a variety of toxins, and are morphologically and biochemically similar to each other. The most practical method of differentiation, initiated by Wilsdon (5), is based on the pattern of toxin production exhibited by various strains. Subsequent investigators have systematized the major lethal toxin patterns, and currently five toxigenic types are recognized and are designated alphabetically from A to E (6). Type A most commonly affects man. Wilsdon also investigated the cellular antigens of C. perfringens, and he and subsequent investigat,ors concluded that the species is antigenically diverse. Recently, Ellner and Bohan (7) studied the soluble antigens and concluded This paper is a portion of a dissertation which Dr. Klotz submitted while he was training for the degree of doctor of public health at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. Training was provided by the Laboratory Directors' Program. which is supported by training grant 5 Ti GM 567 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Public Health Service. The laboratory research was performed under the supervision of Dr. W. B. Cherry, Communicable Disease Center, Public Health Service, Atlanta, Ga. Dr. Klotz is now with the division of laboratories, Idaho Department of Health, Boise.