EFFECT OF CONTROLLED PH ON TOXINOGENESIS BY CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS TYPE D.

Abstract

A strain of Clostridium perfringens type D was grown in a complex medium with or without pH control. Rate and extent of growth was the same without pH control and at controlled pH levels between 6.0 and 7.4, but was reduced at pH 7.6. With controlled pH at optimum levels the yields of alpha, epsilon, kappa, and theta toxins were 2, 6, 2, and 8 times higher than without pH control. These yields were 25 MLD, 70 × 103 MLD, 400 kappa units, and 60 hemolytic units per milliliter respectively. Optimum pH was 7.0 to 7.2 for alpha, 6.7 to 7.4 for epsilon and kappa, and 7.0 to 7.4 for theta toxin. Lambda and mu toxins were not produced, and only traces of nu antigen were formed.Fourteen additional strains of C. perfringens type D were grown with pH controlled at 7.0 or without pH control and assayed for production of epsilon, kappa, and theta toxins. Epsilon was formed by 14, kappa by 10, and theta by 13 strains. With pH controlled at 7.0, 14 strains produced more epsilon toxin, 4 strains more kappa toxin, and 10 strains more theta toxin than without pH control. It is concluded that increased toxinogenesis at controlled pH is a general phenomenon in cultures of C. perfringens type D.