Abstract
Clostridium perfringens is an important pathogen that is responsible for gastroenteritis; the causative agent for the symptoms is C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE), which is mainly produced by type F C. perfringens. Since shellfishes may gather C. perfringens in the water environment, this study estimated the potential circulation of type F C. perfringens among humans, sewage, and Ruditapes philippinarum (asari clams) as a result of sewage pollution. A comparison of the characteristics among the isolates from 86 sewage influents, 36 effluents, 76 asari clams, and 37 humans was conducted. Serotyping, cpe genotyping, and toxin genotyping showed that C. perfringens with a plasmid IS1151 sequence downstream of cpe was predominant among sewage influents, effluents, humans, and asari clams. Multilocus sequence typing suggested that some isolates from a human, sewage influents, effluents, and asari clams were linked to each other. These results demonstrated that asari clams are the necessary infection sources of C. perfringens responsible for carriers and foodborne diseases, and that these pathogens from humans infected by asari clams can pollute the water environment. It is useful to assess bacteria such as C. perfringens isolates from sewage to estimate the trend of those from the community.
Highlights
Clostridium perfringens, a spore-forming, Gram-positive, rod-shaped, anaerobic bacterium, may induce gastroenteritis with diarrhea and abdominal pain
(22/26) of the isolates from influents, effluents, asari clams, and non-foodborne cases were untypable, respectively (Figure 2). All isolates such as 37 human isolates were categorized as C. perfringens type F, which is positive for C. perfringens alpha toxin gene and cpe
This study has shown the characteristics of type F C. perfringens isolated from sewage influents, effluents, asari clams, and humans to check whether they are predominant from those of humans and environments in the study area
Summary
Clostridium perfringens, a spore-forming, Gram-positive, rod-shaped, anaerobic bacterium, may induce gastroenteritis with diarrhea and abdominal pain. Categorizing C. perfringens is based on toxin production (alpha, beta, epsilon, and iota toxins) divided into types A–E [1]. The new categorization of C. perfringens that produces alpha toxin and C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) is type F, and strains that possess alpha and NetB toxins are categorized as type G [1]. CPE is mainly responsible for gastrointestinal symptoms, and importantly, in Japan, an average of 20–40 C. perfringens-associated foodborne outbreaks (involving up to 3000 victims) were recognized each year, which is the second leading cause of bacterial food poisoning in the country [2]. Clostridium perfringens producing CPE and/or CPE in feces from patients has been found in outbreaks [3,4,5].
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