What the Sanitarian Should Know About Clostridium Perfringens Foodborne Illness

This paper is a follow-up of two articles, which were previously published in this Journal, concerned with what the sanitarian should know about staphylococci and salmonellae. The nature of Clostridium perfringens, including factors that support or limit its growth, is discussed. This organism is widely distributed in the intestinal contents of man and animals, in sewage, and in soil. From these sources foods frequently become contaminated with this organism. Meats and meat products prepared in food-service establishments are frequently involved in outbreaks. To prove that C. perfringens is responsible for outbreaks, this organism should be recovered in large numbers from both the patients' stools and the incriminated food, and isolates from both should be correlated serologically. Of the various methods of controlling foodborne diseases–only inhibition of growth is practical for controlling outbreaks of C. perfringens foodborne illness. Appropriate control features are delineated.