Abstract
Clostridium perfringens type C strains are the only non-type-A isolates that cause human disease. They are responsible for enteritis necroticans, which was termed Darmbrand when occurring in post-World War II Germany. Darmbrand strains were initially classified as type F because of their exceptional heat resistance but later identified as type C strains. Since only limited information exists regarding Darmbrand strains, this study genetically and phenotypically characterized seven 1940s era Darmbrand-associated strains. Results obtained indicated the following. (i) Five of these Darmbrand isolates belong to type C, carry beta-toxin (cpb) and enterotoxin (cpe) genes on large plasmids, and express both beta-toxin and enterotoxin. The other two isolates are cpe-negative type A. (ii) All seven isolates produce highly heat-resistant spores with D(100) values (the time that a culture must be kept at 100°C to reduce its viability by 90%) of 7 to 40 min. (iii) All of the isolates surveyed produce the same variant small acid-soluble protein 4 (Ssp4) made by type A food poisoning isolates with a chromosomal cpe gene that also produce extremely heat-resistant spores. (iv) The Darmbrand isolates share a genetic background with type A chromosomal-cpe-bearing isolates. Finally, it was shown that both the cpe and cpb genes can be mobilized in Darmbrand isolates. These results suggest that C. perfringens type A and C strains that cause human food-borne illness share a spore heat resistance mechanism that likely favors their survival in temperature-abused food. They also suggest possible evolutionary relationships between Darmbrand strains and type A strains carrying a chromosomal cpe gene.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Bacterial Proteins / genetics
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Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
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Bacterial Toxins / genetics
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Bacterial Toxins / metabolism
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Bacterial Typing Techniques
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Clostridium Infections / epidemiology*
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Clostridium Infections / microbiology
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Clostridium perfringens / classification*
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Clostridium perfringens / genetics*
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Clostridium perfringens / isolation & purification
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Clostridium perfringens / metabolism
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DNA, Bacterial / analysis
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DNA, Bacterial / genetics
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Enterotoxins / genetics
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Enterotoxins / metabolism
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Foodborne Diseases / epidemiology*
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Foodborne Diseases / microbiology
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Genotype
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Germany / epidemiology
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Humans
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Phenotype
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Sequence Analysis, DNA
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Spores, Bacterial / physiology
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World War II*
Substances
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Bacterial Proteins
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Bacterial Toxins
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CPB protein, Clostridium perfringens
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DNA, Bacterial
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Enterotoxins
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enterotoxin, Clostridium
Associated data
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GENBANK/JX267142
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GENBANK/JX267143
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GENBANK/JX267144
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GENBANK/JX267145
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GENBANK/JX267146
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