Clostridium spore

Van Roon, P. S., and Olsman, W. J. (1977). Inhibitory effect of some Perigo-type compounds on Clostridium spores in pasteurized meat products. In Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Nitrite and Meat Production (B. J. Tinbergen and B. Krol, eds.), p. 53. Pudoc, Wageningen, The Netherlands. 

Antibiotics effectively kill the bacteria, but nothing in modern medicine could combat the toxicity of the Clostridium spores. The Clostridium infection caused massive inflammation of vital organs, internal hemorrhaging, and death. Experts say there is no telling when or where it may strike again. 

Yang, W. -W. East Viability Assessment of Clostridium spores - Survival in Extreme Environments. California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA, 2009. 

There is some evidence that inhibition of C. botulinum outgrowth in nitrite-cured meat products is mainly due to iron binding in such a way that this is no longer available for outgrowth of Clostridium spores. This strong binding also explains the antioxidative properties of nitrite in these products (Grever and Ruiter, 2001). 

Microbes are killed by heat. If food is heated to an internal temperature above I6O0F, or 78oC, for even a few seconds this sufficient to kill parasites, viruses or bacteria, except for the Clostridium bacteria, which produce a heat-resistant form called a spore. Clostridium spores are killed only at temperatures above boiling. This is why canned foods must be cooked to a high temperature under pressure as part of the canning process. 

Tetanus is a disease caused by the release of neurotoxins from the anaerobic, spore-forming rod Clostridium tetani. The clostridial protein, tetanus toxin, possesses a protease activity which selectively degrades the pre-synaptic vesicle protein synaptobrevin, resulting in a block of glycine and y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release from presynaptic terminals. Consistent with the loss of neurogenic motor inhibition, symptoms of tetanus include muscular rigidity and hyperreflexia. The clinical course is characterized by increased muscle tone and spasms, which first affect the masseter muscle and the muscles of the throat, neck and shoulders. Death occurs by respiratory failure or heart failure. 

Partial reduction by Clostridia has been demonstrated and has already been discussed in Chapter 9, Part 5. The effectiveness of Clostridia in the anaerobic digestion of a number of nitroaromatics has prompted development of a procedure for the production of spores of Clostridium bifermentans, and a medium for their effective production has been developed (Sembries and Crawford 1997). 

Reid KA, JTG Hamilton, RD Bowden, D O Hagan, L Dasaradhi, MR Amin, DB Harper (1995) Biosynthesis of fluorinated secondary metabolites by Streptomyces cattleya. Microbiology (UK) 141 1385-1393. Sembries S, RL Crawford (1997) Production of Clostridium bifermentans spores as inoculum for bioremediation of nitroaromatic contaminants. Appl Environ Microbiol 63 2100-2104. 

T. E Yen, J. K. Park, K. I. Lee, and Y. Li. Fate of surfactant vesicles surviving from thermophilic, halotolerant, spore forming, Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum. In E. C. Donaldson, editor. Microbial enhancement of oil recovery recent advances Proceedings of the 1990 International Conference on Microbial Enhancement of Oil Recovery,... 

Spore formation is limited almost entirely to two genera of rodshaped bacteria Bacillus (aerobic or facultatively anaerobic), and Clostridium (anaerobic or aerotolerant). With one possible exception, the common spherical bacteria do not sporulate. Some spore-bearing species can be made to lose their ability to produce spores. When the ability to produce spores is once lost, it is seldom regained. SporMation is not a process to increase bacterial numbers because a cell rarely produces more than one spore. 

Spores may be spherical, ellipsoidal, or cylindrical in shape. The position of the spore in a cell may be central, subterminal, or terminal. A fully grown spore may have a diameter greater than that of the vegetative cell. This causes a bulging of the cell. The resulting forms are known as Clostridium if central, and plectridium if terminal. As a rule, each species has its own characteristic size, shape, and position of the spore, but this is subject to variation under different environmental conditions. 

Franklin and Bradley, by means of electron microscopy of carbon replicas, reported that the spores of a majority of species of Bacillus and Clostridium are readily distinguished by surface patterns. The surfaces may be smooth or ribbed, with the ribs usually longitudinal. 

Botulism is a potent neurotoxin produced from Clostridium botulinum that is an anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium. There are three different types ofbotulism Foodborne botulism occurs when a person ingests a pre-formed toxin that leads to illness within a few hours or days. Foodborne botulism is a public health emergency because the contaminated food may still be available. Infant botulism occurs in a small number of susceptible infants each year who harbor C. botulinum in their intestinal tract. Wound botulism occurs when wounds are infected with C. botulinum that secretes the toxin. Approximately 100 cases of the three types of botulism are reported within the United States each year about 5 percent are wound botulism, 25 percent are foodborne botulism, and a full 70 percent are infant botulism. Death can result from respiratory failure, but those who survive may have fatigue and shortness of breath for years. 

Toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, an encapsulated, anaerobe, grampositive, spore-forming, rod-shaped (bacillus) bacterium... 

Spores may be transferred from soil and plants to the sea via rainwater, causing the prevalence in coastal waters of the same C. botulinum types as on the land. Such a correlation was observed in Great Britain, where the type B predominates both in soil and in bottom sediments. Similarly, 71% of fish and bottom-sediment samples collected in southern France were contaminated with type B, while C. botulinum type E was found only in 9.6% of samples (Each et al., 2002). However, it is commonly believed that non-proteolytic type E is characteristic for the marine environment. A distinguishing feature of type E strains is the ability to grow in low temperatures (about 3°C), which are typical for bottom layers of seas and oceans. Moreover, the bottom sediments provide anaerobic conditions for the outgrowth of Clostridium. Therefore, the marine environment promotes C. botulinum type E distribution. This has been further supported by the rate of fish and seafood contamination fish and seafood isolated in many countries are most frequently contaminated with C. botulinum type E (Dodds, 1993 a,b). Furthermore, epidemiological studies have shown that the majority of botulism cases linked to fish and seafood consumption reported between 1950 and 1996 in the U.S. were caused by C. botulinum type E (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1998). C. botulinum type F,... 

Alberto, F., Broussolle, V., Mason, D.R., Carlin, F. and Peck, M.W., Variability in spore germination response by strains of proteol5dic Clostridium botulinum types A, B and F, Lett. Appl. Microbiol., 36, 41-45, 2003. 

In meat curing, nitrite is traditionally used for developing the pink, heat-stable pigment. Its other important role is the inhibition of the outgrowth of Clostridium botulinum spores in pasteurized products and, in some countries, in several types of smoked fish. Nitrite also serves as an antioxidant and contributes positively to the development of the flavor of cured-meat. The undesirable side-effect, however, is the reaction of nitrite with amino groups of food constituents, leading to the formation of NNCs. 

Tetanus immunoglobulin is an example of an antibody preparation used to induee passive immunization against a mierobial toxin. Tetanus (lockjaw) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium, Clostridium tetani. Bacterial spores can commonly contaminate surface wounds and the resulting bacterial cells produce a toxin as they multiply. The toxin interferes with normal neurological function, particularly at neuromuscular junctions. The result is spasmodic contraction of muscles and, if untreated, mortality rates are high. Treatment with antibiotics and anti-toxin, however, is highly effective if administered promptly. 

Botulism is most commonly caused by ingestion of a neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum in improperly canned food. Poisoning may also occur after wound contamination with the organism. Infant botulism may occur when spores of the organism germinate and manufacture the toxin in the intestinal tract of infants. Botulinum toxin works by inhibiting ACh release at all cholinergic synapses. 

Tetanus. An acute, often fatal, infectious disease caused by anaerobic, spore-forming bacillus Clostridium tetani. The clinical manifestations are the result of tetanospas-min, a potent neurotoxin elaborated by the germinating spores. 

Clostridium species are anaerobic, spore-forming microbes. The formic, acetic, propionic, and butyric acids produced as a result of their metabolic activity can enhance the corrosion of steel. 

---