Clostridium perfringens

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Clostridium perfringens is a Gram-positive, bacillus (rod-shaped), anaerobic, spore-forming pathogenic bacterium of the genus Clostridium. C. perfringens is present in nature and can be found as a normal component of decaying vegetation, marine sediment, the intestinal tract of humans and other vertebrates, insects, and soil. It has the shortest reported generation time of any organism at 6.3 minutes in thioglycolate medium. C. perfringens was discovered in 1891 by William H. Welch. It was originally known as Bacillus aerogenes capsulatus, followed by Bacillus welchii, before the final establishment of its current name. Clostridium perfringens is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the United States, alongside norovirus, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Staphylococcus aureus. However, it can sometimes be ingested and cause no harm. Infections induced by C. perfringens are associated with tissue necrosis, bacteremia, emphysematous cholecystitis, and gas gangrene, which is also...

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