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Deadly food poisoning: Why is Clostridium perfringens the most common culprit?
Food poisoning cases are common in the United States, and one of the most common pathogens is Clostridium perfringens. This Gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium can survive in a variety of environments, from decaying plant matter to the intestinal systems of humans and animals. But why has this bacteria become such a common culprit in food poisoning?
The study showed that C. perfringens has the shortest generation time of all organisms, at just 6.3 minutes.
C. perfringens food poisoning mainly results from eating foods that have not been properly stored after cooking. According to the report, the bacteria thrives best when food is stored at temperatures between 40°F and 140°F. This is especially common with meats that are cooked in large quantities, such as poultry, beef, and pork.
The bacteria do not always cause harm, as some people swallow C. perfringens and experience no problems. However, when its numbers increase in the intestines and it releases toxins, it can cause diarrhea and other serious symptoms. This makes C. perfringens more than just a major culprit for food poisoning; it can also cause other serious illnesses such as gas gangrene and the seemingly unrelated black necrotic enteritis.
Gas gangrene is one of the most common diseases caused by C. perfringens and is caused by alpha toxin, which damages cell membranes and causes cell dysfunction.
The pathogenicity of C. perfringens is mainly due to the release of several major toxins, including alpha toxin, beta toxin and feeding toxin. These toxins can all lead to cell damage and dysfunction. In particular, the intake of toxins has an important impact on the tight junctions of intestinal epithelial cells, making the cells of the host's large and small intestines fragile and easily damaged.
As genome research progresses, scientists have gained a better understanding of the diversity of C. perfringens. In the genomes of 56 C. perfringens strains, up to 87.4% of the genes were non-core genes, showing the high adaptability and common variability of this bacterium, which not only affects its pathogenicity but also makes it easier to prevent food poisoning. More difficult.
The pathogenic genes of C. perfringens often come from gene transfer from other bacteria, which makes it more complicated to control its growth in food safety.
Recent findings indicate that C. perfringens also displays high motility. Although earlier thought to be stationary, research has shown that it can move using sliding motions. This property may make it easier for them to spread and cause infection in the intestines of human eaters.
Although the pathogenicity of C. perfringens has been extensively studied, its adaptability to a variety of environments continues to make it an evolving threat. This not only affects the meat production sector, but also prompts researchers to conduct more genome sequencing to better understand the bacteria and develop effective prevention strategies.
Studies have shown that the emergence of antibiotic-resistant C. perfringens strains is increasing in the food industry, posing a serious challenge to public health.
With the emergence of these antibiotic-resistant variants in food production, C. perfringens and the food poisoning incidents it causes will continue to be issues that deserve public attention. As the use of antibiotics increases, should we rethink our cooking and food storage habits in the future to guard against this threat hidden behind food?
