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From rotten plant to crisis on your table: What is the mysterious journey of Clostridium perfringens?
Clostridium perfringens is ubiquitous in nature. This Gram-positive, rod-shaped, anaerobic, spore-forming pathogenic bacterium often hides in decaying plants, soil, and the intestines of humans and other vertebrates. In the way. Not only is it one of the most common foodborne pathogens, it may also be lurking on our tables unconsciously, causing potential crises.
Clostridium perfringens has the shortest generation time of any known organism, only about 6.3 minutes, making it an important contributor to food contamination.
According to research, C. perfringens is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the United States. Although in some cases, its intake does not pose a health hazard, that does not mean it is worth taking lightly. Infections caused by C. perfringens can lead to severe tissue necrosis and gas gangrene, which are a direct result of the toxins produced by the bacteria.
The bacterium is named after the Latin words "per" (meaning "to pass") and "frango" ("to burst"), which refers to the tissue damage that occurs during gas gangrene. Studies have shown that this bacterium can participate in a variety of anaerobic aggregate infections. In most cases, its role in the disease is minor, but it may become a pathogenic bacterium under certain conditions.
The toxin of C. perfringens results from horizontal gene transfer of plasmids from neighboring cells. In addition, changes in its genome structure often confer new pathogenic properties, which is crucial for the food industry, so controlling this microorganism is essential to prevent foodborne diseases.
The bacterium's virulence factors are divided into membrane-damaging enzymes, pore-forming toxins, intracellular toxins and hydrolases, which can be found in its chromosomes and large plasmids. In particular, the main toxins of C. perfringens, such as alpha toxin (CPA), are closely related to food poisoning. When the toxin enters the human body, it will cause damage to cell membranes and cause cells to lose their normal functions.
The primary mechanism of gas gangrene is alpha toxin, which embeds itself in the plasma membrane of cells and disrupts normal cell function.
In terms of food safety, C. perfringens usually exists after a large amount of cooking. Although it has been heated, it can multiply and become a food source because it is stored at unsafe temperatures (i.e. between 4 degrees Celsius and 60 degrees Celsius). The risk of sexual poisoning.
The main symptoms of food poisoning include diarrhea and severe abdominal pain, while infection caused by C. perfringens may lead to more serious symptoms, such as enteritis necrosis or filling enteritis. In these cases, bacteria multiply rapidly in the intestine and release exotoxins, resulting in intestinal necrosis and bleeding.
For agricultural production, especially the poultry industry, antibiotic-resistant strains of C. perfringens are increasingly common, making tracking and studying genomic changes in this pathogen a vital area. Through genome sequencing, new pathogenic strains can be identified, which is of great significance for improving food safety.
However, the study of this bacterium is not limited to the scope of food safety, it is also closely related to the mechanisms of various diseases and its connection with human health. For example, some studies suggest a link between C. perfringens and the development of multiple sclerosis, a finding that is far from fully understood.
Research on C. perfringens is not only a food safety consideration, but also an important issue for public health.
So, in the face of a crisis like C. perfringens hidden behind our daily lives, is it necessary for us to conduct an in-depth review of our food safety measures?
