Editing Clostridium perfringens (section)

{{Short description|Species of bacterium}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Clostridium_perfringens.jpg
| image_caption = Photomicrograph of Gram-positive ''Clostridium perfringens'' bacilli
| genus = Clostridium
| species = perfringens
| authority = Veillon & Zuber 1898<br />Hauduroy ''et al.'' 1937
}}

'''''Clostridium perfringens''''' (formerly known as ''C. [[William H. Welch|welchii]]'', or ''Bacillus welchii'') is a [[Gram-positive]], bacillus (rod-shaped), [[anaerobic bacterium|anaerobic]], [[Endospore|spore-forming]] [[pathogenic bacterium]] of the genus ''[[Clostridium]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ryan|first1=Kenneth J.|last2=Ray|first2=C. George|title=Sherris Medical Microbiology : an Introduction to Infectious Diseases|date=2004|publisher=McGraw-Hill|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8385-8529-0|page=310|edition=4th}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kiu |first1=R |last2=Hall |first2=L. J. |title=An update on the human and animal enteric pathogen ''Clostridium perfringens'' |journal=Emerging Microbes & Infections |volume=7 |issue=141 |pages=141|pmc=6079034|year=2018 |pmid=30082713 |doi=10.1038/s41426-018-0144-8 }}</ref> ''C. perfringens'' is ever-present in nature and can be found as a normal component of decaying vegetation, [[Pelagic sediment|marine sediment]], the [[Gut flora|intestinal tract of humans]] and other [[vertebrate]]s, [[insect]]s, and [[soil]]. It has the shortest reported [[generation time]] of any organism at 6.3 minutes in [[thioglycolate broth|thioglycolate]] medium.<ref name=bionumbers>{{cite web|title=BioNumber Details Page|work=BioNumbers|url=http://bionumbers.hms.harvard.edu//bionumber.aspx?id=105474&ver=1}}</ref>

''Clostridium perfringens'' is one of the most common causes of [[food poisoning]] in the United States, alongside [[norovirus]], ''[[Salmonella]]'', ''[[Campylobacter]]'', and ''[[Staphylococcus aureus]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Foodborne Illnesses and Germs|url=https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html|website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)|access-date=18 February 2018|date=2018-02-16}}</ref> However, it can sometimes be ingested and cause no harm.<ref name=Jucket2008>{{cite journal |pmid=18646681 |year=2008 |last1=Juckett |first1=G |last2=Bardwell |first2=G |last3=McClane |first3=B |last4=Brown |first4=S |title=Microbiology of salt rising bread |volume=104 |issue=4 |pages=26–7 |journal=The West Virginia Medical Journal}}</ref>

Infections induced by ''C. perfringens'' are associated with tissue [[necrosis]], [[bacteremia]], emphysematous [[cholecystitis]], and [[gas gangrene]], which is also known as clostridial [[myonecrosis]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hendrix |first1=Nancy |last2=Mackeen |first2=A. |last3=Weiner |first3=Stuart |date=2011-01-24 |title=Clostridium perfringens Sepsis and Fetal Demise after Genetic Amniocentesis |journal=American Journal of Perinatology Reports |language=en |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=025–028 |doi=10.1055/s-0030-1271221 |pmid=23705080 |pmc=3653538 |issn=2157-6998}}</ref> The specific name, ''perfringens,'' is derived from the [[Latin]] {{Lang|la|per}} (meaning "through") and {{Lang|la|frango}} ("burst"), referring to the disruption of tissue that occurs during gas gangrene.<ref>{{cite book |title=Lexicon Orthopaedic Etymology |date=1999 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=9789057025976 |page=128 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fstFQVnw8-wC |language=en}}</ref> Gas gangrene is caused by alpha toxin, or [[Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin|α-toxin]], that embeds itself into the plasma membrane of cells and disrupts normal cellular function by altering membrane structure.<ref name=":32">{{Cite journal |last1=Hendrix |first1=Nancy |last2=Mackeen |first2=A. |last3=Weiner |first3=Stuart |date=2011-01-24 |title=Clostridium perfringens Sepsis and Fetal Demise after Genetic Amniocentesis |journal=American Journal of Perinatology Reports |language=en |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=025–028 |doi=10.1055/s-0030-1271221 |issn=2157-6998 |pmc=3653538 |pmid=23705080}}</ref> Research suggests that ''C. perfringens'' is capable of engaging in polymicrobial [[anaerobic infection]]s.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Takehara |first1=Masaya |last2=Takagishi |first2=Teruhisa |last3=Seike |first3=Soshi |last4=Ohtani |first4=Kaori |last5=Kobayashi |first5=Keiko |last6=Miyamoto |first6=Kazuaki |last7=Shimizu |first7=Tohru |last8=Nagahama |first8=Masahiro |date=2016-06-16 |title=Clostridium perfringens α-Toxin Impairs Innate Immunity via Inhibition of Neutrophil Differentiation |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=6 |issue=1 |page=28192 |doi=10.1038/srep28192 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=4910053 |pmid=27306065|bibcode=2016NatSR...628192T }}</ref> It is commonly encountered in [[infection]]s as a component of the normal [[flora (microbiology)|flora]]. In this case, its role in disease is minor.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Grenda |first1=Tomasz |last2=Jarosz |first2=Aleksandra |last3=Sapała |first3=Magdalena |last4=Grenda |first4=Anna |last5=Patyra |first5=Ewelina |last6=Kwiatek |first6=Krzysztof |date=2023-05-26 |title=Clostridium perfringens—Opportunistic Foodborne Pathogen, Its Diversity and Epidemiological Significance |journal=Pathogens |language=en |volume=12 |issue=6 |pages=768 |doi=10.3390/pathogens12060768 |doi-access=free |issn=2076-0817 |pmc=10304509 |pmid=37375458}}</ref>

''C. perfringens'' toxins are a result of horizontal gene transfer of a neighboring cell's plasmids.<ref name="Gulliver-2023" /> Shifts in genomic make-up are common for this species of bacterium and contribute to novel pathogenesis.<ref name="Elnar-2021" /> Major toxins are expressed differently in certain populations of ''C. perfringens;'' these populations are organized into strains based on their expressed toxins.<ref name="Revitt-Mills-20152">{{Cite journal |last1=Revitt-Mills |first1=Sarah A |last2=Rood |first2=Julian I |last3=Adams |first3=Vicki |date=2015 |title=Clostridium perfringens extracellular toxins and enzymes: 20 and counting |url=http://microbiology.publish.csiro.au/?paper=MA15039 |journal=Microbiology Australia |language=en |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=114 |doi=10.1071/MA15039 |doi-broken-date=3 March 2025 |issn=1324-4272 |doi-access=free}}</ref> This especially impacts the food industry, as controlling this microbe is important for preventing foodborne illness.<ref name="Elnar-2021" /> Novel findings in ''C. perfringens'' hyper-motility, which was provisionally thought as non-motile, have been discovered as well.<ref name="Wambui-2021">{{Cite journal |last1=Wambui |first1=Joseph |last2=Cernela |first2=Nicole |last3=Stevens |first3=Marc J. A. |last4=Stephan |first4=Roger |date=2021-09-13 |title=Whole Genome Sequence-Based Identification of Clostridium estertheticum Complex Strains Supports the Need for Taxonomic Reclassification Within the Species Clostridium estertheticum |journal=Frontiers in Microbiology |volume=12 |doi=10.3389/fmicb.2021.727022 |issn=1664-302X |pmc=8473909 |pmid=34589074 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Findings in metabolic processes reveal more information concerning ''C. perfringens'' pathogenic nature.<ref name="Ohtani-2016" />