Sporulation-promoting ability of Clostridium perfringens culture fluids

Abstract

The culture supernatant fluids (CSFs) of 12 strains of Clostridium perfringens types A, B, C, and D stimulated sporulation of test strains NCTC 8238 and NCTC 8449 of this organism. The sporulation-promoting ability was present in vegetative and sporulating CSFs of both enterotoxin-positive (Ent+) and Ent- strains. The sporulation factor possessed a molecular weight between 1,000 and 5,000 and was heat and acid stable. This study suggests a potential role for Ent- strains in food-borne disease outbreaks caused by Ent+ strains of C. perfringens type A.

Evaluation of Ascorbic Acid as a Quorum‐sensing Analogue to Control Growth, Sporulation, and Enterotoxin Production in Clostridium perfringens

“…Before knowledge of quorum sensing, growth, and sporulation in C. perfringens were reportedly influenced by exogenously added enterotoxin (Dillon and Labbe 1989). Addition of culture fluids has also been shown to promote sporulation in C. perfringens attributable to smallmolecular-weight factors resistant to alkali or acids, protein denaturing temperatures, and proteases (Shih and Labbe 1996;Tseng and Labbe 2000). The gene locus, luxS, encoding the AI-2 synthase necessary for AI-2 production, was recently sequenced from C. perfringens and shown to be involved in toxin production (Schauder and others 2001;Ohtani and others 2002;Shimizu and others 2002).…”

Συμπεριφορα Των Σπορων Του Clostridium Perfringens Κατα Τη Θερμικη Επεξεργασια Και Συντηρηση Βραστων Αλλαντικων Και Μετουσιωμενων Τυριων

“…Cell signalling is another way in which Ent + and Entstrains may affect each other. C. perfringens strains can produce a sporulation-factor (SF) that stimulates sporulation of other strains 273,305 . The SF is produced by vegetative cells and sporulating cultures of both Ent + strains and Entstrains.…”

“…In combination with the presence of Entstains in our endogenous gastrointestinal flora may the production of SF by Entstrains imply that these strains play a role in food poisoning outbreaks by means of stimulating sporulation of Ent + strains and subsequent enterotoxin release 273 . The fact that the influence of Entstrains on Ent + strains is not fully elucidated, explains that research should not only focus on strains that produce the enterotoxin 130,273 . In addition, limits set by law concerning C. perfringens levels in food do not distinguish between the two types of strains.…”

“…On the species level it is known that most spores require heat treatment to germinate 256 , but time-temperature conditions vary with each strain 91 . For heat-activation of C. perfringens different time/temperature combinations are in use: 10 or 20 min at 70°C; 10, 15 or 20 min at 75°C; 10, 15 or 20 min at 80°C and 5 min at 85°C 41,73,91,138,190,232,234,273,330 . Germination is supported over the whole temperature range that enables cell survival: 0°C-60°C 33 .…”

“…Sporulation has been thought to occur in the absence of any intercellular communication, but recent evidence indicates that cell-to-cell signaling occurs in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria 205 . We tested the CSF of two well sporulating strains of C. perfringens on poorly sporulating strains of this microorganism, but could not detect an effect of any of the CSF's unlike Shih and Labbe 273 . They demonstrated the presence of a sporulation factor in CSF of sporulating and vegetative cultures of both enterotoxin-negative and -positive strains of C. perfringens.…”