Clostrdia: G Positive Spore Forming Anaerobic Toxin Producing Rods

Clostrdia
G Positive spore forming anaerobic

Toxin producing rods.
Species
Cl.welchii (perfringens)
Cl.Tetani
Cl.Botulinum
Cl.Defficile
Cl.Septicum
Cl.Histolyticum
Cl.oedemetions
• Habitat :Soil moist paces,GIT of animals
• Pleomorphism is common
• Saccharolytic or Proteolytic
Morphology
• Large ,curved or streight.
• 0.5x 8.0 micrometer
• Spores terminal or sub terminal and bulging
• Dumbel shape
• Some member motile by peritrichate
flagella
• Some members capsulated
Clostridium
Physiology and Structure

Anaerobic.
Large gram-positive rods.
The spores are usually wider
than the rods, and are located
terminally or subterminally.
Most clostridia are motile by
peritrichous flagella.
Culture
Anaerbic (or Fieds ) jar
Stab culture
Robortsons cooked meat medium
Grow on all ordinary media, solid and liquid
Slight hemolysis on Blood agar
C. perfringens
Large gram-positive bacilli.
Spores are rarely observed.
Non-motile; capsulated.
Hemolytic and metabolically
active.
Subdivided into
5 types based on
the four major
lethal toxins they
produce. Type A
causes most of the
human infections.
C. perfringens
Pathogenicity and Immunity
Strains of C. perfringens are widely distributed in nature, and
inhabit the intestine of humans and animals.
They (type A strains are most commonly isolated from human
infections) cause a spectrum of diseases primarily by producing
toxins and enzymes:
a-toxin: lecithinase (phospholipase C) that lyses a variety of
cells. Lethal, necrotizing and hemolytic. Increases vascular
permeability, resulting in massive hemolysis and bleeding,
tissue destruction, hepatic toxicity, and myocardial dysfunction.
Other necrotizing and hemolytic toxins
DNase, hyaluronidase
Enterotoxin: produced primarily by type A strains.
C. perfringens
Clinical Diseases
Soft tissue infections
Portal of entry: trauma or intestinal tract.
Usually caused by mixed infection including toxigenic
clostridia, proteolytic clostridia and various cocci and gram-
negative organisms.
Three types of infections with increasing severity:
Cellulitis: gas formation in the soft tissue.
Fasciitis or suppurative myositis: accumulation of gas in
the muscle planes.
Myonecrosis or gas gangrene: a life-threatening disease.
C. perfringens
Clinical Diseases
Gas gangrene
Spores germinate vegetative cells multiply, ferment
carbohydrates and produce gas in the tissue. This results in
distension of tissue and interference with blood supply
the bacteria produce necrotizing toxin and hyaluronidase,
which favor the spread of infection tissue necrosis
extends, resulting in increased bacterial growth, hemolytic
anemia, then severe toxemia and death.
Incubation: 1-7 days after infection.
Symptoms: Crepitation in the subcutaneous tissue and
muscle, foul smelling discharge, rapidly progressing necrosis,
fever, hemolysis, toxemia, shock, renal failure, and death.
Can be also caused by other Clostridium species.
C. perfringens
Clinical Diseases
Food poisoning
The enterotoxin causes marked hypersecretion in jejunum and
ileum.
Enterotoxin: a heat-labile protein produced by some strains of
C. perfringens type A. When >108 cells in contaminated meat
are ingested and sporulate in the small intestine, enterotoxin is
formed. It disrupts ion transport in the enterocytes, and
induces antibodies (non-protective) in adults.
Symptoms: diarrhea, usually without vomiting or fever.
Necrotizing enteritis (pig-bel): a fatal disease (acute necrosis

in jejunum attributed to b-toxin) in children in New Guinea
caused by type C C. perfringens.
Clotridium bacteremia usually occurs in patients with tumors.

C. perfringens
Laboratory Diagnosis
Specimens: pus, necrotic tissue, feces, food, etc.
Smears: large gram-positive rods with or without spores,
usually in the absence of leukocytes.
Culture: anaerobic culture on
blood plate.
Identification:
“Storming fermentation”-- clot
torn by gas in 24 hrs.
Lecithinase test-- precipitate
formed around colonies on egg
yolk media.
Biochemical tests.
C. perfringens
Treatment
Treatment for suppurative myositis or myonecrosis:
Prompt and extensive débridement.
Antibiotics (penicillin) administration.
Hyperbaric oxygen may "detoxify" patients rapidly.
Efficacy of antitoxins is doubtful.
C. perfringens food poisoning requires only symptomatic care.
Prevention, and Control

Preventive measures: surgical débridement and prophylactic
antibiotics.
C. tetani
Small, motile;
Spore-forming (drumstick appearance);
Extremely sensitive to oxygen toxicity.
Pathogenesis and Immunity

Tetanospasmin is responsible for clinical manifestations
of tetanus.
An A-B toxin, released when the bacteria lyse.
Subunit A is a zinc endopeptidase that acts on CNS:
Inhibits release of an inhibitory mediator (e.g.,
GABA or glycine) which acts on postsynaptic spinal
neurons (causing spastic paralysis).
C. tetani
Pathogenesis and Immunity
Contamination of devitalized tissue (wound, burn, injury,
umbilical stump, surgical suture) with the spores
germination of the spores release of tetanospasmin
the toxin reaches CNS by retrograde axonal transport or via
the bloodstream the toxin is fixed to gangliosides in spinal
cord or brainstem and exerts its actions.
Germination of the spore and production of toxin are aided by
conditions that lead to low oxidation-reduction potential:
Necrotic tissue;
calcium salts;
associated pyogenic infections.
C. tetani
Clinical Diseases
Generalized tetanus
Incubation period: 4-5 days.
Symptoms: convulsive tonic contraction of voluntary muscles.
Spasms involve first the area of injury, then the muscles of the jaw
(trismus or lockjaw; risus sardonicus). Other voluntary muscles
become involved gradually, resulting in generalized tonic spasms
(opisthotonos). Death usually results from interference with
respiration. The mortality rate of generalized tetanus: ~50%. In more
severe cases, the autonomic nervous systems are also involved.
Localized tetanus (confined to the musculature of primary site of
infection)
Cephalic tetanus (site of infection: head)
Neonatal tetanus (infection of the umbilical wound): mortality > 90%,
and developmental defects are present in survivors.
C. tetani
Diagnosis depends on the clinical picture and a history of injury.
Proof of isolation of C. tetani from contaminated wounds depends
on production of toxin and its neutralization by specific antitoxin.
Treatment, Prevention, and Control
Prevention is much more 2. Proper care of wounds.
important than treatment: Surgical débridement to remove
1. Active immunization the necrotic tissue.
with toxoid. 3. Prophylactic use of antitoxin.
‘Booster shot’ for 4. Antibiotic treatment.
previously immunized Metronidazole
individuals. This may be
accompanied by antitoxin *Patients with symptoms of tetanus
injected into a different should receive muscle relaxants,
area of the body. sedation and assisted ventilation.
C. tetani
Control
Active immunization with tetanus toxoid

(toxin detoxified with formalin)
Aluminum salt-adsorbed toxoid
DPT vaccine
Course of immunization: as mentioned in

C. diphtheriae.
Narcotics addicts are a high-risk group.

C. botulinum
This species is a heterogeneous group of fastidious, spore-
forming, anaerobic bacilli.
Produce at least eight (A-H) antigenically distinct toxins
(botulinum toxins; Botox).
Liberated during the growth and during autolysis of the
bacteria.
A-B toxins. The subunit A is a zinc endopeptidase blocking
release of acetylcholine at peripheral cholinergic synapses.
Destroyed by heating for 20 min. at 100 oC.
Types A, B, E, and F are most commonly associated with
human illness. These are composed of a neurotoxic protein
with a lethal dose of 1-2 mg.
C. botulinum
Pathogenicity and Immunity
An intoxication.
Ingestion of food (spiced, smoked, vacuum-packed, or

canned alkaline foods) in which C. botulinum has
grown and produced toxin the toxin acts on both the
voluntary and autonomic nervous systems at synapses
and neuromuscular junctions flaccid paralysis.
C. botulinum
Clinical Diseases
Foodborne botulism
Incubation period: 18-24 hrs.
Symptoms: double vision, inability to swallow, speech

difficulty, bulbar paralysis, constipation, and abdominal pain.
Bilateral descending weakness of peripheral muscle. Death
occurs from respiratory paralysis or cardiac arrest. No fever.
Mortality is high.
Recovery may need months to years.
Patients who recover do not develop antitoxin.

C. botulinum
Clinical Diseases
Infant botulism
Occurs in the first month of life. Weakness, signs of paralysis,
C. botulinum and its toxin are found in feces. May be caused
by ingestion of the bacteria or spores which grow in the gut
and produce toxin.
Feeding of honey has been implicated as a possible cause.
Patients recover with supportive therapy alone.
Wound botulism
Develops from contaminated wounds.
Symptoms similar to those of food borne botulism with longer
incubation time. Less GI symptoms.
C. botulinum
Culture of C. botulinum in patient feces and implicated food.
Detection of toxin in feces or serum from the patient and in
leftover food: i.p. injection of mice die rapidly. Toxin
may also be detected by other serological tests.
Typing of toxin is done by neutralization with specific
antitoxin in mice.
Treatment
Stomach lavage and high enemas.
Trivalent (A, B, E) antitoxin administered intravenously
promptly.
Adequate ventilation by mechanical respirator.
C. botulinum
Prevention and Control
Spores of C. botulinum are widely distributed in soil
and often contaminate vegetables, fruits etc.
Strict regulation of commercial canning has largely
reduced the danger of widespread outbreaks. The chief
danger lies in home-canned foods (vegetables, smoked
fish or vacuum-packed fresh fish). The cans with toxic
food may swell or may show innocuous appearance.
The risk from home-canned food can be reduced by
boiling the food for 20 min.
Children younger than 1 year should not eat honey.
C. difficile
C. difficile is responsible for antibiotic-associated
gastrointestinal disease ranging from self-limited diarrhea
to severe, life threatening psudomembranous colitis.
It is a part of normal intestinal flora in a small number of
healthy people and hospitalized patients. The spores can
contaminate an environment for many months and can be
a major source of nosocomial outbreaks.
This organism produces two toxins:
Toxin A (an enterotoxin) induces release of cytokines,
hypersecretion of fluid, and development of
hemorrhagic necrosis.
Toxin B (a cytotoxin) causes tissue damage.
C. difficile
Pseudomembranous colitis
Administration of antibiotics results in proliferation of
drug-resistant C. difficile. Antibiotics that are most
commonly associated with pseudomembranous colitis
are ampicillin, cephalosporins, and clindamycin.
Disease occurs if the organism proliferates in the
colon and produces toxins: watery or bloody diarrhea,
abdominal cramps, leukocytosis and fever.
Laboratory diagnosis depends on isolation of C.
difficile in the feces and detection of toxins with tissue
culture cells (cytotoxicity assay).
The disease is treated by discontinuing the offending
antibiotic, and orally giving either metronidazole or
vancomycin in severe cases.
C. difficile
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea
25% of cases are associated with C. difficile.
Mild to moderate diarrhea, less severe than the
typical pseudomembranous colitis.
The role of the toxins is not well understood.
Other Clostridial Species

C. septicum is a cause of nontraumatic myonecrosis
and frequently exists in patients with occult colon
cancer, acute leukemia, and diabetes. It can spread
from GI tract into tissue and result in fulminant infection
with high mortality within 1 to 2 days.
+Ab -Ab
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Clostrdia

G Positive spore forming anaerobic

Physiology and Structure

Necrotizing enteritis (pig-bel): a fatal disease (acute necrosis

Clotridium bacteremia usually occurs in patients with tumors.

Prevention, and Control

Pathogenesis and Immunity

Active immunization with tetanus toxoid

Aluminum salt-adsorbed toxoid

Course of immunization: as mentioned in

Narcotics addicts are a high-risk group.

Ingestion of food (spiced, smoked, vacuum-packed, or

Incubation period: 18-24 hrs.

Symptoms: double vision, inability to swallow, speech

Recovery may need months to years.

Patients who recover do not develop antitoxin.

Other Clostridial Species

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