Detection of EnterotoxigenicClostridium perfringensType A Isolates in American Retail Foods

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Abstract
Currently there is only limited understanding of the reservoirs forClostridium perfringenstype A food poisoning. A recent survey (Y.-T. Lin and R. Labbe, Appl. Environ. Microbiol.69:1642-1646, 2003) of non-outbreak American retail foods did not identify the presence of a singleC. perfringensisolate carrying the enterotoxin gene (cpe) necessary for causing food poisoning. The present study revisited this issue, using revised methodology and food sampling strategies. In our survey,cpe-positiveC. perfringensisolates were detected in ∼1.4% of ∼900 surveyed non-outbreak American retail foods. Interestingly, those enterotoxigenic isolates in non-outbreak foods appear indistinguishable fromC. perfringensisolates known to cause food poisoning outbreaks: i.e., the enterotoxigenic retail food isolates all carry a chromosomalcpegene, are classified as type A, and exhibit exceptional heat resistance. Collectively, these findings indicate that some American foods are contaminated, at the time of retail purchase, withC. perfringensisolates having full potential to cause food poisoning. Furthermore, demonstrating that type A isolates carrying a chromosomalcpegene are the enterotoxigenic isolates most commonly present in foods helps to explain why these isolates (rather than type A isolates carrying a plasmidcpegene orcpe-positive type C or D isolates) are strongly associated with food poisoning outbreaks. Finally, since type A chromosomalcpeisolates present in the surveyed raw foods exhibited strong heat resistance, it appears that exceptional heat resistance is not a survivor trait selected for by cooking but is instead an intrinsic trait possessed by many type A chromosomalcpeisolates.

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