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Clostridium Perfringens

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Clostridium perfringens

* What is the infectious agent (pathogen) that causes this infectious disease? For example, the name of the bacteria, virus, or parasite.
Clostridium perfringens is a bacterium that is a spore forming gram-positive bacterium that is found in the intestines of humans as well as animals. It prefers to grow in conditions that are Very little to no oxygen and in ideal conditions will multiply very rapidly. Some strains of C. perfringens produce a toxin in the intestine that causes illness. It is also one of the most common food borne illnesses.

* How is this infectious agent transmitted through food or water?
C. perfringens lives normally in the human intestines but illness is caused by eating food that is contaminated with large numbers of the C. perfringens spores that produce enough toxins in the intestines. The most common foods that the bacteria is transferred on is beef and poultry both cooked and uncooked. Also it is common when these foods are cooked in large quantities and held for long periods of time.

* What is an example of a real life outbreak of this food borne illness in the United States?
Outbreaks happen most often in areas where food is prepared in large quantities and held for long times such as in schools hospitals and prisons. One outbreak in the US is in 2008 at a Louisiana Psychiatric Hospital where chicken was delivered on one day cooked the next then served on the third day. There was 42 case put of 136 patients. The cause traced to the evening meal. They were able to trace this by the rate at which the symptoms started and by interview with the staff. 9 out of the 13 staff that had eaten from the kitchen that day also fell ill.

* What are the clinical symptoms, duration of the disease, and treatment if any?
People infected with C. perfringens develop diarrhea and abdominal cramps within

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