Distribution of Enterotoxin-producing Strains of Clostridium perfringens Type A in Human Beings, Foods and Soils

On the isolation frequency of enterotoxin-producing strains of Cl. perfringens, a significant difference was existed between the isolates from food poisonings and those from natural environments, that is, enterotoxinogenic strains were found in 77.3% of the isolates from food poisonings caused by the organism and in 0.8% of those from natural environments.Percentage of enterotoxin-producing strains in Cl. perfringens isolates from natural environments was as follows; 0.8% of the strains from human feces, 0.8% of the strains from foods, 7.7% of the strains from swabs in cooking establishments, 0% of the strains from river water and 0% of the strains from soils.Spore formation was found in 100% of enterotoxin-positive strains and in 67.5% of enterotoxin-negative strains.