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The enteric toxins of Clostridium perfringens

J G Smedley1, D J Fisher, S Sayeed

  • 1University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.

Reviews of Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology
|November 2, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Clostridium perfringens produces enteric toxins that cause disease in humans and animals. These toxins, including C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE), primarily function by forming pores in host cell membranes.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Pathogenesis
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Clostridium perfringens is a significant cause of enteric diseases in humans and animals.
  • The bacterium produces various toxins within the gastrointestinal tract, contributing to disease.
  • These toxins share characteristics of being single polypeptides and forming pores in host cell membranes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the characteristics and mechanisms of Clostridium perfringens enteric toxins.
  • To highlight the role of these toxins in human and veterinary diseases.
  • To discuss the potential therapeutic and research applications of these toxins.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of Clostridium perfringens enteric toxins.
  • Analysis of toxin structure, function, and disease association.
  • Discussion of pore-forming mechanisms and potential applications.

Main Results:

  • C. perfringens enteric toxins are small polypeptides (25-35 kDa) that generally form pores in host cell membranes.
  • C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) causes human food poisoning by forming pores in intestinal tight junctions.
  • Beta-toxin and epsilon-toxin cause veterinary enterotoxemias via pore formation in target tissues.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the pore-forming activity of C. perfringens toxins is crucial for disease pathogenesis.
  • Further research into these toxins may yield novel therapeutic agents and cellular biology tools.
  • The newly discovered beta2 toxin is also suggested to be a pore-former, warranting further investigation.

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