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Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Enrichment and Detection of Clostridium perfringens Toxinotypes in Retail Food Samples
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Enrichment and Detection of Clostridium perfringens Toxinotypes in Retail Food Samples

Published on: October 18, 2019

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Evaluation of Plating Media for Recovery of Heated Clostridium perfringens Spores

Ronald G Labbe1, Kirk E Norris1

  • 1Food Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Food Science & Nutrition and Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003.

Journal of Food Protection
|March 15, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Selective media like TSN and SPS agar improved Clostridium perfringens spore counts. Optimal recovery of heat-injured spores depended on the medium and incubation at 37°C.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Food Safety
  • Bacteriology

Background:

  • Clostridium perfringens is a significant foodborne pathogen.
  • Accurate enumeration of its spores is crucial for food safety assessments.
  • Heat treatment can injure or activate Clostridium perfringens spores, affecting their detectability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of selective and non-selective plating media for enumerating heat-activated and heat-injured Clostridium perfringens spores.
  • To compare the recovery rates of different Clostridium perfringens strains on various media.
  • To determine the optimal incubation temperature for recovering heat-injured spores.

Main Methods:

  • Six strains of Clostridium perfringens spores were subjected to heat activation and heat injury.
  • Four selective and eight non-selective plating media were used for enumeration.
  • Incubation temperatures of 37°C and 45°C were compared for heat-injured spores.

Main Results:

  • Trypticase-sulfite-neomycin (TSN) agar and sulfite-polymyxin-sulfadiazine (SPS) agar yielded higher counts for heat-activated spores compared to non-selective media.
  • Recovery of heat-injured spores varied significantly based on the bacterial strain and the specific medium used.
  • Incubating plates at 37°C resulted in higher counts of heat-injured spores than at 45°C.

Conclusions:

  • Selective media (TSN and SPS) are more effective for enumerating heat-activated Clostridium perfringens spores.
  • The choice of medium and incubation temperature critically impacts the recovery of heat-injured Clostridium perfringens spores.
  • Further optimization of enumeration methods is needed for reliable detection of stressed Clostridium perfringens spores.

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