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Detection and Frequency of Enterotoxin (Cpa, Cpe) Genes of Clostridium Perfringens Isolated From Dehydrated Vegetables by Pcr Publisher



Ghourchian S1 ; Douraghi M2, 3 ; Baghani A2 ; Soltan Dallal MM1, 2, 3
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Division of Food Microbiology, Dept. of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. Division of Medical Bacteriology, Dept. of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Food Microbiology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Source: Journal of Advances in Medical and Biomedical Research Published:2021


Abstract

Background & Objective: Clostridium perfringens is an anaerobic bacterium, commonly present in retail foods. Its enterotoxin-producing ability, short generation time, ability to grow at elevated temperatures, and spore-forming ability allow C. perfringens to survive in food-processing temperatures, and cause foodborne illness. The aim of study was to screen dehydrated vegetables contaminated with Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) and C. perfringens alpha-toxin (CPA). Materials & Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was carried out on 140 samples (70 unpacked and 70 packed). The samples included dehydrated vegetables collected from different areas of Tehran, Iran. Samples were inoculated on peptone and sulfite polymyxin sulfadiazine (SPS) agar for enrichment. The enrichment culture was then incubated on anaerobic condition for 48 hours. The black colonies were selected for identification test and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The bacterial colonies were identified by biochemical tests, and duplex PCR was performed for CPE and CPA genes. Results: In general, 13 samples (9.3%) were identified as contaminated with C. perfringens using phenotypic methods; all of the isolates were also positive for CPA, but negative for CPE gene. The contamination rate for packed and unpacked vegetables was 12.8% and 5.7%, respectively. Conclusion: Our findings showed that contamination of packed samples was higher than unpacked ones, which might be due to drying as well as packaging process. We found that these isolates were negative for enterotoxin. © 2020, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services. All rights reserved.