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Faecal carriage of Clostridium perfringens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

M. F. Stringer ,
G. N. Watson ,
R. J. Gilbert ,
J. G. Wallace ,
J. E. Hassall ,
E. I. Tanner  and
P. P. Webber
M. F. Stringer
Affiliation:
Food Hygiene Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
G. N. Watson
Affiliation:
Food Hygiene Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
R. J. Gilbert
Affiliation:
Food Hygiene Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
J. G. Wallace
Affiliation:
Public Health Laboratory, St Anne's Road, Lincoln LN2 5RF
J. E. Hassall
Affiliation:
Public Health Laboratory, St Anne's Road, Lincoln LN2 5RF
E. I. Tanner
Affiliation:
Public Health Laboratory, West Park Hospital, Epsom KT19 8PB
P. P. Webber
Affiliation:
Public Health Laboratory, West Park Hospital, Epsom KT19 8PB
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Summary

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The numbers and serotypes of Clostridium perfringens present in the faeces of three groups of hospital patients and young healthy laboratory workers were examined in studies lasting between 10 and 13 weeks.

In one hospital some long-stay geriatric patients carried relatively high numbers of C. perfringens (> 107/g) most of the time and it was not unusual in any one week for the majority of these patients to carry the same serotype(s). However, the numbers of C. perfringens in the faeces of young long-stay patients in the same hospital were in the range of 103–104/g and carriage of common serotypes was not observed. These results were similar to the findings with the young laboratory workers.

This investigation indicates that two of the laboratory criteria often used in the investigation of C. perfringens food poisoning, i.e. faecal counts of ≥ 105C. perfringens/g and patients carrying the same serological type need to be interpreted with caution with suspected outbreaks involving some groups of geriatric long-stay hospital patients.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 95 , Issue 2 , October 1985 , pp. 277 - 288
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

References

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