A novel small acid soluble protein variant is important for spore resistance of most Clostridium perfringens food poisoning isolates.

ABSTRACT: Clostridium perfringens is a major cause of food poisoning (FP) in developed countries. C. perfringens isolates usually induce the gastrointestinal symptoms of this FP by producing an enterotoxin that is encoded by a chromosomal (cpe) gene. Those typical FP strains also produce spores that are extremely resistant to food preservation approaches such as heating and chemical preservatives. This resistance favors their survival and subsequent germination in improperly cooked, prepared, or stored foods. The current study identified a novel alpha/beta-type small acid soluble protein, now named Ssp4, and showed that sporulating cultures of FP isolates producing resistant spores consistently express a variant Ssp4 with an Asp substitution at residue 36. In contrast, Gly was detected at Ssp4 resid

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2323104 | biostudies-literature | 2008 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature