Clostridium perfringens
These organisms are responsible for a large number of toxicoinfections from food products. Cooked meat products and gravies are the primary foods involved in these outbreaks.
Outbreaks involving this organism are not as easy to document as some of the others we have discussed.
Like botulinum, perfringens is an anaerobic spore former and thus doesn't present a hazard in raw foods. Unlike botulinum, live organisms must be ingested before illness occurs.
Symptoms
Diarrhea, cramps, vomiting is rare.
Onset is typically 12 hours after ingestion.
Duration of symptoms is usually 24 hours.
Cause
Foods are cooked enough to kill organisms, but not enough to kill perfringens spores.
Foods are then allowed to cool slowly by being left out at room temperature or by being improperly refrigerated.
Organisms multiply and then are consumed and sporulate in the gut.
When they do this they produce a toxin that causes the symptoms.
Prevention
Proper cooking and cooling will prevent this type of outbreak.
Care should be taken with large bowls of gravy and large roasts because they can take a long time to cool even when refrigerated.
Cooking the cooled products before consumption will kill the organisms and make food safe.
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