ISOLATION OF Clostridium perfringens FROM DEHYDRATED SOUPS IN SAN LUIS

CORIGLIANO M; STAGNITTA P; GUZMAN AMS

Uspallata, Mendoza

Congreso; XXIII Annual Scientific Meeting. Cuyo Biology Society; 2005

Cuyo Biology Society

Clostridium perfringens is an important pathogen agent which causes, among other disorders, enteritis in humans and enterotoxemia in domestic animals. This bacterium can produce more than 13 toxins, one of which is the enterotoxin (CPE) which causes human food poisoning, in which C. perfringens is transmitted by polluted food. The disease can be caused by ingestion of food containing ¡Ý 105 vegetative cells per g food of an enterotoxigenic strain. The aim of this work was to isolate strains of C. perfringens from dehydrated soups sold in retail stores in San Luis city. Thirty samples of dehydrated soups were processed. The following determinations were carried out: count of total aerobes in agar medium count, count of C. perfringens in milk iron medium (MPN), determination of C. perfringens in agar triptosa sulfite cycloserine (TSCA) and determination of enterotoxigenic strains of C. perfringens by RPLA. C. perfringens was detected in 15 samples. No enterotoxigenic strain was found. The 15 positive samples gave counts <3.0-43 C. perfringens/g by the MPN method, 3 samples exceeded the limits suggested by the Alimentary Code (CAA). Total aerobe counts in the 30 samples were 102 -104 cfu/g. Although the incidence of C. perfringens in these samples was low, a potential risk exists in the event of improper handling during food preparation.