Clostridium

Clostridium Difficile comes from the genus clostridium and forms gram positive rods that form anaerobic spores. Clostridium difficile (C. Diff) is better known as the etiological agent causing a condition called “Enterocolitis” (pseudomembranous enterocolitis) which is caused by a bacterium that inflames the colon. Pseudomembranous enterocolitis is an acute case of inflammation with a plaque like adhesion of necrotic debris and mucous adhered to the damaged superficial mucosa of the intestine. 350,000 people in the United States are hospitalized per year with Clostridium Difficile infections, 77% of these people are over age 55. Etiology A patient who is on antibiotics or who has taken a course of antibiotics in the 6 week period prior to experiencing symptoms or within 72 hours of hospitalization may have clostridium difficile. In those who carry c. diff., the use of antibiotics reduces the normal flora allowing the c diff to colonize and develop into a bacterial infection. This organism produces toxins, A an enterotoxin causing diarrhea, and B a cytotoxin, that causes the bowel wall to become inflamed, ulcerated and necrotic. Clostridium Difficile is found mainly in the soil, however, spores reside in feces and patients are infected by hand to mouth or mucous membrane contact. The bacterium is hard to eradicate as bleach is the only thing that kills it. Hand sanitizers do not completely kill the bacterium and hand washing seems to be…

Clostridium Botulinum Clostridium Botulinum is a single celled bacteria and has organelles, not bounded by a membrane. They are asexual and reproduce by binary fission. It belongs to Kingdom Bacteria because it has peptidoglycan in its cell wall. It is unicellular and lack nucleus. It is obligate anaerobe as well as have ability to produce by spore so it falls under Phylum Firmicutes. It is classified in class Clostridia and further in order Clostridiales due to its spore forming ability. It is…

Introduction Each year, millions of Americans are infected with Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs), accounting for approximately 15,000 fatalities per year. When the diarrhea caused by the infection becomes severe, life-threatening complications may arise. Treatments are usually done with antibiotics, but with the rise of a newer and more virulent strain of C. diff, medications have become less effective. So to help combat the CDI epidemic, an old treatment called fecal microbiota…

CLOSTRIDIUM TETANI Introduction Clostridium tetani is a microorganism that has effected the lives of many people. This bacteria is the cause of the disease many people have come to know as Tetanus. It infects its victims by releasing a toxin in the human body that causes an infection in the nervous system (Hassel, 2013). The first experimentations with Tetanus began in the 1800’s when scientists began infecting animals with samples from infected humans. In 1889, one scientist by the name…

This disease occurs when blood supply to the tissue is delayed by the wound, so the tissue becomes anaerobic, and the tissue begins to die (Pietrangelo, 2012). If the wound is contaminated with endospores of Clostridium, the wound will be infected with the disease known as gas gangrene. Gas gangrene is typically caused by improper cleaning of the wound, crushed tissue and deep lacerations. Common symptoms are swelling, redness, pain, blisters with foul-smelling drainage, dark red or black skin…

Gas gangrene belongs to the genus Clostridium (Carlisle 2014). It’s a non-motile, gram-positive, anaerobic, and spore-forming bacillus (Carlisle 2014). The most common etiologic agent that causes gas gangrene is called Clostridium perfringes. This can enter your body through open wounds and eating poorly cooked meat. Since C. perfringes is an anaerobic bacterium, it uses energy by using anaerobic respiration and Nitrate as an electron acceptor. When the bacterium is around Nitrate, it will…

Clostridium botulinum are anaerobic microbes that are rod-shaped. These microbes are anaerobic because they live and grow in low oxygen conditions. When the bacteria has poor survival conditions it forms protective spores. The spores have a protective coat that covers the bacterium and also has protective membranes layers. Therefore, the protective membrane and the hard coating help protect the dormant of the bacterium for years. C. botulinum is responsible for a disease called botulism.…

Clostridium tetani is a bacillus, or rod-shaped bacteria responsible for the often-fatal disease tetanus. The word tetanus originated from the Greek word tetanos, which means to ‘stretch’. It is a Gram-positive bacterium and often appears to be shaped like a tennis racket, drumstick, or club when stained. This unusual appearance is the result of sporulation that occurs within the cell. C. tetani is an obligate anaerobe and relies solely on fermentation. Since it is an obligate anaerobe, this…

“Clostridium perfringens is a nonmotile, encapsulated, endospore-forming, gram-positive rod. It is classified as an anaerobe since no colonies arise when agar plates streaked with this bacterium are incubated in the air.” (University of Pittsburgh School of medicine, Par 2) Clostridium perfringens are bacteria that produce toxins harmful to humans. This bacteria are found anywhere in the environment. Basically clostridium perfringens are food poisoning bacteria. Clostridium perfringens is a…

Article Review Clostridium difficile is a bacterial organism that can be found in a small percentage of individuals alongside the natural flora of the digestive system; it produces spores, which can live for long periods of time outside of the body and due to their nature are excreted within fecal matter (Kenneley, 2013, pp. 63). According to Irena Kenneley in the article "Clostridium difficile infection is on the rise", C. difficile is increasing in frequency among individual populations…