Clostridium perfringens strains proliferate to high counts in the broiler small intestinal tract, in accordance with necrotic lesion severity, and sporulate in the distal intestine.

Clostridium (C.) perfringens is the causative agent of necrotic enteritis (NE), an important enteric disease in poultry. Although a variety of virulence factors have been identified and as such the pathogenesis is well studied, data on colonization and sporulation during passage in the intestinal tract are scarce.

Detection of Enterotoxigenic Psychrotrophic Presumptive and Cereulide Producers in Food Products and Ingredients.

In the last decade, foodborne outbreaks and individual cases caused by bacterial toxins showed an increasing trend. The major contributors are enterotoxins and cereulide produced by , which can cause a diarrheal and emetic form of the disease, respectively. These diseases usually induce relatively mild symptoms; however, fatal cases have been reported.