Clostridium perfringens are Gram-positive, endospore-forming, anaerobic bacteria with the ability to cause enteric diseases both in human and domesticated animals. As one of the leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States, certain C. perfringens type A isolates exert their action through the production of C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE), which is expressed only during spore formation. In addition, C. perfringens spores are highly resistant to heat and other environmental factors. Since genome sequences of three C. perfringens strains have been annotated and made public, efforts have been made towards understanding the initiation of sporulation and identifying the key differences between Clostridium and Bacillus sporulation phosphorelay. Small, acid soluble spore proteins (SASPs) have been shown to be required for resistance of C. perfringens spores to heat. Work is also underway to identify nutrient signals required for C. perfringens spore germination.
