Clostridium

views updated

Clostridium A genus of bacteria, of which C. botulinum is responsible for botulism, a rare but often fatal form of food poisoning. It is found widely distributed in soil; during growth on favourable food materials, the organism synthesizes an extremely potent neurotoxin which is released into the food when the cell dies. The spores are extremely heat‐resistant and their thermal death time is used as a minimum standard for processing foods with pH values higher than 4.5.

More From encyclopedia.com