Clostridium Perfringens

Clostridium perfringens food poisoning is an illness you can get from eating food contaminated with C. perfringens bacteria. It’s common and usually not serious. It causes abdominal (belly) cramps and watery diarrhea. Symptoms last for a day or two.

C. perfringens bacteria also causes more serious conditions when it infects wounds, including gas gangrene and anaerobic cellulitis.

Symptoms of Clostridium perfringens

Abdominal cramps and watery diarrhea are the most common symptoms of C. perfringens food poisoning. It usually doesn’t cause vomiting or fever. Symptoms start six to 24 hours after you eat contaminated food.

Clostridium perfringens causes

Food contaminated with C. perfringens bacteria causes this kind of food poisoning. The bacteria is found in nature. It can create spores, which are like a protective suit that allows bacteria to survive extreme conditions, like heat or cold. These spores can’t reproduce, but they can contaminate food, even after it’s cooked.

The bacteria can reproduce again when the food gets cool (between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, or 4 and 60 degrees Celsius) for an hour or longer without being rewarmed or refrigerated.

When you eat food contaminated with the bacteria, they release toxins into your intestines. The toxins cause inflammation, leading to diarrhea and cramping.

Common food sources of Clostridium perfringens

You can get C. perfringens from eating food that’s been sitting out, even if it’s just for an hour or two. C. perfringens is most commonly found in:

• Gravies
• Red meat, like beef and pork
• Poultry, like chicken and turkey

It’s less common in fish and vegetables.

Complications

C. perfringens food poisoning rarely leads to complications. But you can get dehydrated if you have severe diarrhea.

If bacteria get into your bloodstream, they can cause sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to infection. This is a very rare complication of food poisoning.

How doctors diagnose Clostridium perfringens food poisoning

Providers usually diagnose food poisoning based on your symptoms rather than testing.

If they need to test you, you’ll provide a stool (poop) sample. Your provider will send the sample to a lab, where they’ll test it for C. perfringens and other germs that can make you sick.

If there’s an outbreak of sickness, health officials may test food to find the source of the bacteria.

How is Clostridium perfringens treated?

There’s no specific treatment for food poisoning caused by C. perfringens. It usually goes away on its own within a day or two. If you’re very sick, your provider will treat you with antibiotics. But this usually isn’t necessary.

Anytime you have diarrhea or are throwing up, it’s important to take care of yourself by:

• Staying hydrated: You can drink water, broth, 100% fruit juice with water added or oral rehydration solutions (like Pedialyte®).
• Avoiding food and drink that worsen diarrhea or lead to dehydration: This includes alcoholic or caffeinated drinks and high-fiber foods.
• Eating simple foods: Foods like those in the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast) might help calm your stomach.

Recovery time

C. perfringens food poisoning usually isn’t serious. Even without treatment, you should feel better within a couple of days.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

See a provider if your symptoms don’t get better within a few days or if you have severe diarrhea or vomiting.

Go to the nearest emergency room if you experience symptoms of serious illness, including:

• Confusion
• Dark-colored pee (urine) or less pee than usual
• Dizziness, weakness or light-headedness
• Sudden or extreme shortness of breath
• High heart rate (you feel like your heart is racing)
• Low blood pressure (you might feel like you’re going to faint)

Can this be prevented?

You can avoid food poisoning by taking precautions when heating, storing and serving food. These include:

• Wash your hands before and after preparing food or eating.
• Wash food prep and eating surfaces and utensils before and after use.
• Cook foods to the recommended safe temperature before eating.
• Store food below 40 F (4 C).
• Keep hot food above 140 F (60 C) while serving.
• Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry and seafood as soon as possible. Don’t leave prepared food out for longer than two hours.
• Don’t eat food that’s been sitting out unheated for more than an hour.