DNA probe analysis for the carriage of enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens in feces of a Mexican subpopulation

Clostridium perfringens has been implicated as a causative agent of foodbor ne poisoning, infectious diarrhea (not associated with foods), gas gangrene , and several veterinary diseases. Fecal carriage of enterotoxigenic strain s of this bacterium appears to be important in the development of infection s diarrhea and as a source of C. perfringens contamination of foods. In thi s work, carriage of this bacterium in feces of a Mexican population was ana lyzed. C. perfringens was found in 126 of the 200 fecal samples obtained fr om healthy individuals from northern Mexico. The samples had an average of 7.4 x 10(3) spores per gram, with the elderly population showing the highes t levels. Dot blot analyses using a dig-labeled probe specific for the ente rotoxin gene showed that 7% of the samples had isolates with toxigenic pote ntial. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.