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Genomics of Clostridium

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Genomics of Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens

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Abstract

The clostridia have a rich history and contemporary importance in industrial, environmental, and medical microbiology. Due to their ability to form endospores, clostridia are ubiquitous in nature and are found in many environments, especially in soils and the intestinal tract of animals including humans. Many clostridia cause devastating diseases of humans and animals, such as botulism, tetanus, and gas gangrene, through the production of protein toxins. The clostridia produce more protein toxins that are lethal for humans and animals than any other bacterial genus (Johnson, 2005; Van Heyningen, 1950). Other species are important in the formation of solvents and organic acids by anaerobic fermentations or as a source of unique enzymes for biocatalysis (Bradshaw and Johnson, 2010; Hatheway and Johnson, 1998).

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  1. Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Mark Joseph Jacobson & Eric A. Johnson

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  1. Mark Joseph Jacobson
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Correspondence to Eric A. Johnson .

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  1. Dept. Food Science, Cornell University, Stocking Hall 116, Ithaca, 14853, New York, USA

    Martin Wiedmann

  2. National Center for Food Safety &, Technology, Illinois Institute of Technology, S. Archer Rd. 6502, Summit, 60501, Illinois, USA

    Wei Zhang

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Jacobson, M.J., Johnson, E.A. (2011). Genomics of Clostridium . In: Wiedmann, M., Zhang, W. (eds) Genomics of Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens. Food Microbiology and Food Safety. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7686-4_4

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