Nontyping virulence factors of Clostridium perfringens

Abstract

The anaerobic, rod-shaped, spore-forming bacterium Clostridium perfringens is known for its production of biochemically active substances. Most of them are proteins that have a pathogenic effect on a wide range of animal tissues and cause a specific syndrome or even a disease in humans or animals. Production of toxins is used to classify isolates of C. perfringens into 7 different toxin types (A–G). Other virulence factors (i.g. beta2-toxin, BEC toxin, sialidases, hyaluronidase etc.) only indirectly or partially participate in the development of the disease, and the function of some substances has not been fully elucidated. The article summarizes basic data on the non-typing virulence factors of C. perfringens.