Cultural characteristics of Clostridium perfringens

1. It is an anaerobic bacteria but can grow under micro-aerophilic condition.
2. They form large, translucent, flat and filamentous colonies with irregular edges.
3. PH: 5.5 to 8.0 (Average PH: 7.2)
4. Temperature: 20°C to 50°C (Average: 37°C)
5. At 45°C, generation time is 10 minutes.

Clostridium perfringens on Robertson’s Cooked Meat Broth

• Saccharolytic species turn meat pink. Meat particles remain intact.
• Proteolytic species turn meat black with foul smell.
• Acidic reactions
• Produces gas

Clostridium perfringens on Litmus Milk

• Stormy fermentation and acid clot in litmus milk

Clostridium perfringens on Blood Agar

• Target hemolysis
• Double zone of beta hemolysis
• Inner zone: complete hemolysis
• Outer zone: partial hemolysis

Clostridium perfringens on Tryptose Sulfite Cycloserine (TSC) Agar

• Isolation and enumeration of both vegetative and spores of Clostridium perfringens in food and clinical samples.

Clostridium perfringens on Marshal’s Medium

• Black colonies

Clostridium perfringens on Egg yolk agar media

• Used for the detection of Lecithinase C

Clostridium perfringens on MacConkey Agar

• Green Fluorescent colonies

Cultural characteristics of Clostridium perfringens