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