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<big><center>[[Bacteria|'''BACK TO BACTERIA''']]</center></big>
<big><center>[[Bacteria|'''BACK TO BACTERIA''']]</center></big>
==Clostridia==
===Overview===
*Organisms present in the soil, alimentary tract and faeces
*Endospores may be present in liver and may be reactivated to cause disease
*Neurotoxic clostridia, ''Clostridium tetani'' and ''Clostridium botulinum'' affect neuromuscular function but cause no tissue damage
*Histotoxic clostridia cause localised lesions in tissues and may cause toxaemia
*''C. perfringens'' cause inflammatory lesions in the gastrointestinal tract and enterotoxaemia
===Characteristics===
*Large Gram-positive rods
*Obligate anaerobes
*Fermentative, catalase negative, oxidase negative
*Straight or slightly curved
*Motile by flagellae
*Require enriched media for growth
*Produce endospores which vary in shape and location and cause bulging of mother cell
===Pathogenesis and pathogenicity===
*''C. perfringens'' colonies are surrounded by a zone of double haemolysis
===Clostridium botulinum===
===Clostridium botulinum===