After 3 days of a road traffic accident, a wound shows crepitation in the subcutaneous tissue and muscle with foul-smelling discharge. Pus culture shows Cl. perfringens. All of the following features about Cl. perfringens are TRUE, EXCEPT:
High-Yield Explanation
All types of C perfringens produce the alpha toxin, a necrotizing, hemolytic exotoxin that is a lecithinase. Hemolysis and gas production are characteristic. Lecithinase activity is evaluated by the precipitate formed around colonies on egg yolk media (Nagler's reaction). Gas Gangrene producing strains of Cl. Perfringens produce heat resistant spores. Also know: Gases formed in gas gangrene are hydrogen and carbon dioxide gas. Ref: Ray C.G., Ryan K.J. (2010). Chapter 29. Clostridium, Peptostreptococcus, Bacteroides, and Other Anaerobes. In C.G. Ray, K.J. Ryan (Eds), Sherris Medical Microbiology, 5e.