[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) › [Gram-positive rods](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/gram-positive-rods/) › Clostridium perfringens

[Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) · [Gram-positive rods](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/gram-positive-rods/)

# Clostridium perfringens

- Bacterium
- Gram-positive
- Exam priority: medium

A bacterium that causes gas gangrene in deep wounds and a common food poisoning from reheated meat and gravy.

Updated 2026-11-01

Also called: gas gangrene bacillus

## Key points

- Alpha toxin = lecithinase: myonecrosis and haemolysis.
- Crepitus in a wound = gas in tissue.
- Double zone of haemolysis.
- Food poisoning from large batches of meat kept warm.

## At a glance

**Gram**
Gram-positive

**Shape**
Thick rod; spores rarely seen

**Oxygen**
Anaerobe (aerotolerant)

**Family**
Clostridiaceae

**Stain**
Gram positive; spore former

## Morphology

- Thick, boxcar-shaped Gram-positive rod
- Double zone of haemolysis on blood agar
- Non-motile

## Transmission

- Deep wounds contaminated with soil (trauma, war, surgery)
- Food cooked in large batches and kept warm (meat, poultry, gravy)

### Isolation precautions

What the care team adds to standard precautions.

- Standard

## Virulence factors

- Alpha toxin (lecithinase, phospholipase C): destroys membranes, causes myonecrosis and haemolysis
- Enterotoxin: diarrhoea in food poisoning
- Gas production in tissue

## Diseases it causes

- Gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis)
- Food poisoning with watery diarrhoea and cramps [Acute (viral) gastroenteritis →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/acute-gastroenteritis/)

## Clinical picture

- Severe pain in a wound, swelling, bronze to purple skin and crepitus
- Rapid progression to shock
- Diarrhoea and cramps without much fever, settling on their own

## Diagnosis

- Clinical and surgical diagnosis in gangrene
- Tissue Gram stain: large Gram-positive rods with few neutrophils
- Gas in tissue on X-ray
- Nagler reaction (lecithinase) in the lab

## Treatment

Gas gangrene is a surgical emergency: wide debridement or amputation, plus penicillin and clindamycin; some centres use hyperbaric oxygen. Food poisoning only needs rehydration.

Drug class only; doses and regimens are set by the clinician from the current guideline.

In Pharmacology:

- [Benzylpenicillin (penicillin G)](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/benzylpenicillin/)
- [Clindamycin](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/clindamycin/)

## Prevention

- Prompt cleaning and debridement of wounds
- Chill cooked food quickly and reheat it thoroughly

## Memory aid

Perfringens perforates membranes with its lecithinase and leaves bubbles under the skin: pain, gas and a rush to theatre.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Which C. perfringens toxin causes gas gangrene?

Alpha toxin, a lecithinase (phospholipase C) that destroys cell membranes.

## Which physical sign suggests gas in tissue?

Crepitus when the area is palpated.

## Which foods are linked to C. perfringens food poisoning?

Meat, poultry and gravy cooked in large batches and kept warm.

[Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/microbiology/clostridium-perfringens/)

## Related

- [Clostridium botulinum](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/clostridium-botulinum/)
- [Bacillus cereus](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/bacillus-cereus/)

## Related conditions

- [Acute (viral) gastroenteritis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/acute-gastroenteritis/)

## What the colours mean

**Gram-positive**
Thick peptidoglycan wall: stains purple.

**Gram-negative**
Thin wall with an outer membrane: stains pink.

**Acid-fast**
Lipid-rich wall (mycobacteria): Ziehl–Neelsen stain.

[← Back to the group: Gram-positive rods](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/gram-positive-rods/)

Educational content on microorganisms; not a treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: [About C. perfringens food poisoning](https://www.cdc.gov/clostridium-perfringens/about/index.html) (CDC, 2024); [Gas gangrene: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000620.htm) (MedlinePlus (NLM), 2024).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/clostridium-perfringens/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/clostridium-perfringens/