The bacterium Clostridium perfringens causes one of the most common types of foodborne gastroenteritis in the United States, often referred to as perfringens food poisoning (FDA 2012). It is associated with consuming contaminated food that contains great numbers of vegetative cells and spores that will produce toxin inside the intestine. There are two forms of disease caused by C. perfringens: gastroenteritis and necrotizing enteritis. The latter disease, also known as pig-bel disease, is not common in the United States. It is often associated with contaminated pork and can be very severe (FDA 2012).
