Genetic diversity among toxigenic clostridia isolated from soil, water, meat and associated polluted sites in South India.

PURPOSE To investigate the genetic diversity of toxigenic Clostridium strains isolated from soil, water, meat and its associated polluted sites of Southern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 27 identified isolates of six different toxigenic clostridial species including C. bifermentans , C. botulinum , C. chauvoei , C. ramosum , C. tetani and C. novyi were isolated and characterized by conventional DNA restriction digestion analysis (REA) and by whole-cell and excretory protein patterns on SDS-PAGE. RESULTS The DNA fragment size ranged from 35-160 kilobases and the protein bands 30-200 KDa, followed by numerical analyses and phylogenetic analyses. Whole-cell protein banding pattern were unique with strains of C. chauvoei , C. novyi and C. ramosum . All the strains were heterogeneous and distinct in restriction digestion pattern and excretory protein patterns. CONCLUSION These analyses contribute to the understanding of prevalence of toxigenic clostridial species and phylogeny within the species and assist in development of improved diagnostics and therapeutics for the treatment of clostridial infections.