Food contaminated with Clostridium perfringens bacteria can cause Clostridium perfringens food poisoning which is a major public health issue. Advances in protein engineering and preclinical research allow us to develop best-in-class vaccines and therapies for the therapeutics of Clostridium perfringens food poisoning.
Introduction to Clostridium Perfringens Food Poisoning
Clostridium perfringens is a foodborne pathogen that has been identified as a spore-forming aerobic bacterium that causes food illnesses worldwide. This pathogen has the ability to secrete several types of potent toxins and amongst them which is the major cause of foodborne diarrhea C perfringens enterotoxin (CPE)
When food and water that is contaminated is ingested, C. perfringens spores are activated in the intestines and through rapid division large quantities of CPE are produced. CPE attaches to specific tight junction claudin proteins in the intestinal epithelium and forms pores, leading to damage of the intestinal epithelial barrier, causing fluid leakage, and resulting in severe diarrhea. CPE is extremely dangerous to human health as it can penetrate the vascular system causing hyperkalemia which is life threatening.
Fig. 1 Antigenicity of C-CPE is augmented. (Lan H., et al., 2019)
Vaccine Development for Clostridium Perfringens Food Poisoning
Scientific Basis for Vaccine Creation
The C-terminus of CPE (C-CPE), while being non-toxic, has been pinpointed as a crucial vaccine antigen since it interacts with claudin's, which are functional proteins located at the tight junctions of the epithelium. The genes encoding CPE have a role in Clostridium Perfringens food poisoning pathogenesis and their molecular anatomy will be vital in taming the organism through vaccination.
Overcoming Challenges with Protein Engineering
One of the severe issues in the creation of the CPE based vaccine lies in the poor antigenic properties of C-CPE. However, by fusing C-CPE, with other specific antigens such as the B subunit of cholera toxin CTB or the pneumococcal surface protein A PspA, strong immune responses were noted in preclinical studies.
Therapeutics Development for Clostridium Perfringens Food Poisoning
Most instances of Clostridium perfringens food poisoning resolve on their own. However, in extreme circumstances, the infection may need to be treated, in which case antibiotic therapeutics are needed. There are antibiotics, for instance, which can be given to patients depending on the severity of the infection. Such drugs include:
- Penicillin G: This is used in the treatment of Clostridial Infections which are not that severe.
- Clindamycin, Tetracycline, or Metronidazole: These are used together in treating sepsis related due to Clostridial such bacteria.
If you want to know more about our complete therapy development services, please follow the link below.
Our Services
Our practice highlights the role of scientific progress in further enhancing clinical practices. This is congruent to our comprehensive approach in dealing with Clostridium perfringens food poisoning, whereby we utilize our profound knowledge in the field of vaccinal development and therapeutics to create a proper solution.
- Mouse Myonecrosis Models
- Mouse Intestinal Loop Models
- Rabbit Intestinal Loop Models
- Other Animal Models: Non-human Primates, Sheep and Cattle
Our team has core competencies in C. perfringens biology and the latest technological advancements which have made it possible for us to perform and conduct customized preclinical studies with no hassle or difficulty. If we have further sparked your interest in any of our services, we invite you to contact us so that we can assist you with any additional inquiries you may have as well as provide you with all the necessary details.
Reference
- Lan Huangwenxian, Koji Hosomi, and Jun Kunisawa. "Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin-based protein engineering for the vaccine design and delivery system." Vaccine 37.42 (2019): 6232-6239.
All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use
only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.
