A spore-forming bacterium that causes food poisoning when cooked meats, poultry and gravies are cooled too slowly or held at unsafe temperatures.
A spore-forming bacterium that causes food poisoning when cooked meats, poultry and gravies are cooled too slowly or held at unsafe temperatures. Clostridium perfringens is a bacterium found widely in soil, dust and the intestines of humans and animals. It forms heat-resistant spores that can survive normal cooking, then germinate and multiply rapidly as food cools through the temperature danger zone. When large numbers of the bacteria are eaten, they produce a toxin in the gut that triggers illness. It is one of the more common causes of food poisoning in Australia, and outbreaks are often linked to large batches of food prepared in advance. Illness usually appears 6 to 24 hours after eating, with symptoms of abdominal cramps and diarrhoea, while vomiting and fever are uncommon. Most healthy people recover within a day or two without treatment. The classic culprits are meat dishes, poultry, stews, casseroles and gravies that are cooked in bulk, then left to cool slowly or held warm for long periods, which is why the organism is sometimes called the cafeteria or caterer's germ. The key control in an Australian kitchen is rapid cooling and correct hot-holding, because the spores themselves survive cooking and cannot simply be cooked out. Food that will not be served straight away should be cooled from 60 degrees to 21 degrees within two hours and from 21 degrees to 5 degrees within a further four hours, in line with the Food Standards Code two-stage cooling guidance. Dividing large pots into shallow containers speeds this up dramatically. Food served hot must be held at 60 degrees or above, and reheating should bring food quickly back to 60 degrees or hotter, not just warmed through. Caterers, aged-care kitchens and venues cooking in bulk face the highest risk, so they should batch-cook sensibly, use temperature probes, and record cooling and hot-holding checks to show the controls are working. A catering company cooks a large batch of beef curry the morning of an event and leaves the covered pots on the bench to cool before refrigerating them. The curry stays warm for hours, letting surviving spores germinate and multiply. That evening guests eat the reheated curry, and by the early hours many have stomach cramps and diarrhoea. Cooling the curry quickly in shallow trays would have kept the numbers low enough to be safe.
Frequently asked questions
What foods are most often linked to Clostridium perfringens?
Meat, poultry, stews, casseroles, curries and gravies cooked in large quantities and then cooled slowly or held warm are the usual sources. It is often tied to catered events and bulk cooking.
How quickly do symptoms appear?
Symptoms usually start 6 to 24 hours after eating and include abdominal cramps and diarrhoea. Vomiting and fever are uncommon, and most people recover within a day or two.
Does cooking destroy Clostridium perfringens?
Cooking kills the growing bacteria but not the heat-resistant spores. If the food then cools too slowly, the spores germinate and multiply, so rapid cooling and correct hot-holding are the real controls.
Why is it called the caterer's or cafeteria germ?
Outbreaks are strongly associated with food cooked in bulk and held for long periods, which is common in catering and cafeterias. Large volumes of food cool slowly and give the bacteria time to grow.
How can a food business prevent it?
Cool food quickly using shallow containers, hold hot food at 60 degrees or above, and reheat rapidly to 60 degrees or hotter. Keeping food out of the temperature danger zone is the main safeguard.
