RT Journal
A1 Myers, Garry S.A.
A1 Rasko, David A.
A1 Cheung, Jackie K.
A1 Ravel, Jacques
A1 Seshadri, Rekha
A1 DeBoy, Robert T.
A1 Ren, Qinghu
A1 Varga, John
A1 Awad, Milena M.
A1 Brinkac, Lauren M.
A1 Daugherty, Sean C.
A1 Haft, Daniel H.
A1 Dodson, Robert J.
A1 Madupu, Ramana
A1 Nelson, William C.
A1 Rosovitz, M.J.
A1 Sullivan, Steven A.
A1 Khouri, Hoda
A1 Dimitrov, George I.
A1 Watkins, Kisha L.
A1 Mulligan, Stephanie
A1 Benton, Jonathan
A1 Radune, Diana
A1 Fisher, Derek J.
A1 Atkins, Helen S.
A1 Hiscox, Tom
A1 Jost, B. Helen
A1 Billington, Stephen J.
A1 Songer, J. Glenn
A1 McClane, Bruce A.
A1 Titball, Richard W.
A1 Rood, Julian I.
A1 Melville, Stephen B.
A1 Paulsen, Ian T.
T1 Skewed genomic variability in strains of the toxigenic bacterial pathogen, Clostridium perfringens
JF Genome Research 
JO Genome Research 
YR 2006 
FD August 01 
VO 16 
IS 8 
SP 1031 
OP 1040 
DO 10.1101/gr.5238106 
UL http://genome.cshlp.org/content/16/8/1031.abstract 
AB Clostridium perfringens is a Gram-positive, anaerobic spore-forming bacterium commonly found in soil, sediments, and the human gastrointestinal tract. C. perfringens is responsible for a wide spectrum of disease, including food poisoning, gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis), enteritis necroticans, and non-foodborne gastrointestinal infections. The complete genome sequences of Clostridium perfringens strain ATCC 13124, a gas gangrene isolate and the species type strain, and the enterotoxin-producing food poisoning strain SM101, were determined and compared with the published C. perfringens strain 13 genome. Comparison of the three genomes revealed considerable genomic diversity with >300 unique “genomic islands” identified, with the majority of these islands unusually clustered on one replichore. PCR-based analysis indicated that the large genomic islands are widely variable across a large collection of C. perfringens strains. These islands encode genes that correlate to differences in virulence and phenotypic characteristics of these strains. Significant differences between the strains include numerous novel mobile elements and genes encoding metabolic capabilities, strain-specific extracellular polysaccharide capsule, sporulation factors, toxins, and other secreted enzymes, providing substantial insight into this medically important bacterial pathogen.