Detection of enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens in spices used in Mexico by dot blotting using a DNA probe

Abstract

Several reports on the microbiology of spices and herbs indicate the presence of Clostridium perfringens, a spore-forming foodborne pathogen responsible for gastrointestinal disease. In the present study, a total of 380 samples of spices and herbs (cumin seed, black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and bay leaves) widely used in Mexico were analyzed for the presence of C. perfringens, and the enterotoxigenicity of the isolates was determined by a dot-blot technique using an enterotoxin digoxigenin-labeled DNA probe. C. perfringens counts varied from <100 to 500 CFU/g in garlic powder, from <100 to 200 CFU/g in black pepper, from <100 to 433 CFU/g in cumin seed, from <100 to 340 CFU/g in oregano, and from <100 to 450 CFU/g in bay leaves. The dot-blot technique detected the enterotoxin gene in 8 (4.25%) of 188 confirmed isolates of C. perfringens, dot-blot.