Clostridium novyi is an anaerobic bacterium found in soil, manure, and plant materials. It is a gram positive, spore forming bacillus. C. novyi does not oxidize its food to water and carbon dioxide so the end products of metabolism are fatty acids and organic compounds. These products give the Clostridium species their strong odor.
When introduced into an anaerobic environment such as muscle, C. novyi produces lethal toxins which are the main component of it being pathogenic. C. novyi causes malignant edema which is also known as false blackleg. Its relative, C. chauvoei, causes blackleg and it is for this reason that a multivalent vaccine is generally used. In this way both organisms are targeted and one is not mistaken for the other.
C. novyi is now being tested as an anti tumor agent in mice. As it thrives in an anaerobic environment, the center of tumors is the perfect place for it to live. C. novyi feeds on the dead and dying cells in the center of the tumor while chemotherapy can be used to target the tumor from the outside. This method has proven over fifty percent effective in mice so farC. novyi has cause approximately thirty two deaths in Europe as a result of an infected batch of heroin. If injected into the vein then there is no effect. It is when the vein is missed and it is introduced into the muscle that it produces a deadly toxin. If the infection is found early enough it can be treated with antibiotics to save the victim.
References:
ABCNEWS.com
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/drugaddict000615.htmlColorado Veterinary Products website
http://www.colorado-serum.com/vol2_issue_6.htmlEddleman, Harold; The Genus Clostridium. January 27, 1998.
http://www.disknet.com/indiana_biolab/cl.htmlJohns Hopkins Medical Institutions web site
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press/2001/NOVEMBER/011126.html*Disclaimer - This report was written by a student participaring in a microbiology course at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. The accuracy of the contents of this report is not guaranteed and it is recommended that you seek additional sources of information to verify the contents.
Return to Missouri S&T Microbiology HomePage Go to DJW's HomePage
This Document is maintained by djwesten@ mst.edu
