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. 1990 Mar;56(3):681–685. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.3.681-685.1990

Influence of transition metals added during sporulation on heat resistance of Clostridium botulinum 113B spores.

D J Kihm 1, M T Hutton 1, J H Hanlin 1, E A Johnson 1
PMCID: PMC183405  PMID: 2180370

Abstract

Sporulation of Clostridium botulinum 113B in a complex medium supplemented with certain transition metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, or Zn) at 0.01 to 1.0 mM gave spores that were increased two to sevenfold in their contents of the added metals. The contents of calcium, magnesium, and other metals in the purified spores were relatively unchanged. Inclusion of sodium citrate (3 g/liter) in the medium enhanced metal accumulation and gave consistency in the transition metal contents of independent spore crops. In citrate-supplemented media, C. botulinum formed spores with very high contents of Zn (approximately 1% of the dry weight). Spores containing an increased content of Fe (0.1 to 0.2%) were more susceptible to thermal killing than were native spores or spores containing increased Zn or Mn. The spores formed with added Fe or Cu also appeared less able to repair heat-induced injuries than the spores with added Mn or Zn. Fe-increased spores appeared to germinate and outgrow at a higher frequency than did native and Mn-increased spores. This study shows that C. botulinum spores can be sensitized to increased thermal destruction by incorporation of Fe in the spores.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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