Comparative experiments to examine the effects of heating on vegetative cells and spores of Clostridium perfringens isolates carrying plasmid genes versus chromosomal enterotoxin genes

Isolates of Clostridium perfringens that have a chromosomal gene for enterotoxin are more resistant to heat than those that have a plasmid gene for enterotoxin. This may explain why isolates with the chromosomal gene are often linked to food poisoning whereas those with the plasmid gene are not.