Paper I — 2024 March (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme) — Q8

Paper I

2024 March (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme) · 40 marks · 120 min

Question

Name TWO bacteria causing gas gangrene

Q82 marksShort Notes★✓

Answer

Two bacteria causing gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis):

1. Clostridium perfringens — the most common cause (~80% of cases), producing alpha-toxin (a lecithinase) as the principal virulence factor.
2. Clostridium septicum — an important cause, notably associated with gas gangrene occurring without antecedent trauma in patients with underlying colonic malignancy or neutropenia (spontaneous/atraumatic gas gangrene, a recognized clinical association worth noting).

(Other valid examples: Clostridium novyi, Clostridium histolyticum.)

Related Concepts

1. 1Gas Gangrene and Clostridial Infections

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