{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,5]],"date-time":"2026-01-05T06:39:43Z","timestamp":1767595183243,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,5]],"date-time":"2026-01-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767571200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Innovation Project for Collaborative Education of Peak Disciplines at the School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University","award":["2024GWXTYRY011"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024GWXTYRY011"]}]},{"name":"Projects of Ma\u2019anshan Science and Technology Bureau","award":["YL-2023-40"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["YL-2023-40"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"\n Objectives<\/jats:title>\n \n This study aimed to perform laboratory testing and traceability analysis of suspicious samples from a foodborne disease outbreak caused by\n Clostridium perfringens<\/jats:italic>\n (\n C. perfringens<\/jats:italic>\n ) in a hospital in Ma\u2019anshan City, Anhui Province, and to evaluate the application of whole-genome sequencing technology in the tracing of foodborne disease outbreaks.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n On-site epidemiological investigations were conducted, and suspicious biological, food, and environmental samples were collected. Patient biological samples underwent multi-pathogen screening. Following the epidemiological analysis, isolation, culture, and identification of suspected pathogens were carried out. Toxin gene detection and whole-genome sequencing were then performed on the isolated\n C. perfringens<\/jats:italic>\n strains.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n A total of 131 samples were collected during the outbreak. Among these, 20 anal swabs from patients with diarrhoea were tested for the nucleic acids of foodborne pathogens and five types of Diarrheagenic\n Escherichia coli<\/jats:italic>\n . All samples tested positive for\n C. perfringens<\/jats:italic>\n nucleic acid, while six samples also tested positive for enteropathogenic\n E. coli<\/jats:italic>\n . Isolation and culture revealed that\n C. perfringens<\/jats:italic>\n was detected in 41 samples, with a detection rate of 31.3% (41\/131). Nucleic acid detection of six toxin genes (\n plc<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n cpb<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n cpe<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n Ia<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n etx<\/jats:italic>\n , and\n netB<\/jats:italic>\n ) was performed on the 41\n C. perfringens<\/jats:italic>\n strains, with 29 strains testing positive for\n cpe<\/jats:italic>\n . Whole-genome sequencing of the\n cpe<\/jats:italic>\n -positive strains revealed identical ST sequence types and a maximum of 25 SNP differences, indicating a highly clonal group. Phylogenetic analysis of the core genome demonstrated homology among\n C. perfringens<\/jats:italic>\n strains from patient anal swabs, canteen employees\u2019s anal swabs, and food samples.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n \n The outbreak was likely caused by contamination of Chinese food by\n C. perfringens<\/jats:italic>\n from infected canteen employees. Whole-genome sequencing was instrumental in accurately tracing the source of the outbreak.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1683405","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,5]],"date-time":"2026-01-05T06:37:06Z","timestamp":1767595026000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Traceability analysis of a foodborne disease outbreak caused by Clostridium perfringens in Ma\u2019anshan City, Anhui Province, 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