Identification and genetic characterization of Clostridium botulinum serotype A strains from commercially pasteurized carrot juice

Clostridium botulinum is an important foodborne pathogen capable of forming heat resistant endospores and producing deadly botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs). In 2006, C. botulinum was responsible for an international outbreak of botulism attributed to the consumption of commercially pasteurized carrot juice. The purpose of this study was to isolate and characterize strains of C. botulinum from the adulterated product. Carrot juice bottles retrieved from the manufacturing facility were analyzed for the presence of BoNT and BoNT-producing isolates using DIG–ELISA. Toxigenic isolates from the carrot juice were analyzed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and DNA microarray analysis to determine their genetic relatedness to the original outbreak strains CDC51348 and CDC51303. PFGE revealed that isolates CJ4-1 and CJ10-1 shared an identical pulsotype with strain CDC51303, whereas isolate CJ5-1 displayed a unique restriction banding pattern. DNA microarray analysis identified several phage related genes unique to strain CJ5-1, and Southern hybridization analysis of XhoI digested and nondigested DNA showed their chromosomal location, while a homolog to pCLI_A009 of plasmid pCLI of C. botulinum serotype Langeland F, was located on a small plasmid. The acquisition or loss of bacteriophages and other mobile genetic elements among C. botulinum strains has epidemiological and evolutionary implications.