Control of bacterial spores

Bacterial spores are much more resistant than their vegetative counterparts. The most dangerous spore-former is Clostridium botulinum which produces a potent neurotoxin that can prove fatal. The most common food poisoning from a spore-former is caused by C. perfringens. Other food poisoning spore-formers include Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis and B. licheniformis. There are a number of non-pathogenic spore-formers including butyric and thermophilic anaerobes that cause significant economic losses to food producers. Some unusual spoilage complaints have been reported, for example, B. sporothermodurans in UHT milk, Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris in apple and orange juice and Desulfotomaculum nigrificans in hot vending machines. Control of spore-formers requires an understanding of both the resistance and outgrowth characteristics of the spores.