Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Clostridium Scientific classification Kingdom: Bacteria Division: Firmicutes Class: Clostridia Order: Clostridiales Family: Clostridiaceae Genus: Clostridium Species   Clostridium acetobutylicum   Clostridium aerotolerans   Clostridium botulinum   Clostridium colicanis   Clostridium difficile   Clostridium formicaceticum   Clostridium novyi   Clostridium perfringens   Clostridium tetani Clostridium is a genus of anaerobic spore-forming bacteria. There are many species of Clostridium but the four main species that cause disease in humans are: Clostridium botulinum the organism that produces a toxin in food that causes botulism. Clostridium difficile which can overtake other bacteria in the gut when antibiotics are given, causing pseudomembranous colitis. Clostridium perfringens that gets into wounds to cause gas gangrene. Clostridium tetani the organism that causes tetanus (lockjaw). This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.