Analysis of plasmid maintenance, incompatibility and conjugation in Clostridium perfringens

The bacterium Clostridium perfringens causes a wide range of diseases in animals and humans. These diseases are typically caused by the production of bacterial toxins. The genetic factors within C. perfringens that carry these toxins are called plasmids. In this thesis, a new family of plasmids that is important for the spread of toxin genes throughout a bacterial population was identified and characterised. In addition, the mechanism by which C. perfringens maintains more than one of these toxin plasmids was determined. This study provides insight into the fundamental processes that allow C. perfringens to be such a successful disease producing bacterium.