1 The rat is the unacceptable face of the environment; so is listeria and clostridium botulinum.

2 Clostridium bacteria can grow only in the complete absence of oxygen, so they have been found in contaminated cans of food.

3 Clostridium botulinum occurs in the soil and it is the cause of botulism.

4 The only bacteria known to be spread by food in 1950 were Clostridium botulinum, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella.

5 Tulane University scientists discovered a strain of clostridia bacteria, dubbed "TU-103, " that can devour old newspapers to produce butanol, a substitute for gasoline.

6 The causal factor may be related to clostridia and bacillusgasoformans infections.

7 Prof Nigel Minton, from the Clostridia Research Group at the University of Nottingham, said: "This is an exciting discovery."

8 Most often infected wounds are found to harbor ordinary soil - dwelling bacteria,[] such as the clostridia.

9 So the PCR method was suitable for rapid and sensitive detection of human botulism borne clostridia.

10 When the forage to be ensiled is below 30% dry matter, an additive may be needed to reduce the growth of clostridia .