Is clostridium zoonotic?

Dr. Marie replied:

Thank you for an interesting question. I have to preface my answer by saying that I primarily work with dogs, cats and pocket pets. Deer are definitely not my area of expertise. Still, I was able to do some research for you.

There are different types of Clostridium. You can have Clostridium perfringens or Clostridium difficile. And then each of these can have subtypes, one of which is "A".

I found this article that talked about whether or not clostridium is contagious to people.. The article starts off by saying that in most cases, clostridium is not zoonotic (i.e. it is not contagious). But, some types of clostridium that produce something called enterotoxins can be contagious to people. Clostridium perfringens CAN produce enterotoxins. It appears from reading this article though that when it is transmitted to humans it is from eating the deer meat. It doesn't appear that handling the deer or their bowel movements is dangerous to people. (Still, it's a good idea to keep up good hygiene.)


I found a reference on Veterinary Information Network where vets were discussing whether a dog with Clostridium Perfringens A (alpha toxin) was contagious to people. A specialist answered the question saying that we still don't know for sure whether this type of clostridium is contagious from animals to people but that the general consensus was that there probably isn't any danger.

I also found reference to Clostridium difficile type A in horses but the only concern for transmission to humans was again, if the meat was being eaten.

I think that the best thing your brother can do is speak to his doctor about this question. Or, another possibility is to contact your local public health department and they can tell you what the risk is.

From what I have read, it appears that the risk is low.

Hope that helps and I hope that the deer all recover soon!

Dr. Marie.

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