clostridium
[klo-strid-ee-uh m]
- any of several rod-shaped, spore-forming, anaerobic bacteria of the genus Clostridium, found in soil and in the intestinal tract of humans and animals.
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Origin of clostridium
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for clostridium
Contemporary Examples
Botulism is caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, a hardy anaerobe.
Historical Examples
For the spores of Clostridium tetani, the culture should be three days old, but may be as old as a week.
The Fundamentals of BacteriologyCharles Bradfield Morrey
clostridium
- any anaerobic typically rod-shaped bacterium of the genus Clostridium, occurring mainly in soil, but also in the intestines of humans and animals: family Bacillaceae . The genus includes the species causing botulism and tetanus
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Word Origin
C20: from New Latin, literally: small spindle, from Greek klōstēr spindle, from klōthein to spin; see -ium
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Clostridium
(klŏ-strĭd′ē-əm)- A genus of rod-shaped, spore-forming, chiefly anaerobic bacteria including the nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in soil and those causing botulism and tetanus.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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