clostridium

noun clos·trid·i·um \klä-ˈstri-dē-əm\

plural clos·trid·ia\-dē-ə\

Definition of CLOSTRIDIUM

: any of a genus (Clostridium) of spore-forming mostly anaerobic soil or intestinal bacteria — compare botulism, tetanus

— clos·trid·i·al \-dē-əl\ adjective

Origin of CLOSTRIDIUM

New Latin, genus name, from Greek klōstēr spindle, from klōthein to spin

First Known Use: 1884

Medical Dictionary

clostridium

noun clos·trid·i·um \kläs-ˈtrid-ē-əm\

Medical Definition of CLOSTRIDIUM

capitalized : a genus of saprophytic rod-shaped or spindle-shaped usually gram-positive bacteria of the family Bacillaceae that are anaerobic or require very little free oxygen and are nearly cosmopolitan in soil, water, sewage, and animal and human intestines, that are very active biochemically comprising numerous fermenters of carbohydrates with vigorous production of acid and gas, many nitrogen-fixers, and others which rapidly putrefy proteins, and that include important pathogens—see blackleg, botulism, gas gangrene, tetanus bacillus

plural clos·trid·ia \-ē-ə\ a : any bacterium of the genus Clostridium b : a spindle-shaped or ovoid bacterial cell; especially : one swollen at the center by an endospore

—clos·trid·i·al \-ē-əl\ adjective