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The molecular basis for the differences in heat resistance between spores of Clostridium perfringens food-borne versus nonfoodborne isolates remains unknown. Since a recent study demonstrated the role of small, acid-soluble spore proteins (SASPs) in heat resistance of spores of food-borne isolates, in the current study, we evaluated the expression of SASP-encoding genes (ssp) and the production of SASPs in nonfoodborne isolates. Our results demonstrated the presence of all three ssp genes in five surveyed nonfoodborne isolates. A β-glucuronidase assay showed that these ssp genes are expressed specifically during sporulation. Furthermore, nonfoodborne isolate F4969 produced SASPs at a level similar to that of food-borne isolate SM101. Collectively, these results suggest that the difference in the levels of heat resistance between spores of food-borne and the nonfoodborne isolates is not the result of impaired expression of ssp genes and (or) decreased production of SASPs in nonfoodborne isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]