vs Delicate Slender Opossum

Clostridium septicum compared with Marmosops parvidens

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while Delicate Slender Opossum is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Delicate Slender Opossum
Kingdom	Bacteria (Bacteria)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Firmicutes_A	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Clostridia (Clostridia)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Clostridiales (Clostridiales)	Didelphimorphia (Didelphimorphia)
Family	Clostridiaceae	Didelphidae
Genus	Clostridium	Marmosops
Species	Clostridium septicum	Marmosops parvidens

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Delicate Slender Opossum

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Delicate Slender Opossum
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Asia, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

Delicate Slender Opossum

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Venezuela.

Clostridium septicum is a highly virulent, anaerobic, endospore-forming bacterium in the family Clostridiaceae and an important cause of nontraumatic clostridial myonecrosis (gas gangrene) and fatal septicemia in humans and livestock. Unlike C. perfringens, which typically requires predisposing tissue injury, C. septicum is notable for its ability to cause spontaneous gas gangrene arising from bacteremic seeding of intestinal origin, most often in patients with occult colorectal malignancy, hematological malignancies, or neutropenia. The bacterium produces several toxins including alpha-toxin, a pore-forming cytolysin, and hyaluronidase, which facilitate tissue invasion and destruction. Endospores are ubiquitous in soil and the intestinal contents of healthy animals and humans. In livestock, C. septicum causes braxy (sheep abomasitis) and malignant edema, economically significant diseases in sheep and cattle grazing on contaminated pastures. The strong clinical association between spontaneous C. septicum bacteremia and gastrointestinal malignancy means that its isolation from blood cultures warrants urgent investigation for underlying colonic pathology.