vs Lesser Cachalot

Clostridium septicum compared with Kogia breviceps

Key Differences

is Not Evaluated while Lesser Cachalot is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Lesser Cachalot
Kingdom	Bacteria (Bacteria)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Firmicutes_A	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Clostridia (Clostridia)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Clostridiales (Clostridiales)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Clostridiaceae	Kogiidae
Genus	Clostridium	Kogia
Species	Clostridium septicum	Kogia breviceps

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Lesser Cachalot

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Lesser Cachalot
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Asia, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

Lesser Cachalot

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Portugal, Sweden, and Taiwan.

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.