C. perfringens strains encode a formidable arsenal of more than 20 toxins [17, 18]- many with cytotoxic effects - including the well-characterised alpha toxin, beta toxin, and the C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE, encoded by the cpe gene), which are respectively implicated in the human diseases gas gangrene, necrotic enteritis (Pigbel) and food poisoning (see Supplementary Material 1). This evidence concerns the gene CPE and gas gangrene.