4. Conclusions
In summary, the main conclusions from this work are that
C. difficile spores can survive at 80 and 20 C and that spores of at
least some strains may increase their germination ability when
stored at 23 C. Although long-term storage at freezing temperatures
inactivates some spores, these reductions are negligible when
analyzed from a food safety perspective. Further studies to understand
the behavior of C. difficile spores to stressors found in food
processing operations will lead to improved estimates of the
foodborne transmission risk of C. difficile.