| Summary: | The aim of this study was to assess occurrence of <i>Clostridium botulinum</i> and <i>Clostridium perfringens</i> in honey samples from Kazakhstan. Analyses were carried out using a set of PCR methods for identification of anaerobic bacteria, and detection of toxin genes of <i>C. botulinum</i> and <i>C. perfringens</i>. Among 197 samples, <i>C. botulinum</i> was noticed in only one (0.5%). The isolated strain of this pathogen showed the presence of the <i>bont/A</i> and <i>ntnh</i> genes. <i>C. perfringens</i> strains were isolated from 18 (9%) samples, and mPCR (multiplex PCR) analysis led to them all being classified as toxin type A with the ability to produce α toxin. Sequence analysis of 16S rDNA genes showed occurrence in 4 samples of other anaerobes related to <i>C. botulinum</i>, which were <i>C. sporogenes</i> and <i>C. beijerinckii</i> strains. <i>C. botulinum</i> prevalence in honey samples from Kazakhstan in comparison to the prevalence in samples collected from the other regions seems to be less. The highest prevalence of <i>Clostridium</i> sp. was noticed in the East Kazakhstan province. Our study is the first survey on BoNT-producing clostridia and <i>C. perfringens</i> prevalence in Kazakh honey.
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