Objective To investigate the pathogenic characteristics of Clostridium perfringens isolated from two diarrhea outbreaks. Methods Samples and specimens of patients, chefs, cooking utensils and suspicious foods involved in 2 diarrhea outbreaks were collected. The real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), bacteria isolation and culture were performed on the samples. The number of CPs in the specimens was counted. Toxicity genes, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and drug resistance detection were performed on the isolated CP strains. Results After real-time PCR and bacterial isolation, CP was detected in some patients specimens, food and smear samples, and other common viruses and bacteria were negative. In most cases, the CP count of the specimens exceeded 1.0×10⁶ CFU/g. The 10 strains of CP isolated were all carrying toxin-producing genes. The PFGE fingerprints of the 10 strains were divided into 7 bands, of which 3 were the same band in the first outbreak, and 2 bands were the same in the second outbreak. Those strains were sensitive to imipenem, metronidazole, ceftriaxone and penicillin. Six strains were resistant to clindamycin, one strain was intermediated, and six strains were intermediated to chloramphenicol. Conclusion PCR could be used for rapid screening of CP virulence genes. PFGE could also help determine food poisoning events caused by CP. At the same time, the daily monitoring of CP and the prevention of its drug resistance should be strengthened.