Myeloid cell specific deletion of PDGFR-α promotes dysbiotic intestinal microbiota and thus increased colitis susceptibility - PubMed
Taken together, our results indicate a protective role for myeloid PDGFR-α in maintaining gut homeostasis by promoting a protective intestinal microbiota and providing an anti-inflammatory macrophage phenotype.
Research reveals how microorganisms found in the gut can worsen C. difficile infections
New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and collaborators reveals how microorganisms found in our guts can worsen dangerous C. difficile infections.
The Brief Case: a White-Colony-Producing Clostridioides difficile Ribotype 020 Strain | Journal of Clinical Microbiology
A bedridden elderly female patient with right hemiparesis was admitted to Siriraj
Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, with acute pyelonephritis. Considering the patient’s
history of frequent hospitalization, intravenous meropenem (2 g, every 8 h) was given
empirically. An extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli isolate was later isolated from her urine, and meropenem was continued for 10 days.
The patient responded well; however, 6 days after admission, she developed watery
diarrhea. At the time, she was receiving colchicine and senna, which were discontinued;
however, the diarrhea did not resolve after 2 days. The patient’s stool was tested
and was positive for the Clostridioides difficile tcdB gene using the BD Max platform (Becton, Dickinson, USA). She was thus diagnosed with
mild C. difficile infection (CDI) and treated with oral metronidazole (400 mg, every 8 h) for 7 days
while continuing meropenem. She responded well to treatment and was later discharged
from the hospital without further complications.
Oligomerization and Adjuvant Activity of Peptides Derived from the VirB4-like ATPase of Clostridioides difficile - PubMed
In a previous study, we demonstrated that the Clostridioides difficile VirB4-like ATPase forms oligomers in vitro. In the current investigation, to study the observed phenomenon in more detail, we prepared a library of VirB4-derived peptides (delVirB4s) fused to a carrier maltose-binding prot …
Domperidone Protects Cells from Intoxication with Clostridioides difficile Toxins by Inhibiting Hsp70-Assisted Membrane Translocation - PubMed
Clostridioides difficile infections cause severe symptoms ranging from diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis due to the secretion of AB-toxins, TcdA and TcdB. Both toxins are taken up into cells through receptor-mediated endocytosis, autoproteolytic processing and translocation of their enzyme …
Pre-colonization with the fungus Candida glabrata exacerbates infection by the bacterial pathogen Clostridioides difficile in a murine model - PubMed
The contributions of commensal fungi to human health and disease are not well understood. Candida species such as C. albicans and C. glabrata are opportunistic pathogenic fungi and common colonizers of the human intestinal tract. They have been shown to affect the host immune sy …
Comparison of DNA extraction methods for 16S rRNA gene sequencing in the analysis of the human gut microbiome - PubMed
The gut microbiome is widely analyzed using high-throughput sequencing, such as 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing (SMS). DNA extraction is known to have a large impact on the metagenomic analyses. The aim of this study was to compare DNA extraction protocols for 16 …
This case report discusses a nine-year-old female that presented with abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss, suggestive of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). She had an older brother previous...
Intestinal C. Difficile Infection Supported by Antibiotic-Resistant Gut Bacteria
Study showed how Enterococcus fine tunes the environment around C. diff, restricting some nutrients and supplying others, to increase its fitness and virulence.
The gut microbes in inflammatory bowel disease: Future novel target option for pharmacotherapy - PubMed
Gut microbes constitute the main microbiota in the human body, which can regulate biological processes such as immunity, cell proliferation, and differentiation, hence playing a specific function in intestinal diseases. In recent years, gut microbes have become a research hotspot in the pharmaceutic …
Increased intestinal permeability and downregulation of absorptive ion transporters Nhe3, Dra, and Sglt1 contribute to diarrhea during Clostridioides difficile infection - PubMed
CDI increases intestinal permeability and decreases apical abundance of NHE3, SGLT1, and DRA. This combination likely leads to dysfunctional water and solute absorption in the large bowel, causing osmotic diarrhea. These findings provide insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying dia …
This case report discusses a nine-year-old female that presented with abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss, suggestive of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). She had an older brother previous...
“A tour de force presentation by @joeyzacks on how #Enterococcus fecaelis uses L-arginine which stimulates #pathogen #cdiff to produce toxins and generates ornithine which enhances #cdiff fitness! #ASMicrobe”
Single-spore germination analyses reveal that calcium released during Clostridioides difficile germination functions in a feedforward loop - PubMed
Clostridioides difficile infections begin when its metabolically dormant spores germinate in response to sensing bile acid germinants alongside amino acid and divalent cation co-germinants in the small intestine. While bile acid germinants are essential for C. difficile spore germinati …
O-Acetylhomoserine Sulfhydrylase from Clostridioides difficile: Role of Tyrosine Residues in the Active Site - PubMed
O-acetylhomoserine sulfhydrylase is one of the key enzymes in biosynthesis of methionine in Clostridioides difficile. The mechanism of γ-substitution reaction of O-acetyl-L-homoserine catalyzed by this enzyme is the least studied among the pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes involved in metabol …
The microbial derived bile acid lithocholate and its epimers inhibit Clostridioides difficile growth and pathogenicity while sparing members of the gut microbiota - PubMed
In the search for a novel therapeutic that targets C. difficile , bile acids have become a viable solution. Epimers of bile acids are particularly attractive as they may provide protection against C. difficile while leaving the indigenous gut microbiota largely unaltered. This study sh …
Genome Sequence of a Clostridioides difficile Strain Isolated from Feces from a Patient in Southern Thailand - PubMed
Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic, toxin-producing bacillus that is linked to antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of a C. difficile strain isolated from stool from a patient, using next-generation sequencing (MGISEG-2000). De nov …
Identification of novel p-cresol inhibitors that reduce Clostridioides difficile’s ability to compete with species of the gut microbiome
Scientific Reports - Identification of novel p-cresol inhibitors that reduce Clostridioides difficile’s ability to compete with species of the gut microbiome
Central in vivo mechanisms by which C. difficile's proline reductase drives efficient metabolism, growth, and toxin production - PubMed
Clostridioides difficile (CD) is a sporulating and toxin-producing nosocomial pathogen that opportunistically infects the gut, particularly in patients with depleted microbiota after antibiotic exposure. Metabolically, CD rapidly generates energy and substrates for growth from Stickland ferme …
The small acid-soluble proteins of Clostridioides difficile regulate sporulation in a SpoIVB2-dependent manner - PubMed
Clostridioides difficile is easily spread through the production of highly resistant spores. Understanding how spores are formed could yield valuable insight into how the sporulation process can be halted to render spores that are sensitive to cleaning methods. Here, we identify another prote …
Flagellin is essential for initial attachment to mucosal surfaces by Clostridioides difficile - PubMed
Mucins are glycoproteins which can be found in host cell membranes and as a gelatinous surface formed from secreted mucins. Mucosal surfaces in mammals form a barrier to invasive microbes, particularly bacteria, but are a point of attachment for others. Clostridioides difficile is anaerobic b …
Identification of novel p-cresol inhibitors that reduce Clostridioides difficile's ability to compete with species of the gut microbiome - PubMed
Treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is expensive and complex, with a high proportion of patients suffering infection relapse (20-35%), and some having multiple relapses. A healthy, unperturbed gut microbiome provides colonisation resistance against CDI through competition for nutri …
High-resolution analyses of associations between medications, microbiome, and mortality in cancer patients - PubMed
Discerning the effect of pharmacological exposures on intestinal bacterial communities in cancer patients is challenging. Here, we deconvoluted the relationship between drug exposures and changes in microbial composition by developing and applying a new computational method, PARADIGM (parameters ass …
Ecological principles of fecal microbiota transplantation - PubMed
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a procedure used to treat diseases related to microbiome imbalances. We discuss how ecological principles can inform the design of FMT clinical trials and contribute to data interpretation. This effort will promote a better understanding of microbiome engraf …
Improving therapeutic protein secretion in the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii using a multifactorial engineering approach - PubMed
The probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii (Sb) is a promising chassis to deliver therapeutic proteins to the gut due to Sb's innate therapeutic properties, resistance to phage and antibiotics, and high protein secretion capacity. To maintain therapeutic efficacy in the context of challenges such a …
Risk factors for complicated course and recurrence of Clostridioides Difficile infections during COVID-19 pandemic - PubMed
Clinical nutrition and the number of antibiotics used during an episode of diarrhea are independent risk factors for the death of a patient with CDI. Infection with a hypervirulent strain increases the risk for relapse.
Of patients who have had a #Cdiff recurrence, up to 65% will experience subsequent recurrence. #guthealth #GITwitter #IDTwitter pic.twitter.com/wpl2yHevo3— Microbiome Science (@MbiomeScience) June 5, 2023
After an initial episode of #Cdiff infection, up to 25% of patients experience a recurrence. #GITwitter #IDTwitter #guthealth pic.twitter.com/JJIg2ccGpJ— Microbiome Science (@MbiomeScience) June 4, 2023
