1
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Alam MZ, Madan R. Clostridioides difficile Toxins: Host Cell Interactions and Their Role in Disease Pathogenesis. Toxins (Basel) 2024; 16:241. [PMID: 38922136 PMCID: PMC11209539 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16060241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile, a Gram-positive anaerobic bacterium, is the leading cause of hospital-acquired antibiotic-associated diarrhea worldwide. The severity of C. difficile infection (CDI) varies, ranging from mild diarrhea to life-threatening conditions such as pseudomembranous colitis and toxic megacolon. Central to the pathogenesis of the infection are toxins produced by C. difficile, with toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB) as the main virulence factors. Additionally, some strains produce a third toxin known as C. difficile transferase (CDT). Toxins damage the colonic epithelium, initiating a cascade of cellular events that lead to inflammation, fluid secretion, and further tissue damage within the colon. Mechanistically, the toxins bind to cell surface receptors, internalize, and then inactivate GTPase proteins, disrupting the organization of the cytoskeleton and affecting various Rho-dependent cellular processes. This results in a loss of epithelial barrier functions and the induction of cell death. The third toxin, CDT, however, functions as a binary actin-ADP-ribosylating toxin, causing actin depolymerization and inducing the formation of microtubule-based protrusions. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the interaction between C. difficile toxins and host cells, elucidating the functional consequences of their actions. Furthermore, we will outline how this knowledge forms the basis for developing innovative, toxin-based strategies for treating and preventing CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Zahidul Alam
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, 600 Moye Boulevard, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Rajat Madan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA;
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA
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2
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Ziaei Chamgordani S, Yadegar A, Ghourchian H. C. difficile biomarkers, pathogenicity and detection. Clin Chim Acta 2024; 558:119674. [PMID: 38621586 DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2024.119674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the main etiologic agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. CDI contributes to gut inflammation and can lead to disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier. Recently, the rate of CDI cases has been increased. Thus, early diagnosis of C. difficile is critical for controlling the infection and guiding efficacious therapy. APPROACH A search strategy was set up using the terms C. difficile biomarkers and diagnosis. The found references were classified into two general categories; conventional and advanced methods. RESULTS The pathogenicity and biomarkers of C. difficile, and the collection manners for CDI-suspected specimens were briefly explained. Then, the conventional CDI diagnostic methods were subtly compared in terms of duration, level of difficulty, sensitivity, advantages, and disadvantages. Thereafter, an extensive review of the various newly proposed techniques available for CDI detection was conducted including nucleic acid isothermal amplification-based methods, biosensors, and gene/single-molecule microarrays. Also, the detection mechanisms, pros and cons of these methods were highlighted and compared with each other. In addition, approximately complete information on FDA-approved platforms for CDI diagnosis was collected. CONCLUSION To overcome the deficiencies of conventional methods, the potential of advanced methods for C. difficile diagnosis, their direction, perspective, and challenges ahead were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Ziaei Chamgordani
- Laboratory of Bioanalysis, Institute of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Yadegar
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Hedayatollah Ghourchian
- Laboratory of Bioanalysis, Institute of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
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3
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Aminzadeh A, Hilgers L, Paul Platenburg P, Riou M, Perrot N, Rossignol C, Cauty A, Barc C, Jørgensen R. Immunogenicity and safety in rabbits of a Clostridioides difficile vaccine combining novel toxoids and a novel adjuvant. Vaccine 2024; 42:1582-1592. [PMID: 38336558 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.01.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a serious healthcare-associated disease, causing symptoms such as diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. The major virulence factors responsible for the disease symptoms are two secreted cytotoxic proteins, TcdA and TcdB. A parenteral vaccine based on formaldehyde-inactivated TcdA and TcdB supplemented with alum adjuvant, has previously been investigated in humans but resulted in an insufficient immune response. In search for an improved response, we investigated a novel toxin inactivation method and a novel, potent adjuvant. Inactivation of toxins by metal-catalyzed oxidation (MCO) was previously shown to preserve neutralizing epitopes and to annihilate reversion to toxicity. The immunogenicity and safety of TcdA and TcdB inactivated by MCO and combined with a novel carbohydrate fatty acid monosulphate ester-based (CMS) adjuvant were investigated in rabbits. Two or three intramuscular immunizations generated high serum IgG and neutralizing antibody titers against both toxins. The CMS adjuvant increased antibody responses to both toxins while an alum adjuvant control was effective only against TcdA. Systemic safety was evaluated by monitoring body weight, body temperature, and analysis of red and white blood cell counts shortly after immunization. Local safety was assessed by histopathologic examination of the injection site at the end of the study. Body weight gain was constant in all groups. Body temperature increased up to 1 ˚C one day after the first immunization but less after the second or third immunization. White blood cell counts, and percentage of neutrophils increased one day after immunization with CMS-adjuvanted vaccines, but not with alum. Histopathology of the injection sites 42 days after the last injection did not reveal any abnormal tissue reactions. From this study, we conclude that TcdA and TcdB inactivated by MCO and combined with CMS adjuvant demonstrated promising immunogenicity and safety in rabbits and could be a candidate for a vaccine against CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aria Aminzadeh
- Proxi Biotech ApS, Egeskellet 6, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark; Department of Science and Environment, University of Roskilde, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Luuk Hilgers
- LiteVax BV, Akkersestraat 50, 4061BJ Ophemert, the Netherlands
| | | | - Mickaël Riou
- INRAE, UE-1277 Plateforme d'Infectiologie expérimentale (PFIE), Centre Val de Loire, 37380 Nouzilly, France
| | - Noémie Perrot
- INRAE, UE-1277 Plateforme d'Infectiologie expérimentale (PFIE), Centre Val de Loire, 37380 Nouzilly, France
| | - Christelle Rossignol
- INRAE-Université de Tours, UMR-1282 Infectiologie et Santé publique (ISP), équipe IMI, Centre Val de Loire, 37380 Nouzilly, France
| | - Axel Cauty
- INRAE, UE-1277 Plateforme d'Infectiologie expérimentale (PFIE), Centre Val de Loire, 37380 Nouzilly, France
| | - Céline Barc
- INRAE, UE-1277 Plateforme d'Infectiologie expérimentale (PFIE), Centre Val de Loire, 37380 Nouzilly, France
| | - René Jørgensen
- Proxi Biotech ApS, Egeskellet 6, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark; Department of Science and Environment, University of Roskilde, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
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4
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Fettucciari K, Spaterna A, Marconi P, Bassotti G. Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines Enhanced In Vitro Cytotoxic Activity of Clostridioides difficile Toxin B in Enteric Glial Cells: The Achilles Heel of Clostridioides difficile Infection? Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:958. [PMID: 38256032 PMCID: PMC10815653 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial infections are characterized by an inflammatory response, which is essential for infection containment but is also responsible for negative effects on the host. The pathogen itself may have evolved molecular mechanisms to antagonize the antimicrobial effects of an inflammatory response and to enhance its pathogenicity using inflammatory response mediators, such as cytokines. Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI) causes gastrointestinal diseases with markedly increasing global incidence and mortality rates. The main C. difficile virulence factors, toxin A and B (TcdA/TcdB), cause cytopathic/cytotoxic effects and inflammation. We previously demonstrated that TcdB induces enteric glial cell (EGC) apoptosis, which is enhanced by the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha plus interferon gamma (CKs). However, it is unknown whether CKs-enhanced TcdB cytotoxicity (apoptosis/necrosis) is affected by the timing of the appearance of the CKs. Thus, we simulated in vitro, in our experimental model with TcdB and EGCs, three main situations of possible interactions between TcdB and the timing of CK stimulation: before TcdB infection, concomitantly with infection, or at different times after infection and persisting over time. In these experimental conditions, which all represent situations of possible interactions between C. difficile and the timing of CK stimulation, we evaluated apoptosis, necrosis, and cell cycle phases. The CKs, in all of these conditions, enhanced TcdB cytotoxicity, which from apoptosis became necrosis when CK stimulation persisted over time, and was most relevant after 48 h of TcdB:EGCs interaction. Particularly, the enhancement of apoptosis by CKs was dependent on the TcdB dose and in a less relevant manner on the CK stimulation time, while the enhancement of necrosis occurred always independently of the TcdB dose and CK stimulation time. However, since in all conditions stimulation with CKs strongly enhanced the TcdB cytotoxicity, it always had a negative impact on C. difficile pathogenicity. This study might have important implications for the treatment of CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia Fettucciari
- Biosciences & Medical Embryology Section, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy;
| | - Andrea Spaterna
- School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62024 Macerata, Italy
| | - Pierfrancesco Marconi
- Biosciences & Medical Embryology Section, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy;
| | - Gabrio Bassotti
- Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Digestive Endoscopy Section, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy;
- Gastroenterology & Hepatology Unit, Santa Maria Della Misericordia Hospital, 06129 Perugia, Italy
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5
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Larcombe S, Williams GC, Amy J, Lim SC, Riley TV, Muleta A, Barugahare AA, Powell DR, Johanesen PA, Cheng AC, Peleg AY, Lyras D. A genomic survey of Clostridioides difficile isolates from hospitalized patients in Melbourne, Australia. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0135223. [PMID: 37815385 PMCID: PMC10715045 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01352-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE There has been a decrease in healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile infection in Australia, but an increase in the genetic diversity of infecting strains, and an increase in community-associated cases. Here, we studied the genetic relatedness of C. difficile isolated from patients at a major hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Diverse ribotypes were detected, including those associated with community and environmental sources. Some types of isolates were more likely to carry antimicrobial resistance determinants, and many of these were associated with mobile genetic elements. These results correlate with those of other recent investigations, supporting the observed increase in genetic diversity and prevalence of community-associated C. difficile, and consequently the importance of sources of transmission other than symptomatic patients. Thus, they reinforce the importance of surveillance for in both hospital and community settings, including asymptomatic carriage, food, animals, and other environmental sources to identify and circumvent important sources of C. difficile transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Larcombe
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Galain C. Williams
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jacob Amy
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Su Chen Lim
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Thomas V. Riley
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Medical, Molecular, and Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Anthony Muleta
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | - Priscilla A. Johanesen
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Allen C. Cheng
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Anton Y. Peleg
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Dena Lyras
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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6
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Buddle JE, Fagan RP. Pathogenicity and virulence of Clostridioides difficile. Virulence 2023; 14:2150452. [PMID: 36419222 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2022.2150452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is the most common cause of nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and is responsible for a spectrum of diseases characterized by high levels of recurrence, morbidity, and mortality. Treatment is complex, since antibiotics constitute both the main treatment and the major risk factor for infection. Worryingly, resistance to multiple antibiotics is becoming increasingly widespread, leading to the classification of this pathogen as an urgent threat to global health. As a consummate opportunist, C. difficile is well equipped for promoting disease, owing to its arsenal of virulence factors: transmission of this anaerobe is highly efficient due to the formation of robust endospores, and an array of adhesins promote gut colonization. C. difficile produces multiple toxins acting upon gut epithelia, resulting in manifestations typical of diarrheal disease, and severe inflammation in a subset of patients. This review focuses on such virulence factors, as well as the importance of antimicrobial resistance and genome plasticity in enabling pathogenesis and persistence of this important pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E Buddle
- Molecular Microbiology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Robert P Fagan
- Molecular Microbiology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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7
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Schneemann M, Heils L, Moos V, Weiß F, Krug SM, Weiner J, Beule D, Gerhard R, Schulzke JD, Bücker R. A Colonic Organoid Model Challenged with the Large Toxins of Clostridioides difficile TcdA and TcdB Exhibit Deregulated Tight Junction Proteins. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:643. [PMID: 37999506 PMCID: PMC10674794 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15110643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clostridioides difficile toxins TcdA and TcdB are responsible for diarrhea and colitis. Lack of functional studies in organoid models of the gut prompted us to elucidate the toxin's effects on epithelial barrier function and the molecular mechanisms for diarrhea and inflammation. METHODS Human adult colon organoids were cultured on membrane inserts. Tight junction (TJ) proteins and actin cytoskeleton were analyzed for expression via Western blotting and via confocal laser-scanning microscopy for subcellular localization. RESULTS Polarized intestinal organoid monolayers were established from stem cell-containing colon organoids to apply toxins from the apical side and to perform functional measurements in the organoid model. The toxins caused a reduction in transepithelial electrical resistance in human colonic organoid monolayers with sublethal concentrations. Concomitantly, we detected increased paracellular permeability fluorescein and FITC-dextran-4000. Human colonic organoid monolayers exposed to the toxins exhibited redistribution of barrier-forming TJ proteins claudin-1, -4 and tricellulin, whereas channel-forming claudin-2 expression was increased. Perijunctional F-actin cytoskeleton organization was affected. CONCLUSIONS Adult stem cell-derived human colonic organoid monolayers were applicable as a colon infection model for electrophysiological measurements. The TJ changes noted can explain the epithelial barrier dysfunction and diarrhea in patients, as well as increased entry of luminal antigens triggering inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Schneemann
- Clinical Physiology, Nutritional Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lucas Heils
- Clinical Physiology, Nutritional Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Verena Moos
- Department of Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Franziska Weiß
- Clinical Physiology, Nutritional Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Susanne M. Krug
- Clinical Physiology, Nutritional Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - January Weiner
- Core Unit Bioinformatics (CUBI), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dieter Beule
- Core Unit Bioinformatics (CUBI), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ralf Gerhard
- Institute of Toxicology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Jörg-Dieter Schulzke
- Clinical Physiology, Nutritional Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Roland Bücker
- Clinical Physiology, Nutritional Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
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8
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Rubio-Mendoza D, Martínez-Meléndez A, Maldonado-Garza HJ, Córdova-Fletes C, Garza-González E. Review of the Impact of Biofilm Formation on Recurrent Clostridioides difficile Infection. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2525. [PMID: 37894183 PMCID: PMC10609348 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11102525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) may recur in approximately 10-30% of patients, and the risk of recurrence increases with each successive recurrence, reaching up to 65%. C. difficile can form biofilm with approximately 20% of the bacterial genome expressed differently between biofilm and planktonic cells. Biofilm plays several roles that may favor recurrence; for example, it may act as a reservoir of spores, protect the vegetative cells from the activity of antibiotics, and favor the formation of persistent cells. Moreover, the expression of several virulence genes, including TcdA and TcdB toxins, has been associated with recurrence. Several systems and structures associated with adhesion and biofilm formation have been studied in C. difficile, including cell-wall proteins, quorum sensing (including LuxS and Agr), Cyclic di-GMP, type IV pili, and flagella. Most antibiotics recommended for the treatment of CDI do not have activity on spores and do not eliminate biofilm. Therapeutic failure in R-CDI has been associated with the inadequate concentration of drugs in the intestinal tract and the antibiotic resistance of a biofilm. This makes it challenging to eradicate C. difficile in the intestine, complicating antibacterial therapies and allowing non-eliminated spores to remain in the biofilm, increasing the risk of recurrence. In this review, we examine the role of biofilm on recurrence and the challenges of treating CDI when the bacteria form a biofilm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daira Rubio-Mendoza
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Mexico; (D.R.-M.); (H.J.M.-G.); (C.C.-F.)
| | - Adrián Martínez-Meléndez
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza 66455, Mexico;
| | - Héctor Jesús Maldonado-Garza
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Mexico; (D.R.-M.); (H.J.M.-G.); (C.C.-F.)
| | - Carlos Córdova-Fletes
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Mexico; (D.R.-M.); (H.J.M.-G.); (C.C.-F.)
| | - Elvira Garza-González
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Mexico; (D.R.-M.); (H.J.M.-G.); (C.C.-F.)
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9
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Yang Z, Qin J, Zhao L, Chen T, Huang Q, Jian Y, Zhao Q, Yang S, Li Q, Liu Q, Otto M, Li M. Host Sorbitol and Bacterial Sorbitol Utilization Promote Clostridioides difficile Infection in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Gastroenterology 2023; 164:1189-1201.e13. [PMID: 36898551 PMCID: PMC10200761 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2023.02.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a widespread gastrointestinal inflammatory disorder with globally increasing incidence. Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) often occurs in patients with intestinal dysbiosis, such as after antibiotic therapy. Patients with IBD have increased incidence of CDI and the clinical outcome of IBD is reportedly worsened by CDI. However, the underlying reasons remain poorly understood. METHODS We performed a retrospective single-center and a prospective multicenter analysis of CDI in patients with IBD, including genetic typing of C difficile isolates. Furthermore, we performed a CDI mouse model to analyze the role of the sorbitol metabolization locus that we found distinguished the main IBD- and non-IBD-associated sequence types (STs). Moreover, we analyzed sorbitol concentration in the feces of patients with IBD and healthy individuals. RESULTS We detected a significant association of specific lineages with IBD, particularly increased abundance of ST54. We found that in contrast to the otherwise clinically predominant ST81, ST54 harbors a sorbitol metabolization locus and was able to metabolize sorbitol in vitro and in vivo. Notably, in the mouse model, ST54 pathogenesis was dependent on intestinal inflammation-induced conditions and the presence of sorbitol. Furthermore, we detected significantly increased sorbitol concentrations in the feces of patients with active IBD vs patients in remission or healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS Sorbitol and sorbitol utilization in the infecting C difficile strain play major roles for the pathogenesis and epidemiology of CDI in patients with IBD. CDI in patients with IBD may thus be avoided or improved by elimination of dietary sorbitol or suppression of host-derived sorbitol production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyu Yang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Juanxiu Qin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lina Zhao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianchi Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qian Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Jian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qi Zhao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Qingdao University Medicine College Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai, China
| | - Sheng Yang
- Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China; Huzhou Center of Industrial Biotechnology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huzhou, China
| | - Qi Li
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Michael Otto
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
| | - Min Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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10
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Markovska R, Dimitrov G, Gergova R, Boyanova L. Clostridioides difficile, a New “Superbug”. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11040845. [PMID: 37110267 PMCID: PMC10140992 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11040845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacterium. The clinical features of C. difficile infections (CDIs) can vary, ranging from the asymptomatic carriage and mild self-limiting diarrhoea to severe and sometimes fatal pseudomembranous colitis. C. difficile infections (CDIs) are associated with disruption of the gut microbiota caused by antimicrobial agents. The infections are predominantly hospital-acquired, but in the last decades, the CDI patterns have changed. Their prevalence increased, and the proportion of community-acquired CDIs has also increased. This can be associated with the appearance of hypervirulent epidemic isolates of ribotype 027. The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated antibiotic overuse could additionally change the patterns of infections. Treatment of CDIs is a challenge, with only three appropriate antibiotics for use. The wide distribution of C. difficile spores in hospital environments, chronic persistence in some individuals, especially children, and the recent detection of C. difficile in domestic pets can furthermore worsen the situation. “Superbugs” are microorganisms that are both highly virulent and resistant to antibiotics. The aim of this review article is to characterise C. difficile as a new member of the “superbug” family. Due to its worldwide spread, the lack of many treatment options and the high rates of both recurrence and mortality, C. difficile has emerged as a major concern for the healthcare system.
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11
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Chen P, Jin R. Receptor binding mechanisms of Clostridioides difficile toxin B and implications for therapeutics development. FEBS J 2023; 290:962-969. [PMID: 34862749 PMCID: PMC9344982 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is classified as an urgent antibiotic resistance threat by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). C. difficile infection (CDI) is mainly caused by the C. difficile exotoxin TcdB, which invades host cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis. However, many natural variants of TcdB have been identified including some from the hypervirulent strains, which pose significant challenges for developing effective CDI therapies. Here, we review the recent research progress on the molecular mechanisms by which TcdB recognizes Frizzed proteins (FZDs) and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) as two major host receptors. We suggest that the receptor-binding sites and several previously identified neutralizing epitopes on TcdB are ideal targets for the development of broad-spectrum inhibitors to protect against diverse TcdB variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Chen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, 92697, USA
| | - Rongsheng Jin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, 92697, USA
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12
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Crivaro AN, Carasi P, Salto I, Hugo A, Soldavini Pelichotti PC, Bengoa A, Fragomeno M, Serradell MA, Minnaard J, Rolny I, Alul E, Arregui L, Fabra Martinez ME, Moreno Valero OJ, Facente A, Magariños F, Jewtuchowicz V, Pérez PF, Trejo FM. Clostridioides difficile: Characterization of the circulating toxinotypes in an Argentinean public hospital. Rev Argent Microbiol 2023; 55:73-82. [PMID: 35840437 DOI: 10.1016/j.ram.2022.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is a spore-forming anaerobe microorganism associated to nosocomial diarrhea. Its virulence is mainly associated with TcdA and TcdB toxins, encoded by their respective tcdA and tcdB genes. These genes are part of the pathogenicity locus (PaLoc). Our aim was to characterize relevant C. difficile toxinotypes circulating in the hospital setting. The tcdA and tcdB genes were amplified and digested with different restriction enzymes: EcoRI for tcdA; HincII and AccI for tcdB. In addition, the presence of the cdtB (binary toxin) gene, TcdA and TcdB toxins by dot blot and the cytotoxic effect of culture supernatants on Vero cells, were evaluated. Altogether, these studies revealed three different circulating toxinotypes according to Rupnik's classification: 0, I and VIII, being the latter the most prevalent one. Even though more studies are certainly necessary (e.g. sequencing analysis), it is worth noting that the occurrence of toxinotype I could be related to the introduction of bacteria from different geographical origins. The multivariate analysis conducted on the laboratory values of individuals infected with the most prevalent toxinotype (VIII) showed that the isolates associated with fatal outcomes (GCD13, GCD14 and GCD22) are located in regions of the biplots related to altered laboratory values at admission. In other patients, although laboratory values at admission were not correlated, levels of urea, creatinine and white blood cells were positively correlated after the infection was diagnosed. Our study reveals the circulation of different toxinotypes of C. difficile strains in this public hospital. The variety of toxinotypes can arise from pre-existing microorganisms as well as through the introduction of bacteria from other geographical regions. The existence of microorganisms with different pathogenic potential is relevant for the control, follow-up, and treatment of the infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea N Crivaro
- Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 47 y 115, B1900AJI La Plata, Argentina; IIFP, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Paula Carasi
- IIFP, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Ileana Salto
- Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 47 y 115, B1900AJI La Plata, Argentina; IBBM (Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular), CCT-CONICET-La Plata, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calles 47 y 115 (1900), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Ayelen Hugo
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos, CCT La Plata, CONICET-UNLP-CIC PBA, 47 y 116 (s/n), La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - P Cecilia Soldavini Pelichotti
- Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 47 y 115, B1900AJI La Plata, Argentina; Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos, CCT La Plata, CONICET-UNLP-CIC PBA, 47 y 116 (s/n), La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Agustina Bengoa
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos, CCT La Plata, CONICET-UNLP-CIC PBA, 47 y 116 (s/n), La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Melisa Fragomeno
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos, CCT La Plata, CONICET-UNLP-CIC PBA, 47 y 116 (s/n), La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - María A Serradell
- Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 47 y 115, B1900AJI La Plata, Argentina
| | - Jessica Minnaard
- Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 47 y 115, B1900AJI La Plata, Argentina; Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos, CCT La Plata, CONICET-UNLP-CIC PBA, 47 y 116 (s/n), La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Ivanna Rolny
- Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 47 y 115, B1900AJI La Plata, Argentina; IIFP, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Alul
- Luisa G de Gandulfo Hospital, Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Leandro Arregui
- Luisa G de Gandulfo Hospital, Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | | | - Andrea Facente
- Luisa G de Gandulfo Hospital, Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | | | - Pablo F Pérez
- Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 47 y 115, B1900AJI La Plata, Argentina; Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos, CCT La Plata, CONICET-UNLP-CIC PBA, 47 y 116 (s/n), La Plata 1900, Argentina.
| | - Fernando M Trejo
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos, CCT La Plata, CONICET-UNLP-CIC PBA, 47 y 116 (s/n), La Plata 1900, Argentina
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13
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Drewes JL, Chen J, Markham NO, Knippel RJ, Domingue JC, Tam AJ, Chan JL, Kim L, McMann M, Stevens C, Dejea CM, Tomkovich S, Michel J, White JR, Mohammad F, Campodónico VL, Heiser CN, Wu X, Wu S, Ding H, Simner P, Carroll K, Shrubsole MJ, Anders RA, Walk ST, Jobin C, Wan F, Coffey RJ, Housseau F, Lau KS, Sears CL. Human Colon Cancer-Derived Clostridioides difficile Strains Drive Colonic Tumorigenesis in Mice. Cancer Discov 2022; 12:1873-1885. [PMID: 35678528 PMCID: PMC9357196 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-21-1273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Defining the complex role of the microbiome in colorectal cancer and the discovery of novel, protumorigenic microbes are areas of active investigation. In the present study, culturing and reassociation experiments revealed that toxigenic strains of Clostridioides difficile drove the tumorigenic phenotype of a subset of colorectal cancer patient-derived mucosal slurries in germ-free ApcMin/+ mice. Tumorigenesis was dependent on the C. difficile toxin TcdB and was associated with induction of Wnt signaling, reactive oxygen species, and protumorigenic mucosal immune responses marked by the infiltration of activated myeloid cells and IL17-producing lymphoid and innate lymphoid cell subsets. These findings suggest that chronic colonization with toxigenic C. difficile is a potential driver of colorectal cancer in patients. SIGNIFICANCE Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer and cancer-related deaths worldwide, with a multifactorial etiology that likely includes procarcinogenic bacteria. Using human colon cancer specimens, culturing, and murine models, we demonstrate that chronic infection with the enteric pathogen C. difficile is a previously unrecognized contributor to colonic tumorigenesis. See related commentary by Jain and Dudeja, p. 1838. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1825.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia L. Drewes
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jie Chen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Nicholas O. Markham
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Reece J. Knippel
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jada C. Domingue
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ada J. Tam
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - June L. Chan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Lana Kim
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Madison McMann
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Courtney Stevens
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Christine M. Dejea
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Sarah Tomkovich
- Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - John Michel
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Fuad Mohammad
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Victoria L. Campodónico
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Cody N. Heiser
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and Program in Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Xinqun Wu
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Shaoguang Wu
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Hua Ding
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Patricia Simner
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Karen Carroll
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Martha J. Shrubsole
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Robert A. Anders
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Seth T. Walk
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
| | - Christian Jobin
- Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Fengyi Wan
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Robert J. Coffey
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Franck Housseau
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ken S. Lau
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and Program in Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Cynthia L. Sears
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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14
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Adamson H, Ajayi MO, Gilroy KE, McPherson MJ, Tomlinson DC, Jeuken LJC. Rapid Quantification of C. difficile Glutamate Dehydrogenase and Toxin B (TcdB) with a NanoBiT Split-Luciferase Assay. Anal Chem 2022; 94:8156-8163. [PMID: 35634999 PMCID: PMC9201815 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c05206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
C. difficile infection (CDI) is a leading healthcare-associated
infection with a high morbidity and mortality and is a financial burden.
No current standalone point-of-care test (POCT) is sufficient for
the identification of true CDI over a disease-free carriage of C. difficile, so one is urgently required to ensure timely,
appropriate treatment. Here, two types of binding proteins, Affimers
and nanobodies, targeting two C. difficile biomarkers,
glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and toxin B (TcdB), are combined in
NanoBiT (NanoLuc Binary Technology) split-luciferase assays. The assays
were optimized and their performance controlling parameters were examined.
The 44 fM limit of detection (LoD), 4–5 log range and 1300-fold
signal gain of the TcdB assay in buffer is the best observed for a
NanoBiT assay to date. In the stool sample matrix, the GDH and TcdB
assay sensitivity (LoD = 4.5 and 2 pM, respectively) and time to result
(32 min) are similar to a current, commercial lateral flow POCT, but
the NanoBit assay has no wash steps, detects clinically relevant TcdB
over TcdA, and is quantitative. Development of the assay into a POCT
may drive sensitivity further and offer an urgently needed ultrasensitive
TcdB test for the rapid diagnosis of true CDI. The NanoBiTBiP (NanoBiT
with Binding Proteins) system offers advantages over NanoBiT assays
with antibodies as binding elements in terms of ease of production
and assay performance. We expect this methodology and approach to
be generally applicable to other biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hope Adamson
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Modupe O. Ajayi
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Kate E. Gilroy
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J. McPherson
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Darren C. Tomlinson
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Lars J. C. Jeuken
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, PC Box 9502, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
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15
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Fiber Composition in Sows' Diets Modifies Clostridioides difficile Colonization in Their Offspring. Curr Microbiol 2022; 79:154. [PMID: 35397071 PMCID: PMC8994737 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-022-02848-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Dietary fiber has a potential to modulate the gut microbiota in sows. We hypothesized that a maternal diet rich in either high- or low-fermentable fiber during gestation and lactation influences Clostridioides difficile gut colonization in suckling piglets. Twenty sows were fed gestation and lactation diets enriched with either high-fermentable sugar beet pulp (SBP) or low-fermentable lignocellulose (LNC) fibers. C. difficile, toxin B (TcdB), fecal score, microbial abundance (16S-rDNA sequencing) and metabolites were measured in the feces from the sows and their piglets. C. difficile concentration was higher in piglets from the sows fed LNC than SBP along the study (P ≤ 0.05). Higher prevalence of C. difficile was noted in three-week-old piglets from sows fed LNC vs. SBP (45% vs. 0%, P = 0.001). TcdB prevalence was higher in six-day-old piglets from the sows fed LNC vs. SBP (60% vs. 17%, P = 0.009). In sows, fecal microbial metabolites were higher in SBP than LNC, while C. difficile concentration showed no difference. Higher microbial diversity Shannon index was noted in sows from SBP vs. LNC one week before parturition and at the parturition (P ≤ 0.05). Piglets from SBP vs. LNC tended to have higher microbial diversity Shannon index at two and three weeks of age. Diets enriched with high-fermentable fiber compared to low-fermentable fiber in sows reduced C. difficile colonization in their piglets. Susceptibility to colonization by C. difficile in neonatal piglets can be modulated by the sows' diet, supporting the hypothesis of the early microbial programming in the offspring and the importance of the sow-piglet couple.
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16
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Aminzadeh A, Larsen CE, Boesen T, Jørgensen R. High-resolution structure of native toxin A from Clostridioides difficile. EMBO Rep 2022; 23:e53597. [PMID: 34817920 PMCID: PMC8728606 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202153597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile infections have emerged as the leading cause of healthcare-associated infectious diarrhea. Disease symptoms are mainly caused by the virulence factors, TcdA and TcdB, which are large homologous multidomain proteins. Here, we report a 2.8 Å resolution cryo-EM structure of native TcdA, unveiling its conformation at neutral pH. The structure uncovers the dynamic movement of the CROPs domain which is induced in response to environmental acidification. Furthermore, the structure reveals detailed information about the interaction area between the CROPs domain and the tip of the delivery and receptor-binding domain, which likely serves to shield the C-terminal part of the hydrophobic pore-forming region from solvent exposure. Similarly, extensive interactions between the globular subdomain and the N-terminal part of the pore-forming region suggest that the globular subdomain shields the upper part of the pore-forming region from exposure to the surrounding solvent. Hence, the TcdA structure provides insights into the mechanism of preventing premature unfolding of the pore-forming region at neutral pH, as well as the pH-induced inter-domain dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aria Aminzadeh
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and FungiStatens Serum InstitutCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Christian Engelbrecht Larsen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO)Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Department of Molecular Biology and GeneticsAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Thomas Boesen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO)Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Department of Molecular Biology and GeneticsAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - René Jørgensen
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and FungiStatens Serum InstitutCopenhagenDenmark
- Department of Science and EnvironmentUniversity of RoskildeRoskildeDenmark
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17
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Liu Z, Zhang S, Chen P, Tian S, Zeng J, Perry K, Dong M, Jin R. Structural basis for selective modification of Rho and Ras GTPases by Clostridioides difficile toxin B. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabi4582. [PMID: 34678063 PMCID: PMC8535798 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi4582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Toxin B (TcdB) is a primary cause of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). This toxin acts by glucosylating small GTPases in the Rho/Ras families, but the structural basis for TcdB recognition and selectivity of specific GTPase substrates remain unsolved. Here, we report the cocrystal structures of the glucosyltransferase domain (GTD) of two distinct TcdB variants in complex with human Cdc42 and R-Ras, respectively. These structures reveal a common structural mechanism by which TcdB recognizes Rho and R-Ras. Furthermore, we find selective clustering of adaptive residue changes in GTDs that determine their substrate preferences, which helps partition all known TcdB variants into two groups that display distinct specificities toward Rho or R-Ras. Mutations that selectively disrupt GTPases binding reduce the glucosyltransferase activity of the GTD and the toxicity of TcdB holotoxin. These findings establish the structural basis for TcdB recognition of small GTPases and reveal strategies for therapeutic interventions for CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Liu
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Sicai Zhang
- Department of Urology, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Departments of Microbiology and Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Peng Chen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Songhai Tian
- Department of Urology, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Departments of Microbiology and Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ji Zeng
- Department of Urology, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Departments of Microbiology and Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kay Perry
- NE-CAT and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | - Min Dong
- Department of Urology, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Departments of Microbiology and Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rongsheng Jin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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18
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Hassanain WA, Spoors J, Johnson CL, Faulds K, Keegan N, Graham D. Rapid ultra-sensitive diagnosis of clostridium difficile infection using a SERS-based lateral flow assay. Analyst 2021; 146:4495-4505. [PMID: 34184680 DOI: 10.1039/d1an00726b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection is one of the most contagious diseases associated with high morbidity and mortality rates in hospitalised patients. Accurate diagnosis can slow its spread by determining the most effective treatment. Herein, we report a novel testing platform as a proof-of-concept for the selective, sensitive, rapid and cost-effective diagnosis of C. diff infection (CDI) based on a duplex measurement. This was achieved by detecting two specific biomarkers, surface layer protein A (SlpA) and toxin B (ToxB), using a surface enhanced Raman scattering-based lateral flow assay (SERS-based LFA). The simultaneous duplex detection of SlpA with ToxB has not been described for the clinical diagnosis of CDI previously. The SlpA biomarker "AKDGSTKEDQLVDALA" was first reported by our group in 2018 as a species-specific identification tool. The second biomarker, ToxB, is the essential virulence biomarker of C. diff pathogenic strains and is required to confirm true infection pathogenicity. The proposed SERS-based LFA platform enabled rapid duplex detection of SlpA and ToxB on separate test lines using a duplex LF test strip within 20 minutes. The use of a handheld Raman spectrometer to scan test lines allowed for the highly sensitive quantitative detection of both biomarkers with a lowest observable concentration of 0.01 pg μL-1. The use of a handheld device in this SERS-based LFA instead of benchtop machine paves the way for rapid, selective, sensitive and cheap clinical evaluation of CDI at the point of care (POC) with minimal sample backlog.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waleed A Hassanain
- Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1RD, UK.
| | - Julia Spoors
- Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technologies, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
| | - Christopher L Johnson
- Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technologies, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
| | - Karen Faulds
- Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1RD, UK.
| | - Neil Keegan
- Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technologies, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
| | - Duncan Graham
- Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1RD, UK.
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19
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Chen P, Zeng J, Liu Z, Thaker H, Wang S, Tian S, Zhang J, Tao L, Gutierrez CB, Xing L, Gerhard R, Huang L, Dong M, Jin R. Structural basis for CSPG4 as a receptor for TcdB and a therapeutic target in Clostridioides difficile infection. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3748. [PMID: 34145250 PMCID: PMC8213806 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23878-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
C. difficile is a major cause of antibiotic-associated gastrointestinal infections. Two C. difficile exotoxins (TcdA and TcdB) are major virulence factors associated with these infections, and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) is a potential receptor for TcdB, but its pathophysiological relevance and the molecular details that govern recognition remain unknown. Here, we determine the cryo-EM structure of a TcdB–CSPG4 complex, revealing a unique binding site spatially composed of multiple discontinuous regions across TcdB. Mutations that selectively disrupt CSPG4 binding reduce TcdB toxicity in mice, while CSPG4-knockout mice show reduced damage to colonic tissues during C. difficile infections. We further show that bezlotoxumab, the only FDA approved anti-TcdB antibody, blocks CSPG4 binding via an allosteric mechanism, but it displays low neutralizing potency on many TcdB variants from epidemic hypervirulent strains due to sequence variations in its epitopes. In contrast, a CSPG4-mimicking decoy neutralizes major TcdB variants, suggesting a strategy to develop broad-spectrum therapeutics against TcdB. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) is a potential receptor for C. difficile toxin B (TcdB) during C. difficile infections (CDIs). Here, the cryo-EM structure of a TcdB–CSPG4 complex and CDI mouse models offer insights into CSPG4 role in CDIs and suggest a therapeutic strategy targeting TcdB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Chen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Ji Zeng
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zheng Liu
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Hatim Thaker
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Siyu Wang
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Gastrointestinal, Colorectal and Anal Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Songhai Tian
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liang Tao
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Craig B Gutierrez
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Li Xing
- UC Irvine Materials Research Institute (IMRI), University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Ralf Gerhard
- Institute of Toxicology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Lan Huang
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Min Dong
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. .,Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. .,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Rongsheng Jin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
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20
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Wongkuna S, Janvilisri T, Phanchana M, Harnvoravongchai P, Aroonnual A, Aimjongjun S, Malaisri N, Chankhamhaengdecha S. Temporal Variations in Patterns of Clostridioides difficile Strain Diversity and Antibiotic Resistance in Thailand. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10060714. [PMID: 34199301 PMCID: PMC8231780 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10060714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile has been recognized as a life-threatening pathogen that causes enteric diseases, including antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. The severity of C. difficile infection (CDI) correlates with toxin production and antibiotic resistance of C. difficile. In Thailand, the data addressing ribotypes, toxigenic, and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of this pathogen are scarce and some of these data sets are limited. In this study, two groups of C. difficile isolates in Thailand, including 50 isolates collected from 2006 to 2009 (THA group) and 26 isolates collected from 2010 to 2012 (THB group), were compared for toxin genes and ribotyping profiles. The production of toxins A and B were determined on the basis of toxin gene profiles. In addition, minimum inhibitory concentration of eight antibiotics were examined for all 76 C. difficile isolates. The isolates of the THA group were categorized into 27 A−B+CDT− (54%) and 23 A-B-CDT- (46%), while the THB isolates were classified into five toxigenic profiles, including six A+B+CDT+ (23%), two A+B+CDT− (8%), five A−B+CDT+ (19%), seven A−B+CDT− (27%), and six A−B−CDT− (23%). By visually comparing them to the references, only five ribotypes were identified among THA isolates, while 15 ribotypes were identified within THB isolates. Ribotype 017 was the most common in both groups. Interestingly, 18 unknown ribotyping patterns were identified. Among eight tcdA-positive isolates, three isolates showed significantly greater levels of toxin A than the reference strain. The levels of toxin B in 3 of 47 tcdB-positive isolates were significantly higher than that of the reference strain. Based on the antimicrobial susceptibility test, metronidazole showed potent efficiency against most isolates in both groups. However, high MIC values of cefoxitin (MICs 256 μg/mL) and chloramphenicol (MICs ≥ 64 μg/mL) were observed with most of the isolates. The other five antibiotics exhibited diverse MIC values among two groups of isolates. This work provides evidence of temporal changes in both C. difficile strains and patterns of antimicrobial resistance in Thailand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supapit Wongkuna
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand; (S.W.); (T.J.)
| | - Tavan Janvilisri
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand; (S.W.); (T.J.)
| | - Matthew Phanchana
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand;
| | - Phurt Harnvoravongchai
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand; (P.H.); (N.M.)
| | - Amornrat Aroonnual
- Department of Tropical Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand;
| | - Sathid Aimjongjun
- Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand;
| | - Natamon Malaisri
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand; (P.H.); (N.M.)
| | - Surang Chankhamhaengdecha
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand; (P.H.); (N.M.)
- Correspondence:
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21
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Hutton ML, Pehlivanoglu H, Vidor CJ, James ML, Thomson MJ, Lyras D. Repurposing auranofin as a Clostridioides difficile therapeutic. J Antimicrob Chemother 2021; 75:409-417. [PMID: 31642901 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkz430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clostridioides difficile (previously Clostridium difficile) is the leading cause of nosocomial, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea worldwide. Currently, the gold standard of treatment for C. difficile infection (CDI) is vancomycin or metronidazole, although these antibiotics also perturb the protective resident microbiota, often resulting in disease relapse. Thus, an urgent need remains for the development of new treatment strategies. Auranofin is an FDA-approved oral antirheumatic drug that was previously shown to inhibit C. difficile vegetative cell growth, toxin production and spore production in vitro. OBJECTIVES To determine the efficacy of auranofin as a CDI therapeutic by examining the effect of treatment on toxin and spore production in vitro and in vivo, and on disease outcomes in mice. METHODS C. difficile cultures were treated with auranofin and examined for effects on sporulation and toxin production by sporulation assay and ELISA, respectively. Mice were pretreated with auranofin prior to infection with C. difficile and monitored for physiological conditions, survival and gut damage compared with control animals. Faeces from mice were analysed to determine whether auranofin reduces sporulation and toxin production in vivo. RESULTS Auranofin significantly reduces sporulation and toxin production under in vitro conditions and in infected mice in vivo. Mice treated with auranofin lost less weight, displayed a significant increase in survival rates and had significantly less toxin-mediated damage in their colon and caecum compared with control mice. CONCLUSIONS Auranofin shows promise as a prospective therapeutic option for C. difficile infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie L Hutton
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Havva Pehlivanoglu
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Callum J Vidor
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Meagan L James
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Melanie J Thomson
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, 3216, Australia
| | - Dena Lyras
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
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22
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Abstract
Large clostridial toxins (LCTs) are a family of bacterial exotoxins that infiltrate and destroy target cells. Members of the LCT family include Clostridioides difficile toxins TcdA and TcdB, Paeniclostridium sordellii toxins TcsL and TcsH, Clostridium novyi toxin TcnA, and Clostridium perfringens toxin TpeL. Since the 19th century, LCT-secreting bacteria have been isolated from the blood, organs, and wounds of diseased individuals, and LCTs have been implicated as the primary virulence factors in a variety of infections, including C. difficile infection and some cases of wound-associated gas gangrene. Clostridia express and secrete LCTs in response to various physiological signals. LCTs invade host cells by binding specific cell surface receptors, ultimately leading to internalization into acidified vesicles. Acidic pH promotes conformational changes within LCTs, which culminates in translocation of the N-terminal glycosyltransferase and cysteine protease domain across the endosomal membrane and into the cytosol, leading first to cytopathic effects and later to cytotoxic effects. The focus of this review is on the role of LCTs in infection and disease, the mechanism of LCT intoxication, with emphasis on recent structural work and toxin subtyping analysis, and the genomic discovery and characterization of LCT homologues. We provide a comprehensive review of these topics and offer our perspective on emerging questions and future research directions for this enigmatic family of toxins.
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23
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Molecular Detection of Toxigenic Clostridioides difficile among Diarrheic Dogs and Cats: A Mounting Public Health Concern. Vet Sci 2021; 8:vetsci8060088. [PMID: 34067253 PMCID: PMC8224758 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci8060088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Nowadays, pet animals are known to be asymptomatic carriers of Clostridioidesdifficile. This study was conducted to investigate the burden of toxigenic C. difficile among diarrheic dogs and cats using direct PCR on fecal samples to reveal better insights about the epidemiology of such toxigenic strains referring to its public health significance. For this purpose, fecal samples were obtained from 58 dogs and 42 cats experiencing diarrhea. Following DNA extraction, the extracted DNA was examined for the occurrence of C. difficile as well as toxigenic strains through the detection of C. difficile 16S rRNA and toxin encoding genes (tcdA, tcdB, cdtA and cdtB) using PCR. Moreover, partial DNA sequencing of toxigenic strains retrieved from dog and cat was carried out. Of 100 examined diarrheic animals, 90 (90%) were C. difficile positive, including 93.1% and 85.7% of dogs and cats, respectively. In addition, toxigenic strains were detected in 13 animals, giving an overall prevalence 13% with the following prevalence rates among dogs and cats 12.1% and 14.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis of the obtained sequence revealed high genetic relatedness of tcdA sequence obtained from a cat to strains of human diarrheic cases to point out the public health threat of such sequence. In conclusion, the direct detection of toxigenic C. difficile using PCR among dogs and cats highlights the potential role of household pets as a source for such strains to human contacts.
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24
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Pan Z, Zhang Y, Luo J, Li D, Zhou Y, He L, Yang Q, Dong M, Tao L. Functional analyses of epidemic Clostridioides difficile toxin B variants reveal their divergence in utilizing receptors and inducing pathology. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009197. [PMID: 33507919 PMCID: PMC7842947 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile toxin B (TcdB) is a key virulence factor that causes C. difficile associated diseases (CDAD) including diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. TcdB can be divided into multiple subtypes/variants based on their sequence variations, of which four (TcdB1-4) are dominant types found in major epidemic isolates. Here, we find that these variants are highly diverse in their receptor preference: TcdB1 uses two known receptors CSPG4 and Frizzled (FZD) proteins, TcdB2 selectively uses CSPG4, TcdB3 prefers to use FZDs, whereas TcdB4 uses neither CSPG4 nor FZDs. By creating chimeric toxins and systematically switching residues between TcdB1 and TcdB3, we determine that regions in the N-terminal cysteine protease domain (CPD) are involved in CSPG4-recognition. We further evaluate the pathological effects induced by TcdB1-4 with a mouse intrarectal installation model. TcdB1 leads to the most severe overall symptoms, followed by TcdB2 and TcdB3. When comparing the TcdB2 and TcdB3, TcdB2 causes stronger oedema while TcdB3 induces severer inflammatory cell infiltration. These findings together demonstrate divergence in the receptor preference and further lead to colonic pathology for predominant TcdB subtypes. Clostridioides difficile is a major cause of nosocomial and community-associated gastrointestinal infections. The bacterium produces three exotoxins including TcdA, TcdB, and CDT, of which TcdB is known as a key virulence factor causing the diseases. Since C. difficile was first linked to antibiotic-associated infections in 1978, a large number of clinically relevant strains were characterized and many of them were found to harbor some variant forms of TcdB. In this study, we examined four predominant TcdB variants from epidemic C. difficile strains. We found that these variants are highly diverse in preference to the known receptors, CSPG4 and Frizzled proteins. By conducting a systematically designed mutagenesis study, we determined that TcdB interacts with CSPG4 via regions across multiple domains. We also found that TcdB variants could induce distinguishable pathological phenotypes in a mouse model, suggesting C. difficile strains harboring divergent TcdB variants might exhibit different disease progression. Our study provides new insights into the toxicology and pathology of C. difficile toxin variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenrui Pan
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianhua Luo
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Danyang Li
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yao Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Liuqing He
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Min Dong
- Department of Urology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massechusetts, United States of America
- Department of Surgery and Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massechusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (MD); (LT)
| | - Liang Tao
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
- * E-mail: (MD); (LT)
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25
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Lin Q, Pollock NR, Banz A, Lantz A, Xu H, Gu L, Gerding DN, Garey KW, Gonzales-Luna AJ, Zhao M, Song L, Duffy DC, Kelly CP, Chen X. Toxin A-Predominant Pathogenic Clostridioides difficile: A Novel Clinical Phenotype. Clin Infect Dis 2021; 70:2628-2633. [PMID: 31400280 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most Clostridioides difficile toxinogenic strains produce both toxins A and B (A+B+), but toxin A-negative, toxin B-positive (A-B+) variants also cause disease. We report the identification of a series of pathogenic clinical C. difficile isolates that produce high amounts of toxin A with low or nondetectable toxin B. METHODS An ultrasensitive, quantitative immunoassay was used to measure toxins A and B in stool samples from 187 C. difficile infection (CDI) patients and 44 carriers. Isolates were cultured and assessed for in vitro toxin production and in vivo phenotypes (mouse CDI model). RESULTS There were 7 CDI patients and 6 carriers who had stools with detectable toxin A (TcdA, range 23-17 422 pg/mL; 5.6% of samples overall) but toxin B (TcdB) below the clinical detection limit (<20 pg/mL; median TcdA:B ratio 17.93). Concentrations of toxin A far exceeded B in in vitro cultures of all 12 recovered isolates (median TcdA:B ratio 26). Of 8 toxin A>>B isolates tested in mice, 4 caused diarrhea, and 3 of those 4 caused lethal disease. Ribotyping demonstrated strain diversity. TcdA-predominant samples were also identified at 2 other centers, with similar frequencies (7.5% and 6.8%). CONCLUSIONS We report the discovery of clinical pathogenic C. difficile strains that produce high levels of toxin A but minimal or no toxin B. This pattern of toxin production is not rare (>5% of isolates) and is consistently observed in vitro and in vivo in humans and mice. Our study highlights the significance of toxin A in human CDI pathogenesis and has important implications for CDI diagnosis, treatment, and vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyun Lin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology, Department of Gastroenterology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Divisions of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts
| | - Nira R Pollock
- Infectious Diseases, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts.,Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Massachusetts
| | | | | | - Hua Xu
- Divisions of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts
| | - Limei Gu
- Divisions of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts
| | - Dale N Gerding
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Edward Hines Jr Veterans Affairs Hospital, Hines, Illinois
| | - Kevin W Garey
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Texas
| | - Anne J Gonzales-Luna
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Texas
| | | | | | | | | | - Xinhua Chen
- Divisions of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts
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26
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Danz HR, Lee S, Chapman-Bonofiglio SP, Ginese M, Beamer G, Girouard DJ, Tzipori S. The Impact of Actotoxumab Treatment of Gnotobiotic Piglets Infected With Different Clostridium difficile Isogenic Mutants. J Infect Dis 2020; 221:276-284. [PMID: 31495879 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiz459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Nosocomial infections with Clostridium difficile are on the rise in the Unites States, attributed to emergence of antibiotic-resistant and hypervirulent strains associated with greater likelihood of recurrent infections. In addition to antibiotics, treatment with Merck anti-toxin B (TcdB) antibody bezlotoxumab is reported to reduce recurrent infections. However, treatment with anti-toxin A (TcdA) antibody actotoxumab was associated with dramatically increased disease severity and mortality rates in humans and gnotobiotic piglets. Using isogenic mutants of C. difficile strain NAPI/BI/027 deficient in TcdA (A-B+) or TcdB (A+B-), and the wild type, we investigated how and why treatment of infected animals with anti-TcdA dramatically increased disease severity. Contrary to the hypothesis, among piglets treated with anti-TcdA, those with A+B- infection were disease free, in contrast to the disease enhancement seen in those with wild-type or A-B+ infection. It seems that the lack of TcdA, through either deletion or neutralization with anti-TcdA, reduces a competitive pressure, allowing TcdB to freely exert its profound effect, leading to increased mucosal injury and disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hillary R Danz
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sangun Lee
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susan P Chapman-Bonofiglio
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Melanie Ginese
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gillian Beamer
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Donald J Girouard
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Saul Tzipori
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
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27
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Shah HB, Smith K, Scott EJ, Larabee JL, James JA, Ballard JD, Lang ML. Human C. difficile toxin-specific memory B cell repertoires encode poorly neutralizing antibodies. JCI Insight 2020; 5:138137. [PMID: 32663199 PMCID: PMC7455132 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.138137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is a leading cause of nosocomial infection responsible for significant morbidity and mortality with limited options for therapy. Secreted C. difficile toxin B (TcdB) is a major contributor to disease pathology, and select TcdB-specific Abs may protect against disease recurrence. However, the high frequency of recurrence suggests that the memory B cell response, essential for new Ab production following C. difficile reexposure, is insufficient. We therefore isolated TcdB-specific memory B cells from individuals with a history of C. difficile infection and performed single-cell deep sequencing of their Ab genes. Herein, we report that TcdB-specific memory B cell–encoded antibodies showed somatic hypermutation but displayed limited isotype class switch. Memory B cell–encoded mAb generated from the gene sequences revealed low to moderate affinity for TcdB and a limited ability to neutralize TcdB. These findings indicate that memory B cells are an important factor in C. difficile disease recurrence. The C. difficile toxin-specific human memory B cell repertoire encodes low-affinity, non-neutralizing antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemangi B Shah
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC)
| | - Kenneth Smith
- Arthritis and Clinical Immunology, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and
| | - Edgar J Scott
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC)
| | - Jason L Larabee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC)
| | - Judith A James
- Arthritis and Clinical Immunology, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and.,Departments of Medicine and Pathology, OUHSC, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Jimmy D Ballard
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC)
| | - Mark L Lang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC)
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28
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Shen E, Zhu K, Li D, Pan Z, Luo Y, Bian Q, He L, Song X, Zhen Y, Jin D, Tao L. Subtyping analysis reveals new variants and accelerated evolution of Clostridioides difficile toxin B. Commun Biol 2020; 3:347. [PMID: 32620855 PMCID: PMC7335066 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-1078-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile toxins (TcdA and TcdB) are major exotoxins responsible for C. difficile infection (CDI) associated diseases. The previously reported TcdB variants showed distinct biological features, immunoactivities, and potential pathogenicity in disease progression. Here, we performed global comparisons of amino acid sequences of both TcdA and TcdB from 3,269 C. difficile genomes and clustered them according to the evolutionary relatedness. We found that TcdB was much diverse and could be divided into eight subtypes, of which four were first described. Further analysis indicates that the tcdB gene undergoes accelerated evolution to maximize diversity. By tracing TcdB subtypes back to their original isolates, we found that the distribution of TcdB subtypes was not completely aligned with the phylogeny of C. difficile. These findings suggest that the tcdB genes not only frequently mutate, but also continuously transfer and exchange among C. difficile strains. Shen et al. compare the amino acid sequences of bacterial toxins TcdA and TcdB from 3,269 Clostridioides difficile genomes to identify four new TcdB subtypes. They find that TcdB was more diverse in amino acid sequence than TcdA. This study suggests that the tcdB genes not only frequently mutate, but they also continuously transfer and exchange among C. difficile strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enhui Shen
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China.,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China
| | - Kangli Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China.,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China
| | - Danyang Li
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China.,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China
| | - Zhenrui Pan
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China.,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China
| | - Yun Luo
- Department of Microbiology, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310051, China.,School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Qiao Bian
- School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315211, China
| | - Liuqing He
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China.,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China
| | - Xiaojun Song
- Centre of Laboratory Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
| | - Ying Zhen
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China.,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China
| | - Dazhi Jin
- Centre of Laboratory Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China.,School of Laboratory Medicine, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310053, China
| | - Liang Tao
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China. .,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China.
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Muratoglu K, Akkaya E, Hampikyan H, Bingol EB, Cetin O, Colak H. Detection, Characterization and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile in Meat Products. Food Sci Anim Resour 2020; 40:578-587. [PMID: 32734265 PMCID: PMC7372980 DOI: 10.5851/kosfa.2020.e34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile is a Gram (+),
anaerobic, spore forming, rod shaped bacterium that can produce toxin. The
objective of this study is to reveal the presence of C.
difficile in meat products, to analyze the ribotype diversity by
PCR and to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility of isolated strains. The
organism was isolated in 22 out of 319 (6.9%) examined meat product
samples and 9 out of 22 (40.9%) isolates were identified as RT027 and all
isolates had the ability of toxin production. In terms of antibiotic
susceptibility, all isolates were susceptive to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid,
tetracycline and vancomycin and 21 (95.4%) isolates to metronidazole. On
the other hand, imipenem and cefotaxim resistance was observed in all. In
conclusion, the results of this comprehensive study conducted in Turkey deduced
the presence of C. difficile in different meat products.
Therefore, these products can be evaluated as a potential contamination source
of C. difficile from animals to humans especially for elders,
youngsters, long terms wide spectrum antibiotic used and immuno-suppressed
individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karlo Muratoglu
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, 34500, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Esra Akkaya
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, 34500, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Hamparsun Hampikyan
- Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, Beykent University, 34500, Buyukcekmece, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Enver Baris Bingol
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, 34500, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Omer Cetin
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, 34500, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Hilal Colak
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, 34500, Istanbul, Turkey
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30
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Li Z, Lee K, Rajyaguru U, Jones CH, Janezic S, Rupnik M, Anderson AS, Liberator P. Ribotype Classification of Clostridioides difficile Isolates Is Not Predictive of the Amino Acid Sequence Diversity of the Toxin Virulence Factors TcdA and TcdB. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1310. [PMID: 32636819 PMCID: PMC7318873 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile is the most commonly recognized cause of infectious diarrhea in healthcare settings. Currently there is no vaccine to prevent initial or recurrent C. difficile infection (CDI). Two large clostridial toxins, TcdA and TcdB, are the primary virulence factors for CDI. Immunological approaches to prevent CDI include antibody-mediated neutralization of the cytotoxicity of these toxins. An understanding of the sequence diversity of the two toxins expressed by disease causing isolates is critical for the interpretation of the immune response to the toxins. In this study, we determined the whole genome sequence (WGS) of 478 C. difficile isolates collected in 12 countries between 2004 and 2018 to probe toxin variant diversity. A total of 44 unique TcdA variants and 37 unique TcdB variants were identified. The amino acid sequence conservation among the TcdA variants (≥98%) is considerably greater than among the TcdB variants (as low as 86.1%), suggesting that different selection pressures may have contributed to the evolution of the two toxins. Phylogenomic analysis of the WGS data demonstrate that isolates grouped together based on ribotype or MLST code for multiple different toxin variants. These findings illustrate the importance of determining not only the ribotype but also the toxin sequence when evaluating strain coverage using vaccine strategies that target these virulence factors. We recommend that toxin variant type and sequence type (ST), be used together with ribotype data to provide a more comprehensive strain classification scheme for C. difficile surveillance during vaccine development objectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenghui Li
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, NY, United States
| | - Kwok Lee
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, NY, United States
| | - Urvi Rajyaguru
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, NY, United States
| | - C Hal Jones
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, NY, United States
| | - Sandra Janezic
- National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food, Maribor, Slovenia.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Maja Rupnik
- National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food, Maribor, Slovenia.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | | | - Paul Liberator
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, NY, United States
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31
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Boarini-Ferroni L, Cardozo MV, Casagrande MF, Nascimento KA, Almeida HMDS, Mechler-Dreibi ML, de Oliveira LG, Schocken-Iturrino RP. Experimental inoculation and nose-to-nose transmission of Clostridioides difficile between weaned piglets. Vet Microbiol 2020; 247:108754. [PMID: 32768208 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2020.108754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In piglets, Clostridioides (C.) difficile infection presents mostly subclinical manifestation. As this agent became important in veterinary medicine due to a hypothesis of zoonosis, the objective of this study was to evaluate the transmission of C. difficile by nose-to-nose contact in young piglets. Six 20-day-old piglets were separated into three groups (infected, sentinel and control), and distributed in different isolation cabinets which allowed nose-to-nose contact only between infected and sentinel groups. The challenged group received an inoculum 106 CFU/mL of C. difficile 096 by oropharyngeal route. Rectal swab samples were daily collected for microbiological and molecular analysis. Euthanasia of all piglets was performed 18 days after challenge to evaluate anatomical, histological and microbiological lesions of the organs of these animals. The challenged and sentinel groups showed clinical signs of infection and genes encoding TcdB were detected by conventional PCR in both groups, confirming the transmission of the pathogen from the challenged to the sentinel piglets. At necropsy, tonsil, liver, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, ileocolic lymph nodes, jejunum, ileum, proximal colon, distal colon and cecum were collected for microbiological analysis; lesions were observed varying in degree and intensity. This study demonstrated a novel route of transmission of C. difficile between young piglets, which was proven to occur by nose-to-nose contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia Boarini-Ferroni
- Sao Paulo State University, School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, Campus Jaboticabal, Brazil
| | - Marita Vedovelli Cardozo
- Sao Paulo State University, School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, Campus Jaboticabal, Brazil
| | - Mariana Froner Casagrande
- Sao Paulo State University, School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, Campus Jaboticabal, Brazil
| | - Karla Alvarenga Nascimento
- Sao Paulo State University, School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, Campus Jaboticabal, Brazil
| | | | | | - Luís Guilherme de Oliveira
- Sao Paulo State University, School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, Campus Jaboticabal, Brazil.
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32
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Hematyar Y, Pirzadeh T, Moaddab SR, Ahangarzadeh Rezaee M, Memar MY, Samadi Kafil H. Clostridium difficile in patients with nosocomial diarrhea, Northwest of Iran. Health Promot Perspect 2020; 10:148-151. [PMID: 32296628 PMCID: PMC7146039 DOI: 10.34172/hpp.2020.24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Clostridium difficile is known as a prevalent pathogen leading to infections ranging from mild diarrhea to severe disease and death. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of C. difficile from inpatients with nosocomial diarrhea hospitalized in different wards in the northwest region of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 485 diarrheal stool samples were collected from 384 patients referred from different wards of Imam Reza, Sina and Pediatric hospitals, Tabriz and transferred to the laboratory from 25 March 2015 till 1 March 2018. Immuno-chromatographicassay for detection of toxins A and B of C. difficile was used for identification. Results: Clostridium difficile was isolated from 24 (4.7%) out of 485 samples. Fifteen patients(62.5%) were males and 9 were females (37.5%). Twelve positive patients were from the gastrointestinal ward (50%), 5 patients (20.8%) from surgery ward, 3 patients from infectious disease ward (12.5%), 3 patients from rheumatology ward (12.5%) and 1 patient (4.1%) were collected from neurology ward. 95.3% of diarrhea samples had no signs from toxin A and B. Conclusion: These results indicate most of infected patients were from the gastrointestinaland surgery wards which show a different pattern of infection compared to previous studies.The neurology department had the lowest rate of infection. C. difficile is a health threat afterantibiotic consumption and for health promotion, developing strategies for less antibioticconsumption and preventing these emerging infections is critical. The low rate of this infection shows improvement in knowledge and effect of stewardships in physicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yalda Hematyar
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Tahereh Pirzadeh
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Seyyed Reza Moaddab
- Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Paramedicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | | | - Hossein Samadi Kafil
- Drug Applied Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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33
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Clostridioides difficile Infection Induces an Inferior IgG Response to That Induced by Immunization and Is Associated with a Lack of T Follicular Helper Cell and Memory B Cell Expansion. Infect Immun 2020; 88:IAI.00829-19. [PMID: 31871095 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00829-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The intracellularly active bacterial toxin TcdB is a major Clostridioides difficile virulence factor that contributes to inflammation and tissue damage during disease. Immunization with an inactive TcdB fragment prevents C. difficile infection (CDI)-associated pathology. The protective immune response against inactive TcdB involves development of antigen-specific memory B cells and long-lived plasma cells that encode TcdB-neutralizing antibodies. Unlike the response to inactive TcdB, very little is known about the host humoral immune response to C. difficile and TcdB during primary and recurrent infection. Here, we used a murine model of C. difficile disease recurrence to demonstrate that an initial infection induced a serum IgM and mucosal IgA response against the toxin, but a low serum IgG response, which is associated with a lack of protection against disease during reinfection. Infection induced a partial expansion of the T follicular helper cell compartment, essential for B cell memory responses, and, consistent with that, failed to significantly expand the memory B cell compartment. Further, infection failed to stimulate the memory B cell compartment in preimmunized mice, although they were protected against associated disease. These results delineate the key humoral immune events that follow primary and recurrent C. difficile infection and provide a compelling inverse correlation between B cell memory and disease recurrence.
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34
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Okada Y, Yagihara Y, Wakabayashi Y, Igawa G, Saito R, Higurashi Y, Ikeda M, Tatsuno K, Okugawa S, Moriya K. Epidemiology and virulence-associated genes of Clostridioides difficile isolates and factors associated with toxin EIA results at a university hospital in Japan. Access Microbiol 2019; 2:acmi000086. [PMID: 34568752 PMCID: PMC8459100 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Clostridioides difficile is one of the most important nosocomial pathogens; however, reports regarding its clinical and molecular characteristics from Japan are scarce. Aims We studied the multilocus sequence typing (MLST)-based epidemiology and virulence-associated genes of isolates and the clinical backgrounds of patients from whom the isolates had been recovered. Methods A total of 105 stool samples tested in a C. difficile toxin enzyme immune assay (EIA) were analysed at the University of Tokyo Hospital from March 2013 to July 2014. PCR for MLST and the virulence-associated genes tcdA, tcdB, cdtA, cdtB and tcdC was performed on C. difficile isolates meeting our inclusion criteria following retrospective review of medical records. EIA-positive and EIA-negative groups with toxigenic strains underwent clinical and molecular background comparison. Results The toxigenic strains ST17, ST81, ST2, ST54, ST8, ST3, ST37 and ST53 and the non-toxigenic strains ST109, ST15 and ST100 were frequently recovered. The prevalence rate of tcdA-negative ST81 and ST37, endemic in China and Korea, was higher (11.4%) than that reported in North America and Europe, and hypervirulent ST1(RT027) and ST11(RT078) strains that occur in North America and Europe were not recovered. The linkage between the EIA results and cdt A/B positivity, tcdC deletion, or tcdA variation was absent among toxigenic strains. Compared with the 38 EIA-negative cases, the 36 EIA-positive cases showed that the patients in EIA-positive cases were older and more frequently had chronic kidney disease, as well as a history of beta-lactam use and proton pump inhibitor therapy. Conclusion In Japan, the prevalence rates for tcdA-negative strains are high, whereas the cdtA/B-positive strains are rare. EIA positivity is linked to older age, chronic kidney disease and the use of beta-lactams and proton pump inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Okada
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuka Yagihara
- Department of Infection Control and Prevention, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Wakabayashi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Gene Igawa
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryoichi Saito
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshimi Higurashi
- Department of Infection Control and Prevention, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mahoko Ikeda
- Department of Infection Control and Prevention, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keita Tatsuno
- Department of Infection Control and Prevention, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shu Okugawa
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- *Correspondence: Shu Okugawa,
| | - Kyoji Moriya
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Infection Control and Prevention, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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35
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Imwattana K, Knight DR, Kullin B, Collins DA, Putsathit P, Kiratisin P, Riley TV. Clostridium difficile ribotype 017 - characterization, evolution and epidemiology of the dominant strain in Asia. Emerg Microbes Infect 2019; 8:796-807. [PMID: 31138041 PMCID: PMC6542179 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2019.1621670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Clostridium difficile ribotype (RT) 017 is an important toxigenic C. difficile RT which, due to a deletion in the repetitive region of the tcdA gene, only produces functional toxin B. Strains belonging to this RT were initially dismissed as nonpathogenic and circulated largely undetected for almost two decades until they rose to prominence following a series of outbreaks in the early 2000s. Despite lacking a functional toxin A, C. difficile RT 017 strains have been shown subsequently to be capable of causing disease as severe as that caused by strains producing both toxins A and B. While C. difficile RT 017 strains can be found in almost every continent today, epidemiological studies suggest that the RT is endemic in Asia and that the global spread of this MLST clade 4 lineage member is a relatively recent event. C. difficile RT 017 transmission appears to be mostly from human to human with only a handful of reports of isolations from animals. An important feature of C. difficile RT 017 strains is their resistance to several antimicrobials and this has been documented as a possible factor driving multiple outbreaks in different parts of the world. This review summarizes what is currently known regarding the emergence and evolution of strains belonging to C. difficile RT 017 as well as features that have allowed it to become an RT of global importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Korakrit Imwattana
- a School of Biomedical Sciences , The University of Western Australia , Crawley, Australia.,b Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital , Mahidol University , Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Daniel R Knight
- c School of Veterinary and Life Sciences , Murdoch University , Murdoch, Australia
| | - Brian Kullin
- d Department of Molecular and Cell Biology , University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa
| | - Deirdre A Collins
- e School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup, Australia
| | - Papanin Putsathit
- e School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup, Australia
| | - Pattarachai Kiratisin
- b Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital , Mahidol University , Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Thomas V Riley
- a School of Biomedical Sciences , The University of Western Australia , Crawley, Australia.,c School of Veterinary and Life Sciences , Murdoch University , Murdoch, Australia.,e School of Medical and Health Sciences , Edith Cowan University , Joondalup, Australia.,f PathWest Laboratory Medicine , Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre , Nedlands , Australia
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36
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Grześkowiak Ł, Riedmüller J, Vahjen W, Zentek J. Storage procedures and time influence the detectability of Clostridium difficile toxin A but not toxin B in porcine fecal specimens. J Vet Diagn Invest 2019; 32:222-225. [PMID: 31328697 PMCID: PMC7081514 DOI: 10.1177/1040638719864383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Storage procedures are known to affect the detectability of Clostridium difficile toxins in equine and human feces. We assessed the impact of different storage conditions on the detectability of C. difficile toxins in swine feces. Specimens were inoculated with toxins, 112 ng/g of toxin A (TcdA) and 16 ng/g of toxin B (TcdB) and subjected to the following 3 storage treatments: 4°C, −30°C, repetitive freezing at −30°C and thawing. Toxin determination was assessed at 1, 2, 7, 14, and 21 d with ELISA. A decrease in concentrations of TcdA with time was observed for samples stored at 4°C and repetitive freezing–thawing (p ≤0.05). On day 14, storage at 4°C resulted in decreased TcdA concentration as opposed to storage at −30°C and repetitive freezing–thawing (p ≤0.05). On day 21, storage at 4°C resulted in decreased TcdA detectability compared with storage at −30°C (p ≤0.05). The TcdB concentration was unaffected. These results on toxin detectability in swine feces should be carefully considered in in vitro studies on toxigenic C. difficile. Our results also offer valuable information for microbiologists and veterinarians monitoring the presence of virulent C. difficile in pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Grześkowiak
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Wilfried Vahjen
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jürgen Zentek
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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37
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Mileto S, Das A, Lyras D. Enterotoxic Clostridia: Clostridioides difficile Infections. Microbiol Spectr 2019; 7:10.1128/microbiolspec.gpp3-0015-2018. [PMID: 31124432 PMCID: PMC11026080 DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.gpp3-0015-2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, anaerobic, spore forming pathogen of both humans and animals and is the most common identifiable infectious agent of nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Infection can occur following the ingestion and germination of spores, often concurrently with a disruption to the gastrointestinal microbiota, with the resulting disease presenting as a spectrum, ranging from mild and self-limiting diarrhea to severe diarrhea that may progress to life-threating syndromes that include toxic megacolon and pseudomembranous colitis. Disease is induced through the activity of the C. difficile toxins TcdA and TcdB, both of which disrupt the Rho family of GTPases in host cells, causing cell rounding and death and leading to fluid loss and diarrhea. These toxins, despite their functional and structural similarity, do not contribute to disease equally. C. difficile infection (CDI) is made more complex by a high level of strain diversity and the emergence of epidemic strains, including ribotype 027-strains which induce more severe disease in patients. With the changing epidemiology of CDI, our understanding of C. difficile disease, diagnosis, and pathogenesis continues to evolve. This article provides an overview of the current diagnostic tests available for CDI, strain typing, the major toxins C. difficile produces and their mode of action, the host immune response to each toxin and during infection, animal models of disease, and the current treatment and prevention strategies for CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Mileto
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, 3800
| | - A Das
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, 3800
| | - D Lyras
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, 3800
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38
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Azimirad M, Azizi O, Alebouyeh M, Aslani MM, Mousavi SF, Zali MR. Molecular analysis and genotyping of pathogenicity locus in Clostridioides difficile strains isolated from patients in Tehran hospitals during the years 2007-2010. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2019; 71:205-210. [PMID: 30902742 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2019.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) has been identified as the leading cause of antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD). Co-carriage of an intact pathogenicity locus (PaLoc) with binary toxin genes in C. difficile strains seems to be linked with severe disease outcomes in the infected patients. Epidemiology of C. difficile infection (CDI) in hospital setting and knowledge about their genetic context help us to decrease the morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with Clostridioides difficile infection. In the present study was aimed to characterize genetic diversity of PaLoc among different C. difficile strains isolated from hospitalized patients and carriage of cytolethal distending toxin gene (cdt) in different hospitals. METHOD C. difficile strains were isolated from stool samples of inpatients referred to a reference laboratory from different hospitals and also outpatients with diarrhea, during 2008-2011. DNA was extracted from pure culture of the bacterium and PCR was performed for tcdA, tcdB, tcdE, tcdC, tcdD, and cdu2 genes. Carriage of two binary toxin genes cdtA, cdtB was also determined in these strains. To find clonal strains, similarity of genotypes and integrity of PaLoc among the isolates was compared in each hospital. RESULTS The intact PaLoc was found most frequently among the isolates in the outpatients (19/51, 37.2%, Group I), while incomplete PaLoc found mostly in patients who were hospitalized in the infectious diseases and internal diagnosis wards. tcdA and tcdB genes were detected in different combinations among the studied strains. These strains showed tcdA+B+, tcdA+B-, and tcdA-B+ genotypes in a frequency of 76.4% (39/51), 7.8% (4/51), and 17.6% (9/51), respectively. Analysis of gene composition of the PaLoc showed 19 distinct genotypes among the 51 strains. Accordingly, 38 strains were classified mainly into 6 regular groups, while the remaining strains showed heterogeneous patterns. tcdC-/tcdD- constituted the most common genotypic group among the strains with partial PaLoc (7/51, 13.7%). A hypertoxigenic genotype, tcdC-/tcdA+/tcdB+, was detected in 2 strains (2/51, 3.9%). The intact genotype was also detected in a C. difficile isolate from outpatients. Cdt encoding genes toxins was observed in low numbers of the strains (7/52, 13.5%). All of cdtA+B+ strains were belonged to PaLoc group 1 (intact genotype). Statistical analyses showed no correlation between particular genotypes and special wards of the hospitals (p value>0.05). CONCLUSION Collectively, our results showed diversity of C. difficile strains in most wards of the studied hospitals. Diversity of PaLoc genotypes in the strains that isolated from the same wards proposed endogenous routes of the infection, as common cause of CDI in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoumeh Azimirad
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Behehsti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Omid Azizi
- Department of Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran; Health Sciences Research Center, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran
| | - Masoud Alebouyeh
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Behehsti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Pediatric Infections Research Center, Research Institute for Children's Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | | | | | - Mohammad Reza Zali
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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39
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Imwattana K, Wangroongsarb P, Riley TV. High prevalence and diversity of tcdA-negative and tcdB-positive, and non-toxigenic, Clostridium difficile in Thailand. Anaerobe 2019; 57:4-10. [PMID: 30862468 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2019.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Studies on the prevalence and diversity of Clostridium difficile in Thailand have been limited to those derived from a few tertiary hospitals in Central Thailand. In this study, 145 C. difficile isolates collected in 13 provinces in Thailand during 2006-2018 were characterized by ribotyping and detection of toxin genes. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of eight antimicrobial agents were determined also for all 100 C. difficile strains collected from 2006 until 2015. Of the 145 strains of C. difficile, 71 (49%) were non-toxigenic, 46 (32%) were toxin A-negative, toxin B-positive (A-B+) and 28 (19%) were A+B+. No binary toxin-positive strain was found. The most common ribotype (RT) was RT 017 (A-B+CDT-, 19%, 28/145). Besides RT 017, 20 novel non-toxigenic and A-B+ ribotyping profiles, which may be related to RT 017 by the similarity of ribotyping profile, were identified. All C. difficile strains remained susceptible to metronidazole and vancomycin, however, a slight increase in MIC for metronidazole was seen in both toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains (overall MIC50/90 0.25/0.25 mg/L during 2006-2010 compared to overall MIC50/90 1.0/2.0 mg/L during 2011-2015). There was a high rate of fluoroquinolone resistance among RT 017 strains (77%), but there was little resistance among non-toxigenic strains. These results suggest that RT 017 is endemic in Thailand, and that the misuse of fluoroquinolones may lead to outbreaks of RT 017 infection in this country. Further studies on non-toxigenic C. difficile are needed to understand whether they have a role in the pathogenesis of C. difficile infection in Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Korakrit Imwattana
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
| | - Piyada Wangroongsarb
- The National Institute of Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, 11000, Thailand
| | - Thomas V Riley
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Western Australia, 6009, Australia; School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Western Australia, 6150, Australia; School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia, 6027, Australia; Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Western Australia, 6009, Australia.
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40
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Chen P, Tao L, Liu Z, Dong M, Jin R. Structural insight into Wnt signaling inhibition by Clostridium difficile toxin B. FEBS J 2018; 286:874-881. [PMID: 30347517 DOI: 10.1111/febs.14681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has increased significantly worldwide, causing substantial morbidity and mortality. One of the major virulence factor, TcdB, manages to enter the colonic epithelia via the human frizzled proteins (FZDs), which are physiological receptors for Wnt morphogens. Binding of TcdB to FZDs inhibits Wnt signaling, which may contribute to pathogenesis of CDI. Here, we review the structural mechanism by which TcdB exploits to recognize FZDs for cell entry and inhibiting Wnt signaling, which reveals new strategies to modulate Wnt signaling for therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Chen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Liang Tao
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zheng Liu
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Min Dong
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rongsheng Jin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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41
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Aliramezani A, Talebi M, Baghani A, Hajabdolbaghi M, Salehi M, Abdollahi A, Afhami S, Marjani M, Golbabaei F, Boroumand MA, Sarrafnejad A, Yaseri M, Ghourchian S, Douraghi M. Pathogenicity locus determinants and toxinotyping of Clostridioides difficile isolates recovered from Iranian patients. New Microbes New Infect 2018; 25:52-57. [PMID: 30094031 PMCID: PMC6072886 DOI: 10.1016/j.nmni.2018.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the toxin profiles, toxinotypes and variations of toxin Clostridioides difficile C (tcdC) in Iranian C. difficile isolates. A total of 818 stool specimens were obtained from outpatients (n = 45) and hospitalized patients (n = 773) in Tehran, Iran, from 2011 to 2017. The 44 C. difficile isolates were subjected to PCR of toxin C. difficile A (tcdA), toxin C. difficile B (tcdB), tcdA 3′-end deletion, toxinotyping and sequencing of the tcdC gene. Thirty-eight isolates (86.36%) were identified as tcdA and tcdB positive, and the remaining six isolates (13.63%) were nontoxigenic. All tcdA- and tcdB-positive isolates yielded an amplicon of 2535 bp by PCR for the tcdA 3′ end. Fourteen (36.84%), seventeen (44.73%) and seven (18.43%) isolates belonged to wild-type, toxin C. difficile C subclone3 (tcdC-sc3) and tcdC-A genotype of tcdC, respectively. Thirty-one isolates (81.57%) belonged to toxinotype 0, and seven isolates (18.42%) were classified as toxinotype V. This study provides evidence for the circulation of historical and hypervirulent isolates in the healthcare and community settings. Furthermore, it was also demonstrated that the tcdC-A genotype and toxinotype V are not uncommon among Iranian C. difficile isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Aliramezani
- Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran
| | - M Talebi
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - A Baghani
- Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran
| | - M Hajabdolbaghi
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran, Iran
| | - M Salehi
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran, Iran
| | - A Abdollahi
- Department of Pathology, Imam Hospital Complex, Tehran, Iran
| | - S Afhami
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shariati Hospital, Tehran, Iran
| | - M Marjani
- Clinical Tuberculosis and Epidemiology Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - F Golbabaei
- Department of Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Medical Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - M A Boroumand
- Department of Pathology, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran, Iran
| | - A Sarrafnejad
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran
| | - M Yaseri
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran
| | - S Ghourchian
- Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran
| | - M Douraghi
- Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran.,Food Microbiology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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42
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Oka K, Osaki T, Hanawa T, Kurata S, Sugiyama E, Takahashi M, Tanaka M, Taguchi H, Kamiya S. Establishment of an Endogenous Clostridium difficile Rat Infection Model and Evaluation of the Effects of Clostridium butyricum MIYAIRI 588 Probiotic Strain. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1264. [PMID: 29967595 PMCID: PMC6015907 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is well known as an agent responsible for pseudomembranous colitis and antibiotic-associated diarrhea. The hamster model utilizing an oral route for infection of C. difficile has been considered to be the standard model for analysis of C. difficile infection (CDI) but this model exhibits differences to human CDI, most notably as most hamsters die without exhibiting diarrhea. Therefore, we attempted to develop a new non-lethal and diarrheal rat CDI model caused by endogenous C. difficile using metronidazole (MNZ) and egg white. In addition, the effects of probiotic strain Clostridium butyricum MIYAIRI 588 (CBM) on CDI were examined using this model. Syrian Golden hamsters received clindamycin phosphate orally at 30 mg/kg on 5 days before challenge with either C. difficile VPI10463 (hypertoxigenic strain) or KY34 (low toxigenic clinical isolate). Mortality and the presence of diarrhea were observed twice a day for the duration of the experiment. Wistar rats received 10% egg white dissolved in drinking water for 1 week ad libitum following intramuscular administration of 200 mg/kg MNZ twice a day for 3 days. Diarrhea score was determined for each day and fecal water content, biotin concentration, and cytotoxin titer in feces were examined. More than 70% of hamsters orally infected with C. difficile died without exhibiting diarrhea regardless of toxigenicity of strain. The rats receiving egg white after MNZ administration developed diarrhea due to overgrowth of endogenous C. difficile. This CDI model is non-lethal and diarrheal, and some rats in this model were spontaneously cured. The incidence of diarrhea was significantly decreased in C. butyricum treated rats. These results indicate that the CDI model using egg white and MNZ has potentially better similarity to human CDI, and implies that treatment with C. butyricum may reduce the risk of CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Oka
- Tokyo R&D Center, Miyarisan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takako Osaki
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoko Hanawa
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Kurata
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Emi Sugiyama
- Research Laboratory, Miyarisan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nagano, Japan
| | - Motomichi Takahashi
- Tokyo R&D Center, Miyarisan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mamoru Tanaka
- Research Laboratory, Miyarisan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nagano, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Taguchi
- Department of Immunology, Kyorin University Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigeru Kamiya
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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43
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Chen P, Tao L, Wang T, Zhang J, He A, Lam KH, Liu Z, He X, Perry K, Dong M, Jin R. Structural basis for recognition of frizzled proteins by Clostridium difficile toxin B. Science 2018; 360:664-669. [PMID: 29748286 PMCID: PMC6231499 DOI: 10.1126/science.aar1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Clostridium difficile infection is the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in developed countries. The major virulence factor, C. difficile toxin B (TcdB), targets colonic epithelia by binding to the frizzled (FZD) family of Wnt receptors, but how TcdB recognizes FZDs is unclear. Here, we present the crystal structure of a TcdB fragment in complex with the cysteine-rich domain of human FZD2 at 2.5-angstrom resolution, which reveals an endogenous FZD-bound fatty acid acting as a co-receptor for TcdB binding. This lipid occupies the binding site for Wnt-adducted palmitoleic acid in FZDs. TcdB binding locks the lipid in place, preventing Wnt from engaging FZDs and signaling. Our findings establish a central role of fatty acids in FZD-mediated TcdB pathogenesis and suggest strategies to modulate Wnt signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Chen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Liang Tao
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tianyu Wang
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aina He
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, No. 600, Yishan Road, 200233 Shanghai, PRC
| | - Kwok-Ho Lam
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Zheng Liu
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Xi He
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kay Perry
- NE-CAT and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA
| | - Min Dong
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Rongsheng Jin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
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44
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Hampikyan H, Bingol EB, Muratoglu K, Akkaya E, Cetin O, Colak H. The prevalence of Clostridium difficile in cattle and sheep carcasses and the antibiotic susceptibility of isolates. Meat Sci 2018; 139:120-124. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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45
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Schäffler H, Breitrück A. Clostridium difficile - From Colonization to Infection. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:646. [PMID: 29692762 PMCID: PMC5902504 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is the most frequent cause of nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhea. The incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) has been rising worldwide with subsequent increases in morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. Asymptomatic colonization with C. difficile is common and a high prevalence has been found in specific cohorts, e.g., hospitalized patients, adults in nursing homes and in infants. However, the risk of infection with C. difficile differs significantly between these cohorts. While CDI is a clear indication for therapy, colonization with C. difficile is not believed to be a direct precursor for CDI and therefore does not require treatment. Antibiotic therapy causes alterations of the intestinal microbial composition, enabling C. difficile colonization and consecutive toxin production leading to disruption of the colonic epithelial cells. Clinical symptoms of CDI range from mild diarrhea to potentially life-threatening conditions like pseudomembranous colitis or toxic megacolon. While antibiotics are still the treatment of choice for CDI, new therapies have emerged in recent years such as antibodies against C. difficile toxin B and fecal microbial transfer (FMT). This specific therapy for CDI underscores the role of the indigenous bacterial composition in the prevention of the disease in healthy individuals and its role in the pathogenesis after alteration by antibiotic treatment. In addition to the pathogenesis of CDI, this review focuses on the colonization of C. difficile in the human gut and factors promoting CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Schäffler
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine II, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Anne Breitrück
- Extracorporeal Immunomodulation Unit, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Rostock, Germany.,Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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46
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Rees WD, Steiner TS. Adaptive immune response toClostridium difficileinfection: A perspective for prevention and therapy. Eur J Immunol 2018; 48:398-406. [DOI: 10.1002/eji.201747295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- William D. Rees
- Department of Medicine; University of British Columbia; Vancouver BC Canada
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47
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Abstract
Clostridium difficile is the most frequent cause of nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhea. The incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) has been rising worldwide with subsequent increases in morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. Asymptomatic colonization with C. difficile is common and a high prevalence has been found in specific cohorts, e.g., hospitalized patients, adults in nursing homes and in infants. However, the risk of infection with C. difficile differs significantly between these cohorts. While CDI is a clear indication for therapy, colonization with C. difficile is not believed to be a direct precursor for CDI and therefore does not require treatment. Antibiotic therapy causes alterations of the intestinal microbial composition, enabling C. difficile colonization and consecutive toxin production leading to disruption of the colonic epithelial cells. Clinical symptoms of CDI range from mild diarrhea to potentially life-threatening conditions like pseudomembranous colitis or toxic megacolon. While antibiotics are still the treatment of choice for CDI, new therapies have emerged in recent years such as antibodies against C. difficile toxin B and fecal microbial transfer (FMT). This specific therapy for CDI underscores the role of the indigenous bacterial composition in the prevention of the disease in healthy individuals and its role in the pathogenesis after alteration by antibiotic treatment. In addition to the pathogenesis of CDI, this review focuses on the colonization of C. difficile in the human gut and factors promoting CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Schäffler
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine II, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Anne Breitrück
- Extracorporeal Immunomodulation Unit, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Rostock, Germany
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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48
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Kroh HK, Chandrasekaran R, Zhang Z, Rosenthal K, Woods R, Jin X, Nyborg AC, Rainey GJ, Warrener P, Melnyk RA, Spiller BW, Lacy DB. A neutralizing antibody that blocks delivery of the enzymatic cargo of Clostridium difficile toxin TcdB into host cells. J Biol Chem 2017; 293:941-952. [PMID: 29180448 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.813428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Revised: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile infection is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea and is mediated by the actions of two toxins, TcdA and TcdB. The toxins perturb host cell function through a multistep process of receptor binding, endocytosis, low pH-induced pore formation, and the translocation and delivery of an N-terminal glucosyltransferase domain that inactivates host GTPases. Infection studies with isogenic strains having defined toxin deletions have established TcdB as an important target for therapeutic development. Monoclonal antibodies that neutralize TcdB function have been shown to protect against C. difficile infection in animal models and reduce recurrence in humans. Here, we report the mechanism of TcdB neutralization by PA41, a humanized monoclonal antibody capable of neutralizing TcdB from a diverse array of C. difficile strains. Through a combination of structural, biochemical, and cell functional studies, involving X-ray crystallography and EM, we show that PA41 recognizes a single, highly conserved epitope on the TcdB glucosyltransferase domain and blocks productive translocation and delivery of the enzymatic cargo into the host cell. Our study reveals a unique mechanism of C. difficile toxin neutralization by a monoclonal antibody, which involves targeting a process that is conserved across the large clostridial glucosylating toxins. The PA41 antibody described here provides a valuable tool for dissecting the mechanism of toxin pore formation and translocation across the endosomal membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather K Kroh
- From the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2363
| | - Ramyavardhanee Chandrasekaran
- From the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2363
| | - Zhifen Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada.,Molecular Structure and Function, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
| | | | - Rob Woods
- MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878-2204
| | - Xiaofang Jin
- MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878-2204
| | | | | | | | - Roman A Melnyk
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada.,Molecular Structure and Function, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Benjamin W Spiller
- From the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2363.,Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-6600, and
| | - D Borden Lacy
- From the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2363, .,Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee 37212-2637
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49
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Chandrasekaran R, Lacy DB. The role of toxins in Clostridium difficile infection. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2017; 41:723-750. [PMID: 29048477 PMCID: PMC5812492 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fux048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is a bacterial pathogen that is the leading cause of nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis worldwide. The incidence, severity, mortality and healthcare costs associated with C. difficile infection (CDI) are rising, making C. difficile a major threat to public health. Traditional treatments for CDI involve use of antibiotics such as metronidazole and vancomycin, but disease recurrence occurs in about 30% of patients, highlighting the need for new therapies. The pathogenesis of C. difficile is primarily mediated by the actions of two large clostridial glucosylating toxins, toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB). Some strains produce a third toxin, the binary toxin C. difficile transferase, which can also contribute to C. difficile virulence and disease. These toxins act on the colonic epithelium and immune cells and induce a complex cascade of cellular events that result in fluid secretion, inflammation and tissue damage, which are the hallmark features of the disease. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the structure and mechanism of action of the C. difficile toxins and their role in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramyavardhanee Chandrasekaran
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - D. Borden Lacy
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- The Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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50
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Grześkowiak Ł, Martínez-Vallespín B, Dadi TH, Radloff J, Amasheh S, Heinsen FA, Franke A, Reinert K, Vahjen W, Zentek J, Pieper R. Formula Feeding Predisposes Neonatal Piglets to Clostridium difficile Gut Infection. J Infect Dis 2017; 217:1442-1452. [DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jix567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Temesgen H Dadi
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Kiel, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Kiel, Germany
| | - Judith Radloff
- Institute of Veterinary Physiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Kiel, Germany
| | - Salah Amasheh
- Institute of Veterinary Physiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Kiel, Germany
| | - Femke-Anouska Heinsen
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, University Hospital Schleswig Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Andre Franke
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, University Hospital Schleswig Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Knut Reinert
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Kiel, Germany
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