Flagellin is essential for initial attachment to mucosal surfaces by .

is one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infections worldwide and presents challenges in treatment due to recurrent gastrointestinal disease after treatment with antimicrobials. The mechanisms by which colonizes the gut represent a key gap in knowledge, including its association with host cells and mucosa. Our results show the importance of flagellin for specific adhesion to mucosal hydrogels and can help to explain prior observations of adhesive defects in flagellin and pilin mutants.

Flagellin is essential for initial attachment to mucosal surfaces .

Mucins are glycoproteins which can be found in host cell membranes and as a gelatinous surface formed from secreted mucins. Mucosal surfaces in mammals form a barrier to invasive microbes, particularly bacteria, but are a point of attachment for others. is anaerobic bacterium which colonizes the mammalian GI tract and is a common cause of acute GI inflammation leading to a variety of negative outcomes.

Recognition of extracellular DNA by type IV pili promotes biofilm formation by Clostridioides difficile.

Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive bacillus, which is a frequent cause of gastrointestinal infections triggered by the depletion of the gut microbiome. Because of the frequent recurrence of these infections after antibiotic treatment, mechanisms of C. difficile persistence and recurrence, including biofilm formation, are of increasing interest.