Metabolic adaption to extracellular pyruvate triggers biofilm formation in Clostridioides difficile.

Clostridioides difficile infections are associated with gut microbiome dysbiosis and are the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea. The infectious process is strongly influenced by the microbiota and successful infection relies on the absence of specific microbiota-produced metabolites. Deoxycholate and short-chain fatty acids are microbiota-produced metabolites that limit the growth of C.