The chaperone ClpC participates in sporulation, motility, biofilm, and toxin production of Clostridioides difficile.

Objectives: Clostridioides difficile is a nosocomial pathogen that is associated with the use of antibiotics. One of the most worrying aspects of C. difficile infection is its ability to resist antimicrobial therapies, owing to spore formation.

Redistribution of the Novel Clostridioides difficile Spore Adherence Receptor E-Cadherin by TcdA and TcdB Increases Spore Binding to Adherens Junctions.

Clostridioides difficile causes antibiotic-associated diseases in humans, ranging from mild diarrhea to severe pseudomembranous colitis and death. A major clinical challenge is the prevention of disease recurrence, which affects nearly ~20 to 30% of the patients with a primary C. difficile infection (CDI).

Role of the Spore Coat Proteins and , and the Spore Surface Protein CDIF630_02480, on the Surface Distribution of Exosporium Proteins in 630 Spores.

is Gram-positive spore-former bacterium and the leading cause of nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhea. During disease, forms metabolically dormant spores that persist in the host and contribute to recurrence of the disease. The outermost surface of spores, termed the exosporium, plays an essential role in interactions with host surfaces and the immune system.

Intra-species diversity of : A diverse genetic repertoire reveals its pathogenic potential.

is the causative agent of many enterotoxic diseases in humans and animals, and it is present in diverse environments (soil, food, sewage, and water). Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) have provided a general approach about genetic diversity of ; however, those studies are limited to specific locations and often include a reduced number of genomes. In this study, 372 genomes from multiple locations and sources were used to assess the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relatedness of this pathogen.

Assembly of the exosporium layer in Clostridioides difficile spores.

Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming obligate anaerobe and a major threat to the healthcare system world-wide. Because of its strict anaerobic requirements, the infectious and transmissible morphotype is the dormant spore. During infection, C.

Using a ligate intestinal loop mouse model to investigate Clostridioides difficile adherence to the intestinal mucosa in aged mice.

Interaction of Clostridioides difficile spores with the intestinal mucosa contributes to the persistence and recurrence of the infection. Advanced age is one of the main risk factors for C. difficile infection and recurrence of the disease.

FastMLST: A Multi-core Tool for Multilocus Sequence Typing of Draft Genome Assemblies.

Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) is a precise microbial typing approach at the intra-species level for epidemiologic and evolutionary purposes. It operates by assigning a sequence type (ST) identifier to each specimen, based on a combination of alleles of multiple housekeeping genes included in a defined scheme. The use of MLST has multiplied due to the availability of large numbers of genomic sequences and epidemiologic data in public repositories.

Landscapes and bacterial signatures of mucosa-associated intestinal microbiota in Chilean and Spanish patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), which include ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), cause chronic inflammation of the gut, affecting millions of people worldwide. IBDs have been frequently associated with an alteration of the gut microbiota, termed dysbiosis, which is generally characterized by an increase in abundance of Proteobacteria such as , and a decrease in abundance of Firmicutes such as (an indicator of a healthy colonic microbiota). The mechanisms behind the development of IBDs and dysbiosis are incompletely understood.

Updating changes in human gut microbial communities associated with infection.

is the causative agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, a worldwide public health problem. Different factors can promote the progression of infection (CDI), mainly altered intestinal microbiota composition. Microbial species belonging to different domains (i.

Evolution and Epidemic Spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Colombia: A Year into the Pandemic.

Current efforts to understand the epidemiology, transmission dynamics and emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants worldwide has enabled the scientific community to generate critical information aimed at implementing disease surveillance and control measures, as well as to reduce the social, economic and health impact of the pandemic. Herein, we applied an epidemic model coupled with genomic analysis to assess the SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics in Colombia. This epidemic model allowed to identify the geographical distribution, dynamics and predict the course of the pandemic considering current implementation of countermeasures.

Clostridioides difficile spores stimulate inflammatory cytokine responses and induce cytotoxicity in macrophages.

Clostridioides difficile is a gram-positive, spore-forming anaerobic bacterium, and the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea worldwide. During C. difficile infection, spores germinate in the presence of bile acids into vegetative cells that subsequently colonize the large intestine and produce toxins.

Visualization of fidaxomicin association with the exosporium layer of Clostridioides difficile spores.

Background: Fidaxomicin has novel pharmacologic effects on C. difficile spore formation including outgrowth inhibition and persistent spore attachment. However, the mechanism of fidaxomicin attachment on spores has not undergone rigorous microscopic studies.

Entry of spores into intestinal epithelial cells contributes to recurrence of Clostridioides difficile infection.

Clostridioides difficile spores produced during infection are important for the recurrence of the disease. Here, we show that C. difficile spores gain entry into the intestinal mucosa via pathways dependent on host fibronectin-αβ and vitronectin-αβ.

Comprehensive genome analyses of , a potential biomarker of homeostasis gut recovery.

is a Gram-positive and anaerobic bacterial species previously considered as uncultivable. Although little is known about this family member, its increased abundance has been reported in patients who have recovered from intestinal homeostasis after dysbiosis events. In this context, the aim of the present study was to take advantage of a massive culture protocol that allowed the recovery of extremely oxygen-sensitive species from faecal samples, which led to isolation of .

Nasal Immunization with the C-Terminal Domain of Bcla3 Induced Specific IgG Production and Attenuated Disease Symptoms in Mice Infected with Spores.

is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that causes a severe intestinal infection. Spores of this pathogen enter in the human body through the oral route, interact with intestinal epithelial cells and persist in the gut. Once germinated, the vegetative cells colonize the intestine and produce toxins that enhance an immune response that perpetuate the disease.

Characterization of Exosporium Layer Variability of Spores in the Epidemically Relevant Strain R20291.

is a Gram-positive anaerobic intestinal pathogenic bacterium and the causative agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. spore is a dormant state which acts as a vehicle of transmission and infection. In spores, the outermost exosporium layer is the first barrier of interaction with the host and should carry spore ligands involved in spore-host interactions.

Origin, genomic diversity and microevolution of the B1/NAP1/RT027/ST01 strain in Costa Rica, Chile, Honduras and Mexico.

B1/NAP1/RT027/ST01 has been responsible for outbreaks of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in clinical settings worldwide and is associated with severe disease presentations and increased mortality rates. Two fluoroquinolone-resistant (FQR) lineages of the epidemic B1/NAP1/RT027/ST01 strain emerged in the USA in the early 1990s and disseminated trans continentally (FQR1 and FQR2). However, it is unclear when and from where they entered Latin America (LA) and whether isolates from LA exhibit unique genomic features when compared to B1/NAP1/RT027/ST01 isolates from other regions of the world.

Induction of a Specific Humoral Immune Response by Nasal Delivery of Bcla2 of .

, formerly known as , is a spore-forming bacterium considered as the most common cause of nosocomial infections in developed countries. The spore of is involved in the transmission of the pathogen and in its first interaction with the host; therefore, a therapeutic approach able to control spores would improve the clearance of the infection. The C-terminal (CTD) end of BclA2, a spore surface protein of responsible of the interaction with the host intestinal cells, was selected as a putative mucosal antigen.

Effect of antibiotic to induce Clostridioides difficile-susceptibility and infectious strain in a mouse model of Clostridioides difficile infection and recurrence.

The anaerobic bacterium Clostridioides difficile is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea that can culminate in life-threating colitis. During the C. difficile infection (CDI), C.

Sporulation and Germination in Clostridial Pathogens.

As obligate anaerobes, clostridial pathogens depend on their metabolically dormant, oxygen-tolerant spore form to transmit disease. However, the molecular mechanisms by which those spores germinate to initiate infection and then form new spores to transmit infection remain poorly understood. While sporulation and germination have been well characterized in and , striking differences in the regulation of these processes have been observed between the bacilli and the clostridia, with even some conserved proteins exhibiting differences in their requirements and functions.

(B), (C), and a New -Like Gene, (E), in Clostridium difficile Strains Recovered across Latin America.

Cfr is a radical -adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) enzyme that confers cross-resistance to antibiotics targeting the 23S rRNA through hypermethylation of nucleotide A2503. Three -like genes implicated in antibiotic resistance have been described, two of which, (B) and (C), have been sporadically detected in However, the methylase activity of Cfr(C) has not been confirmed. We found (B), (C), and a -like gene that shows only 51 to 58% protein sequence identity to Cfr and Cfr-like enzymes in clinical isolates recovered across nearly a decade in Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Chile.

New insights for vaccine development against Clostridium difficile infections.

Increased antibiotic usage is the main risk factor for gut microbiota dysbiosis. In dysbiosis, there is an increased susceptibility to intestinal pathogens, such as Clostridium difficile infection, the leading cause of hospital-acquired infection worldwide. High-spectrum antibiotics, such as vancomycin or metronidazole, also increases the risk of developing CDI symptoms after the treatment.