Article
Infectious Diseases
Miad Elahi, Haruyuki Nakayama-Imaohji, Masahito Hashimoto, Ayano Tada, Hisashi Yamasaki, Tamiko Nagao, Tomomi Kuwahara
Summary: The gut symbiont Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (BT) suppresses Clostridium difficile (CD) toxin production by inhibiting polysaccharide metabolism pathways. Polysaccharide fractions derived from BT can suppress CD toxin production, with cell wall-associated glycans playing a key role in this inhibitory effect.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jinglue Song, Xia Shen, Zhenyu Huang, Yun Liu, Long Cui, Xuewei Cui, Chen-Ying Liu
Summary: Toxins A and B of Clostridium difficile disrupt the Hippo pathway, leading to sequestration and inactivation of YAP and TAZ in colonic epithelial cells. Overexpression of YAP restores cell function and may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for treating CDI.
JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR TOXICOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mao Hagihara, Tadashi Ariyoshi, Yasutoshi Kuroki, Shuhei Eguchi, Seiya Higashi, Takeshi Mori, Tsunemasa Nonogaki, Kenta Iwasaki, Makoto Yamashita, Nobuhiro Asai, Yusuke Koizumi, Kentaro Oka, Motomichi Takahashi, Yuka Yamagishi, Hiroshige Mikamo
Summary: CBM 588 enhances the antibacterial activity against C. difficile, reduces colon epithelial damage, and improves immunity through upregulating pathogen specific immunoglobulin A and enhancing gut epithelial barrier function to protect colon tissue from CDI.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Srijita Basak, Debashrito Deb, Utkarsh Narsaria, Tamalika Kar, Filippo Castiglione, Indraneel Sanyal, Pratap D. Bade, Anurag P. Srivastava
Summary: Clostridium difficile infection is a major health-associated infection with high incidence and mortality rates. A chimeric vaccine candidate was designed using immunoinformatics, which showed stability and reliability in silico and molecular dynamics simulations. Docking studies demonstrated stable interactions with immune receptors, and in silico modeling indicated competent expression in E. coli system for potential immune response.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Giuseppe Esposito, Chiara Corpetti, Marcella Pesce, Luisa Seguella, Giuseppe Annunziata, Alessandro Del Re, Martina Vincenzi, Roberta Lattanzi, Jie Lu, Walter Sanseverino, Giovanni Sarnelli
Summary: The newly designed PEA-producing probiotic showed therapeutic potential in inhibiting colonic inflammation and restoring tight junction protein expression in a mouse model of CDI.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diogo Martins, Michael A. DiCandia, Aristides L. Mendes, Daniela Wetzel, Shonna M. McBride, Adriano O. Henriques, Monica Serrano
Summary: The CD25890 gene plays a crucial role in regulating sporulation in Clostridioides difficile, influencing the expression of spo0A and indirectly affecting sporulation. Deletion of CD25890 does not alter the expression of genes related to cytotoxins or biofilm formation.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Peng An Khun, Thomas V. Riley
Summary: This review provides an overview of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in southeast Asia, including its prevalence, detection methods, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, and the potential significance of a One Health approach. CDI is a common cause of hospital-acquired gastroenteritis worldwide, with higher rates observed in high-income countries. Lack of knowledge and awareness about CDI, along with antimicrobial abuse and inadequate education on appropriate usage, contribute to its evolution. Underreporting of CDI rates and misuse of antimicrobial agents pose a significant threat in regions like Indochina, while C. difficile RT 017 strain is endemic in southeast Asia.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Mahmoud Fayez, Waleed R. El-Ghareeb, Ahmed Elmoslemany, Saleem J. Alsunaini, Mohamed Alkafafy, Othman M. Alzahrani, Samy F. Mahmoud, Ibrahim Elsohaby
Summary: The study investigated the presence of Clostridium perfringens and Clostridioides difficile in camel minced meat samples collected from small butcher shops and supermarkets in Al-Ahsa Governorate, Saudi Arabia. It was found that most isolates exhibited resistance to at least one antimicrobial, with some showing multidrug resistance. This highlights the importance of enforcing food safety standards and conducting regular inspections in abattoirs, small butcher shops, and supermarkets.
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Salvador Lopez-Cardenas, Eva Torres-Martos, Juan Mora-Delgado, Juan Manuel Sanchez-Calvo, Marta Santos-Pena, Angel Zapata Lopez, Maria Dolores Lopez-Prieto, Salvador Perez-Cortes, Juan Carlos Alados
Summary: The study revealed that patients with detected presence of TcdB and CDT in feces exhibited greater disease severity and higher recurrence rates compared to those without detection. Simultaneous detection of both markers had a stronger impact on prognosis in cases of CDI.
Article
Microbiology
Panagiotis Papatheodorou, Selina Kindig, Adriana Badilla-Lobo, Stephan Fischer, Ebru Durgun, Tharani Thuraisingam, Alexander Witte, Shuo Song, Klaus Aktories, Esteban Chaves-Olarte, Cesar Rodriguez, Holger Barth
Summary: The intestinal pathogen Clostridioides difficile produces two large exotoxins, toxin A and toxin B, which cause clinical symptoms of C. difficile-associated diseases. Inhibiting the cellular uptake and mode of action of these toxins is a promising therapeutic strategy. The sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 pathway and membrane cholesterol play crucial roles in the intoxication of cells by TcdA and TcdB, offering potential targets for novel antitoxin strategies.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Aria Aminzadeh, Rene Jorgensen
Summary: By optimizing culture parameters and purification methods, the production yield of native toxin A and toxin B from Clostridioides difficile was significantly improved, resulting in high concentrations of toxin B. Additionally, optimal conditions for improving protein stability during storage were identified.
Article
Microbiology
Leila M. Reyes M. Ruiz, Kathleen A. King, Christian Agosto-Burgos, Isabella S. Gamez, Nicole C. Gadda, Elizabeth M. Garrett, Rita Tamayo
Summary: This study demonstrates that the expression of the c-di-GMP hydrolytic enzyme PdcB in Clostridioides difficile undergoes phase variation, which affects intracellular c-di-GMP levels and various phenotypes. The phase-locked mutants unable to phase vary show altered swimming and surface motility, as well as biofilm formation. These findings suggest that phase variation of PdcB allows C. difficile to regulate the production of multiple factors by generating heterogeneity in intracellular c-di-GMP levels.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Waleed A. Hassanain, Julia Spoors, Christopher L. Johnson, Karen Faulds, Neil Keegan, Duncan Graham
Summary: The study introduces a novel testing platform for the rapid and simultaneous detection of two specific biomarkers of Clostridium difficile infection, providing a rapid, selective, sensitive, and cost-effective clinical evaluation method for CDI.
Review
Microbiology
Leon M. T. Dicks
Summary: This article summarizes factors affecting the colonization of C. difficile and the pathogenicity of toxins TcdA and TcdB, and evaluates different approaches for the treatment of CDI.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
A. Razim, K. Pacyga, P. Naporowski, D. Martynowski, A. Szuba, A. Gamian, S. Gorska
Summary: By mapping the polypeptide epitopes of FliC and FliD proteins, researchers identified four promising epitopes for potential anti-C. difficile vaccine antigens, with (117)QRMRTLS(123) and (205)MSKAG(209) considered particularly suitable. These findings open up the possibility for the development of a vaccine against C. difficile.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Ashley L. Cooper, Andrew J. Low, Adam G. Koziol, Matthew C. Thomas, Daniel Leclair, Sandeep Tamber, Alex Wong, Burton W. Blais, Catherine D. Carrillo
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Benjamin M. Hetman, Steven K. Mutschall, Catherine D. Carrillo, James E. Thomas, Victor P. J. Gannon, G. Douglas Inglis, Eduardo N. Taboada
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ashley L. Cooper, Catherine D. Carrillo, Mylene Deschenes, Burton W. Blais
Summary: Persistent contamination of food manufacturing environments by Listeria monocytogenes poses a significant public health risk, as standard sanitization protocols may not be effective due to bacterial resistance mechanisms such as the bcrABC gene cassette. Whole genome sequencing analysis identified the bcrABC cassette in a substantial portion of isolates, particularly associated with specific clonal complexes. This research provides food testing laboratories with methods to characterize isolates and risk managers with tools to assess the potential for persistent contamination and the efficacy of mitigation actions.
JOURNAL OF FOOD PROTECTION
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Dominic Poulin-Laprade, Jean-Simon Brouard, Nathalie Gagnon, Annie Turcotte, Alexandra Langlois, J. Jacques Matte, Catherine D. Carrillo, Rahat Zaheer, Tim McAllister, Edward Topp, Guylaine Talbot
Summary: The study shows that indigenous enterobacteria transmitted by sows play a key role in antimicrobial resistance, regardless of antimicrobial use in pig production. ESBL genes were more frequently detected in isolates from antibiotic-free animals. The findings suggest a potential coselection of resistance determinants in commercial pig herds due to historical antimicrobial use.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Susan A. Nadin-Davis, John Chmara, Catherine D. Carrillo, Kingsley Amoako, Noriko Goji, Marc-Olivier Duceppe, John Devenish
Summary: Campylobacter fetus is classified into two main subspecies, fetus and venerealis, originating from ruminants with different pathogenicity and habitats. Differentiation between these two closely related subspecies has been challenging due to limited genetic differences, high sequence repetition, and lack of standardization in discriminatory tests. Genetic analysis revealed that adaptation by C. fetus subsp. venerealis to bovine reproductive tract is correlated with genome plasticity due to acquisition of mobile elements, while differences in CRISPR-cas system and DNA adenine methylase genes may contribute to changes in virulence and host tropism. These findings may lead to the development of new markers for diagnosis and sub-typing of C. fetus strains.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Chongwu Yang, Muhammad Attiq Rehman, Xianhua Yin, Catherine D. Carrillo, Q. Wang, Chengbo Yang, Joshua Gong, Moussa S. Diarra
Summary: This study investigated the effects of in-feed encapsulated cinnamaldehyde and citral on antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and genotypes of Escherichia coli in broiler chickens of different ages. The results showed that the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance decreased as birds aged, and resistance to certain antibiotics was lower in isolates from the CIN or CIN+CIT groups. Whole genome sequencing revealed differences in AMR genes and plasmids in isolates from different treatment groups. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of these feed supplements.
JOURNAL OF FOOD PROTECTION
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Helen Zhang, Etsuko Yamamoto, Johanna Murphy, Catherine Carrillo, Annie Locas
Summary: This study investigated the occurrence of STEC in Canadian retail raw ground pork and found the presence of both O157 and non-O157 STEC strains. The virulence gene profiles suggest that non-O157 STEC capable of causing severe human illness are rare in Canadian retail pork, with O157 STEC occasionally occurring. Education regarding the potential risks associated with STEC contamination of pork would be beneficial to help reduce foodborne illnesses.
JOURNAL OF FOOD PROTECTION
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Muhammad Attiq Rehman, Heidi Rempel, Catherine D. Carrillo, Kim Ziebell, Kevin Allen, Amee R. Manges, Edward Topp, Moussa S. Diarra
Summary: In this study, multiple antimicrobial-resistant E. coli isolates recovered from apparently healthy broilers were characterized and evaluated. The findings suggest that these isolates may be pathogenic and act as reservoirs for antimicrobial resistance genes.
JOURNAL OF FOOD PROTECTION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Lisa M. Hodges, Eduardo N. Taboada, Adam Koziol, Steven Mutschall, Burton W. Blais, G. Douglas Inglis, Daniel Leclair, Catherine D. Carrillo
Summary: This study found that the concordance between genotype and phenotype was influenced by computational pipelines, genome coverage, and the type of ARG, but not by input data.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Alexander Gill, Forest Dussault, Tanis McMahon, Nicholas Petronella, Xiong Wang, Elizabeth Cebelinski, Flemming Scheutz, Kelly Weedmark, Burton Blais, Catherine Carrillo
Summary: This study identified seven STEC isolates with atypical stx2 sequences that do not fit current Shiga toxin taxonomy. The presence of these new Stx subtypes in clinical isolates suggests their potential as human pathogens.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Tanis C. McMahon, Cesar Bin Kingombe, Amit Mathews, Karine Seyer, Alex Wong, Burton W. Blais, Catherine D. Carrillo
Summary: This study evaluated the occurrence of inhibitors produced by food microbiota, which can hinder the recovery of Shigella and STEC pathogens in food samples. The results showed that these inhibitors are proteinaceous or bacteriophages, and their presence poses a challenge for the detection of foodborne pathogens.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Annika Flint, Anna Laidlaw, Leo Li, Courtney Raitt, Mary Rao, Ashley Cooper, Kelly Weedmark, Catherine Carrillo, Sandeep Tamber
Summary: This study compared three DNA extraction methods for extracting bacterial DNA from chicken meat rinses. The methods differed in ease of use and resulted in variations in the relative abundance of bacterial taxa detected. Researchers should be cautious and choose appropriate methods for their investigations.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Catherine D. Carrillo, Burton W. Blais
Summary: Whole-genome sequencing technologies are increasingly used in food microbiology laboratories to develop more effective detection methods, reduce testing development costs, and support food safety regulatory and industry goals.
FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Helen Zhang, Etsuko Yamamoto, Johanna Murphy, Catherine Carrillo, Kate Hardie, Annie Locas
Summary: This study found low occurrence of O157 STEC and Salmonella in wheat flour, but relatively common occurrence of non-O157 STEC that have the potential to cause human illness. Consumption of raw flour could increase the likelihood of STEC infections, warranting further research on risk mitigation strategies.
JOURNAL OF FOOD PROTECTION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ashley L. Cooper, Cassandra Carter, Hana McLeod, Marie Wright, Prithika Sritharan, Sandeep Tamber, Alex Wong, Catherine D. Carrillo, Burton W. Blais
Summary: The study isolated 135 carbapenem-tolerant bacteria from wastewater treatment plants in Ontario, with PCR detecting various carbapenem hydrolysing enzymes and beta-lactamase resistance genes. Sequencing analysis revealed 35 isolates carrying carbapenem resistance genes and other antimicrobial resistance genes, highlighting the diversity of carbapenem resistance genes in Ontario.