Ilana L Stroke, Jeffrey J Letourneau, Teresa E Miller, Yan Xu, Igor Pechik, Diana R Savoly, Linh Ma, Laurie J Sturzenbecker, Joan Sabalski, Philip D Stein, Maria L Webb, David W Hilbert
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of hospital-acquired infectious diarrhea, with significant morbidity, mortality and associated healthcare costs. The major risk factor for CDI is antimicrobial therapy, which disrupts the normal gut microbiota and allows C. difficile to flourish. Treatment of CDI with antimicrobials is generally effective in the short-term, but recurrent infections are frequent and problematic, indicating that improved treatment options are necessary. Symptoms of disease are largely due to two homologous toxins, TcdA and TcdB, which are glucosyltransferases that inhibit host Rho GTPases...
February 26, 2018: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy