Binding of Clostridium difficile surface layer proteins to gastrointestinal tissues.

ABSTRACT: Clostridium difficile is the etiological agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, a potentially serious condition frequently affecting elderly hospitalized patients. While tissue damage is primarily induced by two toxins, the mechanism of gut colonization, and particularly the role of bacterial adherence to the mucosa, remains to be clarified. Previous studies have shown binding of C. difficile whole cells to cultured cell lines and suggested the existence of multiple adhesins, only one of which has been molecularly characterized. In this paper, we have investigated tissue binding of C. difficile surface layer proteins (SLPs), which are the predominant outer surface components and are encoded by the slpA gene. The adherence of C. difficile to HEp-2 cells was studied by enzyme-linked immuno

SUBMITTER: Calabi E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC128314 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature