Proteomic and genomic characterization of highly infectious Clostridium difficile 630 spores.

ABSTRACT: Clostridium difficile, a major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, produces highly resistant spores that contaminate hospital environments and facilitate efficient disease transmission. We purified C. difficile spores using a novel method and show that they exhibit significant resistance to harsh physical or chemical treatments and are also highly infectious, with <7 environmental spores per cm(2) reproducibly establishing a persistent infection in exposed mice. Mass spectrometric analysis identified approximately 336 spore-associated polypeptides, with a significant proportion linked to translation, sporulation/germination, and protein stabilization/degradation. In addition, proteins from several distinct metabolic pathways associated with energy production were identified. Compariso

SUBMITTER: Lawley TD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2725610 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature