In vivo physiological and transcriptional profiling reveals host responses to Clostridium difficile toxin A and toxin B.

ABSTRACT: Toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB) of Clostridium difficile cause gross pathological changes (e.g., inflammation, secretion, and diarrhea) in the infected host, yet the molecular and cellular pathways leading to observed host responses are poorly understood. To address this gap, we evaluated the effects of single doses of TcdA and/or TcdB injected into the ceca of mice, and several endpoints were analyzed, including tissue pathology, neutrophil infiltration, epithelial-layer gene expression, chemokine levels, and blood cell counts, 2, 6, and 16 h after injection. In addition to confirming TcdA's gross pathological effects, we found that both TcdA and TcdB resulted in neutrophil infiltration. Bioinformatics analyses identified altered expression of genes associated with the metabolism of lip

SUBMITTER: D'Auria KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3811747 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature