Reexamining the Germination Phenotypes of Several Clostridium difficile Strains Suggests Another Role for the CspC Germinant Receptor.

ABSTRACT:

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Clostridium difficile spore germination is essential for colonization and disease. The signals that initiate C. difficile spore germination are a combination of taurocholic acid (a bile acid) and glycine. Interestingly, the chenodeoxycholic acid class (CDCA) bile acids competitively inhibit taurocholic acid-mediated germination, suggesting that compounds that inhibit spore germination could be developed into drugs that prophylactically prevent C. difficile infection or reduce recurring disease. However, a recent report called into question the utility of such a strategy to prevent infection by describing C. difficile strains that germinated in the apparent absence of bile acids or germinated in the presence of the CDCA inhibitor. Because the mechanisms of C. difficile sp

SUBMITTER: Bhattacharjee D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4810609 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature