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Journal of Infectious Diseases and Treatment
ISSN: 2472-1093
7
t h
E u r o s c i c o n C o n f e r e n c e o n
Clinical Pathology
and Epidemiology
F e b r u a r y 2 7 - 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
P r a g u e , C z e c h R e p u b l i c
Clinical Pathology & Epidemiology 2019
C.
difficile
, the causative agent of severe inflammation of the bowel (pseudomembranous colitis), has become the most
significant nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (CDAD) reported worldwide. Recurring infections and increasing
antibiotic resistance have complicated treatment of
C. difficile
infection (CDI). While there is a growing concern of increased
incidence and severity of CDI reported in Europe and North America, it is important to determine the prevalence of CDI, its
toxinotypes and antimicrobial resistance pattern in the Middle East. In this study, we review important epidemiologic aspects
of CDIs in hospitalized patients in this region. Whilst the two major virulence factors, toxins A and B, are widely recognized
as essential for
C. difficile
virulence, and spores are important for transmission and persistence of infection, other virulence-
associated factors such as intestinal colonization and formation of biofilm in the gut undoubtedly contribute to virulence and
persistence, but the mechanisms involved in this process have not been well characterised. This study showed that clinical
C. difficile
strains, in particular a UK-outbreak, PCR-ribotype 027 (B1/NAP1) strain forms complex, structured biofilms
in vitro
.
We then investigated the role of selected virulence-associate clostridial proteins in biofilm development, and find that surface
factors such as the flagellum and cwp84, a major cysteine protease that is required for the maturation of the S-layer, are all
important for biofilm development. Moreover, this study demonstrated that these biofilms formed by this bacterium can resist
high concentrations of vancomycin, an antibiotic that is currently used in treatment of
C. difficile
infections. Finally, this study
also observed differences between the ability of epidemic hypervirulent and non-epidemic strain in adherence and intestinal
colonization. We showed that the flagellar proteins of hypervirulent strain function as surface adhesins in mediating attachment
to human intestinal cells, the first step in intestinal colonization.
sozy.baban@gmail.comThe role of surface adhesins in
Clostridium diffi-
cile
virulence and biofilm formation: comparison
between a non-epidemic and an epidemic strain
Soza Tharwat Baban
Hospital-Cardiac Center, Iraq
J Infec Dis Treat 2019, Volume: 5
DOI: 10.21767/2472-1093-C1-009