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Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens species detected in infant faecal microbiota using 16S rRNA

Matteo Fallani1, Lionel Rigottier-Gois, Marga Aguilera

  • 1Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Unité d'Ecologie et de Physiologie du Système Digestif, Jouy en Josas, France.

Journal of Microbiological Methods
|May 2, 2006
PubMed

Insights

New molecular probes accurately detect Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens in infant gut microbiota. This aids in understanding gastrointestinal infections and allergies in infants.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Pathogenic clostridia, Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium difficile, are linked to infant gastrointestinal issues and allergies.
  • Accurate detection and quantification methods are needed for these bacteria in the infant gut microbiome.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate novel oligonucleotide probes for the molecular detection and quantification of C. difficile and C. perfringens.
  • To assess the prevalence of these pathogens in the intestinal microbiota of infants.

Main Methods:

  • In silico probe design using the RDP sequence database.
  • Validation via Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) combined with flow cytometry.
  • Application of probes to analyze the gut microbiota composition in 33 infants.

Main Results:

  • Developed specific probes: Cdif198 for C. difficile and Cperf191 for C. perfringens.
  • Successfully detected and quantified C. difficile (0.5+/-1.0%) and C. perfringens (2.1+/-2.3%) in infant fecal samples.
  • Integrated new probes with a panel targeting dominant human fecal bacterial groups.

Conclusions:

  • The developed probes are effective tools for detecting and quantifying C. difficile and C. perfringens in infant gut microbiota.
  • This methodology facilitates further research into the role of these bacteria in infant health and disease.
  • Provides baseline data on the prevalence of these clostridia in young children.

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