Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Ulcerative Colitis

Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the colon characterized by continuous mucosal inflammation that typically begins in the rectum and extends proximally in a uniform pattern. Its pathogenesis involves a complex interplay of genetic predisposition, immune dysregulation, and environmental influences. These factors converge to impair the colon’s epithelial defenses and promote an exaggerated inflammatory response against luminal contents.Breakdown of the Mucosal BarrierA...

Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease

Introduction
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by transmural...

Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease

Crohn’s disease is a chronic, relapsing form of inflammatory bowel disease characterized by segmental, transmural inflammation that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Its pathogenesis arises from a combination of genetic susceptibility, environmental exposures, epithelial barrier dysfunction, and immune dysregulation. Together, these factors lead to an exaggerated immune response against components of the gut microbiome.Genetic and Environmental InfluencesMultiple genetic...

Bacterial Toxins

Bacterial Toxins

Bacterial toxins are sophisticated virulence factors that enable pathogenic bacteria to interact with, invade, and damage host tissues. These toxins fall broadly into two types: protein exotoxins, which are secreted into the environment and target specific host receptors, and lipopolysaccharide endotoxins, which are structural components of the bacterial outer membrane released primarily during bacterial lysis or membrane shedding. Exotoxins generally act more selectively, binding to cell...

Bacterial Gastroenteritis

Bacterial Gastroenteritis

Bacterial gastroenteritis, characterized by diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting, is often caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water and is frequently associated with pathogenic Escherichia coli strains. These microbes exploit two principal mechanisms to inflict disease.Shiga toxin–producing E. coli, also referred to as STEC—notably O157:H7—release Shiga toxins that target ribosomes, blocking protein synthesis. The B subunit of the toxin binds the host glycolipid receptor...

Inflammatory Bowel Disease I: Introduction

Inflammatory Bowel Disease I: Introduction

Inflammatory bowel disease is a group of chronic disorders marked by recurrent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract due to an abnormal immune response against gut microflora. This leads to tissue damage. The two main forms are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.Crohn’s DiseaseCrohn’s disease is a relapsing inflammatory disorder that can affect any part of the GI tract, from the mouth to the anus. It involves all layers of the bowel wall (transmural) and shows “skip lesions” in which...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Relevance of Systematic Pre-Biologic Infectious Screening in Chronic Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases: A Retrospective Single-Center Study.

Journal of clinical medicine·2026

Same author

Condensation of the lower part of the iliac bone.

Joint bone spine·2026

Same author

Spontaneous rupture of aortic aneurysm due to Listeria monocytogenes in an immunocompetent patient and review of the literature.

Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease·2025

Same author

Lack of association between the TNFAIP3 rs2230926 variant and rheumatoid arthritis-associated lymphoma.

Joint bone spine·2022

Same author

Raltegravir 1200 mg once daily as maintenance therapy in virologically suppressed HIV-1 infected adults: QDISS open-label trial.

AIDS research and therapy·2022

Same author

Lymphoma complicating rheumatoid arthritis: results from a French case-control study.

RMD open·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291

Published on: December 10, 2016

Discitis due to Clostridium perfringens.

Anne Caudron¹, Franck Grados, Youcef Boubrit

¹Rheumatology Department, Amiens Teaching Hospital, CHU Nord, 80054 Amiens cedex, France.

Joint Bone Spine

|November 6, 2007

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Vacuum phenomenon in spinal imaging, often indicating degenerative disease, can also signal rare Clostridium perfringens discitis. Early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment lead to favorable outcomes for this infection.

More Related Videos

Culturing and Maintaining Clostridium difficile in an Anaerobic Environment

Culturing and Maintaining Clostridium difficile in an Anaerobic Environment

Published on: September 14, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291

Published on: December 10, 2016

Culturing and Maintaining Clostridium difficile in an Anaerobic Environment

Culturing and Maintaining Clostridium difficile in an Anaerobic Environment

Published on: September 14, 2013

Area of Science:

Infectious diseases
Radiology
Spinal imaging

Background:

Vacuum phenomenon on spinal radiographs typically suggests degenerative disc disease.
This case highlights a rare instance where vacuum phenomenon indicated infectious discitis.

Observation:

A 79-year-old woman presented with inflammatory low back pain and elevated inflammatory markers.
Imaging revealed L4-L5 discitis with vacuum phenomenon, and fine-needle biopsy identified Clostridium perfringens.
Diverticular disease was the likely source of infection.

Findings:

Clostridium perfringens discitis is rare, with only seven previously reported human cases.
Gastrointestinal portals of entry are common (70%), and vacuum phenomenon is often visualized (80%).
Blood cultures were positive in 75% of reported cases.

Implications:

The presence of gas within the disc does not exclude infectious discitis.
Vacuum phenomenon can be an indicator of C. perfringens discitis, necessitating further investigation.
Antibiotic therapy, even monotherapy, is effective for C. perfringens discitis, leading to good prognoses.