Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291
Published on: December 10, 2016
The impact of horizontal gene transfer on the biology of Clostridium difficile
Adam P Roberts1, Elaine Allan1, Peter Mullany1
1Department of Microbial Diseases, UCL Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is now recognised as the main cause of healthcare associated diarrhoea. Over the recent years there has been a change in the epidemiology of CDI with certain related strains dominating infection. These strains have been termed hyper-virulent and have successfully spread across the globe. Many C. difficile strains have had their genomes completely sequenced allowing researchers to build up a very detailed picture of the contribution of horizontal gene transfer to the adaptive potential, through the acquisition of mobile DNA, of this organism. Here, we review and discuss the contribution of mobile genetic elements to the biology of this clinically important pathogen.
Related Concept Videos
Horizontal Gene Transfer
Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms
Transduction
Bacterial Transformation
Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...
Conjugation
Mechanism of Conjugation

