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Updated: Mar 16, 2026
12:58
A Protocol to Characterize the Morphological Changes of Clostridium difficile in Response to Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: May 25, 2017
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Characterization of Functional Prophages in Clostridium difficile.
Ognjen Sekulović1, Louis-Charles Fortier2
1Département de Microbiologie et d'infectiologie, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, 3201 rue Jean Mignault, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada, J1E 4K8.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|August 11, 2016
Summary
This chapter details a pipeline for studying Clostridium difficile temperate phages. It provides researchers with essential methods for identifying, inducing, and characterizing these bacterial viruses.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Genomics
Background:
- Bacteriophages (phages) are ubiquitous viruses found in most ecosystems.
- Prophages, a latent form of phages, integrate into or exist separately from their bacterial host's genome.
- Understanding prophages in Clostridium difficile is crucial due to their role in host biology and potential for horizontal gene transfer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To share expertise on studying Clostridium difficile temperate phages.
- To provide a comprehensive experimental pipeline for phage research.
- To equip the research community with basic tools for C. difficile phage investigation.
Main Methods:
- Identification and classification of prophages within bacterial genomes.
- Induction, isolation, and propagation of prophages.
- Characterization of prophage functionality and genomic impact.
Main Results:
- A detailed experimental pipeline for C. difficile prophage study is presented.
- The methods cover identification, induction, isolation, propagation, and characterization.
- This pipeline aims to facilitate further research into C. difficile phages.
Conclusions:
- The provided pipeline offers a foundational approach for C. difficile phage research.
- This work empowers researchers to begin studying these significant viral elements.
- Further investigation into C. difficile phages is essential for understanding bacterial evolution and developing therapeutic strategies.
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