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Updated: Oct 14, 2025

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291
Published on: December 10, 2016
Pathobionts: mechanisms of survival, expansion, and interaction with host with a focus on Clostridioides difficile
Harish Chandra1,2, Krishna Kant Sharma3, Olli H Tuovinen4
1Department of Environmental Microbiology, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Abstract:
Pathobionts are opportunistic microbes that emerge as a result of perturbations in the healthy microbiome due to complex interactions of various genetic, exposomal, microbial, and host factors that lead to their selection and expansion. Their proliferations can aggravate inflammatory manifestations, trigger autoimmune diseases, and lead to severe life-threatening conditions. Current surge in microbiome research is unwinding these complex interplays between disease development and protection against pathobionts. This review summarizes the current knowledge of pathobiont emergence with a focus on Clostridioides difficile and the recent findings on the roles of immune cells such as iTreg cells, Th17 cells, innate lymphoid cells, and cytokines in protection against pathobionts. The review calls for adoption of innovative tools and cutting-edge technologies in clinical diagnostics and therapeutics to provide insights in identification and quantification of pathobionts.
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