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

Wiep Klaas Smits1, Anna Maria Roseboom2, Jeroen Corver1

  • 1Experimental Bacteriology Group, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Centre for Microbial Cell Biology, Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden, The Netherlands.

Current Opinion in Microbiology
|November 14, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Plasmids are common in Clostridioides difficile, potentially influencing virulence. This review explores their abundance, functions, and clinical relevance in this important enteropathogen.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Pathogenesis

Background:

  • Plasmids are widespread in bacteria, often mediating horizontal gene transfer and influencing physiology.
  • Knowledge regarding plasmids in the enteropathogen Clostridioides difficile is limited.
  • Many identified C. difficile plasmids lack apparent phenotypic consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current understanding of plasmids in Clostridioides difficile.
  • To investigate the abundance, functions, and clinical relevance of these plasmids.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing studies on C. difficile plasmids.
  • Analysis of reported plasmid characteristics and associated genes.

Main Results:

  • Plasmids are frequently found in C. difficile.
  • Emerging evidence indicates plasmids may encode crucial virulence factors, including antimicrobial resistance and toxin production.
  • The clinical significance of C. difficile plasmids is increasingly recognized.

Conclusions:

  • Plasmids play a potentially significant role in C. difficile pathogenesis.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate plasmid functions and their impact on C. difficile infections.