Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2025
Culturing and Maintaining Clostridium difficile in an Anaerobic Environment
Published on: September 14, 2013
Preservation of the Innate Immune Response to Clostridioides difficile Infection in Hospitalized Immunocompromised
Marcela Banegas1,2, Javier Villafuerte-Gálvez1,2, Rodrigo Paredes2,3
1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Background:
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) immune response is influenced by the innate and adaptive (humoral) immune systems. Our prior research found attenuated humoral responses to C difficile in immunocompromised hosts (ICHs) with CDI. We sought to evaluate whether the innate immune response to CDI was influenced by ICH status.
Methods:
We conducted a prospective study of hospitalized adults with CDI (acute diarrhea, positive C difficile stool nucleic acid amplification testing [NAAT], and decision to treat), with and without immunosuppression and measured a panel of cytokines (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor [G-CSF], interleukin [IL]-10, IL-15, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α) in blood and stool at CDI diagnosis. Results were compared with measurements from a cohort of asymptomatic carrier patients (ASCs) (NAAT positive, without diarrhea) with and without immunocompromise.
Results:
One hundred twenty-three subjects (42 ICHs, 50 non-ICHs, 31 ASCs) were included. Median values for blood and stool cytokines were similar in ICH versus non-ICH CDI subjects. In blood, G-CSF, IL-10, IL-15, IL-6, and IL-8 were higher in both groups of CDI subjects versus the ASC cohort (P < .05). In stool, IL-1β and IL-8 were higher in both groups of CDI subjects versus the ASC cohort (P < .05). Median stool concentrations of IL-1β demonstrated significant differences between the groups (ICHs, 10.97 pg/mL; non-ICHs, 9.71 pg/mL; and ASCs, 0.56 pg/mL) (P < .0001).
Conclusions:
In this small exploratory analysis, ICH status did not significantly impact blood and fecal patterns of cytokines in humans at the diagnosis of CDI, suggesting that the innate immune response to C difficile may be conserved in immunocompromised patients.
More Related Videos
09:12A Protein Microarray Assay for Serological Determination of Antigen-specific Antibody Responses Following Clostridium difficile Infection
Published on: June 15, 2018
12:58A Protocol to Characterize the Morphological Changes of Clostridium difficile in Response to Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: May 25, 2017
Related Concept Videos
01:17Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:26Defense Mechanism Against Infection
In addition, many body organ systems have unique defenses against infection. The skin is an intact, multilayered surface preventing invasion by microorganisms unless impaired. Mucous membranes lining the mouth, nose, and eyelids are barriers...
01:25Immunodeficiency Diseases
There are three main causes of immunodeficiency...
01:26Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection
The integrity and count of the white blood cells help the body resist pathogens and fight infection. When impaired, it reduces the body's resistance to pathogens. The acidic pH levels of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts, and skin...