Clostridioides difficile

Clostridioides difficile is the primary cause of nosocomial gastrointestinal infections in industrialized countries, with incidence, morbidity, and mortality increasing over recent decades.

PMID: 38584858

D003015 Clostridium Infections D003428 Cross Infection H00338 Pseudomembranous colitis

Clostridioides difficile causes pseudomembranous colitis and, when left untreated, can progress to toxic megacolon, a potentially life-threatening complication.

PMID: 38584858

D003015 Clostridium Infections D003551 Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous H00338 Pseudomembranous colitis

Clostridioides difficile colonization is highly prevalent in infants, while fewer than 5% of adults are asymptomatic carriers.

PMID: 38584858

D003015 Clostridium Infections

Antibiotic-induced disruption of the gut microbiome triggers germination of C. difficile spores into vegetative cells that produce enterotoxins, causing watery diarrhea and colonic inflammation.

PMID: 38584858

D000900 Anti-Bacterial Agents D003015 Clostridium Infections D003967 Diarrhea H00338 Pseudomembranous colitis

Clostridioides difficile was identified as the causative pathogen of diarrhea/colitis in one critically ill ICU patient (Patient 43) who had concurrent progressive fecal Enterobacteriaceae enrichment, representing an incidental CDI case within a 51-patient prospective cohort studying ICU-associated gut dysbiosis.

PMID: 36894652

D003428 Cross Infection H00338 Pseudomembranous colitis

In antibiotic-treated mice, cecal cholate levels become elevated while bacterial transformation to secondary bile acids (deoxycholate, lithocholate) is greatly suppressed; this antibiotic-induced shift in the bile acid pool promotes C. difficile spore germination by providing the cholate co-stimulant while removing the inhibitory secondary bile acids that are normally produced by commensal microbiota from primary bile acids.

PMID: 24503131

D001647 Bile Acids and Salts H00338 Pseudomembranous colitis