Biofilm Production In Clostridioides (Clostridium) Difficile Epidemic Strain Dh/Nap11/106
Location
Lobby in front of Auditorium
Department
Biology
Abstract
C. difficile infection (CDI) is the most common healthcare-associated infection in the US, causing approximately 500,000 infections and 29,00 deaths annually. We have previously identified the REA groups of C. difficile strains in a cohort of children with CDI and identified REA group DH as the prominent REA group in our cohort. Since that time, ribotype 106 (which corresponds to REA group DH) has been identified as the most predominant strain type causing CDI in US adults. Subsequently, we performed a comparative genomics analysis of DH and non- DH strains to identify why strain DH has emerged as the most common strain type in the US. After whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the C. difficile samples collected from children with CDI at Lurie Children’s Hospital, we found that all the C. difficile DH strains (and 13% of non- DH strains) share more than 85% sequence similarity with LPxTG collagen-binding surface protein (CBSP) gene found in Enterococcus species which is associated with biofilm formation. Therefore, we hypothesized that this gene is associated with more effective biofilm formation in C. difficile.
Biofilm Production In Clostridioides (Clostridium) Difficile Epidemic Strain Dh/Nap11/106
Lobby in front of Auditorium
C. difficile infection (CDI) is the most common healthcare-associated infection in the US, causing approximately 500,000 infections and 29,00 deaths annually. We have previously identified the REA groups of C. difficile strains in a cohort of children with CDI and identified REA group DH as the prominent REA group in our cohort. Since that time, ribotype 106 (which corresponds to REA group DH) has been identified as the most predominant strain type causing CDI in US adults. Subsequently, we performed a comparative genomics analysis of DH and non- DH strains to identify why strain DH has emerged as the most common strain type in the US. After whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the C. difficile samples collected from children with CDI at Lurie Children’s Hospital, we found that all the C. difficile DH strains (and 13% of non- DH strains) share more than 85% sequence similarity with LPxTG collagen-binding surface protein (CBSP) gene found in Enterococcus species which is associated with biofilm formation. Therefore, we hypothesized that this gene is associated with more effective biofilm formation in C. difficile.
Comments
Larry Kociolek and Cindy Voisine are the faculty sponsors of this poster.