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J Med Microbiol 57 (2008), 745-749; DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.47744-0
© 2008 Society for General Microbiology
ISSN 1473-5644

Assessing the role of p-cresol tolerance in Clostridium difficile

Lisa F. Dawson, Richard A. Stabler and Brendan W. Wren

Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK

Correspondence
Brendan W. Wren
brendan.wren{at}lshtm.ac.uk

Received 2 November 2007
Accepted 29 December 2007

Clostridium difficile is an important nosocomial pathogen, resulting in antibiotic-associated disease ranging from mild diarrhoea to the life-threatening pseudomembranous colitis. Upon antibiotic exposure, it is believed that the normal bowel microflora of patients is disrupted, allowing C. difficile to proliferate. Significantly, C. difficile is among only a few bacteria able to ferment tyrosine to p-cresol, a phenolic compound that is toxic to other microbes via its ability to interfere with metabolism. Therefore, the ability of different C. difficile strains to produce and tolerate p-cresol may play an important role in the development and severity of C. difficile-associated disease. In this study, it was demonstrated that two C. difficile hypervirulent 027 strains (Stoke Mandeville and BI-16) are more tolerant to p-cresol than other C. difficile strains including 630, CF4 and CD196. Surprising, it was shown that Clostridium sordellii also has a high tolerance to p-cresol, suggesting an overlap in the tolerance pathways in these clostridial species.

Abbreviations: CDAD, Clostridium difficile-associated disease; pHPA, p-hydroxyphenylacetate.




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I. R. Poxton
Proceedings from the 2nd International Clostridium difficile Symposium, Maribor, Slovenia, June 2007.
J. Med. Microbiol., June 1, 2008; 57(Pt 6): 683 - 794.
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