Effect of toxins produced by various Clostridium difficile strains on cecum size reduction in gnotobiotic mice.
Inoculation of axenic mice with Clostridium difficile strains induced a significant reduction in ceca weight (dry or wet), whereas a nontoxinogenic strain led to a partial reduction. A strain, which produces cytotoxin and no enterotoxin in vivo, caused a reduction similar to that observed with a nontoxinogenic strain. Simultaneous cytotoxin and enterotoxin production by various C. difficile strains caused the cecum size to diminish to that observed for conventional control mice.
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002432:Cecum / Q000473:pathology*; D003013:Clostridium / Q000378:metabolism*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005856:Germ-Free Life; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D009929:Organ Size
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003603:Cytotoxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; C041348:tcdA protein, Clostridium difficile; C031815:toxB protein, Clostridium difficile