Kinetics of appearance of intestinal lesions in mice mono-associated with a lethal or non-lethal strain of Clostridium difficile.
The kinetics of the appearance of intestinal lesions induced by orogastric inoculation of gnotobiotic mice with a lethal strain of Clostridium difficile (VPI) that produced toxins A and B in vivo and in vitro was studied and compared with the lesions induced by non-lethal C. difficile strain 786 that produced toxins A and B in vitro but only toxin B in measurable amounts in vivo. Different portions of the intestine were removed 12, 20, 26 and 30 h after inoculation and studied by scanning electronmicroscopy. The remaining portions were homogenised for enumeration of C. difficile and quantification of toxin A by enzyme immunoassay and toxin B by cytotoxicity. The results showed that, following inoculation: (i) measurable amounts of both toxins were necessary to produce lesions; (ii) with strain VPI, the caecum and the colon were rapidly impaired and completely destroyed after 1 day, whereas the small intestine was damaged to a lesser extent; (iii) C. difficile strain 786 did not cause mucosal damage but induced mucus-like or serum-like secretion and morphological changes in the caecal enterocytes only.
Castex
F
F
Unité de Recherche en Immunologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Montpellier 1, France.
Jouvert
S
S
Bastide
M
M
Corthier
G
G
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000502:physiology*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003106:Colon / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005856:Germ-Free Life; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003603:Cytotoxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; C041348:tcdA protein, Clostridium difficile; C031815:toxB protein, Clostridium difficile