Nerves and Intestinal Mast Cells Modulate Responses to Enterotoxins.
Experiments in intact animals exposed to enterotoxins demonstrate that neurons and immune cells of the lamina propria regulate toxin-induced diarrhea and tissue damage. Clostridium difficile toxins cause profound diarrhea and acute inflammation by activating a complex cascade initiated by toxin binding to enterocyte receptors.
Pothoulakis
Charalabos
C
Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston MA 02215, USA.
Castagliuolo
Ignazio
I
LaMont
J. Thomas
JT