title: Passive immunisation of hamsters against Clostridium difficile infection using antibodies to surface layer proteins.
abstract: Clostridium difficile is a major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and the primary cause of pseudomembraneous colitis in hospitalised patients. We assessed the protective effect of anti-surface layer protein (SLP) antibodies on C. difficile infection in a lethal hamster challenge model. Post-challenge survival was significantly prolonged in the anti-SLP treated group compared with control groups (P=0.0281 and P=0.0283). The potential mechanism of action of the antiserum was shown to be through enhancement of C. difficile phagocytosis. This report indicates that anti-SLP antibodies can modulate the course of C. difficile infection and may therefore merit closer investigation for use as constituents of multi-component vaccines against C. difficile associated diarrhoea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity College Dublin and Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre, St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. jobrie13@tcd.ie
authors.forename: Julie B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: McCabe
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Athié-Morales
authors.forename: George S A
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: Déirdre B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Ní Eidhin
authors.forename: Dermot P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kelleher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000276:immunology*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D008647:Mesocricetus; D009000:Monocytes; D010587:Phagocytosis
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; C055764:S-layer proteins