title: In vivo lysogenization of a Clostridium difficile bacteriophage ФCD119.
abstract: Clostridium difficile is a nosocomial pathogen identified as the cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis. In this study, we have documented the lysogeny of a C. difficile bacteriophage in hamsters during C. difficile infection. The lysogens isolated from the hamsters were toxin typed and their phage integration site was confirmed by PCR. Through toxin ELISA it was found that the toxin production in the in vivo isolated lysogens was affected due to ФCD119 lysogenization as in the case of in vitro isolated ФCD119 lysogens. Together our findings indicate that a baceriophage can lysogenize its C. difficile host even during the infection process and highlights the importance of lysogeny of C. difficile phages as an evolutionary adaptation for survival.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, USA. rgovind@ksu.edu
authors.forename: Govind
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Revathi
authors.forename: Joe A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fralick
authors.forename: Rial D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Rolfe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000032:analysis; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development / Q000821:virology*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology*; D006224:Cricetinae; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000032:analysis; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D044404:Genomic Islands; D008242:Lysogeny; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; C041348:tcdA protein, Clostridium difficile; C031815:toxB protein, Clostridium difficile