title: Ultrastructure of Clostridium difficile colonies.
abstract: The ultrastructural colony architecture of six Clostridium difficile strains belonging to four different ribotypes (001, 027, 078/126 and 036) was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In 2-day-old colonies several microareas differing in cell length and organization could be differentiated. Some cells at colony edges were extremely long and exhibited invasiveness into the agar. The ultrastructure of 5-day-old colonies is more homogenous and characterized by presence of sporulating cells, spores and extracellular matrix.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Slovenia; Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Saša
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lipovsek
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leitinger
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rupnik
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D021521:Ribotyping; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure*
keywords: Bacterial colony patterns; Biofilm; Clostridium difficile; Motility; Scanning electron microscopy; Sporulation