title: The roles of toxin A and toxin B in Clostridium difficile infection: insights from the gnotobiotic piglet model.
abstract: We recently published our findings indicating that anti-TcdB antibodies were effective as treatment for C. difficile infection, but that anti-TcdA actually worsened prognosis in the gnotobiotic piglet model. To further investigate the roles of the two toxins, we administered purified toxins separately or together, systemically, to piglets and found that both toxins, either alone or together, are able to elicit severe lesions systemically and are also able to cross into the gut lumen and cause large intestinal lesions typical of infection. We also found that anti-TcdA administered before systemic challenge with TcdA again did not protect from development of disease, but, in this case, did not appear to worsen prognosis. Further work is still needed, but these findings add to the growing knowledge regarding the roles of the C. difficile toxins.
authors.affiliation: Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine; Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health; North Grafton, MA USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.affiliation: Massachussetts Institute of Technology; Division of Comparative Medicine; Cambridge, MA USA.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Parry
authors.affiliation: Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine; Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health; North Grafton, MA USA.
authors.forename: Saul
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tzipori
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000276:immunology*; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins
keywords: Clostridium difficile; TcdA; TcdB; anti-toxin antibodies; monoclonal antibodies; systemic toxins; toxemia; toxins