Metagenomic analysis of C. difficile-infected mice
Clostridioides difficile is an infectious, gram-positive, obligate anaerobic, and spore-forming bacterium that causes C. difficile infection (CDI). The clinical symptoms of CDI can range widely in severity, from mild diarrhea to severe colitis, toxic megacolon, and even death. Typically, C. difficile resides asymptomatically in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract as part of the normal gut flora, and its growth is suppressed by a balanced gut microbiota (GM). However, gut dysbiosis, an imbalance in the GM, creates an environment conductive to increased CDI pathogenesis. Moreover, numerous reports have demonstrated a disruption in the composition of GM in CDI patients, compared to healthy individuals. Even though CDI pathogenesis is strongly associated with the collection of microorganisms in the gut, the research on which GM modulates the pathogenesis of C. difficile remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to experimentally evaluate whether gut microbes isolated from healthy individuals could inhibit C. difficile both in vitro and in vivo.