Skip to main content
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1993 Dec;59(12):3985–3988. doi: 10.1128/aem.59.12.3985-3988.1993

Nutritional aspects of cytotoxin production by Clostridium difficile.

D P Osgood 1, N P Wood 1, J F Sperry 1
PMCID: PMC195856  PMID: 8285703

Abstract

Arginine was the only amino acid used by Clostridium difficile that permitted cytotoxin synthesis in a peptone-based medium. Synthesis of cytotoxin was delayed when glucose was used as the substrate. Addition of rifampin or puromycin to cultures prior to release of cytotoxin inhibited the release of cytotoxin, suggesting that a protein essential for cytotoxin release is synthesized after cytotoxin is synthesized.

Full text

PDF
3986

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Barroso L. A., Wang S. Z., Phelps C. J., Johnson J. L., Wilkins T. D. Nucleotide sequence of Clostridium difficile toxin B gene. Nucleic Acids Res. 1990 Jul 11;18(13):4004–4004. doi: 10.1093/nar/18.13.4004. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bartlett J. G., Moon N., Chang T. W., Taylor N., Onderdonk A. B. Role of Clostridium difficile in antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis. Gastroenterology. 1978 Nov;75(5):778–782. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bartlett J. G. Treatment of Clostridium difficile colitis. Gastroenterology. 1985 Nov;89(5):1192–1195. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(85)90227-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chang T. W., Lauermann M., Bartlett J. G. Cytotoxicity assay in antibiotic-associated colitis. J Infect Dis. 1979 Nov;140(5):765–770. doi: 10.1093/infdis/140.5.765. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Donta S. T., Shaffer S. J. Effects of Clostridium difficile toxin on tissue-cultured cells. J Infect Dis. 1980 Feb;141(2):218–222. doi: 10.1093/infdis/141.2.218. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Haslam S. C., Ketley J. M., Mitchell T. J., Stephen J., Burdon D. W., Candy D. C. Growth of Clostridium difficile and production of toxins A and B in complex and defined media. J Med Microbiol. 1986 Jun;21(4):293–297. doi: 10.1099/00222615-21-4-293. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ketley J. M., Haslam S. C., Mitchell T. J., Stephen J., Candy D. C., Burdon D. W. Production and release of toxins A and B by Clostridium difficile. J Med Microbiol. 1984 Dec;18(3):385–391. doi: 10.1099/00222615-18-3-385. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kim K. H., Fekety R., Batts D. H., Brown D., Cudmore M., Silva J., Jr, Waters D. Isolation of Clostridium difficile from the environment and contacts of patients with antibiotic-associated colitis. J Infect Dis. 1981 Jan;143(1):42–50. doi: 10.1093/infdis/143.1.42. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lyerly D. M., Krivan H. C., Wilkins T. D. Clostridium difficile: its disease and toxins. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1988 Jan;1(1):1–18. doi: 10.1128/cmr.1.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Pothoulakis C., Barone L. M., Ely R., Faris B., Clark M. E., Franzblau C., LaMont J. T. Purification and properties of Clostridium difficile cytotoxin B. J Biol Chem. 1986 Jan 25;261(3):1316–1321. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. ROSENBERG H., ENNOR A. H., MORRISON J. F. The estimation of arginine. Biochem J. 1956 May;63(1):153–159. doi: 10.1042/bj0630153. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Rolfe R. D., Finegold S. M. Purification and characterization of Clostridium difficile toxin. Infect Immun. 1979 Jul;25(1):191–201. doi: 10.1128/iai.25.1.191-201.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Taylor N. S., Thorne G. M., Bartlett J. G. Comparison of two toxins produced by Clostridium difficile. Infect Immun. 1981 Dec;34(3):1036–1043. doi: 10.1128/iai.34.3.1036-1043.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Triadafilopoulos G., Pothoulakis C., O'Brien M. J., LaMont J. T. Differential effects of Clostridium difficile toxins A and B on rabbit ileum. Gastroenterology. 1987 Aug;93(2):273–279. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(87)91014-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Wilkins T. D. Role of Clostridium difficile toxins in disease. Gastroenterology. 1987 Aug;93(2):389–391. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(87)91031-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied and Environmental Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES