Dr Gillian Douce

28 September 2017
11:00am

QIB Lecture Theatre

Speaker: Dr Gillian Douce

Clostridium difficile – an evolving pathogen

 

Speaker: Dr Gillian Douce,  Senior Lecturer (Bacteriology) and Associate (School of Life Sciences), Glasgow University

Host: Lindsay Hall

 

Abstract:

Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea worldwide and continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality, with a consequent healthcare cost burden of over €3B in the EU and $4.8B in USA C. difficile infection (CDI) results from gut dysbiosis, typically caused by antibiotic therapy, and is initiated by ingestion of spores that are critical for transmission. Subsequent outgrowth and toxin production results in epithelial damage and diarrhea, with recurrent infection in up 25% of cases.  Conventional treatment of CDI is limited to three antibiotics (metronidazole, vancomycin and fidaxomicin), and there are problems with efficacy, cost and with the observation that they can trigger dysbiosis that leads to recurrent infectionTo effectively control CDI, novel specific antimicrobials are urgently needed.

The infection process of C. difficile, which depends on acquisition, germination and outgrowth of the organism, toxin production and sporulation, offers multiple opportunities for intervention.  As toxin production is known to be a key stage in pathogenesis, with most of the clinical symptoms attributable to their production, interference with the infection process in advance of their production is potentially advantageous. Over the past ten years we have focussed on the study of this pathogen in a number of animal models of disease, in which the full spectrum of disease associated traits can be evaluated.  This talk will focus on efforts we have made to understand factors that influence the germination process and some of the approaches we have employed to limit outgrowth of the organism in vivo.

 

All staff from organisations on the Research Park are welcome to attend.