Isolation of a Clostridium Exotoxin Producer Other than Clostridium difficile from a Patient with Diarrhea

Clostridium difficile -associated diarrhea is a significant problem in many hospitals and chronic care facilities. When established in the colon, pathogenic strains of C. difficile produce toxins that cause diarrhea and colitis; strains that do not produce toxins are not pathogenic. Toxin A (molecul...

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Published inJournal of clinical microbiology Vol. 36; no. 8; p. 2396
Main Authors Ravizzola, G, Manca, N, Dima, F, Signorini, C, Garrafa, E, Turano, A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Society for Microbiology 01.08.1998
Subjects
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Bacterial Toxins - biosynthesis
Clostridium - classification
Clostridium - isolation & purification
Clostridium Infections - microbiology
Diarrhea - microbiology
Exotoxins - biosynthesis
Humans
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Summary:Clostridium difficile -associated diarrhea is a significant problem in many hospitals and chronic care facilities. When established in the colon, pathogenic strains of C. difficile produce toxins that cause diarrhea and colitis; strains that do not produce toxins are not pathogenic. Toxin A (molecular mass, 308 kDa) acts as an enterotoxin, while toxin B (molecular mass, 250 to 270 kDa) acts as a cytotoxin, and both toxins may act synergistically in vivo. We report a case of isolation of a Clostridium sp. other than C. difficile that produced A and B toxins from an elderly patient belonging to a group of 17 subjects with diarrhea who were admitted to the same room of the orthopedics unit and all treated with ceftriaxone for 7 to 10 days of prophylaxis before operation.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
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ISSN:0095-1137
1098-660X
DOI:10.1128/JCM.36.8.2396-2396.1998