In addition to the two large clostridial cytotoxins (TcdA and TcdB), some strains of Clostridium difficile also produce an actin-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase, called binary toxin CDT. We used a PCR method and Southern blotting for the detection of genes encoding the enzymatic (CDTa) and binding (CDTb) components of the binary toxin in 369 strains isolated from patients with suspected C. diff...

This study examined antibiotic susceptibility, genetic diversity, and characteristics of virulence genes in Campylobacter isolates from poultry. Chicken (n = 152) and duck (n = 154) samples were collected from 18 wet markets in Korea. Campylobacter spp. isolated from the carcasses were identified by PCR. The isolated colonies were analyzed for antibiotic susceptibility to chloramphenicol, amika...

The pathogenicity of thermotolerant Campylobacter species, common food-borne pathogens, depends on certain factors unevenly distributed among strains of different origin. The prevalence of such markers has never been examined in a population of Polish Campylobacter strains of human and poultry origin. Therefore, we analysed the presence of the cadF, cdtA, cdtB and cdtC genes and the iam sequenc...

BACKGROUND Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans serotypes are clearly associated with periodontitis or health, which suggests distinct strategies for survival within the host. OBJECTIVE We investigated the transcription profile of virulence-associated genes in A. actinomycetemcomitans serotype b (JP2 and SUNY 465) strains associated with disease and serotype a (ATCC 29523) strain associated ...

Chicken meat from the shelves of supermarkets in Qatar was tested for the presence of Campylobacter spp. and the presence of five virulence genes (htrB, cdtB, clpP, cadF and ciaB) was assessed in isolates. Forty eight percent of the chickens provided for supermarkets by Saudi (53%) and Qatari (45.9%) producers were found to be contaminated and the most important factor affecting the overall pre...

Campylobacter hyointestinalis is considered as an emerging zoonotic pathogen. We have recently identified two types of cytolethal distending toxin (cdt) gene in C. hyointestinalis and designated them as Chcdt-I and Chcdt-II. In this study, we developed a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay that can differentiate Chcdt-I from Chcdt-II. When the PCR-RFLP assay was applied to...

Crenits Bedel is a small hydrophilid genus of 41 species (Hansen, 1999; Hebauer, 1994, 2005), distributed across Eurasia, Africa and the Americas. The genus is particularly diverse in temperate regions, with the eastern Palaearctic and Nearctic regions containing the highest concentrations of taxa. The eight described African species are all restricted to temperate South Africa, most being foun...

Clostridium difficile, a highly infectious bacterium, is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis. In 2009, the number of death certificates mentioning C. difficile infection in the U.K. was estimated at 3933 with 44% of certificates recording infection as the underlying cause of death. A number of virulence factors facilitate its pathogenicity, among which are two po...

This review summarizes the current status and recent advances in our understanding of the role that the cytolethal distending toxin (Cdt) plays as a virulence factor in promoting disease by toxin-producing pathogens. A major focus of this review is on the relationship between structure and function of the individual subunits that comprise the AB2 Cdt holotoxin. In particular, we concentrate on ...

INTRODUCTION Cytolethal distending toxin (Cdt) is potentially one of several virulence factors of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, the prime etiological agent of localized aggressive periodontitis (LAP). Little is known regarding the Cdt-specific antibody response in humans. The current study is a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the toxin-specific antibody response in a cohort ...