Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-1337, USA.
Trends Mol Med. 2012 Nov;18(11):658-66. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2012.09.005. Epub 2012 Oct 16.
Clostridium difficile is the causal agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections in the US. C. difficile has been known to cause severe diarrhea and colitis for more than 30 years, but the emergence of a newer, hypervirulent strain of C. difficile (BI/NAP1) has further compounded the problem, and recently both the number of cases and mortality associated with C. difficile-associated diarrhea have been increasing. One of the major drivers of disease pathogenesis is believed to be an excessive host inflammatory response. A better understanding of the host inflammation and immune mechanisms that modulate the course of disease and control host susceptibility to C. difficile could lead to novel (host-targeted) strategies for combating the challenges posed by this deadly infection. This review summarizes our current knowledge of the host inflammatory response during C. difficile infection.
艰难梭菌是抗生素相关性腹泻的病原体，也是美国医院获得性感染的主要原因。艰难梭菌导致严重腹泻和结肠炎已有 30 多年的历史，但一种新型、高毒力的艰难梭菌（BI/NAP1）菌株的出现使问题进一步恶化，最近与艰难梭菌相关性腹泻相关的病例数和死亡率都在增加。疾病发病机制的一个主要驱动因素被认为是宿主过度的炎症反应。更好地了解宿主炎症和免疫机制，调节疾病进程并控制宿主对艰难梭菌的易感性，可能会为应对这种致命感染带来的挑战提供新的（针对宿主的）策略。本综述总结了我们目前对艰难梭菌感染过程中宿主炎症反应的认识。
