Search results for "Clostridiaceae"

Gut bacterial ClpB-like gene function is associated with decreased body weight and a characteristic microbiota profile

2020

[Background]: The chaperone ClpB, a bacterial protein, is a conformational antigen-mimetic of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) implicated in body weight regulation in mice. We here investigated the potential associations of gut bacterial ClpB-like gene function with obesity status and gut microbiota in humans.

Effects of heat treatment on hydrogen production potential and microbial community of thermophilic compost enrichment cultures

2011

Cellulosic plant and waste materials are potential resources for fermentative hydrogen production. In this study, hydrogen producing, cellulolytic cultures were enriched from compost material at 52, 60 and 70°C. Highest cellulose degradation and highest H(2) yield were 57% and 1.4 mol-H(2) mol-hexose(-1) (2.4 mol-H(2) mol-hexose-degraded(-1)), respectively, obtained at 52°C with the heat-treated (80°C for 20 min) enrichment culture. Heat-treatments as well as the sequential enrichments decreased the diversity of microbial communities. The enrichments contained mainly bacteria from families Thermoanaerobacteriaceae and Clostridiaceae, from which a bacterium closely related to Thermoanaerobiu…

Association of metformin administration with gut microbiome dysbiosis in healthy volunteers

2018

Background Metformin is a widely used first-line drug for treatment of type 2 diabetes. Despite its advantages, metformin has variable therapeutic effects, contraindications, and side effects. Here, for the very first time, we investigate the short-term effect of metformin on the composition of healthy human gut microbiota. Methods We used an exploratory longitudinal study design in which the first sample from an individual was the control for further samples. Eighteen healthy individuals were treated with metformin (2 × 850 mg) for 7 days. Stool samples were collected at three time points: prior to administration, 24 hours and 7 days after metformin administration. Taxonomic composition of…

Nucleotide sequence of Clostridium difficile toxin A.

1990

Clostridium difficile IStron CdISt1: Discovery of a Variant Encoding Two Complete Transposase-Like Proteins

2004

ABSTRACT Screening a Clostridium difficile strain collection for the chimeric element Cd ISt1 , we identified two additional variants, designated Cd ISt1 -0 and Cd ISt1 -III. In in vitro assays, we could prove the self-splicing ribozyme activity of these variants. Structural comparison of all known Cd ISt1 variants led us to define four types of IStrons that we designated Cd ISt1 -0 through Cd ISt1 -III. Since Cd ISt1 -0 encodes two complete transposase-like proteins (TlpA and TlpB), we suggest that it represents the original genetic element, hypothesized before to have originated by fusion of a group I intron and an insertion sequence element.

Increased number of Clostridium difficile infections and prevalence of Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 001 in southern Germany

2008

In recent years, Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has emerged as an increasing problem, both in in- and outpatients. In a rural region of southern Germany, the annual number of C. difficile toxin (Tcd)-positive patients has increased from 95 to 796 in the period from 2000 to 2007. Simultaneously, the proportion of positive tests among all Tcd examinations has risen from 7.0% to 12.8%, indicating that the higher number of affected patients was not solely due to an increase in the number of assays. Elevated numbers of CDI have recently been associated with outbreaks of the ribotype 027 strain, particularly in North America. This strain has also been isolated in Europe, including in Germa…