Author/Editor		Rupnik, Maja
Title		Toksinotipizacija - nova metoda za razlikovanje sevov bakterije Clostridium difficile
Type		članek
Source		In: Bole-Hribovšek V, Ocepek M, Klun N, editors. Zbornik s programom 2. kongres slovenskih mikrobiologov z mednarodno udeležbo; 1998 sep 27-30; Portorož. Ljubljana: Slovensko mikrobiološko društvo,
Publication year		1998
Volume		str. 27-30
Language		slo
Abstract		Clostridium difficile is a pathogenic bacteria which causes intestinal infections in hospitalized patients after antibiotic therapy. The main virulence factors are two toxins, woxin A and toxin B. Majority of the strains, that cause the disease, produce both toxins (B+A+strains), but the strains producing only toxin B have been described as well (B+A= strains). In our study we have shown that group of B+A+ strains could be differentiated according to the changes in their toxin genes, which further consequence changes in properties of the toxins. We have developed the method for typing of toxin genes and currently twelve groups of strains, toxinotypes, are known. Most isolates belong to the toxinotype 0, that includes a reference laboratory strain VPI10463. In ten other toxinotypes from I to X are the variant strains with changed toxin genes and among them are also two groups of B+A- strains. In the twelfth group is a single isolate with genetic information only for toxin A which probably represents a new type of B-A+ strains. Variant strains has already been and will be important for studying the role of the toxins in pathogenesis. As some strains that produce only one of the both toxins still have the potential to cause the disease, diagnostic methods should be used which detect ordinary as well as variant strains.
Descriptors		CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE BACTERIAL TOXINS BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION ENTEROCOLITIS, PSEUDOMEMBRANOUS POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION