The impact of horizontal gene transfer on the biology of Clostridium difficile

Abstract

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is now recognised as the main cause of healthcare associated diarrhoea. Over the recent years there has been a change in the epidemiology of CDI with certain related strains dominating infection. These strains have been termed hyper-virulent and have successfully spread across the globe. Many C. difficile strains have had their genomes completely sequenced allowing researchers to build up a very detailed picture of the contribution of horizontal gene transfer to the adaptive potential, through the acquisition of mobile DNA, of this organism. Here, we review and discuss the contribution of mobile genetic elements to the biology of this clinically important pathogen.

Keywords: Bacteriophage; Clostridium difficile; Conjugative transposon; Horizontal gene transfer; Mobile genetic elements; Mobilisable transposon; PaLoc; Transposon.