Unraveling Physical Interactions of Clostridioides difficile with Phage and Phage-Derived Proteins Using In Vitro and Whole-Cell Assays

Abstract

Physical interactions between bacteria and phages provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of phage infection and may provide information on the use of phages as a therapeutic approach. In this study, we employed a combination of in vitro and whole-cell assays to examine the interactions between Clostridioides difficile and phages and phage-derived proteins. These techniques can also be adapted for studying the physical interactions between other bacterial species and their associated phages.

Keywords: Bacteriophage; Clostridioides difficile; Endolysin; Peptidoglycan; Physical interaction; Polysaccharide; SlpA; Surface layer.