Clostridium difficile infection: Evolution, phylogeny and molecular epidemiology

Authors/Creators

Briony Elliott, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Grace O. Androga
Daniel B. Knight
Thomas V. Riley, Edith Cowan University

Abstract

Over the recent decades, Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has emerged as a global public health threat. Despite growing attention, C. difficile remains a poorly understood pathogen, however, the exquisite sensitivity offered by next generation sequencing (NGS) technology has enabled analysis of the genome of C. difficile, giving us access to massive genomic data on factors such as virulence, evolution, and genetic relatedness within C. difficile groups. NGS has also demonstrated excellence in investigations of outbreaks and disease transmission, in both small and large-scale applications. This review summarizes the molecular epidemiology, evolution, and phylogeny of C. difficile, one of the most important pathogens worldwide in the current antibiotic resistance era.

RAS ID

23005

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

2017

School

School of Medical and Health Sciences

Copyright

subscription content

Publisher

Elsevier

Comments

Elliott, B., Androga, G. O., Knight, D. R., & Riley, T. V. (2017). Clostridium difficile infection: Evolution, phylogeny and molecular epidemiology. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 49, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2016.12.018

Recommended Citation

Elliott, B., Androga, G. O., Knight, D. B., & Riley, T. V. (2017). Clostridium difficile infection: Evolution, phylogeny and molecular epidemiology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2016.12.018