The Genus Clostridium: Cosmopolitan Pathogens

摘要

Members of the genus Clostridium are ancient organisms of diverse phenotypes which have learned over evolutionary time to interact productively with hosts. These interactions are often brutal, by our standards, but, viewed dispassionately, no other genus of bacteria is more businesslike and efficient in separating hosts from potential bacterial nutrients. Producers of more than 40 toxic or potentially-toxic molecules, clostridia are successful competitors in the intestinal tract, and in muscle and other tissues. There are shared features among species, but also major differences in how clostridia establish and produce lesions in hosts.