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Modulation of Clostridium difficile infection by dietary zinc

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 13, pages 686–688 (2016)Cite this article

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Zinc is essential for biological processes in both mammalian hosts and their microbial symbionts. Sequestration of zinc is a strategy used by mammals to protect against bacterial pathogens. A new study has demonstrated that zinc supplementation increased susceptibility and worsened disease in a mouse model of Clostridium difficile infection.

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Figure 1: Putative roles for zinc in the pathogenesis of Clostridium difficile infection.

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Acknowledgements

A.M.S. acknowledges support from NIH and NCATS grant UL1 TR000433. V.B.Y. acknowledges support from NIH grants U01 AI124255 and R21 AI120599.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Michigan Medical Center,

    Anna M. Seekatz

  2. Department of Microbiology and Immunology; and at the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical Center,

    Vincent B. Young

  3. and at the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical Center, 1510 West Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, 48109–5666, Michigan, USA

    Vincent B. Young

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  1. Anna M. Seekatz
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Correspondence to Vincent B. Young.

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Competing interests

V.B.Y. has served as a consultant to Merck and Vendanta. V.B.Y. and A.M.S. have received a research grant from MedImmune.

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Seekatz, A., Young, V. Modulation of Clostridium difficile infection by dietary zinc. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 13, 686–688 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2016.177

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