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PATHOGEN METABOLISM

Ornithine supports C. difficile gut carriage

Nature Metabolism volume 4, pages 7–8 (2022)Cite this article

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How pathogens induce life-threatening symptoms in some individuals but not others is one of the greatest puzzles in biology. Pruss et al. have discovered that the presence of the amino acid ornithine fuels the persistence of the bacterial pathogen Clostridioides difficile in the absence of disease.

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Fig. 1: Ornithine supports non-inflammatory Clostridioides difficile colonization of the gut.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Matthew J. Munneke

  2. Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Eric P. Skaar

Authors
  1. Matthew J. Munneke
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  2. Eric P. Skaar
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Correspondence to Eric P. Skaar.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Munneke, M.J., Skaar, E.P. Ornithine supports C. difficile gut carriage. Nat Metab 4, 7–8 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-021-00510-8

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