Understanding the Genetics of C. difficile sporulation/germination and relapse

The endospore-forming bacterium Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhea in Europe and N. America where its incidence is rising, concomitant with the emergence of so-called ‘hyper-virulent’ strains, responsible for increased severity of disease and a rise in fatalities. C. difficile infection (CDI) is, therefore, an important medical problem with over 30.000 cases per year in the UK and a major financial burden and annually costs Europe and USA healthcare services $2 & 3.2 billion, respectively.

This project is part of the National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Unit Award made to Nottingham in August 2011 which provides £7.2 million over 5 years to pursue Translational Research. An important component of that program is the characterization of C. difficile strains in patients who relapse. Our aim is to define what causes relapse and relate this to the genetics of the organism. This project will particularly focus on the molecular basis and regulation of sporulation and germination in C. difficile.

Through this project the student will become part of one of a world-leading clostridial molecular biology laboratories (http://www.clostron.com/people.php), gaining access to cutting edge gene technologies unavailable anywhere else in the world. The studentship will be based in the Centre for Biomolecular Sciences (CBS), established to promote multidisciplinary research in microbiology (http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/cbs). The project offers training in anaerobic microbiology, advanced microbial genetics, molecular biology, NGS and translational aspects.