Page 1: Disease History
This page will include information on who first identified C.diff in humans, who first identified C.diff as pathogenic, when/where this occurred, and why people were studying C.diff/why it was discovered. All of question 1 from the Defining the Disease assignment will be used in this section. This section will also include information on how C.diff was named. Landmark moments include Ivan C. Hall and Elizabeth O’Toole as the first scientists to report C.diff in 1935 and John G. Bartlett, Te Wen Chang, Marc Gurwith, Sherwood L. Gorbach, and Andrew B. Onderdonk as the first scientists to determine C.diff to be causing cytotoxicity in patients suffering from pseudomembranous colitis due to antibiotic use. This page will tie into the pathology page as these landmark moments are crucial in determining the cause of C.diff infection.
Page 2: Pathology
This page will include information from question 2 of the Defining the Disease assignment. This includes information on Toxin A and B, the damaging effects of the infection on the colon and intestinal epithelial cells, stress responses, and causes of common symptoms. This page will include figures from landmark papers. Landmark papers include, but are not limited to, “Glucosylation of Rho Proteins by Clostridium Difficile Toxin B”, “Clostridium Difficile Toxin B Induces Apoptosis in Intestinal Cultured Cells”, and “Clostridium Difficile Toxins Disrupt Epithelial Barrier Function by Altering Membrane Microdomain Localization of Tight Junction Proteins.” This page will align with the others as the healthy state page will show how drastically the state of infection effects the body’s typical functions and the treatment advancement page will discuss ways to prevent symptoms, and infection in general.
Page 3: Treatment Advancement
This page will include information about antibiotic treatment, fecal transplantation, probiotic use, and therapeutic methods recommended for patients with C.diff infection. This page will focus on research determining the most effective antibiotic, the most effective transplantation method, and research showing symptom relief. Landmark moments include, but are not limited to “Neutralization of Clostridium Difficile Toxin by Clostridium Sordellii Antitoxins”, “Suppression of Clostridium Difficile by Normal Hamster Cecal Flora and Prevention of Antibiotic-Associated Cecitis”, “Fidaxomicin versus Vancomycin for Clostridium Difficile Infection”, “Toxin Synthesis by Clostridium Difficile Is Regulated through Quorum Signaling”, “Ribaxamase, an Orally Administered β-Lactamase, Diminishes Changes to Acquired Antimicrobial Resistance of the Gut Resistome in Patients Treated with Ceftriaxone”, and “Mucosal Vaccination Strategies against Clostridioides Difficile Infection.”
Page 4: Healthy State
This page will include information about the typical microbiome, colon functions, ROS levels, membrane permeability, and the functions of the Enteric Nervous system. This information will be from question 3 of the Defining the Disease assignment and will align with the treatment page as this page discusses desired treatment outcomes for the patient. Landmark papers will include “Why Your Large Intestine Is Such a Big Deal”, “Advances in Enteric Neurobiology: The ‘Brain’ in the Gut in Health and Disease | Journal of Neuroscience”, and “Enteroendocrine Cells Regulate Intestinal Homeostasis and Epithelial Function.”
Page 5: Annotated Bibliography
This page will feature my annotated bibliography on C.diff infection research and scientific advancements that is organized by date and includes summaries of major findings. This will align to each page as it features the landmark papers for each page and supporting information. This page will also include a timeline graphic of the landmark moments beginning from time of discovery to present day.