Description:

Title: Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Clostridioides difficile

Rita Tamayo, PhD

Associate Professor, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine

Faculty Host: Hank Seifert

Topic:

Clostridioides difficile causes antibiotic-associated disease ranging from mild diarrhea to potentially fatal pseudomembranous colitis, and it is one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections in the U.S. Recent work from our lab and others has shown that C. difficile generates extensive phenotypic heterogeneity through the process of phase variation. This talk will present some of our latest work uncovering the mechanisms and consequences of phase variation in C. difficile physiology and virulence, highlighting the ways in which this process in C. difficile differs from systems described in other bacteria.