Microbiota of MR1 deficient mice confer resistance against Clostridium difficile infection.

Smith, Ashley D; Foss, Elissa D; Zhang, Irma; Hastie, Jessica L; Giordano, Nicole P; Gasparyan, Lusine; VinhNguyen, Lam Phuc; Schubert, Alyxandria M et al. · PLoS One · 2019

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Clostridium difficile (Cd) infection (CDI) typically occurs after antibiotic usage perturbs the gut microbiota. Mucosa-associated invariant T cells (MAIT) are found in the gut and their development is dependent on Major histocompatibility complex-related protein 1 (MR1) and the host microbiome. Here we were interested in determining whether the absence of MR1 impacts resistance to CDI. To this end, wild-type (WT) and MR1-/- mice were treated with antibiotics and then infected with Cd spores. Surprisingly, MR1-/- mice exhibited resistance to Cd colonization. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of feces revealed inherent differences in microbial composition. This colonization resistance was transferred from MR1-/- to WT mice via fecal microbiota transplantation, suggesting that MR1-dependent factors influence the microbiota, leading to CDI susceptibility.

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