Nature Communications (Dec 2018)

Host-targeted niclosamide inhibits C. difficile virulence and prevents disease in mice without disrupting the gut microbiota

  • John Tam,
  • Therwa Hamza,
  • Bing Ma,
  • Kevin Chen,
  • Greg L. Beilhartz,
  • Jacques Ravel,
  • Hanping Feng,
  • Roman A. Melnyk

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07705-w
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

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Clostridium difficile causes diarrhea and colitis by producing up to three different protein toxins. Here, Tam et al. show that an anthelmintic drug, niclosamide, inhibits the pathogenesis of all three toxins by targeting a host process required for toxin entry into host cells, without disrupting the gut microbiota.