Clostridium piliforme

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Characteristics of the symbiont/pathogen

Clostridium piliforme silver stain Merck

What kind of microbe is it (eg Cell morphology, shape, phylogenetic classification)? Is its genome sequenced, and if so, how big is the genome?

Clostridium piliforme, formerly known as Bacillus piliformis, is a large (8-40 mm) gram negative filamentous rod shaped bacteria. It is a member of the family Clostridiaceae. It is an intracellular, spore forming, obligate anaerobe. C. piliforme is pleomorphic and motile in nature.

Due to normal staining procedures producing weak results, confirmation of the bacteria is usually done with silver impregnation or Giemsa stains. The bacteria cannot be grown in a cell free environment but can be grown in hen eggs and some mammalian cell cultures.

Characteristics of the host

What host/s is/are involved? Is there host specificity? Are there secondary reservoirs?

C. piliforme can infect a variety of hosts but is most commonly found in rodents. It can infect hosts either through the inhalation of spores or via an oral fecal route, usually through the consumption of the feces of an already infected animal.

Host-Symbiont Interaction

What kind of interaction do host and symbiont have? How is the host affected by the relationship? How does the host acquire and transmit the symbiont? Is the interaction obligate or facultative?

Molecular Insights into the Symbiosis

Describe molecular/genetic studies on the symbiosis.

Ecological and Evolutionary Aspects

What is the evolutionary history of the interaction? Do particular environmental factors play a role in regulating the symbiosis?

Recent Discoveries

Describe two findings on the symbiosis published within the last two years.

References

[Sample reference] [[1] Seemanapalli SV, Xu Q, McShan K, Liang FT. 2010. Outer surface protein C is a dissemination-facilitating factor of Borrelia burgdorferi during mammalian infection. PLoS One 5:e15830.]

Edited by Seth Litvin, student of Grace Lim-Fong

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