Murine models to study Clostridium difficile infection and transmission.

Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in healthcare facilities worldwide. C. difficile infections are difficult to treat because of the high rate of disease recurrence after antibiotic therapy, leaving few treatment options for patients. C. difficile is also difficult to contain within a healthcare setting due to a highly-transmissible, resistant spore form that challenges standard infection control measures. The recent development of murine infection models to study the interactions between C. difficile, the host and the microbiota are providing novel insight into the mechanisms of pathogenesis and transmission that should guide the development of therapies and intervention measures.