A Detrimental Role of Immunosuppressive Drug, Dexamethasone, During Clostridium difficile Infection in Association with a Gastrointestinal Microbial Shift

Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive, anaerobic, sporeforming bacillus, and is one of the leading causes of healthcare-associated diarrhea.The incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) has increased dramatically over the past decade, and the majority of CDI cases are attributed to risk factors, such as antibiotics, immunosuppressive drugs, and advanced age, which result in alteration of gut bacterial communities and their functions [9,10].Therefore, the essential step toward a better understanding of CDI pathogenesis is to investigate the effects of risk factors in CDI.It is well known that the intestinal microflora plays important roles in the health and well being of the host.The normal intestinal microflora has a protective mechanism against the incursion of pathogenic bacteria [1,2].As such, the gut microflora is a key player in CDI, and disruptions of human gut microflora are closely related with CDI.Therefore, another intriguing question regarding microbial functions in CDI is which microbial groups are active