Pathogenesis of clostridial myonecrosis

该项目的目的是更好地了解气性坏疽的发展机制，这是一种通常致命的疾病，对老年人和糖尿病患者特别重要，他们在受伤、手术或在某些情况下患有结肠癌后特别容易受到影响。尽管对这种疾病的研究已经进行了多年，但及时手术切除感染组织，通常包括截肢，仍然是确保患者生存的常用方法。这个项目包括对两种主要致病细菌的研究。我们的目标是找出细菌是如何介导疾病的，特别是确定细菌产生的哪些有毒因素参与其中。宿主对细菌感染的正常反应是白血球迅速涌入被感染的组织，这是正常炎症反应的一部分。这些细胞吞噬并降解细菌，清除感染。然而，气性坏疽病理的一个主要特征是很少有白细胞浸润感染组织。我们的目的是确定为什么宿主不能对这种细菌感染产生炎症反应。我们将通过更好地了解细菌毒素在这种病态疾病发展中的作用来实现这一目标。希望本研究的结果将有助于开发更有效的治疗和预防该病的治疗方法，并为研究其他细菌物种对宿主反应的调节提供基础。

The aim of this project is to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of gas gangrene, an often fatal disease of particular significance to elderly and diabetic patients, who are particularly susceptible following injury, or surgery, or in some cases when suffering from colon cancer. Although research has been carried out on this disease for many years prompt surgical removal of the infected tissue, often including amputation of a limb, is still commonly used to ensure the patient's survival. This project involves the study of the two bacteria that are the major causes of the disease. We aim to find out how the bacteria mediate the disease, in particular to determine which toxic factors produced by the bacteria are involved. The normal host response to a bacterial infection is a rapid influx of white blood cells to the infected tissue, which is part of the normal inflammatory response. These cells engulf and degrade the bacteria, clearing the infection. However, a major characteristic of gas gangrene pathology is that very few white blood cells infiltrate the infected tissue. We aim to determine why the host fails to mount an inflammatory response to this bacterial infection. We will achieve this objective by developing a better understanding of the role of the bacterial toxins in the development of this morbid disease. It is hoped the results from this study will enable the development of more effective therapeutic and prophylactic treatments for this disease and also provide a foundation for studies into the modulation of the host response by other bacterial species.