Clostridium difficile is a bacteria that produces toxins in the human gut and has emerged as a major contributor to hospital acquired infections in Western countries. Approximately 15%-25% of antibiotic-associated diarrhea cases result from C. difficile infections, which can result in fever, weight loss, and diarrhea 10 to 15 times a day.
The results from this Experiment campaign from Italy's National Institute for Infectious Diseases are now published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, and it demonstrates that human serum albumin binds to certain protein domains on C. difficile toxins which help break down the toxin at certain concentrations in the body.
Albumin is one of the most abundant proteins found in the blood plasma. The liver releases albumin, and human serum albumin helps transport hormones and other fatty acids. Albumin proteins are also found in mammals, and in egg whites, where researcher Stefano Di Bell found suggestions for the bactericidal properties of albumin.
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