Clostridium difficile is now regarded as a major enteric pathogen in hospitals and nursing-
home facilities. The pathophysiology of this pathogen involves alterations of the indigenous
colonic flora by antibiotics, ingestion of spores and colonization by C. difficile, followed by
release of its toxins. Although most of the research on the intestinal effects of C. difficile had
been focused on its enterotoxin or toxin A, recent results indicate that toxin B, the cytotoxin of
C. difficile, is also active in human colon. The cloning and sequencing of the toxin A and …