Are Clostridium difficile toxins nephrotoxic?
Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) occurs along a spectrum from simple uncomplicated enteritis to a multi-system disease which may include nephropathy. Pathology is attributed to bacterial toxins, but it is unclear if the latter are directly nephrotoxic. Anecdotes of renal disease from human biopsy findings suggest a variation of histopathologies, but data are relatively limited. Acute renal failure does occur in patients with advanced morbidity. CDAD can complicate chronic renal failure. Kidney tissue culture cytotoxicity has long been known. Kidney function alterations among animal models or diseased humans are relatively uncommon in mild to moderate enteritis. Rare findings of toxinemia are reported. Some have proposed that renal dysfunction arises more from pre-renal compromises. Direct toxin studies on whole kidney are sparse. The role of direct toxin-associated renal disease is worthy of further investigation given the current impetus towards the development of protective and therapeutic passive and active immunity. Hypotheses of toxin-direct or pre-renal toxin compromise of renal function prevail.
['Cimolai|Nevio|N|']
D058186:Acute Kidney Injury D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D000818:Animals D000992:Antitoxins D001427:Bacterial Toxins D002648:Child D016360:Clostridioides difficile D003015:Clostridium Infections D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007231:Infant, Newborn D008297:Male D051379:Mice D008875:Middle Aged D008954:Models, Biological D012008:Recurrence
Clostridium difficile Toxin Nephrotoxicity Kidney Enterocolitis