Investigating the Role of the Large Plasmids found in Peptoclostridium difficile

This study uses a WGS approach to determine the sequence of plasmids present in a set of Peptoclostridium difficile isolates. Large plasmids have been previously identified to have a role in antibiotic resistance and virulence in several of the pathogenic clostridia. This study has identified several large, phage-like plasmids in Peptoclostridium difficile that are broadly similar, but based on sequence identity can be classified into two types. These plasmids carry no known antibiotic resistance markers, but contain an ORF potentially encoding a TcdE-like protein that may enhance toxin secretion in Peptoclostridium difficile.