Understanding host colonic recovery following Clostridioides difficile infection

The intestines are the most regenerative organ in the human body, completely replacing all cells in the lining every 3-5 days. C. difficile infection severely damages the intestines by secreting toxins. It is currently not known how the intestines repair following this infection. In this thesis, we established and validated a model of infection that shows it can take ten times longer for the intestines to repair from infection compared to normal regeneration. Furthermore, a mechanism of repair is activated following infection that is similar to repair mechanisms used in other forms of intestinal injury, such as chemoradiotherapy.