Extended Data Fig. 1: RI of CspC, C40 Peptidase 2, and FlgGEK reduce C. difficile colonization burden.

a, Experimental schema. The diagram was created using BioRender. b,c, Survival of WT C. difficile R20291 infection. d,e, Enumeration of C. difficile R20291 ∆A∆B bacteria in faeces. P value relative to dmLT control at the same time point. Individual lines correspond to individual mice. Limit of detection shown by dotted line, 500 CFU/g faeces. f–h, Sera IgG (f), faecal IgA (g), and faecal IgG (h) responses against antigens at days 28 and 42. Mean +/− SEM. i, Pearson’s R correlation coefficient and j, corresponding p-value heat maps comparing colonization burden with humoral titres in IP or RI mice that were either colonized or uncolonized 10 days post-infection with C. difficile. Negative Pearson’s R values correspond to colonization burden decrease. Statistical significance was calculated by means of [(b-c)] log-rank Mantel-Cox test, [(d-h), (d-e) each day analysed individually] one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s correction; *P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01, ***P ≤ 0.001, ****P ≤ 0.0001. 1b-e: n = 10 per group, decreases in n due to animal mortality during infection; 1f-j: n = 5-15 per group, dependent on ability to collect sample. Individual data points are represented and are pooled from two independent experiments in 1b-e. CFU, colony forming units; d.p.i., days post-infection; IP, intraperitoneal injection; RI, rectal instillation; C40 Pep 2, C40 peptidase 2; PD, polysaccharide deacetylase.

Source data