Citrobacter rodentium, a Gut Pathogen: The Yin and the Yang of Its Pathophysiology, Immunity and Clinical Manifestation in Mice

Abstract

Pathogenic strains of E. coli including enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) are principle causes for diarrhoea in many parts of the globe. Citrobacter rodentium (C. rodentium), a gram negative bacterium, is a murine pathogen that also utilizes type III secretion system and similar virulence factors to EPEC and EHEC and forms comparable attaching/effacing lesions in the intestines as EPEC and EHEC. The infection caused by C. rodentium in mice is usually self-limiting and results in only minor systemic effects with higher mortality in some susceptible mouse strains. All these characteristics have made the bacteria a commonly used model to study host immune responses to pathogenic E. coli infection. In this review, we focus on the impact of virulence factors of the pathogen; different immune components involved in the immune response and summarize their role during C. rodentium infection.