Clostridium perfringens, a prevalent Gram-positive bacterium, causes necrotic diseases associated with abundant life loss and economic burdens of billions USD. The mechanism C. perfringens-induced remains largely unknown, in part, because the lack effective animal models presence large array exotoxins diverse disease manifestations from skin deep tissues to gastrointestinal tract. In light adva...

Bacterially derived exotoxins kill eukaryotic cells by inactivating factors and/or pathways that are universally conserved among eukaryotic organisms. The genes that encode these exotoxins are commonly found in bacterial viruses (bacteriophages). In the context of mammals, these toxins cause diseases ranging from cholera to diphtheria to enterohemorrhagic diarrhea. Phage-carried exotoxin genes ...