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Defining Microbial and Host Pathways Driving Asymptomatic C. difficile Colonization Associated with Aging and High-Sugar Diets
SUMMARY Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea, with rising incidence in community settings and a growing burden of asymptomatic colonization. Asymptomatic car- riers, particularly among the elderly and individuals consuming high-sugar diets, represent a critical but underexplored reservoir for transmission and disease progression. This proposal introduces novel, anti- biotic-independent mouse models demonstrating that both dietary sugar and aging independently pro- mote asymptomatic C. difficile colonization. We hypothesize that these factors disrupt colonization re- sistance (CR) through distinct but overlapping microbial, metabolic, and immune pathways. In Aim 1, we will define how traditional and emerging dietary sugars alter the gut environment to permit C. difficile colonization using in vitro bioreactors and in vivo models. Aim 2 will identify age-associated changes in microbiota and mucosal immunity that impair CR, using longitudinal studies and fecal micro- biota transfer. Aim 3 will functionally validate C. difficile genes upregulated during asymptomatic carriage using CRISPR-Cas9 mutants in both sugar- and age-induced models. This integrative, multi-omics approach will uncover the mechanisms enabling asymptomatic colonization and identify microbial and host targets for intervention. The findings will inform microbiome-based strat- egies to prevent CDI in vulnerable populations and shift current paradigms in CDI risk assessment and prevention.
Advancing Communication Science to Address Tobacco-Related Health Disparities
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths and illnesses in the United States and globally. Sexual, racial, ethnic minorities, young adults, and populations from rural areas and lower socioeconomic positions are disproportionately impacted by the health harms of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. In this talk, Andy Tan, Associate Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, will provide an overview of integrating communication science to address inequalities in health information exposure, message processing, and behavioral effects associated with pro- and anti-tobacco communications among vulnerable populations. He will present findings from recent work including examining inequities in tobacco advertising exposure among young adult sexual minorities, experiences of smoking risk and protective factors among transgender and gender expansive adults, and development of a culturally responsive communication intervention to increase resilience against tobacco marketing influences and reduce smoking among young adult LGB women.
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