Bacterial extracellular vesicles and their associated toxins

Bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEV) are spherical nanostructures released by all bacteria and play vital roles in cell communication. In disease-causing bacteria, the release of BEVs can further help with the infection by delivering toxins and virulence factors into host cells. Despite the importance of BEVs, there are still many gaps in knowledge that hinder our understanding of BEVs in causing disease. This thesis first described an improved method to isolate purer BEV preparations, followed by a detailed study of a toxin, called cytolethal distending toxin found within BEVs released by Campylobacter jejuni, a major cause of human gastroenteritis.