15Clostridioides difficile is a spore-forming bacterial pathogen that is the leading cause of hospital-16 acquired gastroenteritis. C. difficile infections begin when its spore form germinates in the 17 vertebrate gut upon sensing bile acids. These germinants induce a proteolytic signaling cascade 18 controlled by three members of the subtilisin-like serine protease family, CspA, CspB, and 19