Bacteriophage represent a promising option for the treatment of Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridioides difficile ) infection (CDI), which at present relies on conventional antibiotic therapy. The specificity of bacteriophages should prevent the dysbiosis of the colonic microbiota associated with the treatment of CDI with antibiotics. Whilst numerous phages have been isolated, none have been characterised with broad host-range activity towards PCR ribotype (RT) 078 C. difficile strains despite their considerable relevance to medicine and agriculture. In this study, we isolated four novel C. difficile Myoviruses: ΦCD08011, ΦCD418, ΦCD1801 and ΦCD2301. Their characterisation revealed that each was comparable with other C. difficile phages described in the literature, with the exception of ΦCD1801 which exhibited a broad host-range activity towards RT 078, infecting 15/16 (93.8%) of the clinical isolates tested. In order for wild-type phages to be exploited in the effective treatment of CDI, an optimal phage cocktail must be assembled that provides broad coverage against all C. difficile RTs. In an attempt to advance these efforts, we conducted a series of fundamental experiments that identified the C. difficile SlpA, the major constituent of the C. difficile surface-layer (S-layer), as the phage receptor. Thus, we demonstrated that ΦCD1801 could only bind to RT 012 or RT 027 strains in the presence of a plasmid-borne S-layer cassette corresponding to RT 078. Armed with this information, efforts should now be directed towards the isolation of phages with broad host-range activity against each of the fourteen described S-layer cassette types which could form the basis of an effective cocktail active against a wide range of C. difficile isolates.

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Clostridioides difficile is an enteric pathogen responsible for causing debilitating diarrhea, mostly in hospitalized patients. The bacterium exploits on microbial dysbiosis induced by the use of antibiotics to establish infection that ranges from mild watery diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis. Th …

Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Rebiotix reported results from a trial on their therapy, RBX2660, which shows promise as a Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) treatment.

The treatment would represent the first microbiota-based live biotherapeutic to show efficacy in the first recurrence of CDI.

The body's so-called germ squad in the gut can be tweaked, treating diseases including autism and Parkinson's disease.

Seres Therapeutics Presents Data Across its Broad Microbiome Pipeline Including New 24-Week Data from SER-109 Phase 3 ECOSPOR III Study in Recurrent C. Difficile Infection at Digestive Disease Week 2021

Clostridioides (C.) difficile is an important causative pathogen of nosocomial gastrointestinal infections in humans with an increasing incidence, morbidity, and mortality. The available treatment options against this pathogen are limited. The standard antibiotics are expensive, …

Researchers from Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina have demonstrated that a common diabetes drug inhibits the spread of Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff -- a potentially life-threatening infection commonly acquired during hospital stays. The team will present their work virtually at the American Physiological Society's (APS) annual meeting at Experimental Biology 2021.

None of the 43 traditional antibiotics in the clinical pipeline that target WHO priority pathogens, Clostridioides difficile or tuberculosis sufficiently addresses drug resistance, according to a new report.WHO’s annual Antibacterial Pipeline Report reviews antibiotic candidates in early development or the clinical stages of testing to assess progress, identify gaps in drug resistance and

Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) are an urgent public health threat worldwide and are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in healthcare settings. The increasing incidence and severity of infections combined with the scarcity of effective anti-CDI agents has made treatment of CDI ver …

With several potential treatments for serious infections currently in development, Destiny Pharma PLC has therefore found itself in an enviable position.

Recruitment for a phase 2 trial of a novel antibiotic against Clostridium difficile (C diff) is proceeding after phase 1 demonstrated safety and tolerability.

While antibiotic innovation—finding and designing new types of antibiotics and improving existing drugs—remains essential to combating antibiotic resistance, “outside-the-box” approaches to preventing and treating bacterial infections are also needed. Such nontraditional approaches encompass a variety of products.

MGB Biopharma's antibacterial treatment for Clostridium difficile infections cured 100% of the patients, who showed no recurrence four weeks after.

An investigational microbiome-based therapeutic for C difficile was found to exert continued efficacy 3 months after administration.