C Difficile

To combat C difficile, Christian John Lillis, cofounder and executive director of the Peggy Lillis Foundation for C. Diff Education & Advocacy, noted that awareness and innovation must continue to increase.

Iron storage "spheres" inside the bacterium C. diff—the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections—could offer new targets for antibacterial drugs to combat the pathogen.

Our results suggest the D-alanylation of C. difficile as an interesting target to tackle C. difficile infections.

Our results demonstrated for the first time the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects of M. longifolia extract on C. difficile RT001 and its Tox-S. However, further research is needed to evaluate the potential application of M. longifolia extract on CDI tr …

Based on the results of this study, we conclude that the PCR technique is the only reliable method for the diagnosis of this pathogen.

Targeted metagenomic sequencing is an emerging strategy to survey disease- specific microbiome biomarkers for clinical diagnosis and prognosis. However, this approach often yields inconsistent or conflicting results due to inadequate study power and sequencing bias. We introduce Taxa4Meta, a bioinfo …

In the age of progressive antimicrobial resistance and increased difficulty combating infections in immunocompromised hosts, there has been renewed interest in the use of nontraditional therapeutics for infections. Herein, we review the use of investigational non-pharmaceutical anti-infective agents …

While emerging evidence highlights the significance of gut microbiome in gastrointestinal infectious diseases, treatments like Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) and probiotics are gaining popularity, especially for diarrhea patients. However, the specific role of the gut microbiome in different …

The gut-brain axis (GBA) is a complex bidirectional communication network connecting the gut and brain. It involves neural, immune, and endocrine communication pathways between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the central nervous system (CNS). Perturbations of the GBA have been reported in many n …

In the treatment of depressive disorders, conventional antidepressant therapy has been the mainstay of clinical management, along with well-established nonpharmacological interventions such as various kinds of psychotherapy. Over the last 2 decades, there has been considerable interest in the role o …

Cephalosporins are the most common triggers of healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI). Here, we confirm gene-level drivers of cephalosporin resistance and their roles in promoting disease. Genomic-epidemiologic analyses of 306 C. difficile isolates from a hospi …

In this video roundtable discussion, Jaspal Singh, MD, MHA, MHS, interviews Dr Lisa Davidson, MD, and Ryan Maves, MD, about the importance of antimicrobial stewardship, fighting antimicrobial resistance, diagnostic stewardship, minimizing toxicity, and maximizing infection control.

With the FDA approval of 2 of these products, which are indicated for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), a study reviewed which types of clinicians are prescribing them and the protocols in using them.

C. difficile is a mammalian pathogen that colonizes the large intestine and produces toxins that lead to severe diarrheal disease. C. difficile is a major threat to public health due to its intrinsic resistance to antimicrobials and its ability to form dormant spores that are easily sp …

Fecal microbes could help populations at risk of drug-resistant infections, such as patients who get organ transplants.

A genomic signature for endosporulation includes a gene coding for a protease, YabG, which in the model organism Bacillus subtilis is involved in assembly of the spore coat. We show that in the human pathogen Clostridioidesm difficile, YabG is critical for the assembly of the coat and exosporium lay …

A fragment of a Clostridium difficile toxin could improve outcomes in patients with hard-to-treat forms of breast cancer, according to a paper published in PLOS Biology.

### What you need to know A 42 year old man visits his general practitioner with a three month history of intermittent nausea and central chest discomfort, particularly after fatty and sweet meals. He occasionally has a bad taste in his mouth when he wakes up from sleep. His body mass index is 32, he has no significant medical history, and he takes no regular medications. After asking him about alarm symptoms, you make a diagnosis of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. You are considering prescribing a proton pump inhibitor as a first line therapy. Prevalence of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use is about 15% of the UK population, according to two primary care database studies.12 In 2022-23, 73 million NHS prescriptions for PPIs were dispensed in England at a cost of about £190 million, equating to 1.8% of total primary care prescription costs and 6% of all prescriptions dispensed.3 The two most commonly prescribed PPIs in England are omeprazole and lansoprazole, which were among the five most commonly dispensed drugs in 2020. There is strong evidence to support the use of PPIs across a range of indications.4 PPIs are used in the treatment of upper gastrointestinal disorders characterised by excessive acid production and damage to upper gastrointestinal tissue,5 and are also prescribed as gastroprotection for patients being treated with medications which increase the risk of ulceration, such as non-steroidal …

Researchers are homing in on a new connection between colon cancer and the infectious bacterium known as Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff.

Background The gram-negative anaerobe Clostridium difficile is the main infectious cause of pseudomembranous colitis and infectious diarrhea in hospitalized patients. Inflammatory bowel disea...

The curative potential and limitations of gut microbiome-based therapeutics in critical illnesses.

The Importance of a Broad Consortium of Bacteria for a Healthy Gastrointestinal tract: A Narrative Review of the Live Biotherapeutic Product REBYOTA

Background Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major cause of diarrhea in hospitalized adult patients. This study aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics, clinical cure, recur...

While many developments have been achieved with novel pharmacological treatments to manage IBD, ongoing research is required to confirm their effectiveness and safety in the paediatric age. Extending the licence of novel treatments to children will be crucial to tackle the increasing loss of respons …

Among 23 patients with multiply recurrent Clostridiodies difficile infection (mrCDI) who received bezlotoxumab at the end of antibiotic treatment a sustained clinical response of 91 % at 30 days and 78 % at 90 days was achieved. Bezlotoxumab administered at the end of antibiotic treatment was effect …

Paediatric diarrhoea patients showed higher positivity rates than adult patients. Application of FAGIP for acute diarrhoea might lower unnecessary antimicrobial use.

Recent developments in sequencing technology and analytical approaches have allowed researchers to show that the healthy gut microbiome is very varied and capable of performing a wide range of tasks. The importance of gut microbiota in controlling immunological, neurological, and endocrine function …

SJT demonstrates remarkable efficacy in treating CDI in mice by not only effectively combating the infection but also restoring the intricate balance of gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism. Furthermore, promising indications suggest that SJT may have the potential to prevent CDI recurrence. Thes …

Our study highlights the dominance of Toxin EIA-negative CDI specimens in a clinical setting and the high frequency of known virulent ribotypes in these specimens. Therefore, a careful reevaluation of the clinical relevance of diagnostically-discrepant specimens particularly in the context of missed …