Clostridium (C.) difficile-infection (CDI), a nosocomial gastrointestinal disorder, is of growing concern due to its rapid rise in recent years. Antibiotic therapy of CDI is associated with disrupted metabolic function and altered gut microbiota. The use of probiotics as an adjunct is being studied extensively due to their potential to modulate metabolic functions and the gut microbiota. In the present study, we assessed the ability of several single strain probiotics and a probiotic mixture to change the metabolic functions of normal and C. difficile-infected fecal samples. The production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and ammonia was measured, and changes in microbial composition were assessed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The C. difficile-infection in fecal samples resulted in a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in SCFA and H2S production, with a lower microbial alpha diversity. All probiotic treatments were associated with significantly increased (p < 0.05) levels of SCFAs and restored H2S levels. Probiotics showed no effect on microbial composition of either normal or C. difficile-infected fecal samples. These findings indicate that probiotics may be useful to improve the metabolic dysregulation associated with C. difficile infection.

c ribotypes of C. difficile harbour mutations or have acquired extra genes that mean these strains can utilize lower concentrations of bioavailable trehalose, providing a competitive metabolic advantage in some CDI animal models. By contrast, evidence has emerged to show that trehalose-induced microbiota changes can help protect/reduce CDI in other models. In addition, C. difficile trehalose metabolic variants are widespread among epidemic and nonepidemic ribotypes alike, and the occurrence of these trehalose variants was not associated with increase disease severity or mortality. Summary Currently, there is no proven causal association between the incidence or severity of human CDI and the presence of trehalose metabolism variants. Furthermore, microbial metabolism reduces trehalose bioavailability, potentially removing this competitive advantage for C. difficile trehalose metabolism variants. Taken together, trehalose consumed as part of a normal diet has no increased risk of CDI....

Abstract. Background. Clostridium difficile is a primary cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea that typically develops when gut microbiota is altered. Convent

The consumption of dietary supplements and cold therapies containing high concentrations of zinc is now being called into question, following research that suggests it may worsen Clostridium difficile infection.

What is fidaxomicin? (Dificid/Dificlr) Why is it effective against C Difficile? Find out more about the drug and the disease here

Clostridium difficile disease has recently increased to become a dominant nosocomial pathogen in North America and Europe, although little is known about what has driven this emergence. Here we show that two epidemic ribotypes (RT027 and RT078) have acquired unique mechanisms to metabolize low conce …

Fidaxomicin has been scrutinized because of its high acquisition cost. Real-world experience is needed to determine whether fidaxomicin has value in patients with Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea (CDAD) and certain risk factors.In this ...

Two hypervirulent ribotypes of the enteric pathogen Clostridium difficile, RT027 and RT078, have independently acquired unique mechanisms to metabolize low concentrations of the disaccharide trehalose, suggesting a correlation between the emergence of these ribotypes and the widespread adoption of trehalose in the human diet.

The increasing frequency and severity of healthcare-associated outbreaks caused by bacterium Clostridium difficile have been linked to the widely used...

This Medical News article discusses whether trehalose, a sugar manufactured from cornstarch used to sweeten and texturize foods, has contributed to the emergence of epidemic strains of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).

C-diff is a bacterium that causes a life-threatening infection. Though the bacterium can infect healthy individuals, it is of particular concern to those who are hospitalized or are taking

National Institute for Health Research. Gut model experiments only: Hayashibara Co. Ltd.

Learn more about this infectious disease that is becoming more common and often affects older adults in a health care facility, often after antibiotic use.

Rough notes from the webinar The Scientist: Precision Medicine Learning Lessons from the Microbiome (now available online)

Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) have emerged as a major cause of healthcare associated disease, and recent epidemiological evidence also suggests an important role in community-acquired diarrhea. This increase is associated with specific types, especially PCR ribotypes 027 and 078, which are …

C.Difficile sickens 500,000 every year. It contributes to the death of up to 30,000. Discover what you can do to prevent, treat and understand c diff

Bile acids, which are altered by bacteria normally living in the large intestine, inhibit the growth of Clostridium difficile, new research indicates. The work sheds light on the ways in which some commonly used antibiotics can promote C. diff infections by killing off the bile acid-altering microbes.

Abstract. In a case–control study of patients with Clostridium difficile infection, we found no statistically significant association between the presence of tr

Dry eye is a common disorder in routine ophthalmological practice, and a better understanding of the complex pathophysiology is leading to improved treatment. Thealoz Duo(®) is a novel artificial tear preparation containing two active ingredients: Trehalose, a naturally occurring disaccharide with a …

Hyaluronic acid-trehalose is effective and safe, with better patient satisfaction, than existing HA-only eyedrops particularly from the first month of treatment, and offers a therapeutic advancement in the treatment of moderate to severe DED.

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that regulates a cluster of oxidative stress-inducible genes in cells. Here, we aimed to investigate whether trehalose (Tr...

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that regulates a cluster of oxidative stress-inducible genes in cells. Here, we aimed to investigate whether trehalose (Tre) protects primary rat proximal tubular (rPT) cells against cadmium (Cd)-induced oxidative stress vi …

Developing effective theranostic nanoplex platforms for personalized disease treatment necessitates an understanding of and the ability to control live cell–nanoparticle interactions. However, aggregation of nanoparticles on the cell surface and their subsequent internalization is sparsely understood and adv