Article
Microbiology
Pedro Sanchez-Pellicer, Vicente Navarro-Lopez, Ruth Gonzalez-Tamayo, Coral Llopis-Ruiz, Eva Nunez-Delegido, Beatriz Ruzafa-Costas, Laura Navarro-Moratalla, Juan Aguera-Santos
Summary: Infection and colonization caused by Clostridiodes difficile can lead to different responses in gut microbiota, with similarities between infected patients and colonized subjects, but marked differences from healthy controls.
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Vishwas Mishra, Joao B. Xavier
Summary: Systems biology explores the emergence of complex dynamics from interactions among elements in biological systems. In the specific context of hospital-acquired infections, two studies in Cell Host & Microbe applied systems biology to investigate Clostridioides difficile.
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Javier A. Villafuerte Galvez, Nira R. Pollock, Carolyn D. Alonso, Xinhua Chen, Hua Xu, Lamei Wang, Nicole White, Alice Banz, Mark Miller, Kaitlyn Daugherty, Anne J. Gonzalez-Luna, Caitlin Barrett, Rebecca Sprague, Kevin W. Garey, Ciaran P. Kelly
Summary: Clostridioides difficile diagnostics cannot reliably distinguish infection from colonization. Stool IL-1 beta, a proinflammatory cytokine, can accurately differentiate CDI from asymptomatic carriage and non-CDI diarrhea, making it a promising biomarker for CDI diagnosis. Significant positive correlations exist between stool toxins and stool IL-1 beta in CDI but not in asymptomatic carriers.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Susan P. Sambol, Stuart Johnson, Adam Cheknis, Dale N. Gerding
Summary: This study successfully transferred the pathogenicity locus (PaLoc) from toxigenic Clostridioides difficile strain to a nontoxigenic strain CD37 but not to the nontoxigenic strain NTCD-M3r. This finding provides important insights into the mechanism of toxin transfer in Clostridioides difficile.
Article
Microbiology
Sarah Tomkovich, Ana Taylor, Jacob King, Joanna Colovas, Lucas Bishop, Kathryn McBride, Sonya Royzenblat, Nicholas A. Lesniak, Ingrid L. Bergin, Patrick D. Schloss
Summary: This study found that the osmotic laxative PEG affects susceptibility and clearance of C. difficile in mice. Mice treated with PEG for a longer period remained colonized for up to 30 days postchallenge, while those treated for a shorter period cleared the infection within 7 days. The findings suggest that PEG disrupts colonization resistance to C. difficile in mice.
Article
Microbiology
Arne Bublitz, Madita Brauer, Stefanie Wagner, Walter Hofer, Mathias Musken, Felix Deschner, Till R. Lesker, Meina Neumann-Schaal, Lena -Sophie Paul, Ulrich Nubel, Jurgen Bartel, Andreas M. Kany, Daniela Zuhlke, Steffen Bernecker, Rolf Jansen, Susanne Sievers, Katharina Riedel, Jennifer Herrmann, Rolf Mueller, Thilo M. Fuchs, Till Strowig
Summary: Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) are a significant healthcare problem, mainly due to high rates of relapsing/recurrent CDIs (rCDIs). In this study, the antimicrobial activity of chlorotonils against C. difficile is demonstrated. Chlorotonil A (ChA) effectively inhibits disease and prevents rCDI in mice, with minimal impact on the microbiota and intestinal metabolome. ChA also accumulates in the spore and inhibits outgrowth, potentially reducing rates of rCDI. These findings suggest that chlorotonils have unique antimicrobial properties targeting critical steps in the infection cycle of C. difficile.
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Katia C. Halabi, Barbara Ross, Karen P. Acker, Jean-Marie Cannon, Maria Messina, Diane Mangino, Krystal Balzer, Alexandra Hill-Ricciuti, Daniel A. Green, Lars F. Westblade, Christine M. Salvatore, Lisa Saiman
Summary: The objective of this study was to reduce inappropriate testing for and diagnosis of healthcare-onset (HO) Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs). By implementing restrictive computerized provider order entry (CPOE), the study successfully reduced the number of tests ordered and samples sent in all age groups and significantly decreased the monthly median number of HO-CDI cases in children aged 13-23 months and all ages combined.
INFECTION CONTROL AND HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Clive S. Mason, Tim Avis, Chenlin Hu, Nabeetha Nagalingam, Manikhandan Mudaliar, Chris Coward, Khurshida Begum, Kathleen Gajewski, M. Jahangir Alam, Eugenie Basseres, Stephen Moss, Stefanie Reich, Esther Duperchy, Keith R. Fox, Kevin W. Garey, David J. Powell
Summary: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a disease that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, with limited treatment options. Ridinilazole, a precision bisbenzimidazole antibiotic, is being developed to treat CDI and reduce the high rates of infection recurrence.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mao Hagihara, Tadashi Ariyoshi, Yasutoshi Kuroki, Shuhei Eguchi, Seiya Higashi, Takeshi Mori, Tsunemasa Nonogaki, Kenta Iwasaki, Makoto Yamashita, Nobuhiro Asai, Yusuke Koizumi, Kentaro Oka, Motomichi Takahashi, Yuka Yamagishi, Hiroshige Mikamo
Summary: CBM 588 enhances the antibacterial activity against C. difficile, reduces colon epithelial damage, and improves immunity through upregulating pathogen specific immunoglobulin A and enhancing gut epithelial barrier function to protect colon tissue from CDI.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Greg Hussack, Martin A. Rossotti, Henk van Faassen, Tomohiko Murase, Luiz Eugenio, Joseph D. Schrag, Kenneth K. -S. Ng, Jamshid Tanha
Summary: Crystal structures of camelid heavy-chain antibody variable domains (V(H)Hs) bound to fragments of the combined repetitive oligopeptides domain of Clostridiodes difficile toxin A (TcdA) revealed a spatial arrangement between VHH A20 and VHH A26. Based on this observation, a biparatopic fusion protein A20-A26 was generated, which showed improved binding affinity and neutralization potency compared to unfused A20 and A26 V(H)Hs. A20-A26 demonstrated higher potency than various control constructs. Size-exclusion chromatography-multiangle light scattering (SEC-MALS) analysis confirmed the 1:1 stoichiometry and simultaneous engagement of both A20 and A26 epitopes by A20-A26, in contrast to the varied and heterogeneous binding modes of control constructs. These results underscore the importance of molecular geometric constraints in generating highly potent antibody-based reagents.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Yao-Wen Cheng, Dana Alhaffar, Srishti Saha, Sahil Khanna, Matthew Bohm, Emmalee Phelps, Marwan Ghabril, Eric Orman, Sagi Sashidhar, Nicholas Rogers, Huiping Xu, Alexander Khoruts, Byron Vaughn, Dina Kao, Karen Wong, Giovanni Cammarota, Gianluca Ianiro, Tanvi Dhere, Colleen S. Kraft, Nirja Mehta, Michael H. Woodworth, Jessica R. Allegretti, Lotem Nativ, Jenna Marcus, Najwa El-Nachef, Monika Fischer
Summary: The study found that FMT was safe and effective in treating CDI in patients with cirrhosis, with a success rate of 85.7%. Risk factors for FMT failure in these patients included the use of non-CDI antibiotics, severe Child-Pugh scores, and probiotic use. The rate of FMT-related adverse events was 33.3%, but severe adverse events were rare and not associated with infection or death.
CLINICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Pediatrics
Sarah R. Tougas, Nidhi Lodha, Ben Vandermeer, Diane L. Lorenzetti, Phillip I. Tarr, Gillian A. M. Tarr, Linda Chui, Otto G. Vanderkooi, Stephen B. Freedman
Summary: This systematic review and meta-analysis focused on the prevalence of Clostridioides difficile detection among asymptomatic children. The findings showed that colonization rates were highest among infants aged 6 to 12 months, providing important context for interpreting test results in young children.
Article
Microbiology
Adriane C. Maestri, Paula K. Ando, Gustavo Sarot, Fernanda de Castilho, Sonia M. Raboni, Keite S. Nogueira
Summary: This study evaluated the prevalence and seasonal variability of CDI and the impact of using a two-step algorithm test in the laboratory diagnosis. The results showed a significant increase in CDI prevalence when the two-step algorithm test was adopted. Higher sample numbers and CDI cases were observed in winter, but the difference was not statistically significant.
CURRENT MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Primary Health Care
Maria Klezovich-Benard, Frederique Bouchand, Elisabeth Rouveix, Pierre L. Goossens, Benjamin Davido
Summary: There is an increasing trend of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) which raises healthcare costs. This study in French primary care found that GPs managed most cases of CDI successfully without hospitalisation, but highlighted the importance of monitoring persistent diarrhea for potential relapse.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF GENERAL PRACTICE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Alexandra Proctor, Nancy A. Cornick, Chong Wang, Shankumar Mooyottu, Paulo A. Arruda, Kayce Kobs, Gregory J. Phillips
Summary: The study found that piglets develop natural resistance to Clostridioides difficile as they age, with older piglets over 1 week old showing decreased clinical signs of disease. The diversity and complexity of the intestinal microbiota were identified as factors contributing to this resistance, highlighting the potential for new strategies for prevention and treatment of C. difficile infection.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2021)