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Culturing and Maintaining Clostridium difficile in an Anaerobic Environment
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Published on: September 14, 2013

Clostridium difficile and the disease it causes.

Torbjörn Norén1

  • 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Orebro University Hospital and Orebro University, Orebro, Sweden. torbjorn.noren@orebroll.se

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|July 3, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is increasing due to antimicrobial disruption and virulent strains like NAP1/027. Diagnosis relies on toxin detection, with metronidazole and vancomycin as standard therapies, though new agents and immunotherapy show promise.

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Published on: September 14, 2013

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291
06:51

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291

Published on: December 10, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Clostridium difficile is a common spore-forming bacterium causing infections after antimicrobial use disrupts gut flora.
  • Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) can lead to severe conditions like pseudomembranous colitis and paralytic ileus, with high recurrence rates (25-50%) in the elderly.
  • The incidence of CDI has increased tenfold globally, exacerbated by the emergence of hypervirulent strains like NAP1/027.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Clostridium difficile infection.
  • To highlight the challenges posed by increasing CDI incidence, therapeutic failures, and the emergence of resistant strains.
  • To discuss emerging diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, including novel agents and immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on Clostridium difficile infection.
  • Analysis of diagnostic methods, including toxin detection and culture, with a focus on genotyping techniques like PFGE, PCR ribotyping, and MLVA.
  • Evaluation of therapeutic options, including standard antibiotics (metronidazole, vancomycin), new agents (fidaxomicin, nitrothiazolide), and immunotherapy.

Main Results:

  • Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) diagnosis is primarily through stool toxin detection, often combined with culture for enhanced sensitivity.
  • Standard therapies include oral metronidazole or vancomycin, but recurrence rates are high, and emerging strains like NAP1/027 exhibit increased virulence and resistance.
  • Newer agents like fidaxomicin and host-based immunotherapies show promise in managing CDI and preventing recurrence.

Conclusions:

  • Effective epidemiological surveillance using genotyping and susceptibility testing is crucial for controlling Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) outbreaks.
  • Addressing the rise in CDI requires a multifaceted approach, including judicious antimicrobial use, development of novel therapeutics, and immunotherapy.
  • Understanding host factors and pathogen virulence is key to combating the increasing morbidity and mortality associated with Clostridium difficile infection.