Clostridium difficile: development of a novel candidate vaccine

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Vaccinology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the leading hospital-acquired infection in North America and the EU.
• Increasingly frequent community-acquired CDI and hypervirulent strains elevate morbidity and mortality.
• Suboptimal current treatments lead to high relapse rates (20%) and chronic cases (65% of second relapses).

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the unmet need for effective Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) prevention.
• To develop a vaccine targeting the prevention of primary CDI.
• To identify a rationale for vaccine development based on immune responses in asymptomatic carriers.

Main Methods:

• Investigating the association between serum IgG antibody levels against C. difficile toxin A and asymptomatic carriage.
• Developing a candidate vaccine for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) prevention.
• Defining target populations for vaccine deployment, including at-risk adults.

Main Results:

• An association exists between elevated IgG antibody levels against toxin A and asymptomatic C. difficile carriage.
• A candidate vaccine targeting Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is under development.
• Target populations for the vaccine have been identified.

Conclusions:

• The association between antibody response and carriage supports vaccine development for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).
• A preventative vaccine for CDI holds promise for reducing disease burden in high-risk populations.
• Vaccination could mitigate the increasing incidence and severity of CDI globally.