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Related Concept Videos

Inflammatory Bowel Disease IV: Pharmacological Management01:29

Inflammatory Bowel Disease IV: Pharmacological Management

Upon diagnosis, managing Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) involves addressing several crucial aspects. The primary goals include resting the bowel, correcting malnutrition, and providing symptomatic relief. Resting the bowel may consist of medications to reduce inflammation and promote healing. Correcting malnutrition is essential, often requiring dietary adjustments and nutritional supplements. Symptomatic relief aims to ease pain, diarrhea, and other discomforts in IBD.
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Biological Methods for Microbial Control01:28

Biological Methods for Microbial Control

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Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Immunomodulatory Agents

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Updated: May 8, 2026

A Protocol to Characterize the Morphological Changes of Clostridium difficile in Response to Antibiotic Treatment
12:58

A Protocol to Characterize the Morphological Changes of Clostridium difficile in Response to Antibiotic Treatment

Published on: May 25, 2017

Clostridium difficile: biological therapies.

Jessica Martin1, Damian Mawer, Mark H Wilcox

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK.

Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases
|August 29, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) shows high effectiveness for treating Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), while probiotics yield variable results. Further research is needed to confirm optimal biological therapies for recurrent CDI.

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A Protein Microarray Assay for Serological Determination of Antigen-specific Antibody Responses Following Clostridium difficile Infection
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Published on: June 15, 2018

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Last Updated: May 8, 2026

A Protocol to Characterize the Morphological Changes of Clostridium difficile in Response to Antibiotic Treatment
12:58

A Protocol to Characterize the Morphological Changes of Clostridium difficile in Response to Antibiotic Treatment

Published on: May 25, 2017

A Protein Microarray Assay for Serological Determination of Antigen-specific Antibody Responses Following Clostridium difficile Infection
09:12

A Protein Microarray Assay for Serological Determination of Antigen-specific Antibody Responses Following Clostridium difficile Infection

Published on: June 15, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a significant healthcare concern, particularly in refractory or recurrent cases.
  • Biological therapies, including probiotics and faecal microbiota transplant (FMT), are being explored for CDI treatment.
  • There is a growing interest in understanding the efficacy and optimal use of these novel approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the latest evidence on biological therapies for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).
  • To summarize the effectiveness of probiotics and faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) in treating refractory/recurrent CDI.
  • To highlight the current research landscape and future directions for biological treatments in CDI.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses.
  • Analysis of studies investigating probiotics for CDI prevention and treatment.
  • Evaluation of data on the efficacy of faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) from RCTs and case series.

Main Results:

  • Probiotic use in CDI has shown variable results, with recent RCTs indicating no preventive benefit.
  • Meta-analyses suggest potential probiotic benefits, but are limited by primary study quality and lack of standardization.
  • Faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) demonstrated high effectiveness, with an 81% cure rate in the sole RCT, consistent with meta-analyses of case series.
  • Development of artificial bacterial mixtures as an alternative to FMT is underway.

Conclusions:

  • Faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is a highly effective biological therapy for CDI.
  • Further large-scale randomized controlled trials are necessary to optimize the use of biological therapies for CDI.
  • Identifying patient subgroups most likely to benefit from FMT and other biological treatments remains a key research objective.