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Updated: Sep 23, 2025
12:58
A Protocol to Characterize the Morphological Changes of Clostridium difficile in Response to Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: May 25, 2017
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Probiotics: insights and new opportunities for Clostridioides difficile intervention
Rusha Pal1, Ahmad I M Athamneh2, Riddhi Deshpande3
1Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Critical Reviews in Microbiology
|May 16, 2022
Summary
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) recurrence is a challenge. Probiotics offer a promising non-antibiotic approach to restore gut microbiota balance and combat CDI, potentially preventing future infections.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Gastroenterology
- Immunology
Background:
- Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a severe intestinal disease caused by C. difficile.
- Despite antibiotic treatments like vancomycin, metronidazole, and fidaxomicin, CDI recurrence remains a significant clinical problem.
- Dysbiosis, an imbalance in gut microbiota, is a key factor in CDI and its recurrence.
Approach:
- This review explores the potential of probiotics, live beneficial microorganisms, as a non-antibiotic strategy against CDI.
- It examines various commensal probiotic strains for CDI prevention and treatment.
- The review discusses insights from probiotic immunomodulation and advanced 'omics' techniques for novel strain discovery.
Key Points:
- Probiotics can help restore gastrointestinal microbiota balance and combat dysbiosis.
- Specific probiotic strains show potential in preventing and treating CDI and reducing recurrence.
- Understanding probiotic mechanisms, including immune modulation, is crucial for effective therapeutic development.
Conclusions:
- Probiotic supplementation is a promising avenue for managing CDI and its recurrence.
- Further research utilizing multi-omics and metabolic network analysis can identify and characterize novel probiotic strains.
- Addressing regulatory frameworks and challenges is essential for the future clinical application of probiotics in CDI management.
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