Current advances related to Clostridium difficile infection

Indian J Med Res. 2015 Feb;141(2):172-4. doi: 10.4103/0971-5916.155545.

Abstract

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) can trigger various responses, ranging from asymptomatic carriage to fulminant colitis. Hard-to-cure CDI, such as severe CDI, multiple recurrences of CDI, refractory CDI, and hypervirulent strains of C. difficile, require new treatments, although antibiotics such as metronidazole and vancomycin are the treatment of choice for initial and first relapsing CDI. Active immunization with C. difficile toxins and faecal microbiota transplantation deserve special attention. Here we describe these strategies for difficult-to-treat CDI.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Clostridioides difficile / immunology
  • Clostridioides difficile / pathogenicity
  • Clostridium Infections / immunology
  • Clostridium Infections / microbiology
  • Clostridium Infections / therapy*
  • Fecal Microbiota Transplantation*
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Cellular*
  • Metronidazole / therapeutic use
  • Risk Factors
  • Vancomycin / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Metronidazole
  • Vancomycin