New and emerging therapies in treatment of Clostridium difficile infection

Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018 Jun;30(6):589-597. doi: 10.1097/MEG.0000000000001103.

Abstract

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) represents one of the most serious nosocomial infections that have grown dramatically over the past decade. Vancomycin and metronidazole are currently used as a standard therapy for CDI. Metronidazole is recommended as a first-line therapy for mild-to-moderate infections and vancomycin is mainly used for severe and/or refractory cases. However, studies have demonstrated that there are quite high CDI relapse rates with both of these medications, which represents a challenge for clinicians. Over the last decade, a number of newer and novel therapeutic options have emerged as promising alternatives to these standard CDI therapies. The following review provides the updated summaries of these newer therapeutic agents and their status in the treatment of CDI.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / adverse effects
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Clostridioides difficile / drug effects*
  • Clostridioides difficile / pathogenicity
  • Clostridium Infections / diagnosis
  • Clostridium Infections / microbiology
  • Clostridium Infections / therapy*
  • Cross Infection / diagnosis
  • Cross Infection / microbiology
  • Cross Infection / therapy*
  • Fecal Microbiota Transplantation* / adverse effects
  • Humans
  • Metronidazole / adverse effects
  • Metronidazole / therapeutic use*
  • Recurrence
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Vancomycin / adverse effects
  • Vancomycin / therapeutic use*
  • Vancomycin Resistance

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Metronidazole
  • Vancomycin