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7 Things you Need to Know for C. difficile Awareness Month
The C. Diff Foundation, a non-profit patient advocacy group, has declared November as a Clostridium difficile Awareness Month.
“Supporting C. diff patients, their families, and the providers who care for them requires leadership across all fields – from governmental institutions, to advocacy, to academia and industry,” Nancy C. Caralla, Founding President and Executive Director of the C. Diff Foundation, said in a press release commending Minnesota for recognizing the awareness month.
In recognition of C. diff Awareness Month, Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease has compiled a list of seven updates on topics impacting individuals with C. diff infection, including fecal microbiota transplantation, artificial intelligence and assays.
GI infectious agents more common in active C. difficile, UC
Patients with active Clostridium difficile infection or ulcerative colitis had a higher rate of detectable gastrointestinal infectious agents than asymptomatic patients, according to study results presented at Digestive Disease Week 2018. READ MORE.
FMT restoration of gut fungi linked to efficacy for C. diff infection
In addition to restoring gut bacteria, fecal microbiota transplantation also appears to restore the gut fungi, known as the “mycobiome” or “fungome,” and this correlates with treatment response in patients with Clostridium difficile infection, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week. READ MORE.
Fecal transplant from overweight donor does not impact BMI in patients with C. difficile
Patients with Clostridium difficile infection who received a single fecal microbiota transplantation using stool from an overweight or obese donor showed no significant changes in their own BMI after treatment, according to data. READ MORE.
Artificial intelligence helps identify patients at risk for C. difficile
Hospital-specific risk models built with the help of machine learning allowed physicians to more quickly and accurately identify patients with the highest risk for Clostridium difficile, according to study results. READ MORE.
‘Ultrasensitive’ C. difficile assay outperforms current testing options
Singulex’s Clarity C. diff toxins A/B assay could potentially be used as a standalone test for patients with Clostridium difficile infection, according to results presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. READ MORE.
Community-onset C. difficile infection accounts for large number of cases
Community-onset Clostridium difficile infection, or CDI, accounts for a large proportion of CDI cases in the Veterans Affairs system, according to study findings published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Researchers reported that patients with community-onset CDI tend to be younger and their cases less severe than patients with health care-onset CDI but are more likely to experience recurrent infections. READ MORE.
Asymptomatic C. difficile carriers key source of nosocomial transmission
Approximately 19% of health care-related Clostridium difficile cases at a Veterans Affairs hospital and affiliated long-term care facility were linked to residents with LTCF-associated C. difficile infection or asymptomatic C. difficile carriage, according to recently published findings. READ MORE.