title: Clostridium difficile infection: New insights into therapeutic options.
abstract: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in healthcare settings and represents a major social and economic burden. The major virulence determinants are large clostridial toxins, toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB), encoded within the pathogenicity locus. Traditional therapies, such as metronidazole and vancomycin, frequently lead to a vicious circle of recurrences due to their action against normal human microbiome. New disease management strategies together with the development of novel therapeutic and containment approaches are needed in order to better control outbreaks and treat patients. This article provides an overview of currently available CDI treatment options and discusses the most promising therapies under development.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology , Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Greece , Thessaloniki , Greece and.
authors.forename: Melina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kachrimanidou
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology , Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Greece , Thessaloniki , Greece and.
authors.forename: Theopisti
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sarmourli
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology , Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Greece , Thessaloniki , Greece and.
authors.forename: Lemonia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Skoura
authors.affiliation: b Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Internal Medicine , Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece.
authors.forename: Symeon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Metallidis
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology , Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Greece , Thessaloniki , Greece and.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Malisiovas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins
keywords: Clostridium difficile; diarrhea; guidelines; management; treatment