The findings from a recent phase 2 clinical trial found an investigational Clostridioides difficile vaccine to be safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic in healthy seniors aged 65 to 85 years. Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive bacterium that is a major cause of nosocomial diarrhea worldwide. Symptoms of C. difficile infection (CDI) range from mild diarrhea to severe outcomes, including pseudomembranous colitis, toxic megacolon, intestinal perforation, and even death.
Rates of CDI significantly increased in recent years, owing largely to the emergence of highly virulent, fluoroquinolone-resistant polymerase chain reaction–ribotype 027 strains. The study, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, is significant as currently there are no available vaccines for the prevention of C. difficile infection (CDI). The vaccine contains genetically and chemically detoxified…
