Study - Live bacterial pill helped prevent recurrent c-diff infection
A new type of medication, a pill with live ‘good’ bacteria, helped prevent 32% more recurrent C. diff infections than a placebo.
Dr. Neuman: C. diff, or Clostridium difficile, is the most common hospital-acquired infection. It can cause terrible diarrhea and can quickly dehydrate someone. It tends to attack those who have had recent antibiotics or are already quite sick. The death rate for this infection can be as high as 15-20%. So far, we have treatments that kill the bacteria, though unfortunately, they kill good bacteria as well and leave space for C. diff to come back. This space is why the recurrence rate of C. diff is relatively high (25%). Many people have heard of fecal microbiota transplants (‘poop pills’). However, there are many barriers to producing these widespread. Despite the treatment being available for a few years now, it is near impossible to get unless involved in research studies. This study is a potentially huge breakthrough. They used live bacteria (‘good bacteria’) to help populate the intestines, with the thought that more good bacteria would leave less space for C. diff to come in. The results show that people taking the high-dose bacterial pill (VE303) had a 13.8% risk of recurrent infection, compared to a 45.5% risk of infection for those who received the placebo pill.
This study was a step ahead. Though, these results will need to be replicated in a larger group. As well, very few of the patients were of color or male. It would be nice to see these results in a population that matches that of Atlanta.
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Does this apply to you?
C. diff infection is quite common, and some people who have had it cannot get rid of it. While this treatment is not yet available, there are quite a few ways to help treat the infection and a few ways to prevent it. Please reach out if this topic effects you and you would like to discuss it.
