Clostridium Difficile News and Research

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Clostridium difficile is a type of bacterium found in human and animal waste. Clostridium difficile is a common cause of diarrhea that occurs in hospitals. It can also cause diarrhea or other intestinal disorders in patients treated with antibiotics.

Cubist plans to move CB-183,315 into Phase 3 trial for treatment of CDAD

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced it plans to move CB-183,315, being studied for the treatment of a severe and sometimes life-threatening diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile known as C. difficile-associated diarrhea, or CDAD, into late-stage trials.

29 Sep 2011

Researchers discover cell receptor for CDT toxin of C. difficile bacterium

A research group led by Freiburg pharmacologist Prof. Dr. Klaus Aktories and their American colleagues have discovered the cell receptor for the toxin CDT of the bacterium Clostridium difficile.

27 Sep 2011

EMA CHMP adopts positive opinion for Optimer's DIFICLIR to treat C. difficile infection

Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion for DIFICLIR (fidaxomicin) tablets for the treatment of adults suffering with a Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), also known as C. difficile-associated diarrhea.

26 Sep 2011

EMA CHMP adopts positive opinion for DIFICLIR to treat C. difficile infection

Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. (APEL) and Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion for DIFICLIR (fidaxomicin) tablets for the treatment of adults suffering with a Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), also known as C. difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD).

23 Sep 2011

Powerful new antibiotic treatment for MRSA and C. difficile bugs

MGB Biopharma, a biopharmaceutical company which has licensed technology from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, is developing a powerful new antibiotic treatment for resistant infections including the deadly MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) bugs.

20 Sep 2011

Cone Health uses Xenex room disinfection systems to reduce HAI rates and costs

Cone Health today announced a dramatic reduction in healthcare-acquired infection (HAIs) rates after implementing an infection prevention program which includes Xenex room disinfection systems.

25 Aug 2011

Hospital acquired Clostridium difficile bug defense system identified

American researchers have discovered the process by which the cells in the gut fight off toxins produced by a hospital bug - Clostridium difficile. Writing in Nature Medicine, they showed how a chemical - GSNO - deactivated a toxin from Clostridium difficile which causes inflammation and diarrhea. They hope to use their findings to develop a treatment for C. difficile.

23 Aug 2011

Research uncovers natural defense mechanism that inactivates C. diff toxins

Groundbreaking research encompassing Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center, has uncovered a natural defense mechanism that is capable of inactivating the toxin that spreads Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, an increasingly common bacterial infection in hospitals and long-term care settings.

22 Aug 2011

Scientists discover key defense mechanism against C. difficile infection

Researchers have discovered a key mechanism used by intestinal cells to defend themselves against one of the world's most common hospital-acquired bacterial infections - a mechanism they think they can exploit to produce a therapy to protect against the effects of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

22 Aug 2011

New CDI therapeutic approach may offer treatment for other bacterial diseases

Researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have discovered a molecular process by which the body can defend against the effects of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), pointing the way to a promising new approach for treating an intestinal disease that has become more common, more severe and harder to cure in recent years.

22 Aug 2011

Study confirms ability of Tru-D device to decontaminate surfaces in patient rooms

In an original article coauthored by John M. Boyce, MD; Nancy L. Havill, MT; and Brent A. Moore, PhD, "Terminal Decontamination of Patient Rooms Using an Automated Mobile UV Light Unit", the research team from the Hospital of Saint Raphael and the Yale University School of Medicine ". . . demonstrated that an automated, portable UV light device significantly reduced aerobic colony counts on high-touch surfaces in patient rooms.

12 Aug 2011

C. difficile infection more prevalent in Chicago-area acute care hospitals

An outbreak strain of Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that causes diarrhea and sometimes life-threatening inflammation of the colon, is common in Chicago-area acute care hospitals, an investigation published in the September issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology suggests.

12 Aug 2011

UTHealth student receives UNCF/Merck fellowship for multidrug-resistant CDI research

Charles Darkoh, a graduate student at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), has been awarded a fellowship from the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and Merck for his research into a major health problem - multidrug-resistant Clostridium difficile bacterial infection.

3 Aug 2011

Sorrento receives NIAID Phase I STTR grant to develop vaccines against C. difficile infection

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it has received a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer Research grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.

29 Jul 2011

Physician-targeted education campaign reduces outpatient antibiotic use in Quebec

Antibiotic overuse and resistance have emerged as major threats during the past two decades. Following an outbreak of Clostridium difficile infections, which often result from antibiotic use, health care professionals in Quebec, Canada targeted physicians and pharmacists with an education campaign that reduced outpatient antibiotic use, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and now available online.

26 Jul 2011

Novel approach for preventing HIV infection

Scientists at Osel Inc. and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have developed a new way to prevent HIV infection by genetically enhancing the ability of naturally occurring vaginal bacteria to block viral transmission.

19 Jul 2011

Optimer introduces DIFICID for treatment of C. difficile-associated diarrhea

Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the commercial launch of DIFICID (fidaxomicin) tablets for the treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) in patients 18 years of age and older.

19 Jul 2011

Sodexo selects Xenex as preferred partner for disinfection of client facilities

Sodexo Inc., a world leader in healthcare environmental services management, and Xenex Healthcare Services, the world leader in room disinfection systems, today announced Xenex has been selected as Sodexo's preferred partner for disinfection of Sodexo client facilities. Xenex's portable room disinfection system uses pulsed xenon ultraviolet light to destroy all viruses, bacteria and bacterial spores in the patient environment without contact or chemicals.

18 Jul 2011

Molecular technology detects up to 50% more cases of C. diff than other methods

A study from the microbiology lab at the Lifespan hospitals has found that some lab tests are much more accurate in identifying Clostridium difficile Toxin infection, which causes diarrhea.

6 Jul 2011

ASP unveils innovative healthcare environmental infection prevention technology

Sterilization Products (ASP) announced today the launch of an innovative infection prevention technology – GLOSAIR Healthcare Environmental Decontamination – that provides effective, safe and thorough disinfection of hospital rooms and operating suites to reduce the risk of patient contact with infection-causing pathogens.

27 Jun 2011