However, according to new research published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, one effective method for treating C. diff is administering cocktails made up of viruses that target bacteria, or bacteriophages, that are specifically tweaked to eradicate pathogens while leaving good gut bugs unharmed. Researchers from the University of Leicester in England administered the bacteriophages orally to hamsters 36 hours after infection and found that it killed 12 of 13 C. diff varieties.
“The prevalence of C. difficile, the high costs of infection control and the challenge of finding alternative treatments, all contribute to the significant clinical and financial burden that [C. diff infection] imposes on healthcare systems,” M. Scott Salka, CEO of the firm funding the research, said in a statement. “The positive outcomes of these studies validate phage-based therapy as a promising approach that has the potential to address the growing challenge of CDI.”
More articles on infection control:
The clinical, financial & emotional benefits of molecular C. difficile testing
Scientists make breakthrough in C. diff vaccine development
Probiotics could be the answer to preventing C. Difficile in hospitals
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