For this report, AHRQ researchers searched for relevant medical literature in MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library and Allied and Complementary Medicine. In addition, ClinicalTrials.gov and expert consultants provided leads to additional studies. Researchers also manually searched reference lists from relevant literature.
Their analysis revealed that the standard antibiotic treatments — oral vancomycin, metronidazole and the newly approved fidaxomicin — are equally effective for curing initial C. difficile infections. However, recurrence of these infections was less frequent for those who used fidaxomicin rather than vancomycin.
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