07 Aug C. difficile Exposure During Infancy May Protect Against Later Infections

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Kociolek

Larry K. Kociolek, MD MSCI
Attending Physician, Division of Infectious Diseases,
Associate Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control,
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine 

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile colonization is very common among infants, yet infants almost never develop symptoms of infection. In adults, it is known that immunity against the toxins that C. difficile produces protect against C. difficile infection (CDI).

Our goal was to determine whether or not infants who become colonized with C. difficile develop an immune response against these toxins. We collected stool from healthy infants at multiple time points during the first year of life to determine whether or not they became colonized with C. difficile. Then at 9-12 months old, we collected blood to see if we can identify antibodies in their blood that protect against these toxins.

We discovered that colonization with C. difficile during infancy was strongly associated with the development of antibodies. These antibodies were able to protect against the harmful effects of these toxins in a laboratory cell culture model.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: Our study provides evidence that infant exposure to C. difficile may be beneficial by protecting against C. difficile later in life.

Our next objective for future studies is to better understand the extent and duration of protection provided by this immune response. This knowledge would guide our understanding of the potential feasibility of vaccinating children against C. difficile. There is currently a vaccine entering phase 3 clinical trials in adults.

Disclosures: Larry Kociolek is a scientific advisor for Synthetic Biologics, has received research supplies from Alere, and has received research grants from Merck and Cubist.

Citation:

Larry K Kociolek, Robyn O Espinosa, Dale N Gerding, Alan R Hauser, Egon A Ozer, Maria Budz, Aakash Balaji, Xinhua Chen, Robert R Tanz, Nazli Yalcinkaya, Margaret E Conner, Tor Savidge, Ciaran P Kelly, Natural Clostridioides difficile toxin immunization in colonized infants, Clinical Infectious Diseases, , ciz582, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciz582

[wysija_form id=”3″]

[last-modified]

The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.

Last Updated on August 7, 2019 by Marie Benz MD FAAD