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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Jan 23.
Published in final edited form as: Clin Med (Lond). 2018 Jun;18(3):237–241. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.18-3-237

Table 4. Novel approaches for the treatment of CDI.

Approach Details
Antimicrobials Antibiotics A number of novel antibiotics are in clinical trials.
Ribaxamase This is a beta-lactamase that may be co-administered with systemic broad-spectrum antibiotics, with the aim of degrading the antibiotics in the gut before they can affect the gut microbiota and create a propensity to CDI.
Immunisation Passive immunisation Co-administration of bezlotoxumab (an anti-toxin B antibody) together with conventional antibiotic therapy has been shown to reduce the rate of recurrence of CDI compared to antibiotic therapy alone22.
Active immunisation Anti-toxin vaccines are now in clinical trials. However, early data suggest reduced seroconversion in older people, those most at risk of CDI.
Microbiome manipulation Non-toxigenic C. difficile23

  • In a clinical trial, non-toxigenic C. difficile was administered to those with CDI, with the aim of outcompeting toxigenic C. difficile from its reservoir within the gut.

  • CDI recurrence rates were 30% in those receiving placebo vs 11% in those receiving non-toxigenic C. difficile.