Gastrointestinal Infections

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can work with Clostridioides difficile toxins to target mitochondria of epithelial cells, leading to increased severity of infection that can be long-lasting.

The study is believed to be the first to examine such a broad array of patient groups.

The Gates Medical Research Institute (MRI) is conducting a study looking at the effect of bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis (B infantis) as a supplement.

Patients who perceived brain fog within 4 weeks of COVID-19 infection were twice as likely to report symptoms of long COVID than patients without cognitive deficits.

This week's most-read stories included a dive into racial disparities in hepatitis B and increased meningococcal disease in persons with HIV.

Though the drug is initially more expensive, treating C diff infection with fidaxomicin reduced costs overall by reducing CDI recurrences.

The post-hoc gastrointestinal microbiome analyses of recurrent C diff patients from 2 phase 3 studies was shown at the conference.

This week, the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee unanimously voted the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines should be updated to a monovalent XBB strain. Read all about this and other top infectious disease headlines.

This week's most-read story examined long COVID 2 years after acute infection. Read all about this and other infectious disease news now.

By repopulating the gut with healthy and diverse microbiota, Vowst aims to prevent further C diff recurrences and restore patients' quality of life.

Findings indicate that while the severity of health impairment decreases over time, 18% of unvaccinated participants still experience symptoms up to 2 years after infection.

Kim Leuthner, PharmD, FIDSA, comments on the effect of COVID-19 on the epidemiology of complicated UTIs, the use of antibiotics, and antimicrobial resistance.

An infectious disease clinical specialist shares treatment considerations for patients with complicated urinary tract infections, including for patients with comorbidities and older patients, and reviews antimicrobial therapies for multidrug-resistant UTIs.

Kim Leuthner, PharmD, FIDSA, provides insight on distinguishing between complicated and uncomplicated UTIs, and patients who are at high risk for developing complicated UTIs.

Stay informed with this concise summary of the week's most significant stories.

Empiric therapy for severe Salmonella disease remains effective, but fluoroquinolone resistance calls for a shift towards trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole as the preferred oral treatment for non-severe cases.

A study of patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI) found that Rebyota, a rectally administered live biotherapeutic, was considered easy, quick, and appealing due to the lack of bowel preparation.

This study found a high proportion of reduced vancomycin susceptibility in C difficile patients, leading to lower rates of sustained clinical response.

Adults who scored higher on the Healthy Eating Index were found to have higher gut microbiota diversity, as well as a higher exercise frequency and lower BMI.

Recent phase 3 trial data for Vowst showed the microbiota-based therapeutic prevented recurrent C difficile infection in 91.3% of recipients after 8 weeks, a response that 94.6% of these patients maintained through week 24.

Compared to fidaxomicin and vancomycinfecal, fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) was the most cost-effective treatment for first and subsequent recurrent C difficile infection.

Vowst (SER-109) has received FDA approval to treat recurrent C diff infection, making it the first oral microbiome therapeutic.

Investigators determined there is a modest increased risk of long-term gastrointestinal symptoms and IBS following COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 stories continue to be the most-read, but last month's top stories described how contracting COVID-19 increases the risk of gastrointestinal infection, C difficile infection, and cardiovascular disease.

Data from the US Veterans Affairs found a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders were more likely among patients who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 within a year after the acute phase of the disease.

58.5% of an infant’s microbiota composition is transferred by their mother.

Enteric pathogens increase C difficile virulence by providing amino acids that shape the metabolic environment in the gut.

Use of early COVID-19 treatments did not reduce the risk of hospitalization or death, but did reduce long COVID symptoms after 3 months.

“HIV reservoir dynamics are driven by local inflammation and gut dysbiosis,” the investigators concluded.

From concerns of Guillain-Barré syndrome to the gut microbiota's effect on COVID-19 infection severity, these were the week's top stories.