|Videos|September 28, 2018

New Options on the Horizon for C diff Prevention

Dale N Gerding, MD, provides insight about prevention options for C diff that are expected in the future.

Segment Description: Dale N Gerding, MD, research physician, Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, provides insight about prevention options for C diff that are expected in the future.

Interview transcript: (modified slightly for readability):

“The[re are a few] prevention and treatment options, that are coming, we hope, in the future. For prevention—vaccines. Vaccines are currently—at least 1 of them—in phase 3 trials. One recently had its phase 3 trial stopped, which is disappointing, but that’s one possibility. The use of monoclonal antibody is a passive immune strategy that will likely help prevent recurrent C diff.

And then there are a number of strategies that are manipulating the microbiome that potentially, in the future, could be used as preventative strategies. One of those is the use of non-toxigenic C diff, which could colonize patients and prevent them from getting C diff in the future, and this is a short-term preventative strategy that should be effective for 1 to 2 months.”


Related to this article

Cefiderocol Continues to Show Activity Against Resistant Gram-Negative Infections
Shionogi data presented at IDWeek 2026 demonstrated a 76.7% clinical response with cefiderocol in carbapenem-resistant respiratory infections and high in vitro activity against resistant P aeruginosa VAP isolates. Christine Slover, PharmD, vice president, Infectious Diseases US Medical Affairs, Shionogi, offers insights on the data as well as clinical considerations for providers when weighing the antibiotic for patients.
Pfizer 25-Valent Pneumococcal Vaccine Boosts Serotype 3 Response in Infants
Alejandra Gurtman, MD, discussed the phase 2 data at IDWeek 2026 which showed the investigational 25-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 25vPnC produced serotype 3 antibody levels about 15-fold higher than Prevnar 20 after the booster dose, targeting a serotype still behind 10.6% of invasive pneumococcal disease in US children younger than five years.