AUTHOR=Wang Ruojun 

TITLE=Clostridioides difficile infection: microbe-microbe interactions and live biotherapeutics

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1182612

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1182612

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Clostridioides difficile</italic> is a gram-positive, spore-forming, obligate anaerobe that infects the colon. <italic>C. difficile</italic> is estimated to cause nearly half a million cases in the United States annually,  with  about 29,000 associated deaths. Unfortunately, the current antibiotic treatment is not ideal. While antibiotics can treat the infections, they also disrupt the gut microbiota that mediates colonization resistance against enteric pathogens, including <italic>C. difficile</italic>; disrupted gut microbiota provides a window of opportunity for recurrent infections. Therefore, therapeutics that restore the gut microbiota and suppress <italic>C. difficile</italic> are being evaluated for safety and efficacy. This review will start with mechanisms by which gut bacteria affect <italic>C. difficile</italic> pathogenesis, followed by a discussion on biotherapeutics for recurrent <italic>C. difficile</italic> infections.</p>