MI016-08 Probiotic Laacatobacillus reuteri intervention ofClostridium dificile infection

The overall goal of this proposal is to identify suitable probiotic strains that have an established Clostridium difficile scientific basis for the treatment associated disease (CDAD). The high rate of C. difficile recurrence of CDAD in patients and the emergence of epidemic strains of with increased morbidity and mortality warrants the development of novel strategies to ameliorate CDAD. The use of probiotics to treat CDAD, which could improve the reestablishment of a healthy microbiota and/or C. difficile directly impact the growth and metabolism of, has shown promise. However, based on the available clinical data the prevailing consensus is that the use of probiotics in the prevention of recurrent CDAD is not yet warranted.  This is likely due to the fact that in most cases probiotic organisms used in clinical trials to prevent recurrence of CDAD were not originally selected for treating his disease. In this proposal we will identify candidate probiotic species to be used for amelioration of CDAD. This will be achieved by first identifying probiotic bacteria capable of impacting important C. difficile aspects of physiology in vitro and then verifying their efficacy in established animal models of CDAD.  Successful probiotic strains that emerge from this analysis would be candidates for future C. difficile testing in humans with infection.

Publications:

Decreased Diversity of the Fecal Microbiome in Recurrent Clostridium difficile–Associated Diarrhea

Decreased Diversity of the Fecal Microbiome in Recurrent Clostridium difficile-Associated Diarrhea

Evaluation of Reuterin Production in Urogenital Probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14

Genomic and Genetic Characterization of the Bile Stress Response of Probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC 55730

Global transcriptional response of Lactobacillus reuteri to the sourdough environment