The specific name is also commonly pronounced , as though it were French, which from a prescriptive viewpoint is a "mispronunciation" but from a linguistically descriptive viewpoint cannot be described as erroneous because it is so widely used among health care professionals; it can be described as "the non-preferred variant" from the viewpoint of sticking most regularly to New Latin in binomial nomenclature, which is also a valid viewpoint, although New Latin specific names contain such a wide array of extra-Latin roots (including surnames and jocular references) that extra-Latin pronunciation is involved anyway (as seen, for example, with Ba humbugi, Spongiforma squarepantsii, and hundreds of others). Research
As of 2019, vaccine candidates providing immunity against C. difficile toxin A and C. difficile toxin B have advanced the most in clinical research, but do not prevent bacterial colonization. A vaccine candidate by Pfizer is in a phase 3 clinical trial that is estimated to be completed in September 2021 and a vaccine candidate by GlaxoSmithKline is in a phase 1 clinical trial that is estimated to be completed in July 2021. CDA-1 and CDB-1 (also known as MDX-066/MDX-1388 and MBL-CDA1/MBL-CDB1) is an investigational, monoclonal antibody combination co-developed by Medarex and Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories (MBL) to target and neutralize C. difficile toxins A and B, for the treatment of CDI. Merck & Co., Inc. gained worldwide rights to develop and commercialize CDA-1 and CDB-1 through an exclusive license agreement signed in April 2009. It is intended as an add-on therapy to one of the existing antibiotics to treat CDI.
It may also be given rectally if the person develops an ileus.Fidaxomicin is tolerated as well as vancomycin, and may have a lower risk of recurrence. Fidaxomicin has been found to be as effective as vancomycin in those with mild to moderate disease, and it may be better than vancomycin in those with severe disease. Fidaxomicin may be used in those who have recurrent infections and have not responded to other antibiotics. Metronidazole (500 mg 3 times daily for 10 days) by mouth is recommended as an alternative treatment only for C. difficile infections when the affected person is allergic to first-line treatments, is unable to tolerate them, or has financial difficulties preventing them from accessing them. In fulminant disease vancomycin by mouth and intravenous metronidazole are commonly used together.Medications used to slow or stop diarrhea, such as loperamide, may only be used after initiating the treatment.Cholestyramine, an ion-exchange resin, is effective in binding both toxin A and B, slowing bowel motility, and helping prevent dehydration. Cholestyramine is recommended with vancomycin. A last-resort treatment in those who are immunosuppressed is intravenous immunoglobulin. Monoclonal antibodies against C. difficile toxin A and C. difficile toxin B are approved to prevent recurrence of C. difficile infection including bezlotoxumab. Probiotics
Evidence to support the use of probiotics in the treatment of active disease is insufficient. Researchers have recently begun taking a mechanical approach to fecal-derived products. It is known that certain microbes with 7α-dehydroxylase activity can metabolize primary to secondary bile acids, which inhibit C. difficile.