PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Toxigenic C. difficile resides harmlessly in infants, poses risk to adults

2013-12-04
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Jim Sliwa
jsliwa@asmusa.org
202-942-9297
American Society for Microbiology
Toxigenic C. difficile resides harmlessly in infants, poses risk to adults Infants and toddlers frequently carry toxigenic Clostridium difficile, usually with no harm to themselves, but can serve as a reservoir and spread the bacteria to adults in whom it can cause severe disease, according to a study by a team of Swedish researchers published ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

In the study, which involved following 42 children from birth to 1 ½ or 3 years, the investigators found that C. difficile strains persisted for more than six months in roughly one third of such infants. A majority of the persistant colonizations belonged to either of two toxigenic ribotypes which both have commonly been isolated from adult and elderly people with C. difficile toxin-mediated disease in Sweden and in other countries.

Previous studies from the 1980s found that the rate of colonization peaked during the first six months of life, and then declined, as the gut microbiota became more complex. A 2000 study by the current study author found that colonization by C. difficile kept rising until about a year of age.

"We think that this is the result of an impoverishment of the gut flora, that infants have fewer types of bacteria in their gut, compared to 30 years ago," says first author Ingegerd Adlerberth, of the University of Gothenberg, Sweden. "It is known that gut microbiota of high complexity suppresses C. difficile growth and toxin production. That is why treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics is a risk factor for C. difficile disease."

The paper concludes with a warning that the prevalence of toxigenic C. difficile bacteria in the gut of infants and young children "provides ample opportunity for spread to individuals at risk for C. difficile disease."

C. difficile disease has been notoriously hard to treat in the elderly, who often undergo numerous courses of antibiotics without eliminating the disease. Recently, a still highly experimental treatment, fecal transplant, has proven far more successful. That treatment involves taking fecal material from a healthy person, and inserting it into the diseased patient's colon.

A copy of the manuscript can be found online at http://bit.ly/asmtip1213a. The article is scheduled for formal publication in the January 2014 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

### The Journal of Clinical Microbiology is a publication of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The ASM is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. Its mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Assessing dangerous climate change and call for climate change response papers

2013-12-04
Assessing dangerous climate change and call for climate change response papers PLOS ONE publishes "Assessing Dangerous Climate Change: Required Reductions of Carbon Emissions to Protect Young People, Future Generations and Nature" from James Hansen and ...

MR-guided ultrasound offers noninvasive treatment for breast cancer

2013-12-04
MR-guided ultrasound offers noninvasive treatment for breast cancer CHICAGO – A technique that uses focused ultrasound under magnetic resonance (MR) guidance to heat and destroy tumors may offer a safe and effective treatment for breast cancer, according ...

Mammography screening intervals may affect breast cancer prognosis

2013-12-04
Mammography screening intervals may affect breast cancer prognosis CHICAGO – In a study of screening mammography-detected breast cancers, patients who had more frequent screening mammography had a significantly lower rate of lymph node positivity—or cancer ...

Blood vessels reorganize after face transplantation surgery

2013-12-04
Blood vessels reorganize after face transplantation surgery CHICAGO – For the first time, researchers have found that the blood vessels in face transplant recipients reorganize themselves, leading to an understanding of the biologic changes that happen ...

Explosive growth of young star

2013-12-04
Explosive growth of young star A star is formed when a large cloud of gas and dust condenses and eventually becomes so dense that it collapses into a ball of gas, where the pressure heats the matter, creating a glowing gas ball – a star is ...

Study highlights massive benefits of HIV treatment in South Africa

2013-12-04
Study highlights massive benefits of HIV treatment in South Africa In nation hardest hit by HIV, antiretroviral therapy has saved millions of years of life Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the treatment of HIV infection has saved 2.8 million years of life ...

New method for stabilizing hemoglobin could lead to stable vaccines, artificial blood

2013-12-04
New method for stabilizing hemoglobin could lead to stable vaccines, artificial blood UConn researchers wrap protein molecule in polymer chain to maintain its stability under sterilization A UConn research team has found a way to stabilize hemoglobin, the ...

Women find sexually explicit ads unappealing -- unless the price is right

2013-12-04
Women find sexually explicit ads unappealing -- unless the price is right Sexual imagery is often used in magazine and TV ads, presumably to help entice buyers to purchase a new product. But new research suggests that women tend to find ...

Highly insulating windows are very energy efficient, though expensive

2013-12-04
Highly insulating windows are very energy efficient, though expensive While financial payback takes many years, comfort and other benefits are more immediate RICHLAND, Wash. – Highly insulating triple-pane windows keep a house snug and cozy, but ...

Diverticulosis is much less risky than previously thought, UCLA researchers find

2013-12-03
Diverticulosis is much less risky than previously thought, UCLA researchers find Patients diagnosed at a younger age are at higher risk People who have diverticulosis, or pouches in the lining of the colon, often worry that they will ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

Researchers discover new way cells protect themselves from damage

Rivers choose their path based on erosion — a discovery that could transform flood planning and restoration

New discovery reveals dopamine operates with surgical precision, not as a broad signal

New AI tool gives a helping hand to x ray diagnosis

New Leicester study reveals hidden heart risks in women with Type 2 Diabetes

Over 400 different types of nerve cell have been grown – far more than ever before

[Press-News.org] Toxigenic C. difficile resides harmlessly in infants, poses risk to adults