Investigators have identified a non-antibiotic drug active against Clostridium difficile virulence factors, according to a new study published in Science Translational Medicine. Targeted screening of compounds for inhibitory activity against the cysteine protease domain within the C. difficile major virulence factor toxin B, identified a bioactive compound currently in human clinical trials for an unrelated indication. In a mouse model of C. difficile infection, the drug reduced disease pathology and inhibited release of the toxic glucosyltransferase domain.
References
Bender, K. O. et al. A small-molecule antivirulence agent for treating Clostridium difficile infection. Sci. Transl. Med. 7, 306ra148 (2015)
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A non-antibiotic treatment for Clostridium difficile infection?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 12, 608 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2015.176
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2015.176