Clostridioides difficile Infection: Targeting an Unwelcome and Persistent Threat

An integrated symposium, with an esteemed panel of experts, discussed the burden and treatment approaches for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). The session took place on 17th April 2023 as part of the 33rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The session was co-chaired by Mark Wilcox, Head of Microbiology Research & Development and Infection Lead at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK, and Professor of Medical Microbiology at the University of Leeds, UK; and Anne Gonzales-Luna, Assistant Professor at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Texas, USA. Sarah Tschudin-Sutter, Professor and Head Division of Hospital Epidemiology at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, explored the changing landscape for CDI, including the epidemiology and surveillance of infection, and approaches to diagnosis. John Coia, Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Regional Health Research, University of South Denmark, and Honorary Research Fellow at Glasgow University, UK; and Esther Calbo, Professor and Head of Infectious Disease at the Hospital Universitari Mútua de Terrassa, Spain, gave an overview of the burden of recurrent CDI, dysbiosis in CDI, and the role in recurrent CDI, mortality risk, and the importance of targeting recurrence. Calbo also presented an interactive case study that allowed audience members to engage and review the patient case presented. The faculty panel explored with the audience how to approach assessment and treatment to achieve the best outcome for the patient case. Benoît Guery, Associate Professor Infectious Disease at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Switzerland, presented data from the EXTEND study, which explored extended-pulse dosing regimens of antibiotics (fidaxomicin) in CDI.