USF researchers have designed an oral vaccine to protect users against C. difficile infection. This vaccine uses non-toxigenic C. difficile (NTCD) strains to carry non-pathogenic toxin fragments. These strains will not harm the user and do not cause vaccine associated disease. These live vaccines (NTCD_138, NTCD_169) can target both C. difficile toxins and C. difficile colonization. This will inhibit the main virulence factors of the pathogen and reduce distribution of the spores. Furthermore, the NTCD strains can be converted into a spore form, which can be used as an oral immunogen. The spore form is ideal because spores are resistant to harsh conditions and do not require cold storage, lowering storage expenses. This novel vaccine has the potential to significantly improve current prevention and treatment methods for C. difficile infection.
100% Survival of Mice Infected with C. difficile Immunized with NTCD_Tcd138 7 Days After Infection