Probiotics key in tackling C.difficile

A US medical expert has highlighted the potential benefits of using probiotics to treat Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD).

During a meeting of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Katherine Marie Sluder of the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center gave a presentation in which she stated that the US is now catching up to Europe in terms of probiotic usage.
She stated that progress is being made in the initiation of clinical studies to support their health benefits, noting that these treatments can help to ease symptoms of CDAD or prevent them entirely, reports the Clinical Advisor.
Ms Sluder also noted that probiotic agents are “dirt cheap” and “far more promising” as CDAD treatments than many traditional over-the-counter antidiarrhoeal products, which would require large quantities to be taken in order to be effective.
This comes after University College Cork published research earlier this month isolating the genes responsible for allowing probiotic bacteria to colonise the intestine, which could be instrumental in proving their clinical benefits.

Extract: Probiotics should be more widely used in treating Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea due to their efficacy and cost-effectiveness, according to an expert.