Book review: “Clostridioides difficile: Infections, Risk Factors, Prevention and Treatment” by Henning Sommermeyer and Jacek Piątek

The invention of antibiotic therapy in 1928 was a milestone in medical history and has saved millions of lives. However, recent developments suggest that mankind is about to lose this powerful tool to combat bacterial infections. Among these concerning developments is the growing spread of pathogenic bacteria that have developed resistance against one or even multiple antibiotics [1]. As of today, the first pathogenic germs have evolved that cannot be reached therapeutically with any of the existing antibiotics. This resistance development is caused by the widespread use of antibiotics. The emergence of antibiotic resistance has been historically countered by the invention of new classes of antibiotics. While this approach has been productive for decades, the recent cessation of development of new antibiotics by the pharmaceutical industry is exposing worldwide healthcare to the severe threat of being overrun by non-treatable bacterial infections in the not too distant future [2].
With healthcare being at the edge of losing the power of antibiotic therapy, interest in alternative approaches to stop the spread of bacterial infections by alternative approaches has recently risen sharply. Among these is the support of the colonization resistance provided by the gut microbiota, which under normal circumstances prevents the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria [3]. Strengthening of the colonization resistance can be achieved by administration of products containing probiotic bacteria without (probiotics) or with a prebiotic (synbiotics) component.
The team of the Microbiota Research Group at Calisia University has focused its research efforts in this area since the inauguration of the group in 2018. In several publications, the scientists have been able to demonstrate that certain products containing probiotic bacterial microorganisms are able to contribute to the clinical management of bacterial infections caused by Salmonella Typhimurium [4], Klebsiella pneumonia [5], and Clostri­dioides difficile [6, 7].
C. difficile infections (CDI) are of growing concern for physicians worldwide. While initially considered to be a problem in the hospital setting, nowadays a significant proportion of CDIs originate from the community [8]. Mutations have not only resulted in the emergence of highly virulent strains (e.g. C. difficile ribotype R027) but also in strains that exhibit a broad set of resistances against major classes of antibiotics. In the...


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