Skip to main content
About the Institute
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Russian
  • Portuguese

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Gastroenterology
  3. Could the metabolome be used to better diagnose C. difficile infections?
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic pages
    • Experts' point of view
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
  • Useful documents
    • How to talk about
    • Infographics
    • IBS Diagnosis Check List
    • Patients Stories

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section
Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
General Medicine

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Gastroenterology
  3. Could the metabolome be used to better diagnose C. difficile infections?
Gastroenterology

Could the metabolome be used to better diagnose C. difficile infections?

C difficile
Gastroenterology

Two large families of metabolites (the first are derived from leucine and the second from bile acids) could have the potential to discriminate between a C. difficile infection and an asymptomatic C. difficile colonization.

Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
General Medicine
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic pages
    • Experts' point of view
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
  • Useful documents
    • How to talk about
    • Infographics
    • IBS Diagnosis Check List
    • Patients Stories

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your colleagues might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail

About this article

Created 19 November 2019
Updated 22 July 2024

 

(sidenote: Clostridioides difficile formerly Clostridium difficile )  infection (CDI) affects about 450,000 people and causes 30,000 deaths per year in the United States. It is responsible for a substantial proportion of deaths attributable to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. CDI arises following the ingestion and adhesion of spores, which then germinate and turn into vegetative forms of the bacterium that colonize and secrete toxins responsible for a wide spectrum of symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening pseudomembranous colitis. But a carrier may also be completely asymptomatic and CDI may show its pathogenic potential only once antibiotics are taken.

Establishing a list of metabolites

C. difficile is considered as an opportunistic colonizer that might be eradicated by healthy intestinal microbiota. Several metabolic functions are believed to contribute to this eradication. To better understand the link between gut metabolites and CDI in humans, a research team studied the fecal metabolomic profiles of 186 hospitalized patients with symptoms of diarrhea: 62 patients with CDI (positive toxigenic culture and positive enzyme immunoassay), 62 patients with positive toxigenic culture but negative enzyme immunoassay, and 62 matched non-colonized controls (negative toxigenic culture and negative enzyme immunoassay). Fecal metabolites were characterized by gas chromatography.

Two metabolic signatures

Among the 2,463 metabolites detected in the stools, 43 can be used to discriminate between patients with CDI and non colonized controls. Many of them are derived from (sidenote: The Stickland fermentation pathway coupled redox reaction of two amino acids, one playing the role of hydrogen acceptor, the other of hydrogen donor. It occurs in many Clostridium species de Vladar HP. Amino acid fermentation at the origin of the genetic code. Biol Direct. 2012 Feb 10;7:6. ) , in which bacteria, such as C. difficile, use amino acids as substrates. The strongest association found was for a short chain fatty acid resulting from leucine fermentation, which was found in significantly larger quantities in patients with CDI. The team also identified a number of secondary bile acids significantly less abundant in patients with CDI, and derived from the dehydroxylation by gut bacteria of primary bile acids which are synthesized and conjugated by the host. It remains unclear whether these dehydroxylated bile acids are only biomarkers of CDI-negative patients, or if their formation protects them from CDI by inhibiting spore germination, for instance.

Towards a more precise diagnosis?

Eventually, these results could lead to the definition of a specific metabolomic profile for CDI and refine patient diagnosis, by reducing false positives related to inactive spore detection by toxigenic culture, and false negatives caused by the poor sensitivity of the enzyme immunoassay.

Sources

Robinson JI, Weir WH, Crowley JR, et al. Metabolomic networks connect host-microbiome processes to human Clostridioides difficile infections. J Clin Invest. 2019 Aug 12;129(9):3792-3806.

Tags
Antibiotics Predictor Metabolite Bile acids CDI Colonization Microbiome Flora
    Created 19 November 2019
    Updated 22 July 2024

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    C difficile

    Medical practice

    Gastroenterology

    Content type

    News
    Gastroenterology

    Association between fungal dysbiosis and environment

    The fungal portion of the gut microbiota (or mycobiota) has been much less studied than the bacterial...

    Find out more

    Your IBS Diagnosis Check List

    How many patients suffering from gut disorder do you see per week? How many are diagnosed with Irrita...

    Find out more

    Probiotics: what exactly are we talking about?

    From the Latin pro and Greek bios meaning “for life”, the term “probiotic” was suggested over 60 year...

    Find out more

    How do you choose a probiotic for your patient?

    Faced with a plethora of products on the market, it's not always easy for health professionals to sug...

    Find out more

    The Janus face of Antibiotics: Life Savers and Microbiota Disruptors

    A page turns: with the advent of antibiotics in the...

    Find out more

    Fecal transplantation - ready for prime time?

    Congress review By Pr. Danny De Looze Department of Gastroenterology University Hospital Gent, Belgi...

    Find out more

    Focus on antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD)

    Find out more

    Dampening gastrointestinal inflammation through nutrition

    by Dr Genelle Healey

    Find out more

    Continue reading

    News
    Actu PRO : Malnutrition : agir sur le microbiote pour améliorer la croissance, un prototype à l’essai
    08.07.2021

    Malnutrition: acting on the microbiota in order to improve growth, a trial prototype

    Read the article
    07.05.2025

    The microbial-metabolic nexus in colon cancer

    Read the article
    07.02.2025

    Your functional dyspepsia diagnosis check list

    Read the article
    17.04.2025

    Sensitivity to the additive E466: the role of the microbiota

    Read the article
    Photo HCPs: Clinical context over quick fix: the fresh consensus on microbiome testing
    11.04.2025

    Clinical context over quick fix: the fresh consensus on microbiome testing

    Read the article
    22.11.2023

    Is vaginal microbiota transfer the new miracle for C-section babies?

    Read the article
    Actu PRO : Alcoolisme : expliquer les troubles sociaux grâce au microbiote
    27.01.2021

    Alcoholism: explaining social disorders thanks to the microbiota

    Read the article
    20.03.2025

    Entacapone and the gut: a hidden impact on parkinson’s care

    Read the article
    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Russian
    • Portuguese

    Browse the site

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Redirection

    You are about to be redirected and leave our website

    • Be redirected
    • Stay on the Biocodex Microbiota Institute's website

    Stay with us !

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    14.05.2025

    Towards worldwide redefinition of healthy vaginal microbiota

    Read the article
    07.05.2025

    The microbial-metabolic nexus in colon cancer

    Read the article
    02.05.2025

    A new lens on chlamydia: beyond behavior, into the microbiome

    Read the article

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    © 2025 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Legal notice
    • GTU
    • Data protection policy
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    • Digital accessibility : partially compliant
    Biocodex logo