Dietary therapy for clostridium difficile colonization: A case series

Abstract Clostridium difficile ( C. difficile ) is an important nosocomial pathogen in adults and children. Roughly 4–5% of non hospitalized healthy adults carry the organism in their intestinal flora while adults in long term care facilities have asymptomatic carriage rates estimated at 20–50%. C. difficile colonization results in a spectrum of clinical conditions from asymptomatic carrier state to fulminant colitis. Changes in the fecal microbiome are central in the development of C. difficile colonization and disease pathogenesis. C. difficile infection has been shown to be associated with reduced biodiversity of the gut microbiome and intestinal dysbiosis. With the importance of the intestinal microbiota in development of CDI and with the known impact of diet on the intestinal microbiota, we report the first known case of C. difficile colonization/recurrence successful treated by dietary modification.