Assessing the Feasibility of Employing a Combination of a Bacteriophage-Derived Endolysin and Spore Germinants to Treat Relapsing Clostridioides difficile Infection

Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacillus and major cause of healthcare-associated infections. Whereas the vegetative form pathogen susceptible to treatment with antibiotics, its ability persist in gut as antibiotic-resistant spores means that reinfection can occur cases were individual fails re-establish protective microflora. Bacteriophages their lysins are currently being explored options due specificity, which minimizes disruption other members microflora protective. The feasibility employing recombinant endolysins target C. has been demonstrated animal models. In this study, we cloned expressed enzyme active domain LysCD6356 confirmed lyse forms diverse range clinical isolates difficile, included hypervirulent 027 ribotype. Lytic activity was adversely affected by calcium, naturally found released from spore upon germination. Our results suggests strategy triggering germination separated time application lysin could be developed reduce risk relapsing