Clostridioides difficile (C. diff)

Clostridium difficile bacterium, 3D illustration
January 28, 2026

Gut microbiome differs according to C. diff symptom status

In a study of children with symptomatic or asymptomatic C. diff, symptom status loomed as the strongest association with differences in gut microbial abundance and diversity.

By Paul Govern
April 8, 2025

A link between bacterial infection and colorectal cancer: study

Understanding factors that contribute to the development of colorectal cancer could point to new targets for treating the disease at earlier stages, when survival rates are highest.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 25, 2025

C. diff uses toxic compound to fuel growth advantage

The findings of a new research study increase understanding of the molecular drivers of C. diff infection and point to novel therapeutic strategies aimed at a pathogen that causes about half a million infections in the U.S. each year.

By Leigh MacMillan
A C. diff bacterium (green) with iron particles in red, shown in a reconstructed electron tomogram from STEM-EDS. (image courtesy of James McBride)
November 15, 2023

Novel C. diff structures are required for infection, offer new therapeutic targets

Vanderbilt research discovers that iron storage “spheres” inside the bacterium C. diff — the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections — are important for infection in an animal model and could offer new targets for antibacterial drugs.

By Leigh MacMillan
Martin Douglass, PhD, is studying how Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), a bacterium that causes diarrhea and colitis, inflammation of the colon, responds to host-mediated immune responses.
September 21, 2023

VUMC postdoctoral researcher selected as HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow

Vanderbilt postdoctoral researcher Martin Douglass, PhD, has been named a 2023 Hanna Gray Fellow by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

By Anthony Czelusniak
The study team includes, from left, Maribeth Nicholson, MD, MPH, Ben Spiller, PhD, Buddy Creech, MD, MPH, Borden Lacy, PhD, Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH, Isaac Thomsen, MD, MSCI, Ivelin Georgiev, PhD, and Danyvid Olivares-Villagomez, PhD.
March 30, 2023

NIH grant launches C. diff vaccine research initiative

Vanderbilt has received an NIH grant to launch the Vanderbilt Antibody and Antigen Discovery for Clostridioides difficile Vaccines, or VANDy-CdV.

By Anthony Czelusniak
November 3, 2022

C. diff infections drop in children

The number of pediatric infections caused by Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) decreased from 2013 to 2019, likely due to an increase in antibiotic stewardship programs and improved hospital contact protocols, Vanderbilt researchers found.
By Sarah E. Glass
July 28, 2022

C. difficile may contribute to colorectal cancer: study

A Vanderbilt study found that the bacterium Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) may be a previously unrecognized contributor to colorectal cancer.
By Bill Snyder
September 30, 2021

Molecular imaging of C. diff infection

C. difficile — the leading cause of hospital-associated intestinal infections — induces a rapid influx of bile acids into the gut, which could provide a novel target for blocking infection.
By Leigh MacMillan
June 10, 2020

C. diff captures blood cell cofactor to build defensive shield

Vanderbilt University Medical Center scientists have identified a C. diff protein system that senses and captures heme (part of hemoglobin) to build a protective shield that fends off threats from our immune system and antibiotics.
By Leigh MacMillan
January 10, 2020

Structural views of a C. diff toxin

D. Borden Lacy and colleagues used cryo-electron microscopy to define the structure of a C. diff toxin, providing a framework for the design of novel therapeutics.
By Leigh MacMillan
December 12, 2019

Wexler receives Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Fellowship

Aaron Wexler, PhD, a research fellow in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, has received a Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Fellowship.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 24, 2019

Treating C. diff: new purpose for an old drug?

An inexpensive generic drug once used to prevent gastrointestinal ulcers in people taking daily NSAIDs protects against C. diff infection in mice.
By Paul Govern
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