Fecal lactoferrin as a biomarker for determining disease severity and for treating infection in patients with Clostridium difficile disease

• Main Authors: Boone, James Hunter, Carman, Robert J, Wilkins, Tracy D, Lyerly, David M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 21.05.2019
• Subjects: HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; PHYSICS; PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES; TESTING

Clostridium difficile disease involves a range of clinical presentations ranging from mild to self-limiting diarrhea to life-threatening pseudomembranous colitis and megacolon. Cases of C. difficile are treated differently depending on severity of disease. Mild and moderate cases may be treated with metronidazole while moderate-to-severe and relapsing cases are often treated with vancomycin or fidaxomicin. The presence of C. difficile disease is detected using a biomarker panel that includes C. difficile antigen (GDH), toxins A and B, and fecal lactoferrin. In patients suspected of C. difficile disease, if GDH is detected indicating the presence of C. difficile, and then toxins A and/or B are detected to indicate toxigenic C. difficile and support a diagnosis of C. difficile-associated disease, fecal lactoferrin concentrations are measured to determine severity of the disease by indicating the amount of intestinal inflammation.