Advantages:
- Targets Early-Stage Pathogenesis
- Broad Antigen Conservation Across Clinical Strains
- Robust Mucosal and Systemic Immunogenicity
- Potential Alternative Therapy: Anti-FliCD serum demonstrates promise as an adjunct therapy for CDI, alongside vaccination.
Summary:
Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is an anaerobic, spore-forming, Gram-positive bacterium. C difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis. Currently, a few antibiotic treatment options are available for CDI, which are plagued by high recurrence rates (15-35%) and increasing resistance. Active vaccination provides the attractive opportunity to prevent CDI and recurrence.
USF researchers created a novel fusion protein vaccine candidate (FliCD), containing Clostridiodes difficile flagellar proteins FliC and FliD, integral to bacterial motility, mucosal adherence, and colonization. These proteins are highly conserved across major toxinotypes and ribotypes, making FliCD a strong candidate for broad‑spectrum protection. In preclinical mouse models, intraperitoneal immunization with FliCD induced potent IgG and IgA antibody responses against FliCD, protected mice against C. difficile infection and decreased C. difficile spores and toxin levels in the feces after infection. Additionally, the anti-FliCD serum inhibited the binding of C. difficile vegetative cells to HCT8 cells. These results suggest that FliCD may represent an effective vaccine candidate against CDI.
Immunization of mice with FliCD decreases the C. difficile spores and toxins in feces after a challenge with C. difficile spores.
Desired Partnerships:
- License
- Sponsored Research
- Co-Development