Overview
- Vanderbilt researchers report in Nature that mucosal immunization via rectal delivery cleared C. difficile in animal models, unlike parenteral injection.
- The multivalent formulation combined novel vegetative and spore antigens with inactivated TcdA/TcdB and the dmLT mucosal adjuvant.
- Vaccinated animals eliminated both vegetative and spore forms and were protected against illness, death, tissue damage, and recurrence.
- Protection persisted when animals were challenged 60 and 200 days after the final dose, with evidence of durable tissue-resident immune responses.
- Investigators plan rectal immunization studies in aged mice and describe a potential translation to enema-based administration in humans, noting the findings are preclinical.