Clostridium difficile

To shed new light, He and colleagues conducted a series of experiments with a specific narrow-spectrum Wnt signaling inhibitor known as TcdBFBD, which was derived from a toxin found naturally in the bacterial species Clostridium difficile.

Fecal microbe transplants from healthy donors can treat patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile infections.

Support for the Scientific Reports study, "Identification of donor Bacteroides vulgatus genes encoding proteins that correlate with early colonization following fecal transplant of patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile," came from the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine at UAB.

That means they can kill off good bacteria and lead to the overgrowth of potentially dangerous ones such as Clostridium difficile or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

The Food and Drug Administration cleared the capsules for adults 18 and older who face risks from repeat infections with Clostridium difficile, a bacteria that can cause severe nausea, cramping and diarrhea.