Clostridioides difficile (eBook)

The book provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge about Clostridioides (C.) difficile (formerly known as Clostridium difficile) and Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI).

The diseases caused by C. difficile range from mild diarrhea to fulminant and in some cases fatal colitis. Historically, CDI was considered mainly as a hospital-acquired problem. Today, a significant portion of CDI is community acquired. Triggered by the introduction of new antibiotics, hypervirulent and multi-drug resistant strains of C. difficile (e.g., C. difficile ribotype R027) have emerged and spread across the globe.

The volume covers the microbiology, pathophysiology, epidemiology, risk factors for CDI, diagnosis, clinical pictures, treatment and prophylaxis. It includes an extensive reference list that allows an easy navigation through the original research publications.

Clostridioides difficile helps the reader gain a better understanding of C. difficile, the challenges that may arise and the available treatment options. Given its broad coverage and features, it will appeal to a wide readership, from gastroenterologists through general physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers, to students.

Prof. Dr. Henning Sommermeyer is currently a visiting professor at the Department of Health Sciences of the Calisia University Kalisz, Poland. He studied biochemistry at the University of Hanover, Germany. He specialized in immunology and graduated at the Department of Molecular Pharmacology, at the Medical High School of Hanover. From 1990 to 2010 he worked for different pharmaceutical companies in Germany, Portugal, Poland and the Czech Republic. His scientific work is focused on pro- and synbiotics as prophylactics and therapeutics.

Prof. Dr. Jacek Piatek is Professor and Head of   Department of Health Sciences of the Calisia University Kalisz, Poland, where he was the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences for a year. He studied at the faculty of Medicine at the Medical University of Poznan, Poland. He worked at the Department of Physiology, University of Medical Sciences in Poznan, Poland. From 2011-2013 he was a visiting professor at the Institute of Rural Medicine in Lublin. His research interest focuses on gut microbiota, probiotics and synbiotics.