Largest EU Prevalence Study of Clostridium Difficile Infection First Full Results to be Presented at ECCMID 2014

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Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd

30 Apr, 2014, 06:00 GMT

CHERTSEY, England, April 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

A high abundance of data from the EUCLID study is to be presented at ECCMID this year on Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), one of the most common healthcare-associated infections[1]

The full set of data from EUCLID, the largest ever prevalence study of CDI across Europe, will be presented for the first time at the 24th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ECCMID) in Barcelona, Spain, May 10-13, 2014.

The data will add to the initial EUCLID results presented last year which highlighted that incorrect diagnosis may be made for more than one in five hospitalised patients with diarrhoea, who could have CDI,[2] and will provide further insights on the current extent of under-testing and under-detection of C. difficile infection across Europe.

These highly anticipated results, to be shared through oral and poster presentations, will also relate to country-specific data on C. difficile infection, a potentially fatal disease. CDI is one of the most common causes of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and severe cases can lead to bowel surgery and even death.[1] Hospital patients with CDI are up to three times more likely to die in hospital (or within a month of infection) than those without CDI.[3],[4]

The European multi-centre, prospective bi-annual point prevalence study of Clostridium difficile Infection in hospitalised patients with Diarrhoea (EUCLID), involved 482 hospitals from 20 European countries. The study is being coordinated out of the University of Leeds, UK, by Professor Mark Wilcox's research group, with support from the EUCLID Core Group. The study is funded by Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.

An overview of the abstracts being presented at ECCMID is listed below:

  • Second report from the European, multi-centre, prospective bi-annual point prevalence study of Clostridium difficile Infection in hospitalised patients with Diarrhoea (EUCLID).
    • Poster presentation:P0753, Poster Session III
    • Sunday, May 11, 13:30, Poster Area
  • Increased diversity of C. difficile PCR-ribotypes across European countries and disparity of 027 prevalence; Results of the European, multi-centre, prospective bi-annual point prevalence study of Clostridium difficile infection in hospitalised patients with diarrhoea (EUCLID).
    • Oral presentation:O002
    • Saturday, May 10,13:42, HALL E
  • Analysis of actual Clostridium difficile epidemiology in Germany based on a multi-centre, bi-annual point prevalence study in European countries (EUCLID)
    • Oral presentation:O010
    • Saturday, May 10, 15:18, HALL E
  • Optimised diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection; is there still room for improvement? Results of a European point prevalence study of C. difficile infection (EUCLID).
    • Poster presentation:P0738, Poster Session III
    • Sunday, May 11, 13:30, Poster Area
  • Italian preliminary data obtained from the European, multi-centre, prospective bi-annual point prevalence study of Clostridium difficile infection in hospitalised patients with Diarrhoea (EUCLID).
    • Poster presentation:P0758, Poster Session III
    • Sunday, May 11, 13:30, Poster Area
  • Efficacy of tapered fidaxomicin dosing regimens to treat simulated Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in an in vitro gut model 
    • Poster presentation:P0797, Poster Session III
    • Sunday, May 11, 13:30, Poster Area
  • Persistence and removal of fidaxomicin from C. difficile spores, and impact on spore recovery
    • Poster presentation:P0799, Poster Session III
    • Sunday, May 11, 13:30, Poster Area
  • Point-prevalence of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) in Greek hospitals: a cross-sectional study 
    • Poster presentation:P0757, Poster Session III
    • Sunday, May 11, 13:30, Poster Area
  • Use of allelic exchange to characterise the impact of three separate mutations in rpoB on the fitness of Clostridium difficile and sensitivity to fidaxomicin
    • Poster presentation:P0808, Poster Session III
    • Sunday, May 11, 13:30, Poster Area

About Clostridium difficile Infection  

CDI is a serious illness resulting from infection of the internal lining of the colon by C. difficile bacteria. The bacteria produce toxins that cause inflammation of the colon, diarrhoea and, in some cases, death.[5] Patients typically develop CDI after the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics that disrupt normal bowel flora, allowing C. difficile bacteria to flourish.[5],[6] CDI is the leading cause of hospital acquired (nosocomial) diarrhoea in industrialised countries[7] and the risk of CDI and disease recurrence is particularly high in patients aged 65 years and older.[8] Recurrence of CDI occurs in up to 25% of patients within 30 days of initial treatment with current therapies.[9],[10],[11] The ESCMID has identified recurrence as being the most important problem in the treatment of CDI.[12]

About Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.  

Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., located in the UK, is the European Headquarters of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceuticals. As a global company, Astellas is committed to combining outstanding research and development (R&D) and marketing capabilities to continue to grow in the world pharmaceutical market. Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. manages 21 affiliate offices located across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In addition, the Company has an R&D site and three manufacturing plants in Europe. The company employs approximately 4,300 staff across these regions. For more information about Astellas Pharma Europe, please visit http://www.astellas.eu.

References   

1. Ananthakrishnan AN. Clostridium difficile infection: epidemiology, risk factors and management. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2011;8:17-26. 

2. Davies K et al. First report from European, multi-centre, prospective bi-annual point prevalence study of Clostridium difficile Infection in hospitalised patients with Diarrhoea (EUCLID). Late breaker poster LB-2968 presented at European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID); Berlin, Germany, 27 - 30 Apr 2013. 

3. Oake N, et al. The effect of hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection on in-hospital mortality. Arch Intern Med 2010;170:1804-10. 

4. Hensgens MP, et al. All-Cause and disease-specific mortality in hospitalized patients with Clostridium difficile infection: a Multicenter Cohort Study. Clin Infect Dis. 2013;56:1108-16. 

5. Poutanen SM et al. Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea in adults. CMAJ. 2004;171:51-8. 

6. Kelly CP et al. Clostridium difficile infection. Ann Rev Med. 1998;49:375-390. 

7. Crobach MJ, et al. European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID): Data review and recommendations for diagnosing Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Clinical Microbiology and Infection 2009;15:1053-1066. 

8. Pepin J, et al. Increasing risk of relapse after treatment of Clostridium difficile colitis in Quebec, Canada. Clin Infect Dis. 2005;40:1591-7. 

9. Bouza E, et al. Results of a phase III trial comparing tolevamer, vancomycin and metronidazole in patients with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea. Clin Micro Infect. 2008;14(Suppl 7):S103-4. 

10. Lowy I, et al. Treatment with Monoclonal Antibodies against Clostridium difficile Toxins. N Engl J Med. 2010;362;3:197-205. 

11. Louie TJ, et al. Fidaxomicin versus vancomycin for Clostridium difficile infection. N Engl J Med. 2011;364:422-31.

12. Bauer MP, et al. European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ESCMID): treatment guidance document for Clostridium difficile-infection (CDI). Clin Microbiol Infect. 2009;15:1067-79.