Clearance of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Concomitant with Administration of a Microbiota-Based Drug Targeted at Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection

Erik Dubberke, MD, MSPH, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; Courtney Jones, BS, Rebiotix Inc., Roseville, MN

Background

• Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) is a major nosocomial pathogen and is a well known complication among transplant and immune compromised patients.¹
• VRE colonisation and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) share similar risk factors; antibiotic-induced perturbation of the gut microbiota may contribute to both.²
• VRE carriers are at increased risk for infection and a source of transmissions to others.
• Controlling transmission in a healthcare setting can be challenging.³
• Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) may be effective in clearing VRE and restoring colonisation resistance.⁴
• We report on clearance of VRE in stool in a secondary analysis of the PUNCH CD study, a Phase 2 study assessing the safety and efficacy of RBX2660 (microbiota suspension), in a population of patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection.

References:

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2. Fujitani S, George WL, Morgan MA, Nichols S, Murthy AR. Implications for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus colonization associated with Clostridium difficile infections. Am J Infect Control. 2011;39:188-93.
3. Jung E, Byun S, Lee Ho, et al. Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus colonization in the intensive care unit: Clinical outcomes and attributable costs of hospitalization. Am J Infect Control. 2014;42:1062-6.
4. Tosh PK, McDonald LC. Infection control in the multidrug-resistant era: Tending the human microbiome. CID. 2012;54:707-13.