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Comment
. 2019 Aug 12;129(9):3539-3541.
doi: 10.1172/JCI130008.

Human fecal metabolomic profiling could inform Clostridioides difficile infection diagnosis and treatment

Casey M Theriot, Joshua R Fletcher
Comment

Human fecal metabolomic profiling could inform Clostridioides difficile infection diagnosis and treatment

Casey M Theriot et al. J Clin Invest. .

Abstract

Clostridioides difficile is a significant public health threat, and diagnosis of this infection is challenging due to a lack of sensitivity in current diagnostic testing. In this issue of the JCI, Robinson et al. use a logistic regression model based on the fecal metabolome that is able to distinguish between patients with non-C. difficile diarrhea and C. difficile infection, and to some degree, patients who are asymptomatically colonized with C. difficile. The authors construct a metabolic definition of human C. difficile infection, which could improve diagnostic accuracy and aid in the development of targeted therapeutics against this pathogen.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: CMT is a scientific advisor to Locus Biosciences, a company engaged in the development of antimicrobial technologies.

Comment on

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