Clostridium difficile infections are one of the major public health problems that is persistent and growing globally. The present treatment of these infections is restricted to vancomycin, metronidazole and fidaxomicin.  There is an urgent need for new anti-clostridial drugs because the antibiotic choices have become limited due to increasing resistance.  In addition to the search of newer anti-clostridial drugs, researches are ongoing to study about the effect of natural phytochemicals from medicinal plants on C. difficile infections.  One such study uses the good old turmeric for the fight against C. difficile. The curcumin in the turmeric is found to be effective to inhibit the toxin production and spore formation of the bacteria. Combined with the safety profile and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin, it has the potential as an effective anti-clostridial drug.

To read the entire article, visit the website of Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance [link]