Lactobacilli as live biotherapeutics for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection
Mairéad Coakley, Mary Rea, Lisa Quigley, Debebe Alemayehu, Órla O’Sullivan, Paul Cotter, Colin Hill, Paul Ross
Industry impact: As antibiotic resistance increases globally, we are running out of effective antibiotics for the treatment of infections (WHO press release, 2017). Live bio-therapeutics offer a promising alternative for the treatment of infectious diseases, and may lead to reduced antibiotic use. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) currently costs the Irish economy approximately €21 million annually. We screened the Teagasc and APC Microbiome Ireland culture collections for bacteria with anti-C. difficile activity. A Lactobacillus gasseri strain of human origin has been shown to reduce C. difficile shedding, and to have a positive impact on the gut microbiome in an animal model of CDI. This strain has been patented (EP16205994) and licensed to Alimentary Health Ltd, a leading Irish company in the live bio-therapeutics arena. This work won the 2017 Bridge Network Invention of the Year.
Other contributors and collaborators: APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork. National Irish Sequencing Centre, Teagasc. Sharon Sheahan, Technology Transfer Office, Teagasc. Pat Casey, School of Microbiology, University College Cork. Eileen Murphy and Barry Kiely, Alimentary Health Ltd.
Funding: Science Foundation Ireland.
Contact the researcher:
- Órla O’Sullivan
- Paul Cotter
- Mairead Coakley