NEW DELHI– A newly developed antibiotic, EVG7, has shown strong potential to combat the dangerous intestinal bacterium Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) with only a minimal dose, according to a new study.
C. difficile is a stubborn gut pathogen that can cause severe diarrhea and life-threatening illness, especially in older adults and people with weakened immune systems. The infection often recurs even after treatment, making it one of the most challenging bacterial threats in hospitals and long-term care settings.
“With existing antibiotics, C. difficile sometimes reappears just weeks after treatment,” said lead researcher Elma Mons. “This happens partly because the bacterium leaves behind spores, which can develop into new bacteria and cause the infection to return.”
In experiments conducted on mice, the research team found that a low dose of EVG7 was significantly more effective at preventing relapse than either a lower dose of vancomycin or a higher dose of EVG7. The low-dose EVG7 treatment also helped preserve beneficial gut bacteria, particularly those belonging to the Lachnospiraceae family.
“Those bacteria actually protect against C. difficile,” Mons said. “While existing treatments tend to kill many bacteria essential for good health, a low dose of EVG7 leaves most of them intact. These beneficial microbes help stop the infection from coming back by preventing leftover spores from growing into harmful bacteria.”
Interestingly, the study also found that the lower dose of EVG7 did not promote antibiotic resistance — a common concern with suboptimal dosing. “Antibiotic resistance occurs when you don’t completely kill the bacteria but merely irritate them,” Mons explained. “In this case, the low dose of EVG7 effectively killed C. difficile, making it less likely to trigger resistance.”
The findings suggest that EVG7 could become a promising new treatment option for recurrent C. difficile infections, offering effective results with fewer side effects and a lower risk of resistance. (Source: IANS)
