Treatment
Specific treatment recommendations start with target 3 in Figure 1 after patients have been diagnosed with CDI. Therapeutic target 2 focuses on an enhanced immune response to C difficile toxins in preventing CDI recurrence. Target 1, which deals with improvements of the gut microbiome, is discussed later.
The first phase of CDI treatment is to discontinue the antimicrobial agents that led to the development of CDI. In the mildest cases of CDI, the discontinuation of antimicrobial agents alone may be sufficient to manage clinical illness without further therapy. Not being able to do this will influence antimicrobial response to treatment and outcome for vancomycin but less so for fidaxomicin.