Table 1: Randomized, Comparative Trials of Oral Therapy for Clostridium difficile Diarrhea

Table 2. Empirical Treatment Strategies for Patients with Multiple

Recurrences of C. difficile Diarrhea

Strategy

Repeated courses of antimicrobial agents (metronidazole, vancomycin, nitazoxanide, rifaximin)

Tapering doses of antimicrobial agents (vancomycin, rifaximin)

Biotherapy

Ingestion of bacteria that normally inhabit the bowel (probiotics)

Ingestion of non-toxigenic C. difficile

Infusion of normal feces (fecal transplantation)

Monoclonal antibody to C. difficile toxins

Intravenous immunoglobulin

Table 3. Potential Future Treatment Options

Figure 1: Three Hit Disease