Antibody Secretig Cells ASC in Human Colostridium difficile Infection Colonization and Recurrence

The objective of this proposal is the creation of a method for identifying patients with hospital acquired C difficile infections likely to suffer expensive and potentially life threatening recurrences after discharge from the hospital C difficile has emerged as the biggest infectious killer of Americans as well as a multi billion drain on the health care system Most of those costs and mortality are associated with recurrent patients New therapies for vulnerable patients are rapidly emerging but they will be sufficiently expensive and complex that they should be administered only to those most likely to benefit To meet this need anti C difficile toxin antibodies will be measured in samples collected from the exact population this test is intended to serve Measurement by MicroBplex s unique method will be the basis of a diagnostic product that yields sensitive and specific results early in the course of infection and well before discharge enabling clinicians to administer the new therapies prophylactically to the patients with the greatest need Potential improvements in sensitivity will be sought using MicroBplex s unique method to measure antibodies against other C difficile antigens MicroBplex s method using circulating antibody secreting cells will be the basis of improved diagnostic tests for many infectious agents