EACCAD - European approach to combat outbreaks of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea by development of new diagnostic tests

EC contribution: : € 1.771.000
Duration: : 36 months
Starting date: : 01/12/2006
Funding scheme: : Specific Targeted Research Project
Keywords: : Clostridium difficile, hypervirulent type 027, CDAD, diagnostics, outbreaks
Contract/Grant agreement number: : LSHM-CT-2006-037870
Project web-site: : http://www.cdiff.nl/

Background:

Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) has become the most frequent nosocomial infection in many European hospitals. Central to the control of epidemics are the deployment of assays able to rapidly diagnose and monitor the presence and spread of the organism. No such tests currently exist for these new hypervirulent C. difficile strains. The EACCAD project sought to develop the urgently required rapid, diagnostic assays in close collaboration with three small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Problem:

C. difficile is resistant to various antibiotics; it capitalises on the ensuing disruption of the normal intestinal flora to colonisation and causes disease. The effects of CDAD are devastating, both in terms of morbidity/mortality and the high costs of disease management.

Aim:

The main aim of EACCAD was the recognition of suitable targets and development of a commercial rapid test that would distinguish variant hypervirulent and antibiotic resistant strains from ordinary C. difficile strains.

Expected and obtained results:

Recognition of targets for new diagnostic tests by characterisation of hypervirulent and drug-resistant C. difficile strains. The targets are based on toxins, toxin coding regions, or other unique genes of C. difficile.
Availability of molecular tests and rapid membrane immunoassays for detection of the target in patient material and in bacterial isolates.
Validation of new developed tests for clinical diagnostics and strain characterisation.

Potential applications:

European guidelines will be formulated to diagnose CDAD and to combat outbreaks. The introduction of these tests and European guidelines increase the awareness of CDAD as an important nosocomial infection and will be of help to prevent the development of large outbreaks by new hypervirulent variants.

Coordinator:

Dr. Ed J. Kuijper
Leiden University Medical Center
Department of Medical Microbiology
P.O. Box 9600
2300 RC Leiden, Netherlands
Tel. + 31 715263574
Fax + 31 715248148
ejkuijper@gmail.com

European Commission