Here's something wild: The portion of our nervous system responsible for our "fight or flight" response can actually shape the severity of dangerous C. difficile infections, our William A. Petri Jr., MD, PhD, and neuroscience graduate student David Tyus have discovered.
C. difficile, or C. diff as it is commonly known, is a bane for healthcare facilities and nursing homes, where heavy antibiotic use can turn it from a common bacterium into a potentially deadly illness. A half-million Americans develop C. difficile infections each year, and about 30,000 die. Further, one in six patients who develop C. diff go on to suffer multiple bouts.
The new UVA research shows that the severity of C. diff infections can be determined, at least in part, by the sympathetic nervous system. In these cases, a hyperactive nervous response becomes part of the problem, the researchers found.
The good news, however, is that we may be able to target the hyperactive response to treat serious C. diff infections. For example, doctors may be able to develop drugs to target the faulty nervous system response, or they might surgically remove a portion of a patient's nerves in the gut.
“Compared to how much we know about immune system influences in C. difficile infections, the field is just scratching the surface in understanding neuronal contributions to disease,” Dr. Petri said. “Newly identifying components of the nervous system that worsen inflammation will allow us to determine potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers for patients at risk of severe disease.”