CSB Research Spotlight: Lacy Lab—Novel vaccine protects against C. diff disease and recurrence

Posted by daviskd2 on Friday, February 20, 2026 in News.

Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) is the leading cause of health care– and antibiotic–associated infection. It causes diarrhea and colitis (inflammation of the colon) and nearly half a million C. diff infections in the U.S. each year and about 29,000 deaths, resulting in an estimated $4.8 billion in health care costs. People taking antibiotics; those who have had a recent hospitalization or live in a health care facility; and adults over 65 are most at risk of C. diff infection. There are limited treatments and no vaccines, and up to 30% of patients have a recurrent C. diff infection after initial treatment.

A group of Vanderbilt researchers, led by the Lacy lab, developed a novel vaccination approach that cleared the harmful gut bacterium C. diff in an animal model of infection.

Read more about this major step forward for C. diff vaccine development at Vanderbilt Health News.