1. EachPod

#494 C. diff, Diarrhea, the Microbiome, and New Therapies with Dr. Cynthia Sears. Live from Johns Hopkins Grand Rounds

Author
The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast
Published
Mon 11 Aug 2025
Episode Link
https://audioboom.com/posts/8761565

Dominate C. diff! Learn to distinguish colonization from infection, select first-line therapies, and counsel patients on recurrence prevention and microbiome recovery. We’re joined by IDSA past president and expert on foodborne and intestinal infections, Dr. Cindy Sears (Johns Hopkins University) for a comprehensive update on Clostridioides difficile (C. diff, Cdiff, CDAD, CDI).



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Show Segments




  • 00:00 Intro

  • 03:00 Guest bio and hobby

  • 04:25 Case of Charles Fleur Fontaine

  • 06:00 Risk factors and epidemiology

  • 08:00 Antibiotic hierarchy of risk

  • 10:00 Diagnosis, testing strategies

  • 14:00 Defining severity

  • 17:30 Treatment options

  • 20:00 Microbiome recovery strategies

  • 24:00 Probiotics and postbiotics

  • 27:00 Infection control counseling

  • 30:00 C. diff and colon cancer

  • 32:00 Recurrent C. diff strategies

  • 35:00 Why some FMT and bezlotoxumab were discontinued

  • 38:00 Microbiota replacement therapies

  • 43:00 Prophylaxis strategies

  • 45:00 Future therapies and ongoing research

  • 47:00 Audience Q&A

  • 52:00 Outro





Credits




  • Written and Produced by: Matthew Watto, MD, FACP 

  • Cover Art and Infographic by:

  • Hosts: Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP   

  • Reviewer: Sai S Achi MD,MBA,FACP

  • Showrunners: Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP

  • Technical Production: PodPaste

  • Guest: Cynthia Sears MD





Disclosures



Dr. Sears reports no relevant financial disclosures. Dr. Williams financial relationships disclosed include a Merck grant or research support. This relationship has not ended.



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