Scientists developing new antibody ‘yoghurt’ that can combat a potentially fatal stomach bug affecting thousands of people in hospital each year

Scientists are developing a peppermint-flavored ‘yogurt drink’ that could combat a debilitating and potentially fatal stomach disease that affects thousands of people in hospitals every year.

Clostridioides difficile – also known as C. diff – is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea and can be life-threatening for older patients. Currently, the infection is treated with antibiotics, but these medications are slowly becoming less effective.

This means that more and more patients are seeing C. diff return even after taking antibiotics, leading to more deaths.

But in a groundbreaking study, partly funded by the government, C. diff patients will be offered a first-of-its-kind drug designed to combat severe symptoms.

The drug, called OraCAb, is a three-times-daily drink that contains defensive antibody cells that seek out C. diff in the intestines.

But in a groundbreaking study, partly funded by the government, C. diff patients will be offered a first-of-its-kind drug designed to combat severe symptoms (stock photo)

In combination with a course of antibiotics, OraCAb is not intended to destroy the C. diff infection itself. Instead, experts think it will stop the bacteria from producing toxins that attack the stomach lining.

The trial, which will take place in Kenya and Australia, where the bug is mainly found, will begin early next year. It is supported by the UK Health Security Agency.

Experts say that, if successful, OraCAb could be available on the NHS within five years.

There are around 18,000 C. diff infections in Britain every year, the majority of which occur in hospitals and care homes. About one in seven of these infections will be fatal. This is usually because C. diff causes a life-threatening infection of the lining of the abdomen called peritonitis.

Experts say a number of attempts to develop a vaccine against C. diff have failed, but OraCAb is a new approach, created by repeatedly exposing sheep to C. diff. The sheep then develop protective antibodies to fight the infections.

These antibodies are then collected and turned into a human medicine, which has the texture of thick yogurt or syrup. “It looks like Gaviscon and pours like it,” says Ian Cameron, CEO of MicroPharm, the drug’s developer.

‘We tested it on animals and it appears to work very well.’