Publications by authors named "W Smits"

Inno4Vac, a public-private partnership funded by the IMI2/EU/EFPIA Joint Undertaking (IMI2 JU), brings together academic institutions, SMEs, and pharmaceutical companies to accelerate and de-risk vaccine development. The project has made significant strides in the selection and production of challenge agents for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and toxigenic Clostridioides difficile for controlled human infection model studies (CHIMs). A regulatory workshop held on March 20, 2024, addressed the standardisation of clinical procedures, ethical considerations, endpoints, and data integrity, highlighting the ongoing initiatives related to these CHIMs.

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Objectives: The objectives of this study are to investigate the presence of Clostridioides difficile in faeces of patients with recurrent C. difficile infection (rCDI) before and after faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and to identify risk factors for faecal C. difficile and C.

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Article Synopsis
  • Strains of sequence type (ST) 37, especially PCR ribotype (RT) 017, are common in mainland China, prompting a study on their virulence factors.
  • The study involved comparing an epidemic isolate (Xy06) from China to two reference strains (R20291 and CD630E) and another local strain (Xy07), noting key genomic features and virulence traits.
  • Results indicated that Xy06 exhibited stronger virulence compared to Xy07 and CD630E and was on par with R20291, highlighting the potential threat posed by ST37 strains in the region.
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Article Synopsis
  • Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a major cause of healthcare-related diarrhea, with issues like antibiotic resistance and high relapse rates complicating treatment.
  • *Faecal microbiota transplantation is a potential therapy but understanding the key factors for successful colonization resistance is necessary for its broader application.
  • *Experts highlighted the need for a Controlled Human Infection Model (CHIM) to safely study mild to moderate C. difficile infections, which could lead to new treatments and better insights into how the infection works.*
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Gram-positive bacterial infections present a major clinical challenge, with methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant strains continuing to be a cause for concern. In recent years, semisynthetic vancomycin derivatives have been developed to overcome this problem as exemplified by the clinically used telavancin, which exhibits increased antibacterial potency but has also raised toxicity concerns. Thus, glycopeptide antibiotics with enhanced antibacterial activities and improved safety profiles are still necessary.

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