Parabacteroides distasonis alleviates Clostridioides difficile infection in mice while modulating secondary bile acids.

Parabacteroides distasonis reduces Clostridioides difficile infection severity by alleviating gut dysbiosis and modulating secondary bile acids in mice.

• Why it matters: CDI causes significant health issues due to antibiotic-induced gut microbiota imbalance and disrupted bile acid metabolism, highlighting the need for effective microbiota-based therapies.
• What they did: Four P. distasonis strains were tested for probiotic properties, with strain 1190003 showing inhibitory effects on C. difficile growth, toxin production, and spore formation through bile acid transformation, especially increasing deoxycholic and hyodeoxycholic acids.
• The result: Treatment with live P. distasonis or its supernatant improved disease outcomes, restored microbiota balance, and remodeled bile acid profiles, supporting its potential as a microbiota-targeted therapy for CDI.