New guidelines to improve diagnosis and treatment of serious gut infection in blood cancer and transplant patients
18 August 2025
Peter Mac Health Services Researcher, Associate Professor Ben Teh co-authored much-needed guidelines for the management of a common gut infection (Clostridioides difficile) in blood cancer patients, including those undergoing a stem cell transplant or CAR T-cell therapy, have just been released.
The guidelines, developed by the 10th European Conference on Infections in Leukemia (ECIL-10), address the unique challenges of managing Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI) in haematology patients who are at significantly higher risk of serious illness and complications.
Peter Mac researcher and Infectious Diseases Clinician, Associate Professor Ben Teh said that it was important to provide clear guidelines to help clinicians better diagnose and treat CDI in vulnerable patient groups.
“Clostridioides difficile infection is caused by a toxin-producing bacterium that can trigger symptoms ranging from mild diarrhoea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon,” he said
“This infection is challenging to diagnose in patients who may carry the bacteria without symptoms and who frequently experience diarrhoea from other non-infectious causes such as chemotherapy or graft-versus-host disease.
“People with blood cancers or those undergoing cellular therapy, like a stem cell transplant, face a high risk from CDI, which can cause serious illness during cancer treatment so we must identify this infection and treat it appropriately.”
Associate Professor Teh commented that until now, there have been no global guidelines tailored specifically to this vulnerable patient group.
“The newly released ECIL-10 guidelines, were written alongside infectious disease experts worldwide, to provide clear, evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in people with blood cancer and for those who have received a cellular therapy, like CAR T-cell.”
Associate Professor Teh hopes that the guidelines available from eClinicalMedicine, will help clinicians worldwide better manage patients and reduce unnecessary antibiotic use during cancer treatment.