Large intestine

摘要

In this section, a diverse group of authors, each a recognized expert in their field, addresses a wide range of issues related to colonic health and disease. The reviews are each excellent in their own right; when combined they provide an impressive array of updates on many aspects of pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of colonic disorders. A unifying characteristic of the contributions is their emphasis on translating reports on recent research developments into practical guidelines for the clinician as to how these advances can and will be applied to everyday medical practice. In their excellent discussion of recent advances in Clostridium difficile infection Drs O'Donoghue and Kyne describe the alarming increases in the incidence and severity of this largely nosocomial and iatrogenic disorder. The authors discuss several factors that have been implicated as contributing to recent outbreaks of C. difficile infection not least the emergence of bacterial strains with increased virulence and antibiotic resistance. Host factors and the emergence of cases in populations not traditionally considered to be at risk including children and those not receiving antibiotics is also covered as is the increasing problem of C. difficile infection complicating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). On the positive side the authors present data from recent clinical trials on promising new antibiotic and immune-based agents for prevention and for treatment.