Decontamination of B. anthracis (Sterne) and C. difficile Spores

Decontamination of B. anthracis (Sterne) and C. difficile Spores

Press Contact: 202/225-4071 (office)

Project Name:	Decontamination of B. anthracis (Sterne) and C. difficile Spores
Project Address:	202 Welch Hall, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Amount Requested:	$2,500,000
Federal Department or Agency:	Department of Defense
Individual or entity requesting this appropriation:	Eastern Michigan University
Value to Michigan’s 15th Congressional District and the American taxpayer:
Life-threatening fulminant colitis caused by C. difficile causes 5,000 deaths in the United States each year and occurs in about 3,000 cases annually in U.S. military hospitals. Such infection increases with age and with co-morbid conditions and trauma. The incidence of life-threatening C. difficile infections has been increasing yearly since the early 1990s, due to the overadministration of antibiotics. These dramatic increases are thought to arise from the onset of strains that have developed resistance to commonly used antibiotics. The primary goals of this proposed project are to: (1) develop effective prophylactic formulae to guard against Gram positive spore (anthrax, C. difficile) contamination (spores are killed on contact with protected surfaces); (2) develop effective decontamination formulae to kill Gram positive spores (anthrax, C. difficile) without damaging property or living tissue; and (3) develop improved treatments of active anthrax and C. difficile infections.

Representative John Dingell