Trehalose and Clostridium difficile: An Unintended Consequence of Food Manipulation

Trehalose is a di-glucose sugar found in nature that enhances stabilization and cryopreservation and adds favorable taste and texture to food (https://www.cargill.com/food-bev/emea/sweeteners/treha). Although initially very expensive to produce, the cost of production dropped drastically around the year 2000, after which it was approved in the U.S. and Europe as a food supplement. A new study provides strong scientific evidence tying the timing of this change in food manufacturing to the emergence of epidemic Clostridium difficile ribotypes 027 and 078 (RT027 and RT078). These ribotypes have been associated with increased disease severity.

The investigators found that RT027 and RT078, although unrelated phylogenetically, both possess acquire…