Heterogeneity of Clostridioides difficile asymptomatic colonization prevalence: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Asymptomatic carriers significantly influence the transmission dynamics of C. difficile. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of toxigenic C. difficile asymptomatic colonization (tCDAC) and investigate its heterogeneity across different populations. We searched MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus for articles published between 2000 and 2023 on tCDAC. Studies including asymptomatic adults with laboratory-confirmed tCDAC were eligible. We performed a random-effects meta-analysis to estimate the pooled prevalence by clinical characteristics, settings, and geographic areas. In addition, we used outlier analyses and meta-regression to explore sources of prevalence variability.

Results

Fifty-one studies involving 39,447 patients were included. The tCDAC prevalence

SUBMITTER: De-la-Rosa-Martinez D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11773978 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature