Characterisation of Clostridium difficile hospital ward-based transmission using extensive epidemiological data and molecular typing.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and is endemic in hospitals, hindering the identification of sources and routes of transmission based on shared time and space alone. This may compromise rational control despite costly prevention strategies. This study aimed to investigate ward-based transmission of C. difficile, by subdividing outbreaks into distinct lineages defined by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST).

Methods and findings

All C. difficile toxin enzyme-immunoassay-positive and culture-positive samples over 2.5 y from a geographically defined population of ~600,000 persons underwent MLST. Sequence types (STs) were combined with admission and ward movement data from an integrated comprehensive healthcare

SUBMITTER: Walker AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3274560 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature