Characterization of Clostridium difficile Strains in British Columbia, Canada: A Shift from NAP1 Majority (2008) to Novel Strain Types (2013) in One Region.

ABSTRACT: Background. Clostridium difficile is a major cause of gastrointestinal illness. Epidemic NAP1 strains contain toxins A and B, a deletion in repressor tcdC, and a binary toxin. Objectives. To determine the molecular epidemiology of C. difficile in British Columbia and compare between two time points in one region. Methods. C. difficile isolates from hospital and community laboratories (2008) and one Island Health hospital laboratory (2013) were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, PCR-ribotyping, toxin possession, tcdC genotype, and antimicrobial susceptibility. Results. In 2008, 42.7% of isolates had NAP1 designation. Hospital-collected isolates were associated with older patients and more NAP1 types. Unlike other isolates, most NAP1 isolates possessed binary toxin and a 19 b

SUBMITTER: Jassem AN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4904575 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature