Primary care clinics can be a source of exposure to virulent Clostridium (now Clostridioides) difficile: An environmental screening study of hospitals and clinics in Dallas-Fort Worth region.

ABSTRACT: C. difficile is an endospore-forming pathogen, which is becoming a common cause of microbial health-care associated gastrointestinal disease in the United States. Both healthy and symptomatic patients can shed C. difficile spores into the environment, which can survive for long periods, being resistant to desiccation, heat, and disinfectants. In healthcare facilities, environmental contamination with C. difficile is a major concern as a potential source of exposure to this pathogen and risk of disease in susceptible patients. Although hospital-acquired infection is recognized, community-acquired infection is an increasingly recognized health problem. Primary care clinics may be a significant source of exposure to this pathogen; however, there are limited data about presence of environmenta

SUBMITTER: Simecka JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6695158 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature