ENAGenomicsLeiden University Medical Centerhttps://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/browser/view/PRJNA1291796Toxigenic strains of Clostridioides difficile are the leading cause of healthcare-associated bacterial infections in Poland. In the Silesian Voivodeship, with 4.5 million inhabitants, the incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) in 2023 reached 65.1/100,000, slightly down from 70.0/100,000 in 2022. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of toxigenic C. difficile ribotypes in hospitalized patients in Silesia.Material and Methods: A total of 130 stool samples from patients with confirmed antibiotic-associated diarrhea were tested. Multiplex PCR detected genes for GDH, toxins A/B, binary toxin CDT, and 16S rDNA. Ribotyping was performed by capillary PCR, and antibiotic susceptibility was tested with ETEST for 10 antibiotics.Multiplex PCR confirmed the presence of all toxins (A+B+CDT+) in 97 isolates. Six strains (6%) represented ribotype 955 (RT955), first reported in Poland in 2023. RT027 remained dominant (60%, n=78). All isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, while 4% (5/130) showed metronidazole resistance.RT027 remains prevalent among CDI cases in Silesia. The emergence of RT955, closely related to a UK epidemic strain, suggests a possible shared origin and epidemiological link.ENAfalseDominance of Toxigenic Clostridioides difficile Strains and the Appearance of the Emerging PCR Ribotype 955 in Hospitals in Silesia, Poland2025-07-172025-07-17PRJNA1291796