Clostridium difficile infection: Main features and occurrence in domestic species in Brazil (original) (raw)
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Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2002
The incidence of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) has increased dramatically in hospitals worldwide during the past 2 decades. In Western Australia, this increase was most obvious during the 1980s, when there was also an increase in the use of third-generation cephalosporin antibiotics. A study of the epidemiology of CDAD and the use of third-generation cephalosporins during 1993-2000 was undertaken. From 1993 through 1998, the incidence of CDAD remained relatively stable (2-3 cases per 1000 discharges annually). Then, a significant decrease in the incidence occurred, from 2.09 cases per 1000 discharges (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.71-2.47) in 1998 to 0.87 cases per 1000 discharges (95% CI, 0.63-1.11) in 1999 (); this decrease persisted into 2000. A decrease in third-generation cephalosporin use occurred during P ! .0001 the period of the study because of changes in the prescribing policy. These findings suggest that a reduction in the use of third-generation cephalosporins can reduce the occurrence of CDAD. Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of infectious hospital-acquired diarrhea in developed countries [1]. The spectrum of conditions caused by C. difficile varies from asymptomatic colonization to colitis that can progress to the more severe pseudomembranous colitis. Complications include colonic perforation and death [2]. Because of increased awareness and better diagnostic tests, most infections with C. difficile do not progress to pseudomembranous colitis, and the more general term "C. difficile-associated diarrhea" (CDAD) is often used to describe this infection. Many authors have documented an increased incidence of
American Journal of Infection Control, 2005
Background: Clostridium difficile is a toxin-producing bacterium that is responsible for toxicity to the colonic mucosa, causing inflammation, necrosis, and, in some extreme cases, intestinal dilation and perforation. C difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) occurs when patients have a reduction in their natural gastrointestinal flora that allows for the proliferation of and toxin production by C difficile. Methods: Using a multicenter, prospective observational case control study, we assessed and quantified risk factors associated with the development of diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile, with particular attention to antibiotic use. All hospitalized patients with diarrhea requiring a C difficile toxin test as part of their routine clinical workup were considered for study inclusion. Patients with a negative specimen (controls) were considered for enrollment if matched (by age, sex, length of stay, and institution) to a case. Variables associated with CDAD were identified using univariate analysis. Significant factors were then entered into multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify independent factors. Results: There were no significant differences in antibiotic use between cases and controls. Patient severity, classified by Horn's Index, was significantly different between cases and controls (P 5 .0022). No other significant variables were identified. Conclusion: The severity of illness of the cases was classified as more severe than the controls, but no significant differences in antibiotic use were identified between the groups. The negative C difficile toxin studies on the well-matched control patients indicate a different etiology of diarrhea (such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea), which may have developed in the presence of similar antibiotic use as the cases.
Bali Medical Journal, 2022
Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic gram-positive bacillus, capable of forming spores and toxins, transmitted to humans by the faecal-oral route C. difficile infection (CDI) is recognized as a typical cause healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and contributes to a significant proportion of morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients. C. difficile culture and toxin examinations are still minimal in many hospitals in various Asian countries. As a result, reports of C. difficile in Asia are still rare, while reports of cases of CDI in Indonesia are still rare. Several risk factors including advanced age, antibiotic exposure, and hospitalization are strongly associated with CDI. C. difficile has the ability to colonize the large intestine, then release exotoxin proteins (TcdA, TcdB) causing colitis in people with risk factors. A diagnosis of suspected C. difficile infection in a patient with diarrhea without a clear alternative explanation, with relevant risk factors (including long antibiotic consumption, hospitalization events, and elderly age), was then performed microbiological examination to carry out proper management and control of infection. This study aims to review C. difficile virulence factors as the cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
First confirmed case of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea in foals in Brazil
Ciência Rural, 2012
Despite of the substantial role of Clostridium difficile in causing diarrhea and colitis in foals, there have been no confirmed diagnoses of disease caused by this bacteria in Brazil. In this paper, we describe confirmed cases of colitis caused by C. difficile in two foals in Brazil. Two five-month-old foals with a five-day history of diarrhea after antibiotic treatment for a respiratory disease were treated at the Veterinary Hospital of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. C. difficile A/B toxins were detected, and toxigenic strains of C. difficile were isolated from the foals' feces. The treatment was based on fluid therapy and antibiotics (metronidazole and ceftiofur), and the animals experienced a gradual recovery. The association between the medical history, clinical signs, laboratory exam results and therapeutic success confirmed the diagnosis of C. difficile-associated diarrhea. The present report raises the possibility that C. difficile is also a pathogen in equines...