Molecular characterization of toxigenic Clostridium difficile in a northern Italian hospital

Curr Microbiol. 2015 Feb;70(2):154-5. doi: 10.1007/s00284-014-0690-9. Epub 2014 Sep 23.

Abstract

Clostridium difficile is responsible for more than 90 % of cases of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. The most important virulence factors are two toxins called enterotoxin A and cytotoxin B; some C. difficile strains contain the C. difficile binary toxin (CDT). The aim of our study was to prospectively analyze C. difficile clinical isolates in a single center to determine the molecular features of collected strains. Among the 252 isolates, 217 were A + B + (86.1 %), 33 were A + B + cdt + (13.1 %) and 2 were A - B + (0.8 %). There were 15 different ribotypes with a predominance of 018.

Publication types

  • Letter

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Clostridioides difficile / classification
  • Clostridioides difficile / drug effects
  • Clostridioides difficile / genetics*
  • Cross Infection / microbiology*
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / microbiology*
  • Enterotoxins / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Italy
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Ribotyping

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Enterotoxins