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Esfandiari Z, Shoaei P, Vakili B, Farajzadegan Z, Tarrahi MJ, Emami Z, Fakhri Y, Weese JS, Mahmudiono T. Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance of Clostridioides ( Clostridium difficile) In Meat and Meat Products: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 52:2516-2527. [PMID: 38435778 PMCID: PMC10903320 DOI: 10.18502/ijph.v52i12.14313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Background Meat and meat products are introduced as one of the frequent sources of Clostridioides difficile. We aimed to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of C. difficile isolates in meat and meat products using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods A literature search was performed in the primary international and bibliographic databases such as MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science to achieve all articles related to the prevalence and antibiotic resistance rates from 2007 to 2022. Results The 278 retrieved articles were reduced to 54 worldwide eligible studies after screening and matching inclusion/exclusion criteria. C. difficile was examined in different types of samples and its resistance to 10 antibiotics. The pooled prevalence of C. difficile was 3.4% in all samples. C. difficile pooled prevalence was detected in fish, poultry, and red meat groups with 6.9%, 5.2%, and 3.2%, respectively. Regarding antibiotic resistance, the highest pooled prevalence was for ciprofloxacin (86.6%), followed by clindamycin (42.6%) and erythromycin (34%). The lowest pooled prevalence was observed in metronidazole (7.6%), vancomycin (6.6%), and chloramphenicol (6%). Conclusion Low resistance was found to commonly used drugs for C. difficile infection (CDI) treatment. Since each antibiotic can be predisposing cause for CDI development, this finding possibly will be warning from a One Health viewpoint about the misuse of antibiotics in the chain of farm to fork including agriculture, animal husbandry and the food industry and also their injudicious use in medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Esfandiari
- Nutrition and Food Security Research Center, Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Parisa Shoaei
- Nosocomial Infection Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Bahareh Vakili
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Ziba Farajzadegan
- Community and Preventive Medicine Department, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Javad Tarrahi
- Epidemiology Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Zahra Emami
- Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Yadolah Fakhri
- Social Determinants in Health Promotion Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - J. Scott Weese
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Trias Mahmudiono
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
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Marcos P, Doyle A, Whyte P, Rogers TR, McElroy M, Fanning S, Frias J, Bolton D. Characterization of Food Chain Clostridioides difficile Isolates in Terms of Ribotype and Antimicrobial Resistance. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1296. [PMID: 37317270 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to characterize C. difficile isolates from the farm, abattoir, and retail outlets in Ireland in terms of ribotype and antibiotic resistance (vancomycin, erythromycin, metronidazole, moxifloxacin, clindamycin, and rifampicin) using PCR and E-test methods, respectively. The most common ribotype in all stages of the food chain (including retail foods) was 078 and a variant (RT078/4). Less commonly reported (014/0, 002/1, 049, and 205) and novel (RT530, 547, and 683) ribotypes were also detected, but at lower frequencies. Approximately 72% (26/36 tested) of the isolates tested were resistant to at least one antibiotic, with the majority of these (65%; 17/26) displaying a multi-drug (three to five antibiotics) resistant phenotype. It was concluded that ribotype 078, a hypervirulent strain commonly associated with C. difficile infection (CDI) in Ireland, was the most frequent ribotype along the food chain, resistance to clinically important antibiotics was common in C. difficile food chain isolates, and there was no relationship between ribotype and antibiotic resistance profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Marcos
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15, D15 KN3K Dublin, Ireland
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Aoife Doyle
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Central Pathology Laboratory, St James's Hospital, Dublin 8, D08 RX0X Dublin, Ireland
- Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Backweston, Celbridge, W23 X3PH Kildare, Ireland
| | - Paul Whyte
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Thomas R Rogers
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Central Pathology Laboratory, St James's Hospital, Dublin 8, D08 RX0X Dublin, Ireland
| | - Máire McElroy
- Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Backweston, Celbridge, W23 X3PH Kildare, Ireland
| | - Seamus Fanning
- UCD-Centre for Food Safety, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jesus Frias
- Environmental Sustainability and Health Institute, Technological University Dublin, Grangegorman, Dublin 7, D07 H6K8 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Declan Bolton
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15, D15 KN3K Dublin, Ireland
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Borji S, Kadivarian S, Dashtbin S, Kooti S, Abiri R, Motamedi H, Moradi J, Rostamian M, Alvandi A. Global prevalence of Clostridioides difficile in 17,148 food samples from 2009 to 2019: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JOURNAL OF HEALTH, POPULATION, AND NUTRITION 2023; 42:36. [PMID: 37072805 PMCID: PMC10114346 DOI: 10.1186/s41043-023-00369-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile is an important infectious pathogen, which causes mild-to-severe gastrointestinal infections by creating resistant spores and producing toxins. Spores contaminated foods might be one of the most significant transmission ways of C. difficile-associated infections. This systematic review and meta-analysis study were conducted to investigate the prevalence of C. difficile in food. METHODS Articles that published the prevalence of C. difficile in food in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were retrieved using selected keywords between January 2009 and December 2019. Finally, 17,148 food samples from 60 studies from 20 countries were evaluated. RESULTS The overall prevalence of C. difficile in various foods was 6.3%. The highest and lowest levels of C. difficile contamination were detected to seafood (10.3%) and side dishes (0.8%), respectively. The prevalence of C. difficile was 4% in cooked food, 6.2% in cooked chicken and 10% in cooked seafood. CONCLUSIONS There is still little known concerning the food-borne impact of C. difficile, but the reported contamination might pose a public health risk. Therefore, to improve the food safety and prevent contamination with C. difficile spores, it is necessary to observe hygienic issues during foods preparation, cooking and transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soroush Borji
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Sepide Kadivarian
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Shirin Dashtbin
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sara Kooti
- Behbahan Faculty of Medical Sciences, Behbahan, Iran
| | - Ramin Abiri
- Fertility and Infertility Research Center, Research Institute for Health Technology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Hamid Motamedi
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Jale Moradi
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Mosayeb Rostamian
- Infectious Diseases Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Postal Code: 6714415333, Iran.
| | - Amirhooshang Alvandi
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Medical Technology Research Center, Research Institute for Health Technology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Postal Code: 6714415333, Iran.
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Lee YR, Lee K, Byun JW, Kim H, So B, Ku BK, Kim HY, Moon BY. Prevalence, genetic characteristics, and antimicrobial resistance of Clostridioides difficile isolates from horses in Korea. Anaerobe 2023; 80:102700. [PMID: 36716814 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2023.102700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Clostridioides difficile is an etiological agent of enteric diseases in humans and animals. Animals are considered a potential reservoir due to the genetic and antimicrobial resistance similarities between human and animal C. difficile isolates. In this study, we evaluated the genetic characteristics and antimicrobial resistance profiles of C. difficile isolated from 942 fecal samples collected from horses in South Korea during 2019-2020. METHODS The C. difficile isolates were tested for toxin genes including tcdA (A), tcdB (B), and cdtAB (CDT) and deletions of the tcdC gene by PCR. In addition, ribotyping, multilocus sequence typing, and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed. RESULTS Twenty-three (2.4%) C. difficile isolates were associated with diarrhea in foals under 1 year old during the spring-summer period. Of these, 82.6% were toxigenic strains, determined to be A+B+CDT+ (52.1%) or A+B+CDT‒ (30.4%). All isolates were susceptible to metronidazole and vancomycin, and resistant to cefotaxime and gentamicin, and 76.2% were multidrug resistant (MDR). RT078/ST11/Clade 5 was the most common genotype (47.8%), which was also found in animals and humans worldwide. All RT078/ST11/Clade 5 strains were toxigenic and had deletions of the tcdC gene. About half of these strains were resistant to moxifloxacin, and 63.6% were MDR. CONCLUSIONS C. difficile isolates in this study consisted mostly of toxigenic and MDR strains, and their genetic properties were highly similar to human C. difficile isolates. These results suggest high possibilities of zoonotic transmission and can provide knowledge for establishing strategies for the treatment and prevention of C. difficile infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ran Lee
- Animal Disease Diagnostic Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, 39660, Republic of Korea.
| | - Kichan Lee
- Animal Disease Diagnostic Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, 39660, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jae-Won Byun
- Animal Disease Diagnostic Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, 39660, Republic of Korea.
| | - Heejung Kim
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
| | - ByungJae So
- Animal Disease Diagnostic Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, 39660, Republic of Korea.
| | - Bok-Kyung Ku
- Animal Disease Diagnostic Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, 39660, Republic of Korea.
| | - Ha-Young Kim
- Bacterial Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, 39660, Republic of Korea.
| | - Bo-Youn Moon
- Animal Disease Diagnostic Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, 39660, Republic of Korea.
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Clostridioides difficile in Foods with Animal Origins; Prevalence, Toxigenic Genes, Ribotyping Profile, and Antimicrobial Resistance. J FOOD QUALITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1155/2022/4868409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is an important nosocomial pathogen and is considered as a reason of diarrhea and gastrointestinal infections. As a majority of community-originated C. difficile cases are not related to antibiotic prescription and hospitalization, the food portion as a vector of infection transmission has been raised. An existing survey was aimed evaluating the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, profile of toxigenic genes, and ribotypes of C. difficile isolated from raw meat and carcass surface swab samples. In total, 485 raw meat and carcass surface swab samples were collected. C. difficile was isolated via culture and a diverse biochemical examination. The assessment of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was addressed to evaluate the antibiotic resistance of isolates. Toxin genes detection and ribotyping were used for isolates characterization. The prevalence of C. difficile contamination in all examined samples was 3.71%. The bacterium was detected in 2.91% of raw meat and 4.48% of carcass surface swab samples. Raw sheep meat (5%) and sheep carcass swab (7.50%) samples harbored the highest C. difficile prevalence. The highest rate of antibiotic resistance was observed toward clindamycin (38.88%), ciprofloxacin (38.88%), metronidazole (44.44%), erythromycin (72.22%), and tetracycline (77.77%). C. difficile bacteria showed the minimum rate of resistance meropenem (16.66%) and chloramphenicol (16.66%). TcdA, tcdB, cdtA, and cdtB toxigenic genes were detected in 22.22%, 44.44%, and 16.66% of isolates, respectively. TcdB + tcdA (27.77%) were the most prevalent combined toxigenic gene profile. Both 027 and 078 ribotypes were identified in C. difficile isolates. The role of raw meat and carcass surface swab samples as toxigenic and antibiotic-resistant C. difficile strains vectors was signified. This study authorizes that food animals, particularly sheep and cattle, are C. difficile carriers at slaughter stages and ribotypes are equal in human cases. Subsequently, contamination of carcasses occurs inside the slaughterhouse.
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Brajerova M, Zikova J, Krutova M. Clostridioides difficile epidemiology in the Middle and the Far East. Anaerobe 2022; 74:102542. [PMID: 35240336 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2022.102542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Clostridioides difficile is an important pathogen of healthcare-associated gastrointestinal infections. Recently, an increased number of C. difficile infection (CDI) surveillance data has been reported from Asia. The aim of this review is to summarize the data on the prevalence, distribution and molecular epidemiology of CDI in the Middle and the Far East. METHODS Literature was drawn from a search of PubMed up to September 30, 2021. RESULTS The meta-analysis of data from 111 studies revealed the pooled CDI prevalence rate in the Middle and the Far East of 12.4% (95% CI 11.4-13.3); 48 studies used PCR for CDI laboratory diagnoses. The predominant types (RT)/sequence type (ST) differ between individual countries (24 studies, 14 countries). Frequently found RTs were 001, 002, 012, 017, 018 and 126; RT017 was predominant in the Far East. The epidemic RT027 was detected in 8 countries (22 studies), but its predominance was reported only in three studies (Israel and Iran). The contamination of vegetable and meat or meat products and/or intestinal carriage of C. difficile in food and companion animals have been reported; the C. difficile RTs/STs identified overlapped with those identified in humans. CONCLUSIONS A large number of studies on CDI prevalence in humans from the Middle and the Far East have been published; countries with no available data were identified. The number of studies on C. difficile from non-human sources is limited. Comparative genomic studies of isolates from different sources are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Brajerova
- Department of Medical Microbiology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslava Zikova
- Department of Medical Microbiology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Czech Republic; Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Czech Republic
| | - Marcela Krutova
- Department of Medical Microbiology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Czech Republic.
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Tsai CS, Hung YP, Lee JC, Syue LS, Hsueh PR, Ko WC. Clostridioides difficile infection: an emerging zoonosis? Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2021; 19:1543-1552. [PMID: 34383624 DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2021.1967746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI) is the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and one of the common infections in healthcare facilities. In recent decades, there has been an emerging threat of community-acquired CDI (CA-CDI). Environmental transmission of C. difficile in the community setting has become a major concern, and animals are an important reservoir for C. difficile causing human diseases. AREAS COVERED In this article, the molecular epidemiology of C. difficile in animals and recent evidences of zoonotic transfer to humans are reviewed based on an electronic search in the databases of PubMed and Google Scholar. EXPERT OPINION C. difficile can be found in stool from diarrheal dogs and cats; therefore, household pets could be a potential source. C. difficile will threaten human health because hypervirulent C. difficile ribotype 078 strains have been found in retail chickens, pig farms, and slaughterhouses. Risk factors for fecal C. difficile carriage in animals include young age, dietary changes, and antibiotic abuse in domestic animals. With the advent of whole genome sequencing techniques, there will be more solid evidence indicating zoonotic transfer of C. difficile from animals to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chin-Shiang Tsai
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Dou-Liou Branch, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Yunlin, Taiwan.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.,Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yuan-Pin Hung
- Department of Internal Medicine, Tainan Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Jen-Chieh Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ling-Shan Syue
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Po-Ren Hsueh
- Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Internal Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chien Ko
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.,Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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Clostridioides difficile in Non-hospital Sources (Animals, Food, and Environment) in Asian Countries: A Literature Review. Jundishapur J Microbiol 2021. [DOI: 10.5812/jjm.115347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Context: Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is an agent responsible for severe infection with a high mortality rate in healthcare facilities. With the discovery of C. difficile in the community, it was assumed that this bacterium might be transmitted to humans through non-hospital sources. Evidence Acquisition: This study examined different aspects of the epidemiology of C. difficile in Asian countries with a review of the literature using search engines such as Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. Results: Based on the literature pertaining to Asia, the highest rate of C. difficile is found in samples collected from farm animals, red meat, and meat-based products. Two ribotypes 027 and 078, as hypervirulent factors, were found in different non-hospital sources. Resistance to the most frequently used antibiotics in healthcare setting was observed in C. difficile. Conclusions: Due to the heterogeneity of the examination of C. difficile, understanding the actual condition of C. difficile is difficult. However, the presence of two hypervirulent ribotypes of C. difficile in non-hospital sources is alarming. It seems that it is necessary to perform further studies on C. difficile in non-hospital sources. Defining a focal point for such research could be helpful to explore the situation of C. difficile in clinical settings and communities of Asian countries.
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Rodriguez C, Mith H, Taminiau B, Bouchafa L, Van Broeck J, Soumillion K, Ngyuvula E, García-Fuentes E, Korsak N, Delmée M, Daube G. First isolation of Clostridioides difficile from smoked and dried freshwater fish in Cambodia. Food Control 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2021.107895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Rodriguez-Palacios A, Mo KQ, Shah BU, Msuya J, Bijedic N, Deshpande A, Ilic S. Global and Historical Distribution of Clostridioides difficile in the Human Diet (1981-2019): Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 21886 Samples Reveal Sources of Heterogeneity, High-Risk Foods, and Unexpected Higher Prevalence Toward the Tropic. Front Med (Lausanne) 2020; 7:9. [PMID: 32175321 PMCID: PMC7056907 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2020.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile (CD) is a spore-forming bacterium that causes life-threatening intestinal infections in humans. Although formerly regarded as exclusively nosocomial, there is increasing genomic evidence that person-to-person transmission accounts for only <25% of cases, supporting the culture-based hypothesis that foods may be routine sources of CD-spore ingestion in humans. To synthesize the evidence on the risk of CD exposure via foods, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting the culture prevalence of CD in foods between January 1981 and November 2019. Meta-analyses, risk-ratio estimates, and meta-regression were used to estimate weighed-prevalence across studies and food types to identify laboratory and geographical sources of heterogeneity. In total, 21886 food samples were tested for CD between 1981 and 2019 (96.4%, n = 21084, 2007–2019; 232 food-sample-sets; 79 studies; 25 countries). Culture methodology, sample size and type, region, and latitude were sources of heterogeneity (p < 0.05). Although non-strictly-anaerobic methods were reported in some studies, and we confirmed experimentally that improper anaerobiosis of media/sample-handling affects CD recovery in agar (Fisher, p < 0.01), most studies (>72%) employed the same (one-of-six) culture strategy. Because the prevalence was also meta-analytically similar across six culture strategies reported, all studies were integrated using three meta-analytical methods. At the study level (n = 79), the four-decade global cumulative-prevalence of CD in the human diet was 4.1% (95%CI = −3.71, 11.91). At the food-set level (n = 232, mean 12.9 g/sample, similar across regions p > 0.2; 95%CI = 9.7–16.2), the weighted prevalence ranged between 4.5% (95%CI = 3–6%; all studies) and 8% (95%CI = 7–8%; only CD-positive-studies). Risk-ratio ranking and meta-regression showed that milk was the least likely source of CD, while seafood, leafy green vegetables, pork, and poultry carried higher risks (p < 0.05). Across regions, the risk of CD in foods for foodborne exposure reproducibly decreased with Earth latitude (p < 0.001). In conclusion, CD in the human diet is a global non-random-source of foodborne exposure that occurs independently of laboratory culture methods, across regions, and at a variable level depending on food type and latitude. The latitudinal trend (high CD-food-prevalence toward tropic) is unexpectedly inverse to the epidemiological observations of CD-infections in humans (frequent in temperate regions). Findings suggest the plausible hypothesis that ecologically-richer microbiomes in the tropic might protect against intestinal CD colonization/infections despite CD ingestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Rodriguez-Palacios
- Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, United States.,Digestive Health Research Institute, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Kevin Q Mo
- Human Nutrition, Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.,College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, United States
| | - Bhavan U Shah
- Informatics and Assessment Division, Lorain County General Health District, Elyria, OH, United States.,Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Joan Msuya
- Department of Health and Nutrition, World Vision, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Nina Bijedic
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Formal Methods, Information Technologies, University Dzemal Bijedic, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.,Department of Mathematics, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Abhishek Deshpande
- Medicine Institute Center for Value-Based Care Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Sanja Ilic
- Human Nutrition, Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
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