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Di Bella S, Sanson G, Monticelli J, Zerbato V, Principe L, Giuffrè M, Pipitone G, Luzzati R. Clostridioides difficile infection: history, epidemiology, risk factors, prevention, clinical manifestations, treatment, and future options. Clin Microbiol Rev 2024; 37:e0013523. [PMID: 38421181 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00135-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYClostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is one of the major issues in nosocomial infections. This bacterium is constantly evolving and poses complex challenges for clinicians, often encountered in real-life scenarios. In the face of CDI, we are increasingly equipped with new therapeutic strategies, such as monoclonal antibodies and live biotherapeutic products, which need to be thoroughly understood to fully harness their benefits. Moreover, interesting options are currently under study for the future, including bacteriophages, vaccines, and antibiotic inhibitors. Surveillance and prevention strategies continue to play a pivotal role in limiting the spread of the infection. In this review, we aim to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of epidemiological aspects, predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnostic tools, and current and future prophylactic and therapeutic options for C. difficile infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Di Bella
- Clinical Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Trieste University, Trieste, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Sanson
- Clinical Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Trieste University, Trieste, Italy
| | - Jacopo Monticelli
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Trieste University Hospital (ASUGI), Trieste, Italy
| | - Verena Zerbato
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Trieste University Hospital (ASUGI), Trieste, Italy
| | - Luigi Principe
- Microbiology and Virology Unit, Great Metropolitan Hospital "Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli", Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Mauro Giuffrè
- Clinical Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Trieste University, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Internal Medicine (Digestive Diseases), Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Giuseppe Pipitone
- Infectious Diseases Unit, ARNAS Civico-Di Cristina Hospital, Palermo, Italy
| | - Roberto Luzzati
- Clinical Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Trieste University, Trieste, Italy
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Marlow C, Clayton JA, Minich N, Golonka G, Maruskin L, Jencson AL, Hailes JM, Choi H, Chatterjee P, Hwang M, Jinadatha C, Cadnum JL, Donskey CJ, Toltzis P. Molecular Epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile Colonization in Families With Infants. Open Forum Infect Dis 2024; 11:ofae299. [PMID: 38911950 PMCID: PMC11192056 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofae299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Community-associated Clostridioides difficile infection is a major public health hazard to adults and older children. Infants frequently excrete toxigenic C difficile asymptomatically in their stool, but their importance as a community reservoir of C difficile is uncertain. Methods Families of healthy infants were recruited at the baby's 4-month well child visit and were followed longitudinally until the baby was approximately 9 months old. Babies and mothers submitted stool or rectal swabs every 2 weeks that were cultivated for C difficile; fathers' participation was encouraged but not required. Clostridioides difficile isolates were strain-typed by fluorescent polymerase chain reaction ribotyping and by core genome multilocus sequence typing, and the number of families in whom the same strain was cultivated from >1 family member ("strain sharing") was assessed. Results Thirty families were enrolled, including 33 infants (3 sets of twins) and 30 mothers; 19 fathers also participated. Clostridioides difficile was identified in 28 of these 30 families over the course of the study, and strain sharing was identified in 17 of these 28. In 3 families, 2 separate strains were shared. The infant was involved in 17 of 20 instances of strain sharing, and in 13 of these, the baby was identified first, with or without a concomitantly excreting adult. Excretion of shared strains usually was persistent. Conclusions Clostridioides difficile strain sharing was frequent in healthy families caring for an infant, increasing the likelihood that asymptomatically excreting babies and their families represent a reservoir of the organism in the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Marlow
- Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Jason A Clayton
- Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Nori Minich
- Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | | | | | - Annette L Jencson
- Infectious Diseases Section (CJD) and Research Service (ALJ, JMH, JLC), Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Jennifer M Hailes
- Infectious Diseases Section (CJD) and Research Service (ALJ, JMH, JLC), Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Hosoon Choi
- Department of Medicine (CJ) and Department of Research (HC, PC, MH), Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, Temple, Texas, USA
| | - Piyali Chatterjee
- Department of Medicine (CJ) and Department of Research (HC, PC, MH), Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, Temple, Texas, USA
| | - Munok Hwang
- Department of Medicine (CJ) and Department of Research (HC, PC, MH), Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, Temple, Texas, USA
| | - Chetan Jinadatha
- Department of Medicine (CJ) and Department of Research (HC, PC, MH), Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, Temple, Texas, USA
| | - Jennifer L Cadnum
- Infectious Diseases Section (CJD) and Research Service (ALJ, JMH, JLC), Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Curtis J Donskey
- Infectious Diseases Section (CJD) and Research Service (ALJ, JMH, JLC), Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Philip Toltzis
- Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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Abdolghanizadeh S, Salmeh E, Mirzakhani F, Soroush E, Siadat SD, Tarashi S. Microbiota insights into pet ownership and human health. Res Vet Sci 2024; 171:105220. [PMID: 38484448 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2024.105220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
The relationship between pet and owner has already been studied in several studies. Reviewing and summarizing studies on human and pet microbiota and their effects due to keeping pets is the purpose of the current study. Microbiota of the gut, oral cavity, and skin are unique to each individual, and this is also true of their pets (cats and dogs). Microbiota homeostasis is essential for the health of pets and their owners. Dysbiosis or imbalances in the microbiota can increase the risk of disorder progressions such as IBD or Clostridium difficile infections, among others. The microbial communities of humans change as a result of various factors, such as keeping pets. Pet owners frequently contact domestic dogs and cats, which affects their microbiota. As a result of keeping pets, the microbiota of different areas of the human body has changed, which has been associated with a decrease in pathogenic bacteria and an increase in beneficial bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Abdolghanizadeh
- Microbiology Research Center (MRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Bacteriology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Elaheh Salmeh
- Microbiology Research Center (MRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Bacteriology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Mirzakhani
- Microbiology Research Center (MRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Bacteriology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Erfan Soroush
- Microbiology Research Center (MRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Bacteriology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Davar Siadat
- Microbiology Research Center (MRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Mycobacteriology and Pulmonary Research, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Samira Tarashi
- Microbiology Research Center (MRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Mycobacteriology and Pulmonary Research, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
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Watkin S, Yongblah F, Burton J, Hartley JC, Cloutman-Green E. Clostridioides difficile detection and infection in children: are they just small adults? J Med Microbiol 2024; 73. [PMID: 38526913 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is a well-recognized healthcare-associated pathogen, with its significance widely recognized in adult populations. Despite this, there is limited data on the significance of detection within paediatric populations, both for individual patient management and wider transmission risk-based considerations. High rates of colonization are understood to occur in infants, with increasing levels up to 11 months, and colonization rates similar to adults by 8 years old. Sources of C. difficile are ubiquitous, with detection in companion animals and food sources, as well as within the clinical and wider environment. Due to the close interactions that occur between children and the environment, it is understandable that increasing recognition is afforded to the community acquisition of C. difficile in children. Other risk factors for the detection of C. difficile in children are similar to those observed in adults, including prior hospitalization and underlying conditions affecting gut health and motility. Recent studies have shown rising awareness of the role of asymptomatic carriage of C. difficile in healthcare transmission. Prior to this, paediatric patient populations were less likely to be screened due to uncertainty regarding the significance of detection; however, this increased awareness has led to a review of possible carriage testing pathways. Despite this increased attention, C. difficile infection remains poorly defined in paediatric populations, with limited dedicated paediatric data sets making comparison challenging. This is further complicated by the fact that infection in children frequently self resolves without additional therapies. Due to this, C. difficile remains a management challenge in paediatric settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Watkin
- Department of Civil Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Healthy Infrastructure Research Group, University College London, Chadwick Building, London, UK
| | - Francis Yongblah
- Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Camelia Botnar Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, London, UK
| | - James Burton
- Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Camelia Botnar Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, London, UK
| | - John C Hartley
- Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Camelia Botnar Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, London, UK
| | - Elaine Cloutman-Green
- Department of Civil Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Healthy Infrastructure Research Group, University College London, Chadwick Building, London, UK
- Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Camelia Botnar Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, London, UK
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Zhou Y, He L, Chen C, Zeng H, Day AS, Sergi CM, Fang H, Xie Q, Wu Y. Analysis of risk factors for community-acquired Clostridioides difficile diarrhea in children: a case-control study in Chenzhou, China. Transl Pediatr 2023; 12:2053-2061. [PMID: 38130588 PMCID: PMC10730968 DOI: 10.21037/tp-23-448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Most previous studies on Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) mainly focused on adults with underlying diseases or critical illnesses. However, the number of CDI cases in children has also significantly increased, especially the growth of community-acquired CDI, which has attracted attention. This study was conducted to examine the toxin gene characteristics and the risk factors associated with community-acquired CDI (CA-CDI) in children with diarrhea. Methods Children with diarrhea before admission or within 48 hours of hospitalization were included in the study. Stool samples were collected from children with community-acquired diarrhea who were treated at the Children's Hospital of the First People's Hospital of Chenzhou, China from June of 2021 to June of 2022. Fluorescence real-time polymerase chain reaction was utilized to detect Clostridioides difficile (CD) toxins A (tcdA) and B (tcdB) genes as well as binary toxin gene A (cdtA) and B (cdtB) in the specimens cultured for CD. Each child with CA-CDI was matched with four control children of the same sex, age, and place of residence. Necessary clinical data were extracted from the hospital's electronic medical record system. Then, a multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis was applied to identify potential risk factors for CA-CDI. Results Sixteen (8.3%) of the 193 stool specimens who tested positive for CD were selected for the case group, and their matching 64 control patients were in the study cohort. The breakdown of the CD genotypes of the 16 positive cases were follows: 14 (tcdA+ and tcdB+) (7.25%) and 2 (tcdA+ and tcdB-) (1.04%). The cdtA and cdtB binary toxin genes were negative in all. The results of multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis identified antibiotic use within the previous month [odds ratio (OR) =5.13; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.65-15.91] and non-breastfeeding (OR =4.89; 95% CI: 1.11-21.53) as independent risk factors for CDI in pediatric patients experiencing community-acquired diarrhea. Conclusions Children who had been treated with antibiotics and not breastfed were more susceptible to CDI. Therefore, in order to prevent and to control the spread of CD infection, being prudent to the aforementioned high-risk factors is strongly advocated in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Zhou
- School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
| | - Liping He
- School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
| | - Cuimei Chen
- School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
| | - Huiwen Zeng
- School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
| | - Andrew S. Day
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Consolato M. Sergi
- Anatomic Pathology Division, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Stollery Children’s Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Huilong Fang
- School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
| | - Qun Xie
- School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
| | - Yuan Wu
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
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Jolivet S, Couturier J, Grohs P, Vilfaillot A, Zahar JR, Frange P, Casetta A, Moulin V, Lawrence C, Baune P, Bourgeois C, Bouffier A, Laussucq C, Sienzonit L, Picard S, Podglajen I, Kassis-Chikhani N, Barbut F. Prevalence and risk factors of toxigenic Clostridioides difficile asymptomatic carriage in 11 French hospitals. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1221363. [PMID: 37547619 PMCID: PMC10402895 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1221363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) incidence has increased over the last 20 years. Studies suggest that asymptomatic carriers may be an important reservoir of C. difficile in healthcare settings. We conducted a point prevalence study to estimate the toxigenic C. difficile asymptomatic carriage rate and the associated risk factors in patients >3 years old. Between September 16, 2019 and January 15, 2020, all patients hospitalized in 11 healthcare facilities in the Paris urban area were included in the study. They were screened on the day of the survey for toxigenic C. difficile carriage by rectal swab and interviewed. Isolates were characterized by PCR ribotyping and multiplex PCR targeting toxin genes. A logistic regression model was used to determine the risk factors associated with toxigenic C. difficile asymptomatic carriage using uni- and multivariate analysis in the subpopulation of patients >3 years old. During the study period, 2,389 patients were included and screened. The median age was 62 years (interquartile range 35-78 years) and 1,153 were male (48.3%). Nineteen patients had a previous CDI (0.9%). Overall, 185/2389 patients were positive for C. difficile (7.7%), including 93 toxigenic strains (3.9%): 77 (82.8%) were asymptomatic (prevalence 3.2%) whereas 12 (12.9%) were diarrheic. Prevalences of toxigenic C. difficile were 3.5% in patients >3 years old and 7.0% in ≤3 years old subjects, respectively. Toxigenic strains mainly belonged to PCR ribotypes 106 (n = 14, 15.0%), 014 (n = 12, 12.9%), and 020 (n = 10, 10.8%). Among toxigenic strains, 6 (6.4%) produced the binary toxin. In multivariate analysis, two factors were positively associated with toxigenic C. difficile asymptomatic carriage in patients >3 years old: multidrug-resistant organisms co-carriage [adjusted Odd Ratio (aOR) 2.3, CI 95% 1.2-4.7, p = 0.02] and previous CDI (aOR 5.8, CI 95% 1.2-28.6, p = 0.03). Conversely, consumption of raw milk products were associated with reduced risk of toxigenic C. difficile colonization (aOR 0.5, CI 95% 0.2-0.9, p = 0.01). We showed that there was a low prevalence of asymptomatic toxigenic C. difficile carriage in hospitalized patients. Consumption of raw milk prevents toxigenic C. difficile colonization, probably due to the barrier effect of milk-associated bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Jolivet
- Unité de prévention du risque infectieux, Hôpital Saint Antoine, Paris, France
| | - Jeanne Couturier
- Laboratoire de microbiologie de l’environnement, Hôpital Saint Antoine, Paris, France
- National Reference Laboratory for Clostridioides difficile, Paris, France
| | - Patrick Grohs
- Laboratoire de microbiologie, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
| | - Aurélie Vilfaillot
- Unité de Recherche Clinique, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
- INSERM Centre d’Investigation Clinique 1418, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Ralph Zahar
- Unité de Prévention du Risque infectieux, Hôpitaux Avicenne, Bobigny/Jean Verdier, Bondy/René Muret, Sevran, France
| | - Pierre Frange
- Équipe de Prévention du Risque infectieux, Laboratoire de microbiologie clinique, Hôpital Necker – Enfants malades, Groupe hospitalier Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP) Centre – Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Anne Casetta
- Équipe de Prévention du Risque infectieux, Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Véronique Moulin
- Équipe de Prévention du Risque infectieux, Hôpitaux Corentin Celton/Vaugirard, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
| | - Christine Lawrence
- Équipe de Prévention du Risque infectieux, GHU Paris-Saclay site R. Poincaré, Garches, France
| | - Patricia Baune
- Équipe de Prévention du Risque infectieux, Hôpital Paul Brousse, Villejuif, France
| | - Cléo Bourgeois
- Unité de Recherche Clinique, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
- INSERM Centre d’Investigation Clinique 1418, Paris, France
| | - Axel Bouffier
- Unité de Recherche Clinique, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
- INSERM Centre d’Investigation Clinique 1418, Paris, France
| | - Claudine Laussucq
- Laboratoire de microbiologie, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
| | - Lydia Sienzonit
- Laboratoire de microbiologie, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
| | - Simon Picard
- Laboratoire de microbiologie, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Podglajen
- Laboratoire de microbiologie, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
| | - Najiby Kassis-Chikhani
- Équipe de Prévention du Risque infectieux, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
| | - Frédéric Barbut
- Unité de prévention du risque infectieux, Hôpital Saint Antoine, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de microbiologie de l’environnement, Hôpital Saint Antoine, Paris, France
- National Reference Laboratory for Clostridioides difficile, Paris, France
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Li Z, Dong N, Hao J, Ouyang Z, Qiang C, Yang Y, Mi C, Niu Y, Yang J, Wen B, Wang L, Zhang S, Zhao J. Clostridioides difficile infection in infants: a case report and literature review. Gut Pathog 2023; 15:31. [PMID: 37386612 DOI: 10.1186/s13099-023-00552-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is the major pathogen causing antibiotic-associated diarrhea. There are a variety of symptoms associated with C. difficile infection (CDI) in adults, including self-limiting diarrhea, pseudomembranous colitis, toxic megacolon, septic shock, and even death from the infection. However, the infant's intestine appears to be completely resistant to the effects of C. difficile toxins A and B with rare development of clinical symptoms. CASE PRESENTATION In this study, we reported a 1-month-old girl with CDI who was born with neonatal hypoglycemia and necrotizing enterocolitis. Her symptom of diarrhea occurred after extensive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics during hospitalization and was accompanied by elevated white blood cell, platelet, and C-reactive protein levels, and repeated routine stool examinations were abnormal. She was recovered by norvancomycin (an analogue of vancomycin) and probiotic treatment. The results of 16 S rRNA gene sequencing also demonstrated the recovery of intestinal microbiota with the enrichment of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus. CONCLUSIONS Based on the literature review and this case report, clinicians should also pay attention to diarrhea caused by C. difficile in infants and young children. More strong evidence is needed to explain the true prevalence of CDI in this population and to better understand the C. difficile-associated diarrhea in infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhirong Li
- Hebei Provincial Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China
| | - Ning Dong
- Hebei Provincial Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China
| | - Jihong Hao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China
| | - Zirou Ouyang
- Hebei Provincial Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China
| | - Cuixin Qiang
- Hebei Provincial Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China
| | - Ying Yang
- Hebei Provincial Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China
| | - Chaoyi Mi
- Research Center, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050011, Hebei, China
| | - Yanan Niu
- Hebei Provincial Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Hebei Provincial Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China
| | - Baojiang Wen
- Hebei Provincial Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China
| | - Liwei Wang
- Clinical Laboratory, Shexian Hospital, Handan, 050000, Hebei, China
| | - Shaodan Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China.
- , 215# Hepingxi road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, China.
| | - Jianhong Zhao
- Hebei Provincial Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China.
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China.
- , 215# Hepingxi road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, China.
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Markovska R, Dimitrov G, Gergova R, Boyanova L. Clostridioides difficile, a New “Superbug”. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11040845. [PMID: 37110267 PMCID: PMC10140992 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11040845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacterium. The clinical features of C. difficile infections (CDIs) can vary, ranging from the asymptomatic carriage and mild self-limiting diarrhoea to severe and sometimes fatal pseudomembranous colitis. C. difficile infections (CDIs) are associated with disruption of the gut microbiota caused by antimicrobial agents. The infections are predominantly hospital-acquired, but in the last decades, the CDI patterns have changed. Their prevalence increased, and the proportion of community-acquired CDIs has also increased. This can be associated with the appearance of hypervirulent epidemic isolates of ribotype 027. The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated antibiotic overuse could additionally change the patterns of infections. Treatment of CDIs is a challenge, with only three appropriate antibiotics for use. The wide distribution of C. difficile spores in hospital environments, chronic persistence in some individuals, especially children, and the recent detection of C. difficile in domestic pets can furthermore worsen the situation. “Superbugs” are microorganisms that are both highly virulent and resistant to antibiotics. The aim of this review article is to characterise C. difficile as a new member of the “superbug” family. Due to its worldwide spread, the lack of many treatment options and the high rates of both recurrence and mortality, C. difficile has emerged as a major concern for the healthcare system.
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Alves F, Castro R, Pinto M, Nunes A, Pomba C, Oliveira M, Silveira L, Gomes JP, Oleastro M. Molecular epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile in companion animals: Genetic overlap with human strains and public health concerns. Front Public Health 2023; 10:1070258. [PMID: 36684930 PMCID: PMC9853383 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1070258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The changing epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile reflects a well-established and intricate community transmission network. With rising numbers of reported community-acquired infections, recent studies tried to identify the role played by non-human reservoirs in the pathogen's transmission chain. This study aimed at describing the C. difficile strains circulating in canine and feline populations, and to evaluate their genetic overlap with human strains to assess the possibility of interspecies transmission. Methods Fecal samples from dogs (n = 335) and cats (n = 140) were collected from two populations (group A and group B) in Portugal. C. difficile isolates were characterized for toxigenic profile and PCR-ribotyping. The presence of genetic determinants of antimicrobial resistance was assessed in all phenotypically resistant isolates. To evaluate the genetic overlap between companion animals and human isolates from Portugal, RT106 (n = 42) and RT014/020 (n = 41) strains from both sources were subjected to whole genome sequencing and integrated with previously sequenced RT106 (n = 43) and RT014/020 (n = 142) genomes from different countries. The genetic overlap was assessed based on core-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) using a threshold of 2 SNP. Results The overall positivity rate for C. difficile was 26% (76/292) in group A and 18.6% (34/183) in group B. Toxigenic strains accounted for 50% (38/76) and 52.9% (18/34) of animal carriage rates, respectively. The most prevalent ribotypes (RT) were the toxigenic RT106 and RT014/020, and the non-toxigenic RT010 and RT009. Antimicrobial resistance was found for clindamycin (27.9%), metronidazole (17.1%) and moxifloxacin (12.4%), associated with the presence of the ermB gene, the pCD-METRO plasmid and point mutations in the gyrA gene, respectively. Both RT106 and RT014/020 genetic analysis revealed several clusters integrating isolates from animal and human sources, supporting the possibility of clonal interspecies transmission or a shared environmental contamination source. Discussion This study shows that companion animals may constitute a source of infection of toxigenic and antimicrobial resistant human associated C. difficile isolates. Additionally, it contributes with important data on the genetic proximity between C. difficile isolates from both sources, adding new information to guide future work on the role of animal reservoirs in the establishment of community associated transmission networks and alerting for potential public health risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederico Alves
- National Reference Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Infections, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rita Castro
- National Reference Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Infections, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Miguel Pinto
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Alexandra Nunes
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Constança Pomba
- Genevet–Veterinary Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Carnaxide, Portugal
- CIISA–Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Manuela Oliveira
- CIISA–Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Leonor Silveira
- National Reference Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Infections, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João Paulo Gomes
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Mónica Oleastro
- National Reference Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Infections, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
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10
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Mani J, Levy S, Angelova A, Hazrati S, Fassnacht R, Subramanian P, Richards T, Niederhuber JE, Maxwell GL, Hourigan SK. Epidemiological and microbiome associations of Clostridioides difficile carriage in infancy and early childhood. Gut Microbes 2023; 15:2203969. [PMID: 37096914 PMCID: PMC10132246 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2203969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
There has been an increase in the prevalence of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) causing significant economic impact on the health care system. Although toxigenic C. diff carriage is recognized in infancy, there is limited data regarding its longitudinal trends, associated epidemiolocal risk factors and intestinal microbiome characteristics. The objectives of our longitudinal cohort study were to investigate temporal changes in the prevalence of toxigenic C.diff colonization in children up to 2 years, associated epidemiological and intestinal microbiome characteristics. Pregnant mothers were enrolled prenatally, and serial stool samples were collected from their children for 2 years. 2608 serial stool samples were collected from 817 children. 411/817 (50%) were males, and 738/817 (90%) were born full term. Toxigenic C.diff was detected in 7/569 (1%) of meconium samples, 116/624 (19%) of 2 m (month), 221/606 (37%) of 6 m, 227/574 (40%) of 12 m and 18/235 (8%) of 24 m samples. Infants receiving any breast milk at 6 m were less likely to be carriers at 2 m, 6 m and 12 m than those not receiving it. (p = 0.002 at 2 m, p < 0.0001 at 6 m, p = 0.022 at 12 m). There were no robust differences in the underlying alpha or beta diversity between those with and without toxigenic C. diff carriage at any timepoint, although small differences in the relative abundance of certain taxa were found. In this largest longitudinal cohort study to date, a high prevalence of toxigenic C. diff carrier state was noted. Toxigenic C. diff carrier state in children is most likely a transient component of the dynamic infant microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyoti Mani
- Department of Pediatrics, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Shira Levy
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Angelina Angelova
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sahel Hazrati
- Women’s Service Line, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - Ryan Fassnacht
- Inova Children’s Hospital, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - Poorani Subramanian
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Inova Children’s Hospital, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - Tiana Richards
- Inova Children’s Hospital, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - John E. Niederhuber
- Inova Children’s Hospital, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Suchitra K. Hourigan
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Inova Children’s Hospital, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA
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11
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Horvat S, Mahnic A, Makuc D, Pečnik K, Plavec J, Rupnik M. Children gut microbiota exhibits a different composition and metabolic profile after in vitro exposure to Clostridioides difficile and increases its sporulation. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1042526. [PMID: 36569098 PMCID: PMC9780542 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1042526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile (Clostridium difficile) infection (CDI) is one of the main public health concerns in adults, while children under 2 years of age are often colonized asymptomatically. In both adults and children, CDI is strongly associated with disturbances in gut microbiota. In this study, an in-vitro model of children gut microbiota was challenged with vegetative cells or a conditioned media of six different toxigenic C. difficile strains belonging to the ribotypes 027, 078, and 176. In the presence of C. difficile or conditioned medium the children gut microbiota diversity decreased and all main phyla (Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria) were affected. The NMR metabolic spectra divided C. difficile exposed children gut microbiota into three clusters. The grouping correlated with nine metabolites (short chain fatty acids, ethanol, phenolic acids and tyramine). All strains were able to grow in the presence of children gut microbiota and showed a high sporulation rate of up to 57%. This high sporulation rate in combination with high asymptomatic carriage in children could contribute to the understanding of the reported role of children in C. difficile transmissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Horvat
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Aleksander Mahnic
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia,Centre for Medical Microbiology, National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Damjan Makuc
- Slovenian NMR Centre, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Klemen Pečnik
- Slovenian NMR Centre, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Janez Plavec
- Slovenian NMR Centre, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Rupnik
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia,Centre for Medical Microbiology, National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Maribor, Slovenia,*Correspondence: Maja Rupnik,
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12
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Obiakor CV, Parks J, Takaro TK, Tun HM, Morales-Lizcano N, Azad MB, Mandhane PJ, Moraes TJ, Simons E, Turvey SE, Subbarao P, Scott JA, Kozyrskyj AL. Early Life Antimicrobial Exposure: Impact on Clostridioides difficile Colonization in Infants. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11070981. [PMID: 35884235 PMCID: PMC9311587 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11070981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between antibiotic use and Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) has been well established in adults and older children but remains unclear and is yet to be fully examined in infant populations. This study aimed to determine the separate and cumulative impact from antibiotics and household cleaning products on C. difficile colonization in infants. This study included 1429 infants at 3–4 months of age and 1728 infants at 12 months of age from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) birth cohort. The levels of infant antimicrobial exposure were obtained from hospital birth charts and standardized questionnaires. Infant gut microbiota was characterized by Illumina 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene sequencing. Analysis of C. difficile was performed using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Overall, C. difficile colonized 31% and 46% of infants at 3–4 months and 12 months, respectively. At 3–4 months, C. difficile colonization was significantly higher in infants exposed to both antibiotics and higher (above average) usage of household cleaning products (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.50, 95% CI 1.03–2.17; p = 0.032) than in infants who had the least antimicrobial exposure. This higher colonization persisted up to 12 months of age. Our study suggests that cumulative exposure to systemic antibiotics and higher usage of household cleaning products facilitates C. difficile colonization in infants. Further research is needed to understand the future health impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jaclyn Parks
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada; (J.P.); (T.K.T.)
- Cancer Control Research, BC Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1L3, Canada
| | - Tim K. Takaro
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada; (J.P.); (T.K.T.)
| | - Hein M. Tun
- School of Public Health, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong;
- The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Microbiota I-Center (MagIC), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Nadia Morales-Lizcano
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada; (N.M.-L.); (J.A.S.)
| | - Meghan B. Azad
- Department of Pediatrics & Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3A 1S1, Canada; (M.B.A.); (E.S.)
| | | | - Theo J. Moraes
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; (T.J.M.); (P.S.)
| | - Elinor Simons
- Department of Pediatrics & Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3A 1S1, Canada; (M.B.A.); (E.S.)
| | - Stuart E. Turvey
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 0B3, Canada;
| | - Padmaja Subbarao
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; (T.J.M.); (P.S.)
| | - James A. Scott
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada; (N.M.-L.); (J.A.S.)
| | - Anita L. Kozyrskyj
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada;
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada;
- Correspondence:
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13
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Couturier J, Lepage P, Jolivet S, Delannoy J, Mesa V, Ancel PY, Rozé JC, Butel MJ, Barbut F, Aires J. Gut Microbiota Diversity of Preterm Neonates Is Associated With Clostridioides Difficile Colonization. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:907323. [PMID: 35873148 PMCID: PMC9296818 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.907323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In adults, Clostridioides difficile infections are associated with alterations of the intestinal bacterial populations. Although preterm neonates (PN) are frequently colonized by C. difficile, limited data are available regarding the relationship between C. difficile and the intestinal microbiota of this specific population. Therefore, we studied the intestinal microbiota of PN from two multicenter cohorts using high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Our results showed that alpha diversity was significantly higher in children colonized by C. difficile than those without colonization. Beta diversity significantly differed between the groups. In multivariate analysis, C. difficile colonization was significantly associated with the absence of postnatal antibiotherapy and higher gestational age. Taxa belonging to the Lachnospiraceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Oscillospiraceae families and Veillonella sp. were positively associated with C. difficile colonization, whereas Bacteroidales and Bifidobacterium breve were negatively associated with C. difficile colonization. After adjustment for covariables, Clostridioides, Rothia, Bifidobacterium, Veillonella, Eisenbergiella genera and Enterobacterales were more abundant in the gut microbiota of colonized children. There was no significant association between C. difficile colonization and necrotizing enterocolitis in PN. Our results suggest that C. difficile colonization in PN is related to the establishment of physiological microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne Couturier
- Université de Paris, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) UMR S-1139 3PHM, Fédération hospitalo-universitaire (FHU) PREMA, F-75006, Paris, France
- National Reference Laboratory for Clostridioides difficile, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France
- *Correspondence: Jeanne Couturier,
| | - Patricia Lepage
- Paris-Saclay University, institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (INRAE) AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sarah Jolivet
- Infection Control Unit, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Johanne Delannoy
- Université de Paris, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) UMR S-1139 3PHM, Fédération hospitalo-universitaire (FHU) PREMA, F-75006, Paris, France
| | - Victoria Mesa
- Université de Paris, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) UMR S-1139 3PHM, Fédération hospitalo-universitaire (FHU) PREMA, F-75006, Paris, France
| | - Pierre-Yves Ancel
- Université de Paris, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) UMR 1153, Obstetrical, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology Team (EPOPé), Center of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), Fédération hospitalo-universitaire (FHU) PREMA, Paris, France
- Unité de recherche clinique-Centre d'investigation clinique (URC-CIC) P1419, Hôpitaux universitaires Paris Centre (HUPC), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Rozé
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Mothers’ and children’s Hospital, Nantes Teaching Hospital, Nantes, France
| | - Marie-José Butel
- Université de Paris, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) UMR S-1139 3PHM, Fédération hospitalo-universitaire (FHU) PREMA, F-75006, Paris, France
| | - Frédéric Barbut
- Université de Paris, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) UMR S-1139 3PHM, Fédération hospitalo-universitaire (FHU) PREMA, F-75006, Paris, France
- National Reference Laboratory for Clostridioides difficile, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France
- Infection Control Unit, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Julio Aires
- Université de Paris, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) UMR S-1139 3PHM, Fédération hospitalo-universitaire (FHU) PREMA, F-75006, Paris, France
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14
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Mihala G, Ware RS, Lambert SB, Bialasiewicz S, Whiley DM, Sarna M, Sloots TP, Nissen MD, Grimwood K. Potentially Pathogenic Organisms in Stools and Their Association With Acute Diarrheal Illness in Children Aged <2 Years. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc 2022; 11:199-206. [PMID: 35020908 DOI: 10.1093/jpids/piab130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute diarrheal illness (ADI) causes a substantial disease burden in high-income countries. We investigated associations between potentially pathogenic organisms in stools and ADI by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in Australian children aged <2 years. METHODS Children in a community-based birth cohort had gastrointestinal symptoms recorded daily and stool samples collected weekly until their second birthday. Diarrhea was defined as ≥3 liquid or looser than normal stools within a 24-hour period. PCR assays tested for 11 viruses, 5 bacteria, and 4 protozoa. Detections of a new organism or of the same following at least 2 negative tests were linked to ADIs, and incidence rates and estimates of association with ADI were calculated. RESULTS One hundred fifty-four children provided 11 111 stool samples during 240 child-years of observation, and 228 ADIs were linked to samples. Overall, 6105 (55%) samples tested positive for a target organism. The incidence rate of 2967 new detections was 11.9 (95% confidence interval 11.4-12.3) per child-year, with 2561 (92%) new detections unrelated to an ADI. The relative risk of an ADI was 1.5-6.4 times greater for new detections of adenovirus, enterovirus, norovirus GII, parechovirus A, wild-type rotavirus, sapovirus GI/II/IV/V, Salmonella, Blastocystis, and Cryptosporidium, compared to when these were absent. CONCLUSIONS Wild-type rotavirus, norovirus GII, sapovirus GI/II/IV/V, adenovirus 40/41, and Salmonella were associated with ADI in this age group and setting. However, high levels of asymptomatic shedding of potential pathogens in stools from children may contribute to diagnostic confusion when children present with an episode of ADI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabor Mihala
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland and School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Robert S Ware
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland and School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Stephen B Lambert
- Child Health Research Centre, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Seweryn Bialasiewicz
- Queensland Paediatric Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Children's Health Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - David M Whiley
- Queensland Paediatric Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Children's Health Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Mohinder Sarna
- School of Public Health, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia.,Wesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Theo P Sloots
- Child Health Research Centre, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Michael D Nissen
- Queensland Paediatric Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Children's Health Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Keith Grimwood
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland and School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.,Departments of Infectious Diseases and Paediatrics, Gold Coast Health, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
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15
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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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16
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Marcela K, de Meij GT, Fidelma F, Richard DJ, Mark WH, Ed KJ. How to: Clostridioides difficile infection in children. Clin Microbiol Infect 2022; 28:1085-1090. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2022.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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17
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Faecal carriage of Clostridioides difficile is low among veterinary healthcare workers in the Netherlands. Epidemiol Infect 2022; 150:e63. [PMID: 35296372 PMCID: PMC8931804 DOI: 10.1017/s0950268822000383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
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18
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Brennhofer SA, Rogawski McQuade ET, Liu J, Guerrant RL, Platts-Mills JA, Warren CA. Clostridioides difficile colonisation among very young children in resource-limited settings. Clin Microbiol Infect 2022; 28:996-1002. [PMID: 35150876 PMCID: PMC9240321 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2022.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Objectives To describe the epidemiology and risk factors for Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) colonization among young children in eight low-resource settings. Methods We tested 41 354 monthly non-diarrhoeal and diarrhoeal stools for C. difficile toxin genes (TcdA and TcdB) using quantitative PCR (qPCR) in 1715 children from birth to age two years in a multisite birth cohort study. We estimated the prevalence, cumulative incidence, and seasonality of C. difficile colonization and investigated the associations of C. difficile detection with risk factors of infection, markers of enteropathy, and growth. Results The prevalence of C. difficile detection was lower in diarrhoeal (2.2%; n = 151/6731) compared to non-diarrhoeal stools (6.1%; n = 2106/34 623). By 24 months of age, the cumulative incidence of C. difficile varied widely by site, with 17.9% (n = 44; Pakistan) to 76.3% (n = 148; Peru) of children having at least one positive stool. Only Bangladesh and Pakistan had seasonal differences in C. difficile detection. Female sex (adjusted risk ratio (aRR): 1.18; 95% CI: 1.02–1.35), cephalosporin use in the past 15 days (aRR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.39–2.16), and treated water (aRR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.02–1.50) were risk factors for C. difficile positivity. The presence of C. difficile was significantly associated with elevated faecal myeloperoxidase, neopterin, and α-1-antitrypsin, but no associations were found between C. difficile and child growth at 24 months of age. Discussion C. difficile colonization among children ages 0–2 years was variable across low-resource settings. Significant elevation of intestinal inflammation and barrier disruption markers associated with C. difficile detection suggests a subclinical impact of colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie A Brennhofer
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | | | - Jie Liu
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA; School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Richard L Guerrant
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - James A Platts-Mills
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Cirle A Warren
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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19
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Perumalsamy S, Lim SC, Riley TV. Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile isolated from paediatric patients in Western Australia 2019-2020. Pathology 2022; 54:460-465. [PMID: 35125203 DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2021.10.009] [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: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Less is understood about the epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in children compared to adults, and its impact is complicated by variations in the natural development of infection in paediatric patients. The interplay of rising CDI incidence in hospitalised paediatric patients, emergence of hypervirulent strains and community associated CDI (CA-CDI) in the past decade is a potential threat in both hospital and community settings. Research in Australia regarding paediatric CDI is limited. Here, we report the molecular characterisation of C. difficile isolated from paediatric patients at a tertiary hospital in Perth, Western Australia. A total of 427 stool samples was collected from patients aged from <1 to 17 years being investigated for diarrhoea from July 2019 to June 2020. Stool specimens were cultured and isolates of C. difficile characterised by ribotyping and toxin gene profiling. Clostridioides difficile was recovered from 84/427 (19.7%) samples tested. The most prevalent PCR ribotypes (RTs) were RT 002 (12.4%), a toxigenic strain, and RT 009 (15.7%), a non-toxigenic strain. Interestingly, C. difficile RT 078 and RT 017, strains that are not endemic in Australia, were isolated from a 1- and 4-year-old child, respectively. Clostridioides difficile RT 106, a strain of emerging importance in Australia, was recovered from two cases (5.3%). Resistance to metronidazole, fidaxomicin, amoxicillin, rifaximin and meropenem was not detected, however, 45 isolates (50.6%) showed resistance to at least one agent, and multidrug resistance was observed in 13.3% of the resistant isolates (6/45). This study provides a baseline for future surveillance of paediatric CDI in Australia. Given that young children can be asymptomatically colonised with toxigenic C. difficile strains, they represent a potential reservoir of strains causing CDI in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sicilia Perumalsamy
- The University of Western Australia, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Su Chen Lim
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
| | - Thomas V Riley
- The University of Western Australia, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA, Australia; School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia; School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia; PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA, Australia.
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20
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Ramos CP, Diniz AN, Leite SM, Lobato FCF, Pereira ST, Rennó MC, de Oliveira Ferreira E, Silva ROS. Evaluation of an immunochromatographic test for the detection of glutamate dehydrogenase for the diagnosis of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection in dogs. Braz J Microbiol 2021; 52:2555-2558. [PMID: 34562233 PMCID: PMC8578347 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-021-00615-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate an immunochromatographic test used to detect glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) for the diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in dogs. Fecal samples of 119 diarrheic dogs were subjected to toxigenic culture as the "gold standard" method and to GDH detection (Ecodiagnostica, Brazil). Samples positive for toxigenic C. difficile strains and those positive in the GDH test were also subjected to A/B toxin detection using an enzyme immunoassay kit (C. difficile Tox A/B II, Techlab Inc., USA). Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV, respectively) were measured for GDH detection and compared with the toxigenic culture results. A total of 19 (15.9%) dogs were positive for toxigenic C. difficile. Of these, 10 (52.6%) dogs were positive for A/B toxins using the enzyme immunoassay kit and 18 (15.2%) were positive in the GDH test, leading to a sensitivity and NPV of 89.4% and 97.9%, respectively. Three animals, two of which were colonized with non-toxigenic strains, were positive for GDH, though not confirmed with CDI, resulting in a high specificity (97%) and PPV (85%). The results suggest that the lateral flow test for GDH detection could be a useful method for diagnosing CDI in dogs, similar to that previously described for humans and other animal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Pantuzza Ramos
- Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31.270-901, Brazil
| | - Amanda Nádia Diniz
- Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31.270-901, Brazil
| | - Suzana Martins Leite
- IMPG, Depto. de Microbiologia Médica, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Francisco Carlos Faria Lobato
- Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31.270-901, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Rodrigo Otávio Silveira Silva
- Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31.270-901, Brazil.
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21
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Perumalsamy S, Riley TV. Molecular Epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile Infections in Children. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc 2021; 10:S34-S40. [PMID: 34791401 DOI: 10.1093/jpids/piab057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is a prominent cause of health care-related gastrointestinal illness in adults. C. difficile infection (CDI) has been researched for over 40 years; however, research on pediatric CDI specifically has lagged behind for various reasons. Over the past decade, C. difficile has been increasingly reported as a cause of a broad spectrum of gastrointestinal diseases in children, ranging from mild self-limiting diarrhea to severe conditions such as pseudomembranous colitis and toxic megacolon. Recent publications have shown a rise in CDI incidence in children in different parts of the world, especially in patients with particular comorbidities such as hematological malignancies and inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, rising CDI rates have been reported in children in the community without traditional risk factors for CDI. Due to the extensive use of sensitive molecular detection methods to diagnose CDI in many countries, differentiating children who require treatment from those colonized with toxigenic strains remains a problem. Consequently, the molecular epidemiology of pediatric CDI is poorly understood. Even though well-known C. difficile strains causing CDI in children have been described (including hypervirulent strains such as ribotypes 027 and 078), there is a paucity of information about specific C. difficile strains. This mini-review summarizes the information that is currently available on the molecular epidemiology of CDI in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sicilia Perumalsamy
- The University of Western Australia, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Thomas V Riley
- The University of Western Australia, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.,School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia.,PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.,School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia
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22
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Tougas SR, Lodha N, Vandermeer B, Lorenzetti DL, Tarr PI, Tarr GAM, Chui L, Vanderkooi OG, Freedman SB. Prevalence of Detection of Clostridioides difficile Among Asymptomatic Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr 2021; 175:e212328. [PMID: 34338715 PMCID: PMC8329794 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.2328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Detection of Clostridioides difficile has frequently been described in asymptomatic infants and children, but accurate estimates across the age spectrum are unavailable. OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of C difficile detection among asymptomatic children across the age spectrum. DATA SOURCES This systematic review and meta-analysis included a search of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles published from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 2020. Search terms included Clostridium difficile, Peptoclostridium difficile, Clostridioides difficile, CDF OR CDI OR c diff OR c difficile, Clostridium infections OR cd positive diarrhea OR cd positive diarrhea OR Clostridium difficile OR Peptoclostridium difficile OR pseudomembranous colitis OR pseudomembranous enterocolitis, enterocolitis, and pseudomembranous. These were combined with the following terms: bacterial colonization and colonization OR colonized OR colonizing OR epidemiology OR prevalence OR seroprevalence. STUDY SELECTION Studies were screened independently by 2 authors. Studies were included if they reported testing for C difficile among asymptomatic children (ie, children without diarrhea) younger than 18 years. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Data were extracted independently and in duplicate by 2 reviewers. Preferred Reporting Items for a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were used. Data were pooled using a random-effects model. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was prevalence of C difficile detection among asymptomatic children. Secondary outcomes included prevalence of toxigenic vs nontoxigenic strains of C difficile and prevalence of C difficile detection stratified by geographic region, income status, testing method, and year of testing. RESULTS A total of 95 studies with 19 186 participants were included. Rates of detection of toxigenic or nontoxigenic C difficile were greatest among infants aged 6 to 12 months (41%; 95% CI, 32%-50%) and decreased to 12% (95% CI, 7%-18%) among children aged 5 to 18 years. The prevalence of toxigenic C difficile colonization was lower, peaking at 14% (95% CI, 8%-21%) among infants aged 6 to 12 months and decreasing to 6% (95% CI, 2%-11%) among children older than 5 years. Although prevalence differed by geographic region (ie, North and South America vs Europe: β, -0.151, P = .001; North and South America vs Western Pacific: β, 0.136, P = .007), there was no difference by testing method (ie, culture vs polymerase chain reaction: β, 0.069, P = .052; culture vs enzyme immunoassay: β, -0.178, P = .051), income class (low-middle income vs high income: β, -0.144, P = .23; upper-middle vs high income: β, -0.020, P = .64), or period (before 1990 vs 2010-2020: β, -0.125, P = .19; 1990-1999 vs 2010-2020: β, -0.037, P = .42; 2000-2009 vs 2010-2020: β, -0.006, P = .86). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this systematic review and meta-analysis, C difficile colonization rates among children were greatest at 6 to 12 months of age and decreased thereafter. These estimates may provide context for interpreting C difficile test results among young children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Tougas
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Nidhi Lodha
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ben Vandermeer
- Alberta Research Centre for Health Evidence, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Diane L Lorenzetti
- Department of Community Health Sciences and the Health Sciences Library, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Phillip I Tarr
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri.,Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Gillian A M Tarr
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
| | - Linda Chui
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Otto G Vanderkooi
- Alberta Children's Hospital, Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Community Health Sciences, and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Stephen B Freedman
- Alberta Children's Hospital, Divisions of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Gastroenterology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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23
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Albuquerque C, Pagnossin D, Landsgaard K, Simpson J, Brown D, Irvine J, Candlish D, Ridyard AE, Douce G, Millins C. The duration of antibiotic treatment is associated with carriage of toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains of Clostridioides difficile in dogs. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245949. [PMID: 33979349 PMCID: PMC8115768 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is a leading cause of human antibiotic-associated diarrhoeal disease globally. Zoonotic reservoirs of infection are increasingly suspected to play a role in the emergence of this disease in the community and dogs are considered as one potential source. Here we use a canine case-control study at a referral veterinary hospital in Scotland to assess: i) the risk factors associated with carriage of C. difficile by dogs, ii) whether carriage of C. difficile is associated with clinical disease in dogs and iii) the similarity of strains isolated from dogs with local human clinical surveillance. The overall prevalence of C. difficile carriage in dogs was 18.7% (95% CI 14.8–23.2%, n = 61/327) of which 34% (n = 21/61) were toxigenic strains. We found risk factors related to prior antibiotic treatment were significantly associated with C. difficile carriage by dogs. However, the presence of toxigenic strains of C. difficile in a canine faecal sample was not associated with diarrhoeal disease in dogs. Active toxin was infrequently detected in canine faecal samples carrying toxigenic strains (2/11 samples). Both dogs in which active toxin was detected had no clinical evidence of gastrointestinal disease. Among the ten toxigenic ribotypes of C. difficile detected in dogs in this study, six of these (012, 014, 020, 026, 078, 106) were ribotypes commonly associated with human clinical disease in Scotland, while nontoxigenic isolates largely belonged to 010 and 039 ribotypes. Whilst C. difficile does not appear commonly associated with diarrhoeal disease in dogs, antibiotic treatment increases carriage of this bacteria including toxigenic strains commonly found in human clinical disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Albuquerque
- Small Animal Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Davide Pagnossin
- Veterinary Pathology, Public Health and Disease Investigation, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Kirsten Landsgaard
- Veterinary Pathology, Public Health and Disease Investigation, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica Simpson
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Derek Brown
- Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratories, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - June Irvine
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Denise Candlish
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Alison E. Ridyard
- Small Animal Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Gillian Douce
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (CM); (GD)
| | - Caroline Millins
- Veterinary Pathology, Public Health and Disease Investigation, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (CM); (GD)
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24
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Weese JS, Slovis N, Rousseau J. Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile in neonatal foals and mares at a referral hospital. J Vet Intern Med 2021; 35:1140-1146. [PMID: 33656757 PMCID: PMC7995440 DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile is important for the development and assessment of infection prevention and control practices, as well as surveillance methods and interpretation of diagnostic testing results. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to longitudinally evaluate C. difficile shedding in neonatal foals and mares admitted to a referral hospital neonatal intensive care unit. ANIMALS Foals admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, along with their dams. METHODS Rectal swabs were collected from mares and foals at admission, and then approximately every 3 days, when possible. Selective culture for C. difficile was performed and isolates were characterized by toxin gene PCR and ribotyping. RESULTS Clostridium difficile was isolated from 103/409 (25%) samples; 65/208 (31%) from foals and 38/201 (19%) from mares. Cumulatively, C. difficile was isolated from at least 1 sample from 50/113 (44%) foals and 30/97 (31%) mares. No association was found between hospitalization day and isolation of C. difficile (P = .13). Twenty-three different ribotypes were identified, with ribotype 078 predominating. Fifteen foals had 2 positive samples during hospitalization. In only 6/15 (40%) foals was the same strain identified both times (5 ribotype 078 and 1 ribotype 012). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Clostridium difficile is an important pathogen in adult horses and foals, and our findings highlight the complexity surrounding the epidemiology of this opportunistic pathogen. It can be found commonly, transiently, and cluster within a facility in the absence of identifiable disease occurrences or clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Scott Weese
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nathan Slovis
- McGee Medical Center, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Joyce Rousseau
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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25
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Kociolek LK, Espinosa RO, Gerding DN, Hauser AR, Ozer EA, Budz M, Balaji A, Chen X, Tanz RR, Yalcinkaya N, Conner ME, Savidge T, Kelly CP. Natural Clostridioides difficile Toxin Immunization in Colonized Infants. Clin Infect Dis 2021; 70:2095-2102. [PMID: 31253983 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile colonization is common among infants. Serological sequelae of infant C. difficile colonization are poorly understood. METHODS In this prospective cohort study of healthy infants, stools serially collected between ages 1-2 and 9-12 months were tested for non-toxigenic and toxigenic C. difficile (TCD). Cultured isolates underwent whole-genome sequencing. Serum collected at 9-12 months underwent measurement of IgA, IgG, and IgM against TCD toxins A and B and neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers against toxin B. For comparison, antitoxin IgG and NAb were measured in cord blood from 50 mothers unrelated to study infants. RESULTS Among 32 infants, 16 (50%) were colonized with TCD; 12 were first colonized >1 month before serology measurements. A variety of sequence types were identified, and there was evidence of putative in-home (enrolled siblings) and outpatient clinic transmission. Infants first colonized with TCD >1 month prior had significantly greater serum antitoxin IgA and IgG against toxins A (P = .02 for both) and B (P = .009 and .008, respectively) compared with non-TCD-colonized infants, and greater IgG compared with unrelated cord blood (P = .005). Five of 12 (42%) colonized infants had detectable NAb titers compared with zero non-TCD-colonized infants (P = .02). Breastfeeding was not associated with differences in serological measurements. CONCLUSIONS TCD colonization is associated with a humoral immune response against toxins A and B, with evidence of toxin B neutralization in vitro. The extent and duration of protection against CDI later in life afforded by natural C. difficile immunization events require further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larry K Kociolek
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
| | - Robyn O Espinosa
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
| | - Dale N Gerding
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Hines.,Department of Medicine, Edward Hines Jr Veterans Administration Hospital, Research Service, Hines
| | - Alan R Hauser
- Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago.,Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago
| | - Egon A Ozer
- Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago
| | - Maria Budz
- Special Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Illinois
| | - Aakash Balaji
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
| | - Xinhua Chen
- Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Robert R Tanz
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.,Division of Academic General Pediatrics and Primary Care, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Illinois
| | - Nazli Yalcinkaya
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston
| | - Margaret E Conner
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Tor Savidge
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston
| | - Ciaran P Kelly
- Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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26
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Bjöersdorff OG, Lindberg S, Kiil K, Persson S, Guardabassi L, Damborg P. Dogs are carriers of Clostridioides difficile lineages associated with human community-acquired infections. Anaerobe 2021; 67:102317. [PMID: 33418077 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2020.102317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
There is an increasing concern about the role of animals as reservoirs of Clostridioides difficile. In this study, we investigated prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic potential of C. difficile in dogs. Two-hundred and twenty-five dog faecal deposits were collected from trashcans in nine public gardens. C. difficile was isolated using selective plating and enrichment culture, identified by MALDI-TOF, tested for susceptibility to seven antibiotics by E-test, and sequenced on an Illumina NextSeq platform. Genome sequences were analysed to determine multilocus sequence types and resistance and toxin gene profiles. Zoonotic potential was assessed by measuring genetic variations of core genome (cg)MLST types between canine isolates and 216 temporally and spatially related human clinical isolates from a national database. C. difficile was isolated from 11 samples (4.9%). Seven isolates were toxigenic (tcdA+, tcdB+, cdtA/B-) and belonged to the sequence types ST2, ST6, ST10 and ST42. The four non-toxigenic isolates were assigned to ST15, ST26 and one novel ST. ST2, corresponding to PCR ribotype RT014/020, was the dominating lineage (n = 4) and, together with ST26 and ST42 isolates, showed close resemblance to human isolates, i.e. 2-5 allelic differences among the 1999 genes analysed by cgMLST. Three non-toxigenic isolates displayed resistance to clindamycin, erythromycin and tetracycline mediated by erm(B) and tet(M). Resistance to metronidazole, moxifloxacine, rifampicin or vancomycin was not detected. In conclusion, a small proportion of faecal deposits contained toxigenic C. difficile such as ST2 (RT014/020), which is a major cause of community-acquired infections. Our finding suggests that pathogenic strains can be exchanged between dogs and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Graaf Bjöersdorff
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Sanna Lindberg
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Kristoffer Kiil
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, 2300, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Søren Persson
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, 2300, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Luca Guardabassi
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Peter Damborg
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
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27
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Guo J, Ren C, Han X, Huang W, You Y, Zhan J. Role of IgA in the early-life establishment of the gut microbiota and immunity: Implications for constructing a healthy start. Gut Microbes 2021; 13:1-21. [PMID: 33870860 PMCID: PMC8078773 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2021.1908101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Colonization and maturation of the gut microbiota (GM) during early life is a landmark event that fundamentally influences the (early) immunity and later-life health of various mammals. This is a delicate, systematic process that is biologically actively regulated by infants and their mothers, where (secretory) IgA, an important regulator of microbes found in breast milk and generated actively by infants, may play a key role. By binding to microbes, IgA can inhibit or enhance their colonization, influence their gene expression, and regulate immune responses. IgA dysfunction during early life is associated with disrupted GM maturation and various microbe-related diseases, such as necrotizing enterocolitis and diarrhea, which can also have a lasting effect on GM and host health. This review discusses the process of early GM maturation and its interaction with immunity and the role of IgA (focusing on milk secretory IgA) in regulating this process. The possible application of this knowledge in promoting normal GM maturation processes and immune education has also been highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jielong Guo
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Viticulture and Enology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Chenglong Ren
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Viticulture and Enology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xue Han
- Peking University School of Basic Medical Science, Peking University Health Science Centre
| | - Weidong Huang
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Viticulture and Enology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Yilin You
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Viticulture and Enology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Jicheng Zhan
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Viticulture and Enology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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Wolf J, Kalocsai K, Fortuny C, Lazar S, Bosis S, Korczowski B, Petit A, Bradford D, Croos-Dabrera R, Incera E, Melis J, van Maanen R. Safety and Efficacy of Fidaxomicin and Vancomycin in Children and Adolescents with Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile Infection: A Phase 3, Multicenter, Randomized, Single-blind Clinical Trial (SUNSHINE). Clin Infect Dis 2020; 71:2581-2588. [PMID: 31773143 PMCID: PMC7744996 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz1149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fidaxomicin, a narrow-spectrum antibiotic approved for Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) in adults, is associated with lower rates of recurrence than vancomycin; however, pediatric data are limited. This multicenter, investigator-blind, phase 3, parallel-group trial assessed the safety and efficacy of fidaxomicin in children. METHODS Patients aged <18 years with confirmed CDI were randomized 2:1 to 10 days of treatment with fidaxomicin (suspension or tablets, twice daily) or vancomycin (suspension or tablets, 4 times daily). Safety assessments included treatment-emergent adverse events. The primary efficacy end point was confirmed clinical response (CCR), 2 days after the end of treatment (EOT). Secondary end points included global cure (GC; CCR without CDI recurrence) 30 days after EOT (end of study; EOS). Plasma and stool concentrations of fidaxomicin and its active metabolite OP-1118 were measured. RESULTS Of 148 patients randomized, 142 were treated (30 <2 years old). The proportion of participants with treatment-emergent adverse events was similar with fidaxomicin (73.5%) and vancomycin (75.0%). Of 3 deaths in the fidaxomicin arm during the study, none were CDI or treatment related. The rate of CCR at 2 days after EOT was 77.6% (76 of 98 patients) with fidaxomicin and 70.5% (31 of 44) with vancomycin, whereas the rate of GC at EOS was significantly higher in participants receiving fidaxomicin (68.4% vs 50.0%; adjusted treatment difference, 18.8%; 95% confidence interval, 1.5%-35.3%). Systemic absorption of fidaxomicin and OP-1118 was minimal, and stool concentrations were high. CONCLUSIONS Compared with vancomycin, fidaxomicin was well tolerated and demonstrated significantly higher rates of GC in children and adolescents with CDI. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NCT02218372.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Wolf
- Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Krisztina Kalocsai
- Gyermekinfektológia, Dél-pesti Centrumkórház Országos Haematológiai és Infektológiai Intézet, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Claudia Fortuny
- Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Stefan Lazar
- Department of Pediatrics, Clinical Hospital for Infectious and Tropical Diseases “Dr. Victor Babeș,” Bucharest, Romania
| | - Samantha Bosis
- Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Bartosz Korczowski
- Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Gastroenterology, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Arnaud Petit
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hôpital Trousseau, HUEP, APHP, Paris, France
- Faculty of Medicine, Sorbonne Université, UMRS 938, GRC MyPAC, Paris, France
| | | | | | | | - Joost Melis
- Astellas Pharma B.V., Leiden, the Netherlands
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Degree of concordance of Clostridioides difficile strains in adults with community-associated C. difficile infection and infants with C. difficile colonization. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2020; 42:731-736. [PMID: 33208213 DOI: 10.1017/ice.2020.1290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infants asymptomatically excrete Clostridioides difficile during their first year of life, suggesting that they may represent a source of infection for adults who acquire community-associated C. difficile infection (CA-CDI). The genetic relationship of C. difficile strains from asymptomatic infants and adults with CA-CDI is not well defined. METHODS In this study, 50 infants were recruited at birth, and stool samples were collected at routine well-child visits. Adult stool samples collected during the same period and geographical area from patients who were diagnosed with CA-CDI were selected for comparison. C. difficile was cultivated and probed by PCR for toxin genes and were typed by PCR fluorescent ribotyping. Isolates from adults and infants with shared ribotypes were subjected to whole-genome sequencing (WGS). RESULTS Of these 50 infants, 36 were positive for C. difficile at least once in their first year of life, with a peak incidence at 6 months. Among 180 infant stool samples, 48 were positive. Of 48 isolates from positive stools, 29 were toxigenic by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 8 of 48 stool samples were positive for toxin by enzyme immunoassays (EIAs). Ribotypes F106 and F014-020 were present in both colonized infants and adults with CA-CDI. WGS identified 1 adult-infant pair that differed by 5 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Also, 4 additional adult-infant clusters differed by ≤16 SNPs. CONCLUSIONS Infants that are colonized with C. difficile share ribotypes with adults from the same geographical region with CA-CDI. Selected isolates in the 2 populations show a genetic relationship by WGS.
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Couturier J, Franconeri L, Janoir C, Ferraris L, Syed-Zaidi R, Youssouf A, Gateau C, Hoys S, Aires J, Barbut F. Characterization of Non-Toxigenic Clostridioides difficile Strains Isolated from Preterm Neonates and In Vivo Study of Their Protective Effect. J Clin Med 2020; 9:jcm9113650. [PMID: 33202811 PMCID: PMC7696784 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9113650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In a previous monocentric study in preterm neonates (PN), we described a high Clostridioides difficile colonization rate (74%) with two uncommon non-toxigenic strains (NTCD) belonging to PCR-ribotype (RT) (CE)847 and (CE)032. To determine the extent of carriage of both NTCD in other spatio-temporal settings, strains isolated in PN stools from two multicenter cohorts were characterized by PCR-ribotyping, MLVA and MLST. We also evaluated the protective role of two NTCD from these RT against C. difficile infection in a hamster caecitis model. Animals were administered either each NTCD alone (n = 7), or followed by a 027 strain (n = 9). A control group received only the 027 strain (n = 8). Clinical activity and colonization by C. difficile in stools were monitored daily until death or sacrifice at D20. We isolated 18 RT(CE)032 (ST-83) strains and 2 RT(CE)847 (ST-26) strains among 247 PN from both cohorts. Within each RT, strains were genetically related. The survival rate was significantly increased when animals received a RT(CE)847 or (CE)032 strain before the 027 strain (4/9 deaths, p = 0.029; 1/9 death, p = 0.0004, respectively). We describe two predominant uncommon NTCD strains, in a PN population from different healthcare facilities. Both NTCD provide a potential protection against C. difficile infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne Couturier
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Paris University, INSERM UMR S-1139, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France; (L.F.); (J.A.); (F.B.)
- National Reference Center for Clostridioides difficile, Saint-Antoine Hospital, 184 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris, France; (L.F.); (R.S.-Z.); (A.Y.); (C.G.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Léa Franconeri
- National Reference Center for Clostridioides difficile, Saint-Antoine Hospital, 184 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris, France; (L.F.); (R.S.-Z.); (A.Y.); (C.G.)
| | - Claire Janoir
- Micalis Institute, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France; (C.J.); (S.H.)
| | - Laurent Ferraris
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Paris University, INSERM UMR S-1139, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France; (L.F.); (J.A.); (F.B.)
| | - Rabab Syed-Zaidi
- National Reference Center for Clostridioides difficile, Saint-Antoine Hospital, 184 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris, France; (L.F.); (R.S.-Z.); (A.Y.); (C.G.)
| | - Anlyata Youssouf
- National Reference Center for Clostridioides difficile, Saint-Antoine Hospital, 184 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris, France; (L.F.); (R.S.-Z.); (A.Y.); (C.G.)
| | - Cécile Gateau
- National Reference Center for Clostridioides difficile, Saint-Antoine Hospital, 184 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris, France; (L.F.); (R.S.-Z.); (A.Y.); (C.G.)
| | - Sandra Hoys
- Micalis Institute, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France; (C.J.); (S.H.)
| | - Julio Aires
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Paris University, INSERM UMR S-1139, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France; (L.F.); (J.A.); (F.B.)
| | - Frédéric Barbut
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Paris University, INSERM UMR S-1139, 4 Avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France; (L.F.); (J.A.); (F.B.)
- National Reference Center for Clostridioides difficile, Saint-Antoine Hospital, 184 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris, France; (L.F.); (R.S.-Z.); (A.Y.); (C.G.)
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Hernandez BG, Vinithakumari AA, Sponseller B, Tangudu C, Mooyottu S. Prevalence, Colonization, Epidemiology, and Public Health Significance of Clostridioides difficile in Companion Animals. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:512551. [PMID: 33062657 PMCID: PMC7530174 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.512551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile, previously Clostrdium difficile, is a major cause of antibiotic-associated enteric disease in humans in hospital settings. Increased incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) in community settings raises concerns over an alternative source of CDI for humans. The detection of genetically similar and toxigenic C. difficile isolates in companion animals, including asymptomatic pets, suggests the potential role of household pets as a source of community-associated CDI. The close association between companion animals and humans, in addition to the use of similar antibiotics in both species, could provide a selective advantage for the emergence of new C. difficile strains and thus increase the incidental transmission of CDI to humans. Therefore, screening household pets for C. difficile is becoming increasingly important from a public health standpoint and may become a part of routine testing in the future, for the benefit of susceptible or infected individuals within a household. In this review, we analyze available information on prevalence, pathophysiology, epidemiology, and molecular genetics of C. difficile infection, focusing on companion animals and evaluate the risk of pet-borne transmission of CDI as an emerging public health concern. Molecular epidemiological characterization of companion animal C. difficile strains could provide further insights into the interspecies transmission of CDI. The mosaic nature of C. difficile genomes and their susceptibility to horizontal gene transfer may facilitate the inter-mixing of genetic material, which could increase the possibility of the emergence of new community-associated CDI strains. However, detailed genome-wide characterization and comparative genome analysis are warranted to confirm this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belen G. Hernandez
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | | | - Brett Sponseller
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Chandra Tangudu
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Shankumar Mooyottu
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
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Tibesar E. Clostridium difficile Infection in a Very Young Infant with Pseudomembranous Colitis Noted on Endoscopy. Case Rep Gastroenterol 2020; 14:522-526. [PMID: 33250692 PMCID: PMC7670329 DOI: 10.1159/000508916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile infection rates have been rising within the last decade and more pediatric patients have been suffering from this type of infection. However, this bacterium is a well-known contaminant in the normal flora of the colon in patients under the age of 2 years, and therefore consensus guidelines have recommended against routine testing for this infection, unless clinically indicated. We present here a case of a very young infant who presented with symptoms of food refusal, poor weight gain, abdominal distention, and colitis noted on imaging. Endoscopic evaluation demonstrated the presence of pseudomembranous colitis, so the patient was treated with antibiotics against C. difficile and recovered fully. This case demonstrates the importance of keeping C. difficile colitis in your differential diagnosis, even at a very young age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Tibesar
- Pediatric Gastroenterology, Peyton Manning Children's Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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33
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Smith AB, Soto Ocana J, Zackular JP. From Nursery to Nursing Home: Emerging Concepts in Clostridioides difficile Pathogenesis. Infect Immun 2020; 88:IAI.00934-19. [PMID: 32122939 PMCID: PMC7309631 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00934-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacterium that infects the human gastrointestinal tract, causing a wide range of disorders that vary in severity from mild diarrhea to toxic megacolon and/or death. Over the past decade, incidence, severity, and costs associated with C. difficile infection (CDI) have increased dramatically in both the pediatric and adult populations. The factors driving this rapidly evolving epidemiology remain largely unknown but are likely due in part to previously unappreciated host, microbiota, and environmental factors. In this review, we will cover the risks and challenges of CDI in adult and pediatric populations and examine asymptomatic colonization in infants. We will also discuss the emerging role of diet, pharmaceutical drugs, and pathogen-microbiota interactions in C. difficile pathogenesis, as well as the impact of host-microbiota interactions in the manifestation of C. difficile-associated disease. Finally, we highlight new areas of research and novel strategies that may shed light on this complex infection and provide insights into the future of microbiota-based therapeutics for CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander B Smith
- Division of Protective Immunity, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joshua Soto Ocana
- Division of Protective Immunity, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joseph P Zackular
- Division of Protective Immunity, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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McLure A, Glass K. Some simple rules for estimating reproduction numbers in the presence of reservoir exposure or imported cases. Theor Popul Biol 2020; 134:182-194. [PMID: 32304644 PMCID: PMC7159883 DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2020.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
For many diseases, the basic reproduction number (R0) is a threshold parameter for disease extinction or survival in isolated populations. However no human population is fully isolated from other human or animal populations. We use compartmental models to derive simple rules for the basic reproduction number in populations where an endemic disease is sustained by a combination of local transmission within the population and exposure from some other source: either a reservoir exposure or imported cases. We introduce the idea of a reservoir-driven or importation-driven disease: diseases that would become extinct in the population of interest without reservoir exposure or imported cases (since R0<1), but nevertheless may be sufficiently transmissible that many or most infections are acquired from humans in that population. We show that in the simplest case, R0<1 if and only if the proportion of infections acquired from the external source exceeds the disease prevalence and explore how population heterogeneity and the interactions of multiple strains affect this rule. We apply these rules in two case studies of Clostridium difficile infection and colonisation: C. difficile in the hospital setting accounting for imported cases, and C. difficile in the general human population accounting for exposure to animal reservoirs. We demonstrate that even the hospital-adapted, highly-transmissible NAP1/RT027 strain of C. difficile had a reproduction number <1 in a landmark study of hospitalised patients and therefore was sustained by colonised and infected admissions to the study hospital. We argue that C. difficile should be considered reservoir-driven if as little as 13.0% of transmission can be attributed to animal reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angus McLure
- Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, 62 Mills Rd, Acton, 0200, ACT, Australia.
| | - Kathryn Glass
- Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, 62 Mills Rd, Acton, 0200, ACT, Australia
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Viegas FM, Ramos CP, Xavier RGC, Lopes EO, Júnior CAO, Bagno RM, Diniz AN, Lobato FCF, Silva ROS. Fecal shedding of Salmonella spp., Clostridium perfringens, and Clostridioides difficile in dogs fed raw meat-based diets in Brazil and their owners' motivation. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231275. [PMID: 32287295 PMCID: PMC7156072 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to explore the motivations of Brazilian dog owners and their knowledge about the risks related to raw meat-based diets (RMBD) as well as to evaluate important enteropathogens such as Salmonella spp., C. perfringens, and C. difficile, in feces of dogs fed different diets. The majority of the pet owners (69.3%) reported to have chosen this diet for their dogs, considering it to be more “natural”. A large number of owners declared that RMBD do not pose health risks for their animals (87.9%) or humans (98.8%), even though almost one third of the respondents (34.8%) declared having at least one individual at high risk of infection in contact with RMBD-fed dogs. Stool samples from 46 RMBD-fed dogs and 192 dogs fed commercial dry feed were collected. The present study revealed that dogs fed raw meat diets were almost 30 times more likely to be positive for Salmonella spp. than dogs on a conventional diet. Some of the serovars detected were commonly associated with human salmonellosis, such as S. Typhimurium and S. Saintpaul, and were multidrug resistant. RMBD-fed dogs were more likely to be positive for C. perfringens type A (p = 0.008) and one C. perfringens type F was isolated from these animals. Two toxigenic strains (4.3%) of C. difficile were isolated only from raw meat-fed dogs, all of which were under antibiotic therapy. These toxigenic C. difficile isolates were classified as RT106/ST54 and RT600/ST149, previously associated with infection in dogs and humans. The present work revealed that the owners have a tendency to ignore or are unaware of the risks associated with raw meat diets for dogs. Also, the higher fecal shedding of important enteropathogens in dogs fed RMBD suggests that this diet poses a risk for the animals and the people in contact with them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Mello Viegas
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Carolina Pantuzza Ramos
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rafael Gariglio Clark Xavier
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Emily Oliveira Lopes
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Carlos Augusto Oliveira Júnior
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Renata Marques Bagno
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Amanda Nadia Diniz
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Francisco Carlos Faria Lobato
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Otávio Silveira Silva
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Silva ROS, Ribeiro MG, de Paula CL, Pires IH, Oliveira Junior CA, Diniz AN, de Araújo Nunes TA, Lobato FCF. Isolation of Clostridium perfringens and Clostridioides difficile in diarrheic and nondiarrheic cats. Anaerobe 2020; 62:102164. [PMID: 32151948 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2020.102164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The occurrence and characteristics of Clostridioides (previously Clostridium) difficile and Clostridium perfringens in the feces of diarrheic and non-diarrheic cats was investigated. Apparently healthy animals were more likely to be positive for C. perfringens type A (p = 0.009). Two isolates (0.7%), one each from a diarrheic and an apparently healthy cat, were positive for the enterotoxin-encoding gene but negative for the NetF-encoding gene. Six toxigenic C. difficile isolates were isolated, all RT106 and ST42, which is commonly reported in humans with C. difficile infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Otávio Silveira Silva
- Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31.270-901, Brazil.
| | - Marcio Garcia Ribeiro
- UNESP-São Paulo State University - Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Isadora Honorato Pires
- Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31.270-901, Brazil
| | - Carlos Augusto Oliveira Junior
- Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31.270-901, Brazil
| | - Amanda Nadia Diniz
- Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31.270-901, Brazil
| | - Talita Augusto de Araújo Nunes
- Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31.270-901, Brazil
| | - Francisco Carlos Faria Lobato
- Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31.270-901, Brazil
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Modelling diverse sources of Clostridium difficile in the community: importance of animals, infants and asymptomatic carriers. Epidemiol Infect 2020; 147:e152. [PMID: 31063089 PMCID: PMC6518831 DOI: 10.1017/s0950268819000384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) affect patients in hospitals and in the community, but the relative importance of transmission in each setting is unknown. We developed a mathematical model of C. difficile transmission in a hospital and surrounding community that included infants, adults and transmission from animal reservoirs. We assessed the role of these transmission routes in maintaining disease and evaluated the recommended classification system for hospital- and community-acquired CDIs. The reproduction number in the hospital was <1 (range: 0.16–0.46) for all scenarios. Outside the hospital, the reproduction number was >1 for nearly all scenarios without transmission from animal reservoirs (range: 1.0–1.34). However, the reproduction number for the human population was <1 if a minority (>3.5–26.0%) of human exposures originated from animal reservoirs. Symptomatic adults accounted for <10% transmission in the community. Under conservative assumptions, infants accounted for 17% of community transmission. An estimated 33–40% of community-acquired cases were reported but 28–39% of these reported cases were misclassified as hospital-acquired by recommended definitions. Transmission could be plausibly sustained by asymptomatically colonised adults and infants in the community or exposure to animal reservoirs, but not hospital transmission alone. Under-reporting of community-onset cases and systematic misclassification underplays the role of community transmission.
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Characterization of Circulating Clostridium difficile Strains, Host Response and Intestinal Microbiome in Hospitalized Children With Diarrhea. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2020; 39:221-228. [PMID: 31876614 DOI: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clostridium difficile is capable of causing severe enterocolitis in adults. The significance of toxin-producing C. difficile in children with diarrhea is unclear and practice differs on whether to institute treatment. We aimed to characterize the microbiome in relation to the presence of C. difficile and co-infection with other pathogens and to describe host response to infection. METHODS Participants were children with acute diarrhea, 0-16 years of age, from whom stool samples had been submitted to the hospital laboratory for routine microbiology/virology. Convenience sampling was used for 50 prospective and 150 retrospective samples. No participants were treated for C. difficile. Rates of culture positivity for C. difficile, presence of toxin and PCR-ribotype were compared between age groups. Presence of other potential pathogens, comorbidities and complications were recorded. Microbiotal diversity was measured by 16S profiling. RESULTS Nineteen of 77 (25%) children <2 years of age and 13 of 119 (11%) children >2 years of age were C. difficile positive, of whom 10 (53%) and 9 (69%), respectively, carried toxigenic strains. Increased Shannon diversity was seen in children carrying C. difficile, with altered milieu. Presence of C. difficile was not associated with adverse clinical outcomes. In stools containing both Norovirus and C. difficile, there was increased relative abundance of verrucomicrobia. CONCLUSIONS Children with diarrhea regularly carried toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains of C. difficile, demonstrating enhanced microbiotal diversity, and change in milieu, without apparent morbidity. This unexpected finding is contrary to that seen in adults with C. difficile disease.
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Shen A. Clostridioides difficile Spores: Bile Acid Sensors and Trojan Horses of Transmission. Clin Colon Rectal Surg 2020; 33:58-66. [PMID: 32104157 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1701230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium, Clostridioides difficile is the leading cause of healthcare-associated infections in the United States, although it also causes a significant number of community-acquired infections. C. difficile infections, which range in severity from mild diarrhea to toxic megacolon, cost more to treat than matched infections, with an annual treatment cost of approximately $6 billion for almost half-a-million infections. These high-treatment costs are due to the high rates of C. difficile disease recurrence (>20%) and necessity for special disinfection measures. These complications arise in part because C. difficile makes metabolically dormant spores, which are the major infectious particle of this obligate anaerobe. These seemingly inanimate life forms are inert to antibiotics, resistant to commonly used disinfectants, readily disseminated, and capable of surviving in the environment for a long period of time. However, upon sensing specific bile salts in the vertebrate gut, C. difficile spores transform back into the vegetative cells that are responsible for causing disease. This review discusses how spores are ideal vectors for disease transmission and how antibiotics modulate this process. We also describe the resistance properties of spores and how they create challenges eradicating spores, as well as promote their spread. Lastly, environmental reservoirs of C. difficile spores and strategies for destroying them particularly in health care environments will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimee Shen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
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40
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Waker E, Ambrozkiewicz F, Kulecka M, Paziewska A, Skubisz K, Cybula P, Targoński Ł, Mikula M, Walewski J, Ostrowski J. High Prevalence of Genetically Related Clostridium Difficile Strains at a Single Hemato-Oncology Ward Over 10 Years. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1618. [PMID: 32793147 PMCID: PMC7384382 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims: Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI) is the main cause of healthcare-associated infectious diarrhea. We used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to measure the prevalence and genetic variability of C. difficile at a single hemato-oncology ward over a 10 year period. Methods: Between 2008 and 2018, 2077 stool samples were obtained from diarrheal patients hospitalized at the Department of Lymphoma; of these, 618 were positive for toxin A/B. 140 isolates were then subjected to WGS on Ion Torrent PGM sequencer. Results: 36 and 104 isolates were recovered from 36 to 46 patients with single and multiple CDIs, respectively. Of these, 131 strains were toxigenic. Toxin gene profiles tcdA(+);tcdB(+);cdtA/cdtB(+) and tcdA(+);tcdB(+);cdtA/cdtB(-) were identified in 122 and nine strains, respectively. No isolates showed reduced susceptibility to metronidazole and vancomycin. All tested strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin, and 72.9, 42.9, and 72.9% of strains were resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, or moxifloxacin, respectively. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) identified 23 distinct sequence types (STs) and two unidentified strains. Strains ST1 and ST42 represented 31 and 30.1% of all strains tested, respectively. However, while ST1 was detected across nearly all years studied, ST42 was detected only from 2009 to 2011. Conclusion: The high proportion of infected patients in 2008-2011 may be explained by the predominance of more transmissible and virulent C. difficile strains. Although this retrospective study was not designed to define outbreaks of C. difficile, the finding that most isolates exhibited high levels of genetic relatedness suggests nosocomial acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edyta Waker
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Filip Ambrozkiewicz
- Department of Genetics, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Maria Kulecka
- Department of Genetics, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Oncology, Centre for Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Paziewska
- Department of Genetics, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Oncology, Centre for Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Karolina Skubisz
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Oncology, Centre for Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Patrycja Cybula
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Oncology, Centre for Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Łukasz Targoński
- Department of Lymphoproliferative Diseases, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michał Mikula
- Department of Genetics, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jan Walewski
- Department of Lymphoproliferative Diseases, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jerzy Ostrowski
- Department of Genetics, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Oncology, Centre for Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
- *Correspondence: Jerzy Ostrowski,
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41
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Drall KM, Tun HM, Morales-Lizcano NP, Konya TB, Guttman DS, Field CJ, Mandal R, Wishart DS, Becker AB, Azad MB, Lefebvre DL, Mandhane PJ, Moraes TJ, Sears MR, Turvey SE, Subbarao P, Scott JA, Kozyrskyj AL. Clostridioides difficile Colonization Is Differentially Associated With Gut Microbiome Profiles by Infant Feeding Modality at 3-4 Months of Age. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2866. [PMID: 31921134 PMCID: PMC6917614 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Colonization with Clostridioides difficile occurs in up to half of infants under the age of 3 months, is strongly influenced by feeding modality and is largely asymptomatic. In spite of this, C. difficile's presence has been associated with susceptibility to chronic disease later in childhood, perhaps by promoting or benefiting from changes in infant gut microbiome development, including colonization with pathogenic bacteria and disrupted production of microbial bioactive metabolites and proteins. In this study, the microbiomes of 1554 infants from the CHILD Cohort Study were described according to C. difficile colonization status and feeding mode at 3–4 months of age. C. difficile colonization was associated with a different gut microbiome profile in exclusively breastfed (EBF) vs. exclusively formula fed (EFF) infants. EBF infants colonized with C. difficile had an increased relative abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, decreased relative abundance of Bifidobacteriaceae, greater microbiota alpha-diversity, greater detectable fecal short chain fatty acids (SCFA), and lower detectable fecal secretory Immunoglobulin A (sIgA) than those not colonized. Similar but less pronounced differences were seen among partially breastfed infants (PBF) but EFF infants did not possess these differences in the gut microbiome according to colonization status. Thus, breastfed infants colonized with C. difficile appear to possess a gut microbiome that differs from non-colonized infants and resembles that of EFF infants, but the driving force and direction of this association remains unknown. Understanding these compositional differences as drivers of C. difficile colonization may be important to ensure future childhood health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsea M Drall
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Hein M Tun
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Theodore B Konya
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - David S Guttman
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution & Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Catherine J Field
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Rupasri Mandal
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - David S Wishart
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Allan B Becker
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Meghan B Azad
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Diana L Lefebvre
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Piush J Mandhane
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Theo J Moraes
- Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Malcolm R Sears
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Stuart E Turvey
- Department of Pediatrics, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Padmaja Subbarao
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - James A Scott
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anita L Kozyrskyj
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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42
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Ribotype variability of Clostridioides difficile strains in patients with hospital-acquired C. difficile infections, community-acquired C. difficile infections, and colonization with toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains of C. difficile. Anaerobe 2019; 60:102086. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2019.102086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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43
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Kociolek LK, Gerding DN, Espinosa RO, Patel SJ, Shulman ST, Ozer EA. Clostridium difficile Whole Genome Sequencing Reveals Limited Transmission Among Symptomatic Children: A Single-Center Analysis. Clin Infect Dis 2019; 67:229-234. [PMID: 29370348 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciy060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Although pediatric Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) are increasing, C. difficile transmission patterns among children are poorly understood. Methods We performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) on C. difficile isolates collected from children diagnosed with CDI between December 2012 and December 2013 at a single academic medical center. Genome sequences of isolates from CDIs diagnosed ≥8 weeks after study initiation were compared to all study isolate genome sequences. Among patients with isogenic isolates (≤2-3 core genome single nucleotide variants [SNVs] identified by pairwise SNV analyses), common inpatient and/or outpatient healthcare exposures were investigated. Results Among 131 CDIs in 107 children, WGS identified 104 genetically distinct isolates. Of 84 incident CDIs occurring ≥8 weeks after study initiation, only 10 (11.9%) were caused by a strain isogenic to another cohort CDI isolate (putative transmission events). Proportions of each CDI class putatively associated with transmission were hospital-onset healthcare facility-associated (HCFA), 2/16 (12.5%); community-onset HCFA, 1/17 (5.9%); indeterminate, 1/11 (9.1%); community-associated (CA), 5/40 (12.5%); and recurrent, 1/21 (4.8%). Transmission events among CA and HCFA CDIs were similarly infrequent (5/40 [12.5%] vs 3/33 [9.1%]; P = .64). Shared healthcare facility exposures were only identified among 7/10 putative transmission events. Potential community transmission (same postal code) was not identified. Conclusions WGS identified a highly diverse group of C. difficile isolates among children with CDI, including those with HCFA CDI. Clostridium difficile transmission among symptomatic children was very uncommon. Among putatively transmitted cases, investigation of shared healthcare exposures often did not identify a potential transmission source.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larry K Kociolek
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
| | - Dale N Gerding
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood.,Department of Medicine, Edward Hines, Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines
| | - Robyn O Espinosa
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
| | - Sameer J Patel
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
| | - Stanford T Shulman
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
| | - Egon A Ozer
- Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
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44
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Eyre DW, Davies KA, Davis G, Fawley WN, Dingle KE, De Maio N, Karas A, Crook DW, Peto TEA, Walker AS, Wilcox MH. Two Distinct Patterns of Clostridium difficile Diversity Across Europe Indicating Contrasting Routes of Spread. Clin Infect Dis 2019; 67:1035-1044. [PMID: 29659747 PMCID: PMC6137122 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciy252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Rates of Clostridium difficile infection vary widely across Europe, as do prevalent ribotypes. The extent of Europe-wide diversity within each ribotype, however, is unknown. Methods Inpatient diarrheal fecal samples submitted on a single day in summer and winter (2012–2013) to laboratories in 482 European hospitals were cultured for C. difficile, and isolates the 10 most prevalent ribotypes were whole-genome sequenced. Within each ribotype, country-based sequence clustering was assessed using the ratio of the median number of single-nucleotide polymorphisms between isolates within versus across different countries, using permutation tests. Time-scaled Bayesian phylogenies were used to reconstruct the historical location of each lineage. Results Sequenced isolates (n = 624) were from 19 countries. Five ribotypes had within-country clustering: ribotype 356, only in Italy; ribotype 018, predominantly in Italy; ribotype 176, with distinct Czech and German clades; ribotype 001/072, including distinct German, Slovakian, and Spanish clades; and ribotype 027, with multiple predominantly country-specific clades including in Hungary, Italy, Germany, Romania, and Poland. By contrast, we found no within-country clustering for ribotypes 078, 015, 002, 014, and 020, consistent with a Europe-wide distribution. Fluoroquinolone resistance was significantly more common in within-country clustered ribotypes (P = .009). Fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates were also more tightly clustered geographically with a median (interquartile range) of 43 (0–213) miles between each isolate and the most closely genetically related isolate, versus 421 (204–680) miles in nonresistant pairs (P < .001). Conclusions Two distinct patterns of C. difficile ribotype spread were observed, consistent with either predominantly healthcare-associated acquisition or Europe-wide dissemination via other routes/sources, for example, the food chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Eyre
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford
| | - Kerrie A Davies
- Healthcare Associated Infections Research Group, University of Leeds
| | - Georgina Davis
- Healthcare Associated Infections Research Group, University of Leeds
| | - Warren N Fawley
- Healthcare Associated Infections Research Group, University of Leeds.,Public Health England, Leeds
| | - Kate E Dingle
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford
| | | | | | | | - Tim E A Peto
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford
| | | | - Mark H Wilcox
- Healthcare Associated Infections Research Group, University of Leeds
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45
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Janezic S, Rupnik M. Development and Implementation of Whole Genome Sequencing-Based Typing Schemes for Clostridioides difficile. Front Public Health 2019; 7:309. [PMID: 31709221 PMCID: PMC6821651 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is an important nosocomial pathogen increasingly observed in the community and in different non-human reservoirs. The epidemiology and transmissibility of C. difficile has been studied using a variety of typing methods, including more recently developed whole-genome sequence (WGS) analysis that is becoming used routinely for bacterial typing worldwide. Here we review the schemes for WGS-based typing methods available for C. difficile and their applications in the field of human C. difficile infection (CDI). The two main approaches to discover genomic variations are single nucleotide variant (SNV) analysis and methods based on gene-by-gene comparisons (frequently called core genome or whole genome MLST, cgMLST, or wgMLST). SNV analysis currently provides the ultimate resolution, however, typing nomenclature and standardized methodology are missing. On the other hand, gene-by-gene approaches allow portability and standardized nomenclature, and are therefore becoming increasingly popular in bacterial epidemiology and outbreak investigation. Two commercial software packages (BioNumerics and Ridom SeqSphere+) and an open source database (EnteroBase) for allele and sequence type determination for C. difficile are currently available. Proof-of-concept WGS studies have already enabled advances in the investigation of the population structure of C. difficile species, microevolution within the epidemic strains, intercontinental transmission over time and in tracking of transmission events. WGS of clinical C. difficile isolates demonstrated a considerable genetic diversity suggesting diverse reservoirs for CDI. WGS was also shown to aid in resolving relapses and reinfections in recurrent CDI and has potential for use as a tool for assessing hospital infection prevention and control performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Janezic
- National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food, Maribor, Slovenia.,Medical Faculty, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Maja Rupnik
- National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food, Maribor, Slovenia.,Medical Faculty, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
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46
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Boyanova L, Kalvatchev N, Yordanov D, Hadzhiyski P, Markovska R, Gergova G, Mitov I. Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile carriage in asymptomatic children since 2010: a narrative review. BIOTECHNOL BIOTEC EQ 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/13102818.2019.1650666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lyudmila Boyanova
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Nikolay Kalvatchev
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Daniel Yordanov
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Petyo Hadzhiyski
- Specialized Hospital for Active Pediatric Treatment, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Rumyana Markovska
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Galina Gergova
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Ivan Mitov
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
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47
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Tratulyte S, Miciuleviciene J, Kuisiene N. First genotypic characterization of toxigenic Clostridioides difficile in Lithuanian hospitals reveals the prevalence of the hypervirulent ribotype 027/ST1. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2019; 38:1953-1959. [DOI: 10.1007/s10096-019-03633-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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High prevalence of Clostridium difficile in soil, mulch and lawn samples from the grounds of Western Australian hospitals. Anaerobe 2019; 60:102065. [PMID: 31260739 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2019.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Despite being considered a major hospital-associated pathogen for many years, Clostridium difficile has been isolated increasingly from people without hospital contact. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of C. difficile in the immediate outdoor environment of several hospitals in Perth, Western Australia, to provide further insight into potential sources of community-acquired C. difficile infection. Over 6 months, a total of 159 samples consisting of soil, mulch, lawn and sand were collected from outdoor surroundings of four different old (age>50 years) and new (age<10 years) hospitals. Samples were cultured in a C. difficile selective enrichment broth. Toxin gene profiling using PCR, and PCR ribotyping, was performed on all C. difficile recovered. C. difficile was isolated from 96 of the 159 samples (60.4%). Of the 112 isolates, 33 (29.5%) were toxigenic and 49 (43.8%) were identified as novel strains. Ribotypes (RTs) 014/020 (14.3%) and 010 (13.4%) constituted the highest proportion of isolates. Interestingly, RT 017, a strain endemic to the Asia-Pacific region (but not Australia), was found in a newly laid lawn. This study adds to existing knowledge of potential sources of C. difficile in Western Australia. More research is required to determine the route of transmission of C. difficile from community sources into the hospital.
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49
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Knight DR, Riley TV. Genomic Delineation of Zoonotic Origins of Clostridium difficile. Front Public Health 2019; 7:164. [PMID: 31281807 PMCID: PMC6595230 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is toxin-producing antimicrobial resistant (AMR) enteropathogen historically associated with diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis in hospitalized patients. In recent years, there have been dramatic increases in the incidence and severity of C. difficile infection (CDI), and associated morbidity and mortality, in both healthcare and community settings. C. difficile is an ancient and diverse species that displays a sympatric lifestyle, establishing itself in a range of ecological niches external to the healthcare system. These sources/reservoirs include food, water, soil, and over a dozen animal species, in particular, livestock such as pigs and cattle. In a manner analogous to human infection, excessive antimicrobial exposure, particularly to cephalosporins, is driving the expansion of C. difficile in livestock populations worldwide. Subsequent spore contamination of meat, vegetables grown in soil containing animal feces, agricultural by-products such as compost and manure, and the environment in general (households, lawns, and public spaces) is contributing to a persistent community source/reservoir of C. difficile and the insidious rise of CDI in the community. The whole-genome sequencing era continues to redefine our view of this complex pathogen. The application of high-resolution microbial genomics in a One Health framework (encompassing clinical, veterinary, and environment derived datasets) is the optimal paradigm for advancing our understanding of CDI in humans and animals. This approach has begun to yield critical insights into the genetic diversity, evolution, AMR, and zoonotic potential of C. difficile. In Europe, North America, and Australia, microevolutionary analysis of the C. difficile core genome shows strains common to humans and animals (livestock or companion animals) do not form distinct populations but share a recent evolutionary history. Moreover, for C. difficile sequence type 11 and PCR ribotypes 078 and 014, major lineages of One Health importance, this approach has substantiated inter-species clonal transmission between animals and humans. These findings indicate either a zoonosis or anthroponosis. Moreover, they challenge the existing paradigm and the long-held misconception that CDI is primarily a healthcare-associated infection. In this article, evolutionary, and zoonotic aspects of CDI are discussed, including the anthropomorphic factors that contribute to the spread of C. difficile from the farm to the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Knight
- Medical, Molecular, and Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Thomas V Riley
- Medical, Molecular, and Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia.,School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia.,PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Nedlands, WA, Australia
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50
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Alam MJ, McPherson J, Miranda J, Thrall A, Ngo V, Kessinger R, Begum K, Marin M, Garey KW. Molecular epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile in domestic dogs and zoo animals. Anaerobe 2019; 59:107-111. [PMID: 31207298 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2019.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Animals such as domestic dogs and zoo animals reside in close proximity to humans and could contribute to the dissemination of Clostridioides difficile spores which are common in the community environment. The purpose of this study was to assess C. difficile colonization in domestic dogs attending a day boarding facility and zoo animals receiving systemic antibiotics. Stool samples and paw swabs were collected from dogs who attended a day boarding facility. Stool samples were also collected from zoo animals starting systemic antibiotics. Finally, environmental samples were collected from nearby public parks. Stool samples and swabs were incubated anaerobically in enrichment broth for C. difficile growth, PCR was done to confirm presence of toxin genes, and PCR ribotyping was performed for strain characterization. During the study period, 136 dog stool samples were obtained, the paws of 16 dogs were swabbed, and 250 environmental swabs from surrounding public parks were obtained. Twenty-three of 136 dog stool samples (17%) and 9 of 16 dog paws sampled (56%) grew toxigenic C. difficile. One hundred and four stool samples from 49 zoo animals were collected of which 19 (18%) grew toxigenic C. difficile. Rates of toxigenic C. difficile colonization increased significantly during antibiotic therapy (33%) and then returned to baseline during the follow-up (11%) period (p = 0.019). Fifty-five of 250 environmental swabs from public parks (22%) grew toxigenic C. difficile. Ribotypes associated with human disease including 106 and 014-020 were isolated from all sources. This study demonstrated a high rate of toxigenic C. difficile colonization in domestic dogs and zoo animals with ribotypes similar to those causing human disease. These results demonstrate the relationship between humans, animals, and the environment in the dissemination of spores.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Julie Miranda
- University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Allyson Thrall
- University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Van Ngo
- University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | | | - Kevin W Garey
- University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, USA.
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