Clostridium difficile AND PCR

INTRODUCTION: Clostridium perfringens is a gram-positive, anaerobic sporulating bacillus which can infect several hosts, thereby being considered the causative agent of many gut illnesses. Some studies have suggested that C. perfringens's virulence factors may negatively affect gut microbiota homeostasis by decreasing beneficial bacteria; however, studies have failed to evaluate the simultaneous presence of other pathogenic bacteria, such as C. difficile (another sporulating bacillus known to play a role in gut microbiota imbalance)...

Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile is a leading cause of infectious diarrhea in humans and production animals and can be found in a variety of environmental sources. The prevalence and diversity of multi-locus sequence type clade 5 strains of C. difficile in Australian production animals suggest Australia might be the ancestral home of this lineage of One Health importance. To better understand the role of the environment in the colonization of humans and animals in Australia, it is important to investigate these endemic sources...

•The outcomes of CDI were evaluated in 65 patients with CDI in a Brazilian tertiary hospital. •Lack of clinical improvement after treatment and the severity score (ATLAS) increased the risk of death. •The use of multiple antimicrobial agents was associated with longer hospital stays. •Patients with high Charlson comorbidity index (>7) were more likely to recur. Background - Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a potentially severe disease that can present with refractoriness, recurrence, and evolution to death...

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection is still a threat to many healthcare settings worldwide. Clostridioides difficile epidemiology has changed over the last 20 years, largely due to the emergence of hypervirulent and antimicrobial-resistant C. difficile strains. The excessive use of antimicrobials, the absence of optimal antibiotic policies, and suboptimal infection control practices have fueled the development of this pressing health issue. The prudent use of antimicrobials, particularly broad-spectrum agents, and simple infection control measures, such as hand hygiene, can significantly reduce C...

Acute abdominal pain (colic) is one of the major equine health threats worldwide and often necessitates intensive veterinary medical care and surgical intervention. Equine coronavirus (ECoV) infections can cause colic in horses but are rarely considered as a differential diagnosis. To determine the frequency of otherwise undetected ECoV infections in horses with acute colic, fresh fecal samples of 105 horses with acute colic and 36 healthy control horses were screened for viruses belonging to the Betacoronavirus 1 species by RT-PCR as well as for gastrointestinal helminths and bacteria commonly associated with colic...

BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in critical patients affect the quality and safety of patient care as they impact morbidity and mortality. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in the incidence rate was reported worldwide. We aim to describe the incidence of HAI in the intensive care unit (ICU) during a 10-year follow-up period and compare the incidence during the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods. METHODS: A retrospective observational study of HAI in the medical-surgical ICU at The Cuban Hospital was conducted...

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) following COVID-19, a condition primarily diagnosed in children, has also been observed less frequently in adults. It usually presents with a multitude of symptoms, mimicking a shock-like state characterized by multiple organ failure. Diagnosis often involves ruling out other conditions and timely management to mitigate morbidity and mortality. In this case, a 39-year-old unvaccinated Caucasian male patient reported symptoms of fever, chills, night sweats, diarrhea, headache, nasal congestion, and facial pain...

AIMS: To investigate the prevalence, molecular type and antimicrobial susceptibility of C. difficile in the environment in Vietnam, where little is known about C. difficile. METHODS AND RESULTS: Samples of pig faeces, soils from pig farms, potatoes and the hospital environment were cultured for C. difficile. Isolates were identified and typed by PCR ribotyping. The overall prevalence of C. difficile contamination was 24.5% (68/278). C. difficile was detected mainly in soils from pig farms and hospital soils, with 70% to 100% prevalence...

BACKGROUND: Testing inappropriate stool samples for Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile can lead to the identification of the patient colonized with C difficile and erroneous diagnosis of an active infection. We hypothesized that a multidisciplinary process to improve diagnostic stewardship could reduce our numbers of hospital-onset C difficile infection (HO-CDI). METHODS: We created an algorithm describing appropriate stool specimens for polymerase chain reaction testing...

INTRODUCTION: Varying rates of access site infections with temporary percutaneous cardiac devices have been reported in the literature. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of a change in institutional practice in utilizing antimicrobial prophylaxis to prevent access site infections in patients with these devices. METHODS: This observational, pre-post implementation analysis evaluated the benefit of prophylactic antimicrobial therapy in adult patients with temporary percutaneous cardiac devices admitted to cardiac intensive care units...

BACKGROUND: Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile causes antimicrobial-associated diarrhoea, however, presentations may range from asymptomatic carriage to severe diarrhoea, life-threatening toxic megacolon and even death. Reports on C. difficile infection (CDI) in Vietnam remain limited. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the epidemiology, molecular characteristics, and antimicrobial susceptibility of C. difficile isolated from adults with diarrhoea in Vietnam. METHODS: Diarrhoeal stool samples from adult patients aged ≥17 years old were collected at Thai Binh General Hospital in northern Vietnam between 1st March 2021 and 28th February2022...

KEY CLINICAL MESSAGE: Immunosuppression, malnutrition, and underlying infection can unmask obscure infections which can be challenging to identify. Early diagnosis and treatment of infections in immunosuppressed patients are essential due to high morbidity and mortality. ABSTRACT: The immunosuppressive effects of treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC), including chronic corticosteroids, anti-TNF agents, and JAK inhibitors, can impact the spread of latent or obscure infections...

Equine enterotyphlocolitis is an inflammatory process of the intestinal tract of horses that is associated with multiple etiologic agents and risk factors. Most clinical cases do not have an etiologic diagnosis. We describe here the pathogens detected and the histologic lesions found in horses with enterotyphlocolitis in Ontario that were submitted for postmortem examination, 2007-2019. We reviewed the medical records of 208 horses that fulfilled inclusion criteria. Cultures were positive in 67 of 208 (32%) equids for Clostridium perfringens , in 16 of 208 (8%) for Clostridioides difficile , and in 14 of 208 (7%) for Salmonella spp...

The use of antibiotics for the treatment of diabetic foot infections (DFIs) over an extended period of time has been shown to be associated with adverse events (AEs), whereas interactions with concomitant patient medications must also be considered. The objective of this narrative review was to summarize the most frequent and most severe AEs reported in prospective trials and observational studies at the global level in DFI. Gastrointestinal intolerances were the most frequent AEs, from 5% to 22% among all therapies; this was more common when prolonged antibiotic administration was combined with oral beta-lactam or clindamycin or a higher dose of tetracyclines...

Clostridioides ( Clostridium) difficile ( C. difficile ) is one of the essential enteropathogens in humans and livestock and is a severe health threat, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, antimicrobials are one of the most critical risk factors for C. difficile infection (CDI). The present study examined the infection, antibiotic resistance, and genetic diversity of the C. difficile strains in the meat and feces of some native birds (chicken, duck, quail, and partridge) in the Shahrekord region, Iran, from July 2018 to July 2019...

BACKGROUND: Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) can cause acute kidney injury (AKI) via hypoperfusion mechanisms. Early detection of AKI caused by AGE can significantly decrease mortality rates. In Saudi Arabia, studies investigating the association between AGE and AKI are limited; thus, we aimed to fill this knowledge gap. OBJECTIVES: Analyze all cases of AGE reported in tertiary-care hospitals to assess the prevalence of AKI among AGE patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort SETTINGS: Single tertiary-care center PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included patients treated for AGE between October 2017 and October 2022...

BACKGROUND: Differentiating between bacterial and nonbacterial colitis remains a challenge. We aimed to evaluate the value of serum procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in differentiating between bacterial and nonbacterial colitis. METHODS: Adult patients with three or more episodes of watery diarrhea and colitis symptoms within 14 days of a hospital visit were eligible for this study. The patients' stool pathogen polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing results, serum PCT levels, and serum CRP levels were analyzed retrospectively...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) has been repeatedly reported as a trigger of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), a leading cause of nosocomial diarrhea. However, only a few studies have reported on the association between vonoprazan, a novel potassium-competitive acid blocker providing potent acid suppression, and CDI, with no studies having been conducted in a clinical setting. We therefore evaluated the association between various classes of acid suppressants and CDI with special attention paid to differences in the magnitudes of association between PPIs and vonoprazan...

OBJECTIVES: C. difficile Infection (CDI) can be challenging to diagnose due to high colonization rates. Unlike PCR-only testing, two-step algorithm testing (that includes toxin and PCR) may help differentiate colonization from active infection, but it is unknown if this type of testing impacts treatment decisions. We examined the association between changing CDI diagnostic method, and the way the testing results were displayed, and the rates of CDI-specific treatment. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of positive C...

BACKGROUND: How to detect acute pancreatitis (AP) complicated with infection early and how to arrange the treatment time are still the main problems in the world. There are few reports on the potential relationship between extrapancreatic infections and AP. The purpose of this article was to investigate the characteristics, influencing factors and prognosis of extrapancreatic infection in AP patients with modified Marshall score ≥2 on admission. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed AP admitted to emergency intensive care unit of Ruijin hospital within 72 h of onset from September 2019 to December 2021...