The First Two Clostridium difficile Ribotype 027/ST1 Isolates Identified in Beijing, China–an Emerging Problem or a Neglected Threat?

Clostridium difficile hyper-virulent ribotype 027 strain has become a significant concern globally, but has rarely been reported in Asian countries including China. Recently, a retrospective single-center study in Beijing, China, detected two ribotype 027 C. difficile isolates from two patients coming for outpatient visits in 2012 and 2013. We performed a systematic investigation of the two isolates (and patients). Both C. difficile isolates had the typical PCR ribotype 027 profile; were positive for tcdA, tcdB and binary toxin genes; belonged to multilocus sequence type 1 (ST1); had typical ribotype 027 deletions in the tcdC gene; and were highly-resistant to fluoroquinolones; but had a different MLVA profile and were not genetically related to any previously reported international ribotype 027 clones. A review of the patients' medical records showed that neither received appropriate antimicrobial treatment and were lost to follow-up after outpatient visits. We propose that C. difficile infections caused by ribotype 027 are probably a neglected problem in China, and the subsequent impact of unawareness of this problem is worrying. Appropriate testing assays and multi-center or national level surveillance for C. difficile infections and specifically for ribotype 027 should be introduced to provide essential data and guide future clinical practice.