The Bristol stool form scale classifies the relative density of stool samples. In a prospective cohort study, we investigated the associations between stool density, C. difficile assay positivity, hospital-onset C. difficile infection, complications, and severity of C. difficile. We describe associations between the Bristol score, assay positivity, and clinical C. difficile infection.

The prevalence of toxigenic Clostridium difficile in Korea has been reported to be approximately 60-80%. Although the prevalence of the tcdA(-)tcdB(+) C. difficile strain was less then 5% prior to the year 2000, it has become an emerging nosocomial pathogen in Korea. Therefore, we have attempted to determine the multicentre nationwide prevalence of tcdA(+)tcdB(+) and tcdA(-)tcdB(+) C. difficile...

Clostridium difficile is the major etiological agent of nosocomial diarrhea primarily precipitated by antimicrobial therapy. We prospectively investigated the antibiogram profile of C. difficile strains isolated from patients reporting to a tertiary care hospital in North India. Fecal samples obtained from 1110 suspected cases of C. difficile infection were cultured for isolation of C. difficil...

Clostridium difficile is recognized as the major cause of antibiotic-associated colitis. C. difficile produces two toxins, A (enterotoxin) and B (cytotoxin), that are implicated in the pathogenesis of the colitis. We examined the dose responses, time course, and synergism of these two toxins in ligated rabbit intestinal loops and in tissue culture. In rabbit small intestinal loops, toxin A caus...

BACKGROUND Research has indicated that the environment may play an important role in the transmission of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile in healthcare facilities. Despite the significance of this finding, few data exist from longitudinal studies investigating MRSA and C. difficile contamination, concurrently, in both patient rooms and the general ward...

BACKGROUND Clostridium difficile is the most common known cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Upon the disturbance of gut microbiota by antibiotics, C. difficile establishes growth and releases toxins A and B, which cause tissue damage in the host. The symptoms of C. difficile infection disease range from mild diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis and toxic megacolon. Interestingly, 10-50 %...

The study has been carried out to determine the frequency of C. difficile recovery in stool cultures and the rate of C. difficile toxin A detection in faecal specimens of patients with nosocomial diarrhoea. Clinical specimens comprised 4414 stool samples collected from 1998 to 2002 from adult patients hospitalised in different wards of a university-affiliated hospital (1200 beds) and suspected ...

BACKGROUND The effect of hospital-acquired infection with Clostridium difficile on length of stay in hospital is not yet fully understood. We determined the independent impact of hospital-acquired infection with C. difficile on length of stay in hospital. METHODS We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of admissions to hospital between July 1, 2002, and Mar. 31, 2009, at a sin...

Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin was specifically detected and readily quantified by indirect and four-layer sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). With the indirect ELISA, enterotoxin was detected in quantities of as low as 2.5 ng (25 ng/ml). When the more sensitive sandwich ELISA procedures was used, 100 pg (1 ng/ml) of enterotoxin was detected. The sandwich ELISA pro...

C. difficile-associated diarrhoea occurs commonly in hospitals and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Hospital surfaces are often contaminated with nosocomial pathogens and may be responsible for cross-transmission, especially if hardy Gram-positive and spore-forming organisms are involved. The aim of this study was to quantify C. difficile in the hospital environment near C. di...