New PCR ribotypes of Clostridium difficile detected in children in Brazil: prevalent types of Clostridium difficile in Brazil.

A total of 35 Brazilian isolates of Clostridium difficile from faecal stools and four isolates from hospital environments were analyzed by PCR ribotyping. A whole cell protein profile (as an alternative for serogrouping), in vitro toxin production and susceptibility to vancomycin, metronidazole and clindamycin were also investigated. All strains were typeable by both phenotypic and genotypic methods, and a total of 13 different PCR ribotypes were identified, of which seven (132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 142 and 143) were considered new types and accounted for 78.

Incidence and importance of Clostridium difficile in paediatric diarrhoea in Brazil.

Clostridium difficile strains were detected in 14 of 210 (6.7 %) faecal samples from children in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by cultivating faeces on cycloserine/cefoxitin/fructose agar after alcohol-shock. Two main groups of children were studied: inpatients (n = 96) and outpatients (n = 114).