Epidemiology and outcome of Clostridium difficile infection and diarrhea in HIV infected inpatients.

Clostridium difficile causes diarrhea in HIV infected patients but reports of prevalence, risk factors, and outcome vary. We studied the impact of C. difficile in 161 HIV infected inpatients admitted to Cook County Hospital.

Predominance of a single restriction endonuclease analysis group with intrahospital subgroup diversity among Clostridium difficile isolates at two Chicago hospitals.

Objective: To determine the epidemiology and relatedness of Clostridium difficile isolates in two geographically separated hospitals in a large metropolitan area, each with unique patients and personneL DESIGN: Observational descriptive molecular epidemiology of clinical C. difficile isolates.

Setting: Two tertiary-care hospitals in Chicago.

Difference in the incidence of Clostridium difficile among patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus admitted to a public hospital and a private hospital.

Objective: To compare the occurrence of Clostridium difficile among inpatients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in two different hospitals.

Design: Prospective, observational study.

Setting: Specialized HIV inpatient units.

Possible overestimation of penicillin resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae colonization rates due to misidentification of oropharyngeal streptococci.

Standard identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae by optochin and bile solubility testing can lead to ambiguous results for certain isolates. Newer bacteriologic identification techniques (e.g.