Two-year analysis of Clostridium difficile ribotypes associated with increased severity.

Background: Certain Clostridium difficile ribotypes have been associated with complex disease phenotypes including recurrence and increased severity, especially the well-described hypervirulent RT027. This study aimed to determine the pattern of ribotypes causing infection and the association, if any, with severity.

Methods: All faecal samples submitted to a large diagnostic laboratory for C.

In recurrent C. difficile, the CRP response to the primary C. difficile infection predicts whether the same strain or a different strain will cause a second infection.

Background: Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and is associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality. There is a wide variance in disease severity with some patients suffering a single, self-limiting episode of diarrhoea while others suffer more intractable problems with recurrent attacks or toxic dilatation. Numerous different C.

Emergence and global spread of epidemic healthcare-associated Clostridium difficile.

Epidemic C. difficile (027/BI/NAP1) has rapidly emerged in the past decade as the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea worldwide. However, the key events in evolutionary history leading to its emergence and the subsequent patterns of global spread remain unknown.