Clostridioides difficile infection in Africa: A narrative review.

Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) places a burden on healthcare facilities worldwide. Most research studies have been concentrated in high-income countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, where C. difficile is the leading cause of diarrhoea associated with antimicrobial use.

in patients attending tuberculosis hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa, 2014-2015.

Background: Diarrhoea due to infection (CDI) poses a significant burden on healthcare systems around the world. However, there are few reports on the current status of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objectives: This study examined the occurrence of CDI in a South African population of tuberculosis patients, as well as the molecular epidemiology and antibiotic susceptibility profiles of strains responsible for disease.

Toxin A-negative toxin B-positive ribotype 017 Clostridium difficile is the dominant strain type in patients with diarrhoea attending tuberculosis hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa.

The molecular epidemiology of C. difficile strains causing disease in South Africa is currently unknown. Previously, multidrug resistant ribotype (RT)017 strains were those most commonly isolated from patients with diarrhoea attending Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.

Characterisation of Clostridium difficile strains isolated from Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.

The C. difficile infection rate in South Africa is concerning. Many strains previously isolated from diarrhetic patients at Groote Schuur Hospital were ribotype 017.

A comparison of diagnostic methods for identification of local strains in a South African centre.

Accurate diagnosis of infection is essential for disease management. A clinical and molecular analysis of isolated from symptomatic patients at Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa, was conducted to establish the most suitable clinical test for the diagnosis and characterization of locally prevalent strains. was detected in stool samples using enzyme-based immunoassays (EIA) and nucleic acid amplification methods, and their performance was compared with that of isolation using direct selective culture combined with specific PCR to detect the gene, toxin A and B genes and binary toxin genes.