Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive, spore-forming, toxin-producing anaerobic bacillus identified as the causal agent of a variety of manifestations typically isolated to the colon, but in its severe form, it can lead to sepsis and death. C. difficile infection due to a toxin gene variant strain (BI/NAP1) has been identified at the center of outbreaks and has resulted in increased mortality. Many questions remain as to how this strain appeared so quickly and has harmed or killed so many patients. We present a review of C. difficile infection, discussing its clinical presentation, diagnosis, management, and prevention.
Key Laboratory of Pollution Exposure and Health Intervention of Zhejiang Province, Shulan International Medical College, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, China.
() was a gram-positive anaerobic in the gut, exhibiting clinical manifestations ranging from mild diarrhoea to fatal pseudomembranous colitis. infection (CDI) remains a serious public health problem and accounted for an estimated 360,075 cases in the United States in 2021. It has attracted the utmost attention of the world health organization (WHO).
Clinical symptoms of infection (CDI) range from diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis. A major challenge in managing CDI is the high rate of relapse. Several studies correlate the production of CDT binary toxin by clinical strains of with higher relapse rates.
Background/objectives: , an anaerobic bacillus ubiquitous in nature, is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea and one of the main causes of mortality by nosocomial infections. We aimed to identify the main predictors of the risk of dying and the characteristics of a three-year cohort of patients hospitalised in our clinic that eventually had an unfavourable outcome.
Methods: We collected retrospectively available data for all patients hospitalised between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2023.
Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI), often severe when producing toxin A, toxin B, and CDT, can cause life-threatening fulminant infections, especially in vulnerable patients. This case report discusses a 39-year-old woman with no medical history who developed severe CDI after antibiotic treatment, leading to fatal hypovolemic shock.
Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (CCT- La Plata CONICET, CIC-PBA, Ciencias Exactas, UNLP). Argentina; Cátedra de Microbiología. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Ciencias Exactas, UNLP). Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina. Electronic address:
Clostridioides difficile is a spore-forming pathogen capable of causing severe disease in humans. Critical stages in the biological cycle of this microorganism include sporogenesis/germination and toxin production by vegetative cells. Antagonizing these pivotal events could aid in prevention and treatment to manage this pathogen.
