Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T04:26:47.434Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A molecular characterization of Clostridium difficile isolates from humans, animals and their environments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

G. O'Neill ,
J. E. Adams ,
R. A. Bowman  and
T. V. Riley
G. O'Neill
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, University of Western Australia and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, 6009, Western Australia
J. E. Adams
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, University of Western Australia and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, 6009, Western Australia
R. A. Bowman
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, University of Western Australia and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, 6009, Western Australia
T. V. Riley
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, University of Western Australia and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, 6009, Western Australia
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

It is generally accepted that most patients with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea acquire the organism from the environment. Recently we demonstrated that household pets may constitute a significant reservoir of C. difficile through gastrointestinal carriage in up to 39% of cats and dogs. These findings suggested that direct transmission from household pets, or contamination of the environment by them, may be a factor in the pathogenesis of C. difficile-associated diarrhoea. To investigate this possibility, we examined isolates of C. difficile from humans, pets and the environment by restriction enzyme analysis (REA) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing using enhanced chemiluminescence. Both REA and RFLP typing methods used Hind III digests of chromosomal DNA. A total of 116 isolates of C. difficile from pets (26), veterinary clinic environmental sites (33), humans (37) and hospital environmental sites (20) was examined. REA was far more discriminatory than RFLP typing and for all isolates there were 34 REA types versus 6 RFLP types. There was good correlation between the REA types found in isolates from pets and from the veterinary clinic environment, and between isolates from humans and from those found in the hospital environment. There was, however, no correlation between REA type of C. difficile found in pets and isolates of human origin. We conclude that there may still be a risk of humans acquiring C. difficile from domestic pets as these findings may be the result of geographical variation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 111 , Issue 2 , October 1993 , pp. 257 - 264
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

References

REFERENCES

1.George, RH, Symonds, JM, Dimock, F, et al. Identification of Clostridium difficile as a cause of pseudomembranous colitis. BMJ 1978; i: 695.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.George, WL, Sutter, VL, Finegold, SM. Antimicrobial agent-induced diarrhea – a bacterial disease. J Infect Dis 1977; 136: 822–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Levett, PN. Clostridium difficile in habitats other than the human gastrointestinal tract. J Infect 1986; 12: 253–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.O'Neill, GL, Beaman, MH, Riley, TV. Relapse versus reinfection with Clostridium difficile. Epidemiol Infect 1991; 107: 627–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Borriello, SP, Honour, P, Turner, T, Barclay, F. Household pets as a potential reservoir for Clostridium difficile infection. J Clin Pathol 1983; 36: 84–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Riley, TV, Adams, JE, O'Neill, GL, Bowman, RA. Gastrointestinal carriage of Clostridium difficile by cats and dogs. Epidemiol Infect 1991; 107: 659–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Carroll, SM, Bowman, RA, Riley, TV. A selective broth for Clostridium difficile. Pathology 1983; 15: 165–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Bowman, RA, Arrow, S, Riley, TV. Latex particle agglutination for detecting and identifying Clostridium difficile. J Clin Pathol 1986; 39: 212–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Brazier, JS. Cross-reactivity of Clostridium glycolicum with the latex particle slide agglutination reagent for Clostridium difficile identification. In: Borriello, SP, ed. Clinical and molecular aspects of anaerobes. Petersfield: Wrightson Biomedical Publishing Ltd, 1990: 293–6.Google Scholar
10.Riley, TV, Bowman, RA, Carroll, SM. Diarrhoea associated with Clostridium difficile in a hospital population. Med J Aust 1983; i, 166–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Bowman, RA, O'Neill, GL, Riley, TV. Non-radioactive restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing of Clostridium difficile. FEMS Microbiol Letts 1991; 79: 269–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Sell, TL, Schaberg, DR, Fekety, FR. Bacteriophage and bacteriocin typing scheme for Clostridium difficile. J Clin Microbiol 1983; 17: 1148–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Pantosti, A, Cerquetti, M, Gianfrilli, P. Electrophoretic characterisation of Clostridium difficile strains isolated from antibiotic-associated colitis and other conditions. J Clin Microbiol 1988; 26: 540–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Delmee, M, Homel, M, Wauters, G. Serogrouping of Clostridium difficile by slide agglutination. J Clin Microbiol 1985; 21: 323–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Clabots, C, Lee, S, Gerding, D, Mulligan, M, Kwok, R, Schaberg, D, Fekety, R, Peterson, L. Clostridium difficile plasmid isolation as an epidemiologic tool. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 1988; 7: 312–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Pantosi, A, Cerquetti, M, Viti, F, Ortisi, G, Mastrantonio, P. Immunoblot analysis of serum immunoglobulin G response to surface proteins of Clostridium difficile in patients with antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. J Clin Microbiol 1989; 27: 2594–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17.Kuiper, EJ, Oudbier, JH, Stuifbergen, WNHM, Jansz, A, Zanen, HC. Application of whole-cell DNA restriction endonuclease profiles to the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile-induced diarrhoea. J Clin Microbiol 1987; 25: 751–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18.Wren, BW, Tabaqchali, S. Restriction endonuclease DNA analysis of Clostridium difficile. J Clin Microbiol 1987; 25: 2402–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Peerbooms, PGH, Kuijt, P, Maclaren, DM. Application of chromosomal restriction endonuclease digest analysis for use as a typing method for Clostridium difficile. J Clin Pathol 1987; 40: 771–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Seal, D, Borriello, SP, Barclay, F, Welch, A, Piper, M, Bonnycastle, M. Treatment of relapsing Clostridium difficile by administration of a nontoxigenic strain. Eur J Clin Microbiol 1987; 6: 51–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.Kim, KH, Fekety, R, Batts, DH, Brown, D, Cudmore, M, Silva, J, Waters, D. Isolation of Clostridium difficile from the environment and contacts of patients with antibiotic-associated colitis. J Infect Dis 1981; 143: 42–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.McFarland, LV, Mulligan, ME, Kwok, RYY, Stamm, WE. Nosocomial acquisition of Clostridium difficile infection. New Engl J Med 1989; 320: 204–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23.Tabaqchali, S, O'Farrell, S, Holland, D, Silman, R. Typing scheme for Clostridium difficile: its application in clinical and epidemiological studies. Lancet 1984; i: 935–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24.McFarland, LV, Surawicz, CM, Stamm, WE. Risk factors for Clostridium difficile carriage and C. difficile-associated diarrhea in a cohort of hospitalized patients. J Infect Dis 1990; 162: 678–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar