High frequency of toxigenic Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens coinfection among diarrheic patients at health care facility-onset (HCFO) and community-onset (CO) centers in Bogotá, Colombia

• Main Authors: Alex J. Forero, Marina Muñoz, Milena Camargo, Sara C. Soto-De León, Dora I. Ríos-Chaparro, Claudia Birchenall, Darío Pinilla, Juan M. Pardo, Diego F. Josa, Manuel A. Patarroyo, Juan D. Ramírez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2019-06-01
• Series: Gut Pathogens
• Subjects: Clostridium perfringens; Clostridium difficile; Diarrhea; Community-onset; Health care facility onset
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13099-019-0308-7

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of toxigenic C. difficile and C. perfringens infections at health care facility-onset (HCFO) and community-onset (CO), in two health care centers (HCC) in Bogotá, Colombia. A total of 220 stool samples from patients presenting diarrhea acquired at HCFO or CO were analyzed by several PCR tests. Results We found that 65.5% (n = 144) of the population had C. difficile infection, followed by toxigenic C. difficile with 57.3% (n = 126), and finally toxigenic C. perfringens with a frequency of 32.7% (n = 72). Conclusions This study is the first molecular detection and characterization of C. difficile and C. perfringens in HCFO and CO in Latin America and demonstrates a relevant frequency of these two species, including coinfection and strikingly diverse toxigenic profiles, especially in the CO.