Dataset Information

Environmental Contamination in Households of Patients with Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection.

ABSTRACT: Recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (R-CDI) is common and difficult to treat, potentially necessitating fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Although C. difficilespores persist in the hospital environment and cause infection, little is known about their potential presence or importance in the household environment. Households of R-CDI subjects in the peri-FMT period and of geographically matched and age-matched controls were analyzed for the presence ofC. difficile Household environmental surfaces and fecal samples from humans and pets in the household were examined. Households of post-FMT subjects were also examined (environmental surfaces only). Participants were surveyed regarding their personal history and household cleaning habits. Species identity and molecular characteristics of presumptive C. difficile isolates from environmental and fecal samples were determined by using the Pro kit (Remel, USA), Gram staining, PCR, toxinotyping, tcdC gene sequencing, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Environmental cultures detected C. difficile on ?1 surface in 8/8 (100%) peri-FMT households, versus 3/8 (38%) post-FMT households and 3/8 (38%) control households (P= 0.025). The most common C. difficile-positive sites were the vacuum (11/27; 41%), toilet (8/30; 27%), and bathroom sink (5/29; 17%).C. difficile was detected in 3/36 (8%) fecal samples (two R-CDI subjects and one household member). Nine (90%) of 10 households with multiple C. difficile-positive samples had a single genotype present each. In conclusion,C. difficile was found in the household environment of R-CDI patients, but whether it was found as a cause or consequence of R-CDI is unknown. If household contamination leads to R-CDI, effective decontamination may be protective.

SUBMITTER: Shaughnessy MK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4836413 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Environmental Contamination in Households of Patients with Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection.

Shaughnessy Megan K MK Bobr Aleh A Kuskowski Michael A MA Johnston Brian D BD Sadowsky Michael J MJ Khoruts Alexander A Johnson James R JR

Applied and environmental microbiology 20160418 9

Recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (R-CDI) is common and difficult to treat, potentially necessitating fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Although C. difficilespores persist in the hospital environment and cause infection, little is known about their potential presence or importance in the household environment. Households of R-CDI subjects in the peri-FMT period and of geographically matched and age-matched controls were analyzed for the presence ofC. difficile Household environment ...[more]

PMID: 26921425

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) remains problematic, with up to 30 % of individuals diagnosed with primary CDI experiencing at least one episode of recurrence. The success of microbial-based therapeutics, such as fecal microbiota transplantation, for the treatment of recurrent CDI underscores the importance of restoring the microbiota. However, few studies have looked at the microbial factors that contribute to the development of recurrent disease. Here we compare microbial changes over time in patients with or without recurrence to identify microbial signatures associated with the development of recurrence. METHODS:We used 16S rRNA-encoding gene sequence analysis to compare the fecal microbiota of 93 patients with recurrent and nonrecurrent CDI, sampled longitudinally. Cross-group and intra-individual differences in microbial community diversity and similarity were compared prior to the development of recurrent disease and over time. RESULTS:Samples from these patient groups exhibited variable community profiles, clustering into four distinct community groups. Cross-group comparison of the index sample collected from patients that did or did not develop recurrence revealed differences in diversity and community structure (analysis of molecular variance, p?<?0.05). Intra-individual comparisons of the microbiota were more informative and samples from recurrent patients were less likely to recover in diversity (Chi-square test, p?<?0.005), exhibiting less community similarity overall (Kruskal-Wallis test, p?<?0.05). Interestingly, patients with severe disease harbored a significantly less diverse community, a trend that was observed across both nonrecurrent and recurrent patient groups (Wilcoxon test, p?<?0.05). CONCLUSIONS:To date, this study represents one of the largest studies focused on the relationship between predictive signals from the gut microbiota and the development of recurrent CDI. Our data demonstrate that specific microbiota-derived characteristics associate with disease severity and recurrence and that future studies could incorporate these characteristics into predictive models.

Dataset Information

Environmental Contamination in Households of Patients with Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection.

Publications

Environmental Contamination in Households of Patients with Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection.

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