ABSTRACT
Clostridium difficile is a gram positive spore forming bacilli which can be normally present in human colon in some individuals. It can cause clostridium difficile infection which can lead to Clostridium difficile associated disease(CDAD) which is manifested by diarrhoea and in fulminant cases by pseudomembranous colitis and can lead to death. Disruption of normal intestinal flora by antimicrobials and lowering of immunity leads to its overgrowth and disease manifestations. Aims And Objectives: 1. To find the prevalence of clostridium difficile in stool samples of patients presenting with antibiotic associated diarrhoea. 2. To find the risk factors associated with the disease. Methods: The study was conducted from January 2017 to June 2018 on 131 stools samples of patients who developed diarrhoea after three days of starting antibiotics by ELISA based method for detection of Toxin A/B. Results: Out of 131 stool samples analysed, 6 samples (4.58%)were found to be positive for toxin A/B. Correlation between use of third generation cephalosporin and toxin positivity was found to be insignificant. Significant correlation was found between use of chemotherapeutic agents and toxin positivity. It was also found that advanced age was also significant risk factor for development of CDAD. Conclusion: The present study proves that Cdifficile should be kept in mind as an etiological agent in cases of antibiotic associated diarrhoea. Risk factors include advancing age, use of chemotherapeutic agents and antibiotic exposure. To prevent C difficile infection, unnecessary use of antibiotics should be stopped and screening of stools for Toxin analysis in cases of antibiotic associated diarrhoea should be done so that it can be diagnosed and treatment isstarted at the earliest.