Role of clostridium difficile in antibiotics associated diarrhea

ABSTRACT

Stool specimen from 100 hospitalized adult patients were inoculated on cycloserine cefoxitin fructose agar and incubated anaerobically to isolate and determine the role of Clostridium difficile as a causative agent of antibiotics associated diarrhea [AAD]. At the same time, these stool specimens were tested for Cl. difficile toxin by enzyme immunoassay technique using cytoclone A and B kit [Cambridge Biotech Corporation, Worcester, Massachusetts]. Cl. difficile was isolated from 16 [20%] stool specimens of AAD patients and from only one [5%] stool specimen of control subjects. Twenty-three stool specimens from AAD patients were positive for Cl. difficile toxin. However, no stool specimen from control was positive for toxin. Cl. difficile infection was observed in significantly high [P<0.05] percentage, of AAD patients [33.7%] as compared to control subjects [5%]. Keeping in view its higher percentage, it is recommended that all the patients with AAD should be investigated for Cl. difficile infection