Diarrhea in the Outpatient Setting — C. difficile Is More Common Than We Thought

An epidemiologic study in the Netherlands showed that many outpatients with CDI lack typical risk factors, and about 60% of cases go unrecognized.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a well-recognized cause of nosocomial diarrhea. Previous antibiotic treatment, older age, comorbidity, and immunocompromise are known predisposing factors. CDI also occurs in the community, but how common is it, and who is affected?

To characterize CDI among outpatients with diarrhea, researchers performed diagnostic testing — including testing for C. difficile toxin (CDT), whether or not it had been requested — on all unformed stool samples submitted by general practitioners (GPs) to three Netherlands laboratories between October 2010 and January 2012. CDT was detected — generally as the sole pathogen — in 194 (1.5%) of the 12,714 samples analyzed; Salmonella spp. were found in 198 (1.6%).

Further inf…

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Diarrhea in the Outpatient Setting — C. difficile Is More Common Than We Thought

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Reviewing Author