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Exposure to Clostridium difficile can result in infection or asymptomatic colonization. In a recent 15-month, prospective study conducted at six hospitals in Canada, researchers examined host and microbial factors to determine how they might differ between these two clinical states.
Among 4143 evaluable patients, 117 (2.8%) had healthcare-associated C. difficile infection (CDI), and 123 (3.0%) had healthcare-associated colonization. The time to infection was twice as long as the time to colonization. Older age, use of antibiotics, and use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) were significant risk factors associated with healthcare-associated CDI, whereas hospitalization during the preceding 2 months, presence of antibodies against toxin B, and u…