A Perspective on Community-Acquired C. difficile Infection

Cases occurred in unusually young, healthy patients, often women, and typical risk factors were frequently absent.

Many studies have documented the extension of the Clostridium difficile epidemic from the hospital into the community, but a comprehensive picture of community-based disease has been difficult to assemble. Now, Mayo Clinic researchers have reviewed data on all C. difficile infections seen in a Minnesota county between 1991 and 2005, using a clinical database that includes information on both hospital and community health delivery.

Approximately 40% of the 385 confirmed cases of C. difficile were community-acquired. Chronologic trends showed a surge in both nosocomial and community-acquired infections in the late 1990s. Compared to patients with nosocomial infection, those with community-acquired infection were younger (median age, 50 vs. 72)…

Reviewing Author

Abigail Zuger, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Abigail Zuger, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose