A New, Virulent Strain of C. difficile Found in Australia

Twelve cases of Clostridium difficile disease initially attributed to ribotype 027 were found to be caused by ribotype 244 — a fluoroquinolone-sensitive strain associated with severe illness.

Over the past decade, the incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile disease have been increasing in North America and Europe in conjunction with the emergence of a highly virulent, fluoroquinolone-resistant strain designated as BI/NAP1/027. In addition to genes encoding toxins A and B, this strain carries a missense deletion in the regulatory gene tcdC that may result in increased toxin production. The Xpert C. difficile polymerase chain reaction assay can identify ribotype (RT) 027 strains based in part on detection of this tcdC mutation.

In 2011, researchers found that a C. difficile strain isolated from patients in Melbourne, Australia, identified by Xpert as RT027, was actually RT244 and moxifloxacin susceptible. This discovery led…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

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Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

A New, Virulent Strain of C. difficile Found in Australia

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