Using lasers and cameras, scientists visualized the plume of tiny, aerosolized particles ejected from commercial toilets during flushing

Clostridioides difficile, due to its long survival time in a hospital environment, is considered to be one of the most frequent factors in healthcare-associated infections. Patient care requires not only rapid and accurate diagnosis, but also knowledge of individual risk factors for infection …

In a new experiment using bright green lasers and camera equipment, scientists from Colorado Boulder University were able to visualize airborne particles, invisible to the naked eye, that are shot into the air when a lidless toilet is flushed.

Scientists use AMD technology to combat Healthcare-associated Infections and Antibiotic-resistant Microbes

Background Since 2008, Danish national surveillance of Clostridioides difficile has focused on binary toxin-positive strains in order to monitor epidemic types such as PCR ribotype (RT) 027 and 078. Additional surveillance is needed to provide a more unbiased representation of all strains from the clinical reservoir. Aim Setting up a new sentinel surveillance scheme for an improved understanding of type distribution relative to time, geography and epidemiology, here presenting data from 2016 to 2019. Methods For 2─4 weeks in spring and autumn each year between 2016 and 2019, all 10 Danish Departments of Clinical Microbiology collected faecal samples containing toxigenic C. difficile. Isolates were typed at the national reference laboratory at Statens Serum Institut. The typing method in 2016–17 used tandem-repeat-sequence typing, while the typing method in 2018–19 was whole genome sequencing. Results During the study period, the sentinel surveillance scheme included ca 14–15% of all Danish cases of C. difficile infections. Binary toxin-negative strains accounted for 75% and 16 of the 20 most prevalent types. The most common sequence types (ST) were ST2/13 (RT014/020) (19.5%), ST1 (RT027) (10.8%), ST11 (RT078) (6.7%), ST8 (RT002) (6.6%) and ST6 (RT005/117) (5.1%). The data also highlighted geographical differences, mostly related to ST1 and temporal decline of ST1 (p = 0.0008) and the increase of ST103 (p = 0.002), ST17 (p = 0.004) and ST37 (p = 0.003), the latter three binary toxin-negative. Conclusion Sentinel surveillance allowed nationwide monitoring of geographical differences and temporal changes in C. difficile infections in Denmark, including emerging types, regardless of binary toxin status.

A new visualization of pathogen exposure risk in public bathrooms also provides a methodology to help reduce it.

Scientific Reports - Commercial toilets emit energetic and rapidly spreading aerosol plumes

A new visualization of pathogen exposure risk in public bathrooms also provides a methodology to help reduce it.

There is growing evidence that shows Clostridium (Clostridioides) difficile is a pathogen of One Health importance with a complex dissemination pathway involving animals, humans, and the environment. Thus, environmental discharge and agricultural recycling of human and animal wa …

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is an important cause of diarrhea in hospitals worldwide. The incidence of CDI in Latin America has not yet been standardized. To fill this gap, the present study performed a daily active surveillance, for three months, between April to July of 2021, at a qua …

Helping C. difficile to thrive

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in human and animals belonged usually to antibiotic-associated diarrhea, ranging in severity from mild to life-threatening intestinal tract illnesses. This study aimed to isolation and characterization, toxin genes test, molecular typing, and drug sensiti …

November is Clostridioides difficile (C diff) awareness month. The Peggy Lillis Foundation hopes to use the month to increase the public’s awareness of the dangers of the infection.

We compared the effectiveness of 4 sampling methods to recover iStaphylococcus aureus/i, iKlebsiella pneumoniae/i and iClostridioides difficile/i from contaminated environmental surfaces: cotton swabs, RODAC culture plates, sponge sticks with manual agitation, and sponge sticks with a st …

Patients with CO-CDI had frequently contact with healthcare facility in the previous 12 weeks. Restriction of antacid usage and of high-risk antibiotics in the community may help reduce the incidence of CO-CDI.

Use of metronidazole for non-CDI indications within 90 days prior to diagnosis and presence of toxin A/B in stools were associated with severe CDI. Findings provide valuable insights into risk factors for severe CDI in an underserved population with cancer that warrants further exploration.

‎Show Inside Scope, Ep BONUS: Risk factors for C. difficile infection - Nov 15, 2022

Healthcare-associated infections have remained above pre-COVID levels in acute care settings, according to a federal progress report.

Patients with IBD have a relatively high incidence rate of CDI. C. difficile RT 017 is most frequently isolated from IBD patients in this region and warrants more attention to its high resistance rate. Clinicians should pay greater attention to CDI testing in IBD patients with diarrhea to ensure ear …

#WAAW2022 @NHSDorset sharing #Cdiff improvement in communicating infection across #NHS organisations including coding as advised by @NICEComms guidance. Used coproduction approach to develop a communication tool @TinaArn0ld great work https://t.co/9paLUHF8Eb— Elizabeth Beech MBE (@elizbeech) November 18, 2022

A decade of #cdiff @Beaumont_Dublin congrats @maireadskally the first of many outputs (no pressure!) from @IrishResearch workplace based PhD @RCSI_Micro @RCSI_Irl @RCSI_postgrad #beaumont22 @hpscireland @iscm_micro pic.twitter.com/vECVZekI16— Prof. Fidelma Fitzpatrick (@FfitzP) November 16, 2022

In recognition of Clostridioides difficile Awareness Month, the IDSA Foundation will host a webinar to discuss how the microbiome can defend against C. diff and other infections. C. diff, a bacterium of the gut that causes diarrhea and inflammation of the colon, affects nearly 500,000 Americans each year. One in six patients will experience recurrence within 2-8 weeks of infection. Risk factors include a weakened immune system (including transplant, HIV and cancer patients); being 65 or older; being on antibiotics; or having recently completed a course of antibiotics. Learning Objectives: • Understand the role of the microbiome in overall health, what a healthy microbiome is and good gut health; • Explore the relationship between the gut microbiome, pathogenesis of C. diff infection and the cycle of recurrence; • Address the rate of health care-associated gastrointestinal infections caused by C. diff; • Address the use of antibiotics in recurrent C. diff; • Address the natural variation in individual gut microbiomes and how it relates to clinical risk factors and susceptibility to CDI; • Address benefits of early gut microbiome-directed intervention to help manage CDI and the cycle of recurrence; • Address the difference between microbiome-based therapies and probiotics.

A2. We coordinate closely with #infectionprevention & have an alert built to identify patients at high risk for #cdiff early and prevent HA-CDI. We also have PAF to reduce DOT and ensure optimal antibiotic use when appropriate. #USAAW22 #AntimicrobialResistance #IDTwitter— Jamie Wagner (@jwagsIDPharmD) November 16, 2022

A2. We also have a #cdiff task force that performs RCAs on all HO-CDI cases to identify areas of improvement to prevent future cases #USAAW22 #AntimicrobialResistance #cdiffawarenessmonth— Veronica Zafonte (@VBZafonte) November 16, 2022

Talk to your doctor about other risk factors for C. diff

Wondering if you have a C. difficileicile infection or have been diagnosed with one? Or have your C. difficileicile symptoms come back? We’re here to help make sense of it all.

"C diff is one of the CDC's top five urgent antibiotic resistance threats. But it's the only one that isn't nationally notifiable."

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures had a significant impact on infectious diseases and the detection of pathogens at the Marburg University Hospital. Significant changes were observed for community transmissible infections, while no such effects on pathogens primarily associ …

Despite an increased incidence of Clostridioides difficile infections, data on the reservoirs and dissemination routes of this bacterium are limited. This study examined the prevalence and characteristics of C. difficile isolates in spinach fields. C. difficile was detected in 2 …

Economic costs attributable to CDI in elderly persons were highest for hospital-onset and community-onset healthcare facility associated CDI. Although lower, attributable costs due to CDI were significantly higher in cases with CDI onset in the community or other healthcare facility than for compara …