Purpose Prevalence of Clostridium difficile, an anaerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacillus, is very much underestimated in India. The present study was intended to assess the burden of toxigenic C. difficile in hospitalised patients with clinically significant diarrhoea and analysis of their clinical picture. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital, South India, from January 2012 to December 2014. Stool samples were collected consecutively from 563 inpatients from various wards. The prevalence of toxigenic C. difficile was determined by toxigenic culture and a two-step algorithm. The clinical spectrum of these patients was also analysed. Associated pathogens were identified using standard procedures. Statistical analysis was done by frequency, percentage, Chi-square test and z-test. Results Out of the 563 stool samples analysed, the prevalence of toxigenic C. difficile was 12.79% and that of non-toxigenic C. difficile was 10.83%. The prevalence of toxigenic C. difficile among oncology patients was highly significant (HS). Antibiotic treatment, prolonged hospital stay and underlying diseases/conditions were the risk factors which were HS, and fever was the significant clinical feature among the patients. Escherichia coli was the predominant associated pathogen isolated (18.47%). Conclusion The presence of toxigenic C. difficile in our locality is a matter of concern. Constant supervision, appropriate treatment and preventive measures are crucial in controlling C. difficile infection.

中文翻译：

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印度卡纳塔克邦门格洛尔一家三级护理医院住院患者产毒艰难梭菌的临床微生物学分析。


目的 艰难梭菌（一种厌氧、革兰氏阳性、产芽孢杆菌）在印度的流行率被严重低估。本研究旨在评估患有临床显着腹泻的住院患者中产毒艰难梭菌的负担并分析其临床情况。材料和方法 这项横断面研究于 2012 年 1 月至 2014 年 12 月在印度南部的一家三级护理教学医院进行。从不同病房的 563 名住院患者连续采集粪便样本。通过产毒培养和两步算法确定产毒艰难梭菌的流行率。还分析了这些患者的临床谱。使用标准程序鉴定相关病原体。通过频率、百分比、卡方检验和 z 检验进行统计分析。结果 563份粪便样本中，产毒艰难梭菌检出率为12.79%，非产毒艰难梭菌检出率为10.83%。肿瘤患者中产毒艰难梭菌的患病率非常显着（HS）。抗生素治疗、住院时间延长、基础疾病/状况是HS的危险因素，发热是患者显着的临床特征。大肠杆菌是分离出的主要相关病原体（18.47%）。结论 我们地区存在产毒艰难梭菌，值得关注。持续的监督、适当的治疗和预防措施对于控制艰难梭菌感染至关重要。