title: Feacal carriage of cytotoxigenic strains of Clostridium difficile by adult Nigerians.
abstract: The isolation rate of Clostridium difficile and the presence of its cytotoxin in stool were studied in adults with diarrhoea and healthy normal individuals over a period of one year. C. difficile was isolated from 23(56%) out of 41 patients with diarrhoea who gave history of antibiotic exposure prior to the development of the disease from 12(31.6%) of the 38 healthy controls with no history of antibiotic exposure. Of the 23(31.6%) C. difficile isolated from the patients, 16(69.6%), and only 8(66.6%) of the 12 isolates from the healthy adults, were cytotoxigenic. Only one stool specimen from a diarrhoeic patient, was positive for cytotoxin assay. The clinical significance of this finding is discussed.
authors: V O
authors: VO
authors: Rotimi
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Akindutire
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D003013:Clostridium / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D005243:Feces / Q000032:analysis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009549:Nigeria
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003603:Cytotoxins