Isolation of Clostridium difficile from human jejunum: identification of a reservoir for disease?
The possibility that the small intestine may represent a reservoir for Clostridium difficile was studied, using segments of human jejunum collected at necropsy. Our results (three of 100 specimens positive for C difficile culture) support the hypothesis that C difficile can be found in human jejunum and that it adheres to the normal mucosa as a resident bacterium. These findings suggest that gastrointestinal disease caused by C difficile has an endogenous origin.
D000368:Aged; D003013:Clostridium / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D007583:Jejunum / Q000382:microbiology*