Hospital carpeting and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile.
BACKGROUND
Clostridium difficile is the usual and most important cause of antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous enterocolitis. The source of nosocomial acquisition of the organism in nonepidemic settings has not been determined.


METHODS
Epidemiologic and microbiologic studies were conducted in a community-teaching hospital complex to assess the impact of carpeting in patient rooms on environmental contamination with C. difficile, along with the prevalence of pseudomembranous enterocolitis. All C. difficile isolates were typed by means of a bacteriophage-bacteriocin typing scheme.


RESULTS
No clear evidence of environmental acquisition of C. difficile in a nonepidemic setting of pseudomembranous enterocolitis was found. Carpeted floors were significantly more heavily contaminated for prolonged periods with clinical strains of C. difficile than were noncarpeted floors.


CONCLUSIONS
There was no evidence that contamination of carpeting resulted in increased frequency of pseudomembranous enterocolitis in patients residing in carpeted rooms. Because there is strong evidence of exogenous acquisition of C. difficile during outbreaks, however, room carpeting should be considered a potential reservoir of this organism.
Skoutelis
A T
AT
Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
Westenfelder
G O
GO
Beckerdite
M
M
Phair
J P
JP
D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005430:Floors and Floorcoverings / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois