title: [Diarrhea associated with Clostridium difficile: one-year experience in a general hospital].
abstract: Clostridium difficile is considered the most common cause of nosocomial acquired diarrhoea, with frequencies differing widely from one institution to another. So far, it is a scarcely reported condition in Spain. In the present study 129 episodes of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea (CDAD) occurred in 120 patients in a 2,000-bed hospital in 1994 is reported. All cases were diagnosed by demonstrating cytotoxicity on cellular lines (MRC-5) from feces or from the strain isolated from a culture medium (CCFA). The overall incidence was 2.4 episodes every 1,000 admissions. Twenty-eight out of the 120 patients (23%) were HIV-positive patients, that is, an incidence of 30 episodes every 1,000 admissions. No significant differences were observed regarding the presentation and clinical course between HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients, with the exception of the antimicrobial agents used previously. Forty-two percent of patients had undergone surgery and 97% had received antimicrobials in the 8 weeks before the CDAD episode, with an average of 3.3 antibiotics per patient. Out of the 129 episodes, 72.8% were treated correctly. A total of 11.7% of patients responded exclusively to the discontinuation of the antimicrobials that were being administered. Eighty-three patients were treated with specific antibiotics, 59 with oral vancomycin, and 24 with metronidazole. Seventy-six patients (91.5%) responded to the initial therapy, 5 relapsed (6%), and 2 (2.5%) failed. The associated mortality rate was 0.7%. C. difficile can be a relevant cause of nosocomial diarrhoea in our setting, particularly in HIV-positive patients, but also in other patients. Its early diagnosis and appropriate therapy can contribute to decrease a relevant cause of morbidity in inpatients.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Microbiología Clínica y Enfermedades Infecciosas-VIH, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bouza
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Catalán
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Carrillo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blázquez
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peláez
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016360:Clostridioides difficile; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents