title: Molecular analysis of Clostridium difficile strains isolated from 18 cases of recurrent clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.
abstract: Recurrence of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) occurs in 15 to 20% of patients after discontinuation of treatment. Arbitrarily primed PCR was used to investigate the epidemiology of recurrent CDAD in 18 patients. Reinfection with a new strain occurred in 6 of 18 patients (33.3%), while 12 patients relapsed with the original strain shortly after discontinuation of treatment. These data suggest that reinfection with exogenous C. difficile is a common problem and that not all recurrences are due to relapse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious and Immunologic Diseases, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, California 95817, USA.
authors.forename: Yajarayma
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang-Feldman
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Stuart H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial