title: Clostridium difficile colonization in healthy adults: transient colonization and correlation with enterococcal colonization.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the colonization status of Clostridium difficile in healthy individuals. In total, 139 healthy adults from two study groups were examined at intervals of 3 months. Among the 18 positive subjects, the number of subjects from whom C. difficile was isolated once, twice, three times or four times was 10 (55.6%), three (16.7%), two (11.1%) and three (16.7%), respectively. In the student group, different subjects were colonized by different PCR ribotype/PFGE types. However, the same PCR ribotype/PFGE types of C. difficile were isolated from different subjects in the employee group, indicating that cross-transmission may have occurred in this group. Continuous colonization by the same PCR ribotype/PFGE type was only observed in three subjects. C. difficile-positive subjects were significantly more densely colonized by enterococci (P<0.05) than C. difficile-negative subjects: subjects that were found to be C. difficile-positive three or four times appeared to have higher concentrations of enterococci. The present results demonstrate that, although colonization by a C. difficile strain is transient in many cases, there are healthy individuals that are colonized persistently by C. difficile. They also suggest that dense colonization of the intestine by enterococci may be associated with C. difficile colonization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan 2Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Eijiro
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan 2Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Haru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan 2Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan 2Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karasawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan 2Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsuneo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maegawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan 2Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Youko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koino
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan 2Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan 2Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan 2Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nomoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan 2Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuichiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan 2Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology*; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D021521:Ribotyping