Clostridium difficile.
Clostridium difficile has re-emerged as a major hospital-acquired infection since 2001. Despite development of polymerase chain reaction-based testing, no single clinical diagnostic test has emerged with sufficient sensitivity, specificity, and turnaround time to be entirely reliable for disease diagnosis. The importance of C difficile acquired outside the hospital environment remains an unknown factor and awaits further epidemiologic investigation. This article discusses the changing epidemiology, clinical presentation, and pathogenesis of C difficile infection and highlights the ongoing challenges of laboratory diagnosis, treatment, and disease relapse.
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA, USA. currysr@upmc.edu <currysr@upmc.edu>
Scott
S
Curry
D000818:Animals; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence