title: Prevalence and genotypic characteristics of Clostridium difficile in a closed and integrated human and swine population.
abstract: Recently, an apparent rise in the number of cases attributed to community-acquired Clostridium difficile infection has led researchers to explore additional sources of infection. The finding of C. difficile in food animals and retail meat has raised concern about potential food-borne and occupational exposures. The objective of this study was to compare C. difficile isolated from a closed population of healthy individuals consisting of both humans and swine in order to investigate possible food safety and occupational risks for exposure. Using a multistep enrichment isolation technique, we identified 11.8% of the human wastewater samples and 8.6% of the swine samples that were positive for C. difficile. The prevalences of C. difficile in swine production groups differed significantly (P < 0.05); however, the prevalences in the two human occupational group cohorts did not differ significantly (P = 0.81). The majority of the human and swine isolates were similar based on multiple typing methods. The similarity in C. difficile prevalence in the human group cohorts suggests a low occupational hazard, while a greatly decreased prevalence of C. difficile in later-stage swine production groups suggests a diminished risk for food-borne exposure. The similarity of strains in the two host species suggests the possibility of a common environmental source for healthy individuals in a community setting.
authors: Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
authors: Keri N
authors: KN
authors: Norman
authors: H Morgan
authors: HM
authors: Scott
authors: Roger B
authors: RB
authors: Harvey
authors: Bo
authors: B
authors: Norby
authors: Michael E
authors: ME
authors: Hume
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Andrews
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D059022:Food Safety; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D013552:Swine / Q000382:microbiology*; D014871:Water Microbiology