title: Asymptomatic carriage of toxigenic Clostridium difficile by hospitalized patients.
abstract: Asymptomatic carriage of Clostridium difficile is common in hospitals, but the risk for transmission by carriers is unclear. In this point prevalence culture survey of asymptomatic hospitalized patients, 18 of 149 (12%) were carriers of toxigenic C. difficile. By comparison with C. difficile infection (CDI) patients, the prevalence of skin and/or environmental contamination was significantly lower in asymptomatic carriers (3/18, 17% versus 5/6, 83%; P = 0.007), but carriers outnumbered CDI patients in the hospital by a factor of 3 to 1. These data suggest that asymptomatic carriers have the potential to contribute to C. difficile transmission in hospitals.
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors: D M
authors: DM
authors: Guerrero
authors: J C
authors: JC
authors: Becker
authors: E C
authors: EC
authors: Eckstein
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Kundrapu
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Deshpande
authors: A K
authors: AK
authors: Sethi
authors: C J
authors: CJ
authors: Donskey
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: Asymptomatic carriers; Clostridium difficile; Transmission