title: A cluster of fulminant Clostridium difficile colitis in an intensive care unit in Italy.
abstract: We describe, for the first time, a cluster of lethal fulminant health-care associated Clostridium difficile (CD) colitis in Italy, observed in the intensive care unit (ICU) of an Italian tertiary care hospital in Rome. For all cases the cause of ICU admission was CD-related septic shock. Three out of seven patients were residents in a long-term care facility in Rome, and the others had been transferred to the ICU from different medical wards of the same hospital. Five patients died within 96 h of ICU admission. Because of a clinical deterioration after 4 days of adequate antibiotic therapy, two patients underwent subtotal colectomy: both of them died within 30 days of surgical intervention. In four cases, ribotyping assay was performed and ribotype 027 was recognized. This high mortality rate could be attributable to three findings: the extent of disease severity induced by the strain 027, the delay in antimicrobial therapy administration, and the lack of efficacy of the standard antibiotic treatment for fulminant CD colitis compared to an earlier surgical approach. In order to contain a CD infection epidemic, control and surveillance measures should be implemented, and empirical therapy should be administered. Because of potential 027 ribotype CD spread in Italy, CDI should be regarded with a high index of suspicion in all patients presenting with shock and signs or symptoms suggesting abdominal disease, and an early surgical approach should be considered.
authors: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Guastalegname
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Grieco
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Giuliano
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Falcone
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Caccese
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Carfagna
authors: M
authors: M
authors: D'ambrosio
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Taliani
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Venditti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D003092:Colitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D021521:Ribotyping; D012384:Rome / Q000453:epidemiology; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers