Frequency of Clostridium difficile among patients with gastrointestinal complaints.
OBJECTIVE
In this study, the prevalence of C. difficile, from patients with gastrointestinal complaints and its association with other enteropathogen microbes were investigated.


BACKGROUND
Clostridium difficile is an important pathogen associated with outbreaks of pseudomembranous colitis and other intestinal disorders, such as diarrhea.


METHODS
Enterotoxin and cytotoxin (toxin A and toxin B) of C. difficile on the patient's stool samples were detected by a double sandwich enzyme-linked Immunosorbant assay technique using a commercial kit (Premier toxins A & B; Generic Assays, Inc., Germany). The microbial isolation and examination was done, according to the standard identification methods.


RESULTS
Out of 356 individuals (57.6% male and 42.4% female) the results of C. difficile were positive for 19 patients (5.3%) and negative for 337 patients (94.6%) according to the results of C. difficile antigen kit. There was no association between the existence of C. difficile toxin and microbial population or antibiotic usage.


CONCLUSIONS
This prevalence study clearly supports the hypothesis of a probable role of C.difficile in developing gastrointestinal complaints in patients with diarrhea. More studies are needed to evaluate the role of C. difficile in these diseases.
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Ehsan
E
Nazemalhosseini-Mojarad
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Masoumeh
M
Azimirad
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Maryam
M
Razaghi
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Parisa
P
Torabi
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Ali
A
Moosavi
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Masoud
M
Alebouyeh
Deprtment of Microbiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Mehdi
MM
Aslani
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Reza
MR
Zali
Clostridium difficile; Gastrointestinal complaints; Iran