title: Clostridium difficile infection in elderly nursing home residents.
abstract: Age-related changes in intestinal flora and host defences, the receipt of antibiotic treatment, and the presence of underlying diseases are some of the most common risk factors associated with Clostridium difficile infection. Therefore, retirement care facilities for elderly people have been pinpointed as frequent sources of contamination. There is only limited data regarding the presence and epidemiology of C. difficile in nursing homes, and this gap in the current literature emphasises the need to gain a better understanding of the situation in order to prevent the emergence of new outbreaks among this population group.
authors.affiliation: Food Science Department, FARAH, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium. Electronic address: c.rodriguez@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: Food Science Department, FARAH, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Korsak
authors.affiliation: Food Science Department, FARAH, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Taminiau
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Unit, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Avesani
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Unit, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Broeck
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Unit, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delmée
authors.affiliation: Food Science Department, FARAH, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Daube
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D009735:Nursing Homes
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Clostridium difficile; Clostridium difficile infection; Colonisation; Nursing homes