title: Clostridium difficile infection in Thailand.
abstract: Clostridium difficile is the aetiological agent in ca. 20% of cases of antimicrobial-associated diarrhoea in hospitalised adults. Diseases caused by this organism range from mild diarrhoea to occasional fatal pseudomembranous colitis. The epidemiology of C. difficile infection (CDI) has changed notably in the past decade, following epidemics in the early 2000s of PCR ribotype (RT) 027 infection in North America and Europe, where there was an increase in disease severity and mortality. Another major event has been the emergence of RT 078, initially as the predominant ribotype in production animals in the USA and Europe, and then in humans in Europe. Although there have been numerous investigations of the epidemiology of CDI in North America and Europe, limited studies have been undertaken elsewhere, particularly in Asia. Antimicrobial exposure remains the major risk factor for CDI. Given the high prevalence of indiscriminate and inappropriate use of antimicrobials in Asia, it is conceivable that CDI is relatively common among humans and animals. This review describes the level of knowledge in Thailand regarding C. difficile detection methods, prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility profile, as well as the clinical features of, treatment options for and outcomes of the disease. In addition, antimicrobial usage in livestock in Thailand will be reviewed. A literature search yielded 18 studies mentioning C. difficile in Thailand, a greater number than from any other Asian country. It is possible that the situation in Thailand in relation to CDI may mirror the situation in other developing Asians countries.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology & Immunology, School of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Papanin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Putsathit
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
authors.forename: Pattarachai
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kiratisin
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand.
authors.forename: Puriya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ngamwongsatit
authors.affiliation: Microbiology & Immunology, School of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia. Electronic address: thomas.riley@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Thomas V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Riley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary; D004363:Drug Utilization; D006801:Humans; D058751:Livestock; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents
keywords: Antimicrobials; Asia; Clostridium difficile; Developing countries; Epidemiology; Thailand