title: Antibiotic overuse and Clostridium difficile infections: the Indian paradox and the possible role of dietary practices.
abstract: Antibiotic abuse is rampant in India, such that one may expect to see an increase of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI). However, we found that the incidence of CDI in India (1.67%) is no different from that reported in USA (1.6%) using similar techniques of detection (polymerase chain reaction test). We offer a possible explanation for this paradox. It is likely that a diet rich in fiber, yogurt, and possibly turmeric may have a protective role in decreasing the incidence of CDIs in India.
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, India. Electronic address: icudoctor@gmail.com.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ramakrishnan
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Critical Care, Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sriram
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000254:growth & development; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D030024:Curcuma; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D015014:Yogurt
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004043:Dietary Fiber
keywords: Antibiotic overuse; Clostridium difficile infections; Dietary fiber; Probiotics; Turmeric; Yoghurt