title: DETECTION, RIBOTYPING AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE PROPERTIES OF CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE STRAINS ISOLATED FROM THE CASES OF DIARRHEA.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clostridium difficileis the most prevalent cause of antibiotic-associated infectious diarrhea al-around the world. Prevalence of virulent and resistant strains ofClostridium difficileis increasing now a day. The present investigation was carried out to study the prevalence, ribotyping and antibiotic resistance pattern ofC. difficileisolated from diarrheic and non-diarrheic pediatrics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four-hundred stool specimens were collected from the diarrheic and non-diarrheic pediatrics hospitalized due to the diseases other than diarrhea. Samples were cultured and their positive results were subjected to disk diffusion and PCR-based ribotyping.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-five out of 400 (8.75%) samples were positive forC. difficile. Prevalence ofC. difficilein diarrheic and non-diarrheic pediatrics were 11.25% and 4.16%, respectively. Male had the higher prevalence of bacteria than female (P< 0.05). eight to twelve months old pediatrics were the most commonly infected group. R27 (14.28%), R1 (10.71%), R12 (7.14%), R13 (7.14%) and R18 (7.14%) were most commonly detected ribotypes. There were no positive results for studied ribotypes in non-diarrheic pediatrics.C. difficilestrains had the highest levels of resistance against tetracycline (71.42%), erythromycin (57.14%), moxifloxacin (48.57%), metronidazole (28.57%) and clindamycin (22.85%) antibiotics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prescription of antibiotics in diarrheic pediatrics, males and also 8-12 months old pediatrics should be done in a regular and cautious manner.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
authors.forename: Samaneh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kouzegaran
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmood
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ganjifard
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir Saber
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Tanha
keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Clostridium difficile; Diarrhea; Pediatrics; Ribotyping