Diarrhea associated with Clostridium difficile in the oncology clinic

Purpose of the study. To conduct typing of toxigenic strains of Clostridium difficile, obtained from oncological patients who are in hospital.Material and Methods. The study included 130 patients with Clostridium difficile – associated diarrhea. First, the presence of toxins A+B+ in the feces was determined by enzyme immunoassay on an automatic miniVidas analyzer from BioMieux SA (France). For screening using real-time PCR, 26 toxigenic Clostridium difficile were selected. For the study used the system GeneXpert company «Cepheid» (Sweden).Results. Of the 1287 patients with diarrhea who were treated in an oncologic hospital, 130 (10,1%) tested positive for toxin A+B+ Clostridium difficile. For the study using real-time PCR, 26 samples were taken. The average age of patients is 57 years. 10 (38,5%) toxigenic strains were identified as hypervirulent ribotype. 7/10 strains were isolated for 3 consecutive month. The average age of patients with hypervirulent strains was 45 years. Patients participating in the study, in most cases were from the surgical departments – 61,5%, from the therapeutic – 34,7%.Conclusion. The study showed that the prevalence of Clostridium difficile infection in our clinic is lower than in other countries. Although hypervirulent strains accounted for 1/3 of all typed Clostridium difficile, special attention should be paid to them. Delayed diagnosis, delay in the onset of specific therapy in cancer patients can lead to a deterioration in the quality of life and in some cases be fatal. PCR diagnostics can determine the hypervirulent ribotype and carry out epidemiological measures aimed at preventing local outbreaks in the hospital.

Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile-associated diarrhea in equine in Minas Gerais, Brazil: clinical and microbiological characterization of six cases

ABSTRACT: Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile is the main causative agent of antimicrobial-related diarrhea in humans and a major pathogen-associated enteric disorder in foals and adult horses. Moreover, studies have suggested that animals are a possible reservoir of toxigenic C. difficile strains for humans. Despite this known importance, the epidemiology of C. difficile infection (CDI) in equine is still largely unknown. Therefore, this study described six cases of equine CDI occurring in Minas Gerais, Brazil, including the characterization of the isolates. All but one equine included in this research developed CDI after antimicrobial therapy, three of which occurred during hospitalization. Coinfection with Salmonella Heidelberg and S. Infantis was detected in three cases, making the antimicrobial treatment challenging. All animals recovered after metronidazole administration. All C. difficile isolates were susceptible to metronidazole and vancomycin, while three were resistant to moxifloxacin and two were resistant to clindamycin. The isolates were classified as RT126 (n = 4), RT078 (n = 1), and RT014/020 (n = 1), all previously reported infecting humans and animals worldwide.

GUT MICROBIOTA, PREBIOTICS, PROBIOTICS, AND SYNBIOTICS IN GASTROINTESTINAL AND LIVER DISEASES: PROCEEDINGS OF A JOINT MEETING OF THE BRAZILIAN SOCIETY OF HEPATOLOGY (SBH), BRAZILIAN NUCLEUS FOR THE STUDY OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI AND MICROBIOTA (NBEHPM), AND BRAZILIAN FEDERATION OF GASTROENTEROLOGY (FBG)

ABSTRACT Over the last years, there is growing evidence that microorganisms are involved in the maintenance of our health and are related to various diseases, both intestinal and extraintestinal. Changes in the gut microbiota appears to be a key element in the pathogenesis of hepatic and gastrointestinal disorders, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, liver cirrhosis, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and Clostridium difficile - associated diarrhea. In 2019, the Brazilian Society of Hepatology (SBH) in cooperation with the Brazilian Nucleus for the Study of Helicobacter Pylori and Microbiota (NBEHPM), and Brazilian Federation of Gastroenterology (FBG) sponsored a joint meeting on gut microbiota and the use of prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics in gastrointestinal and liver diseases. This paper summarizes the proceedings of the aforementioned meeting. It is intended to provide practical information about this topic, addressing the latest discoveries and indicating areas for future studies.