Assessment of changes in the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile isolated from diarrheal patients in Hungary

Anaerobe. 2009 Dec;15(6):237-40. doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2009.01.010. Epub 2009 Feb 9.

Abstract

150 Clostridium difficile strains isolated from diarrheal feces were collected from three parts of Hungary and the presence of genes responsible for toxin A and B, and binary toxin production were examined. MIC distribution against clindamycin, erythromycin, metronidazole, moxifloxacin and rifampin of 80 toxigenic strains selected from the above-mentioned strains and 20 large clostridial toxins (LCTs)-positive strains chosen from our earlier strain collection were determined. 80% of the examined 150 strains were positive for both tcdA and tcdB, and no toxin A-negative, toxin B-positive isolates were found during the study period. 5.3% of toxigenic strains proved to be positive for binary toxin too. Among binary toxin-positive strains, one strain showed the same pattern characteristic of PCR ribotype 027. Comparison of recent findings and our earlier results, the prevalence of toxin-producing and binary toxin-positive strains among C. difficile isolated from diarrheal specimens increased. No metronidazole resistant isolate was detected among strains isolated in 2002-2003 and 2006-2007. The rates of resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, moxifloxacin and rifampin among strains isolated between 2006 and 2007 were 25%, 27.5%, 25% and 6.3%, respectively. Erythromycin resistance was frequently associated with clindamycin and moxifloxacin resistance, however this resistant phenotype was not found among strains isolated in 2002-2003.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Bacterial Toxins / genetics
  • Bacterial Toxins / metabolism
  • Clostridioides difficile / classification*
  • Clostridioides difficile / drug effects*
  • Clostridioides difficile / genetics
  • Clostridioides difficile / isolation & purification
  • Diarrhea / epidemiology*
  • Diarrhea / microbiology
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / epidemiology*
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / microbiology
  • Enterotoxins / genetics
  • Enterotoxins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Hungary / epidemiology
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Epidemiology*
  • Ribotyping

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Bacterial Toxins
  • Enterotoxins
  • tcdA protein, Clostridium difficile
  • toxB protein, Clostridium difficile