This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Tang-Feldman, Y. Articles by Cohen, S. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Tang-Feldman, Y. Articles by Cohen, S. H.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, July 2003, p. 3413-3414, Vol. 41, No. 7
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.7.3413-3414.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Molecular Analysis of Clostridium difficile Strains Isolated from 18 Cases of Recurrent Clostridium difficile-Associated Diarrhea

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious and Immunologic Diseases, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, California 95817

Received 2 December 2002/ Returned for modification 21 January 2003/ Accepted 30 March 2003

Recurrence of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) occurs in 15 to 20% of patients after discontinuation of treatment. Arbitrarily primed PCR was used to investigate the epidemiology of recurrent CDAD in 18 patients. Reinfection with a new strain occurred in 6 of 18 patients (33.3%), while 12 patients relapsed with the original strain shortly after discontinuation of treatment. These data suggest that reinfection with exogenous C. difficile is a common problem and that not all recurrences are due to relapse.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Blossom, D. B., Lewis, F. M.T., McDonald, L. C. (2008). The Changing Spectrum of Clostridium Difficile Associated Disease: Implications for Dentistry. Journal of the American Dental Association 139: 42-47 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• McFarland, L. V (2005). Alternative treatments for Clostridium difficile disease: what really works?. J Med Microbiol 54: 101-111 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• van den Berg, R. J, Ameen, H. A., Furusawa, T., Claas, E. C., van der Vorm, E. R, Kuijper, E. J (2005). Coexistence of multiple PCR-ribotype strains of Clostridium difficile in faecal samples limits epidemiological studies. J Med Microbiol 54: 173-179 [Abstract] [Full Text]