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. 2000 Jun;38(6):2386-8.
doi: 10.1128/JCM.38.6.2386-2388.2000.

Epidemiology of recurrences or reinfections of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea

F Barbut  1 , A Richard, K Hamadi, V Chomette, B Burghoffer, J C Petit
Affiliations

Epidemiology of recurrences or reinfections of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea

F Barbut et al. J Clin Microbiol. 2000 Jun.

Abstract

Approximately 15 to 35% of patients with a first episode of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea relapse within 2 months. Between 1994 and 1997, strains from 93 hospitalized patients with C. difficile recurrences were fingerprinted by using both serotyping and PCR-ribotyping. The results showed that 48.4% of clinical recurrences were, in fact, reinfections with a different strain of C. difficile. Rates of clinical recurrences could therefore be reduced by implementing strict isolation precautions.

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References

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