Genomic Epidemiology of Clostridioidesdifficile

Abstract

Clostridioides difficile is the most common cause of health care-associated infections in the United States. The persistence of C difficile as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality is a testament to significant gaps remaining in our understanding of how and where it spreads, and pathways leading to disease. Over the past decade, the revolution in microbial whole-genome sequencing has enabled studies that have begun to fill in gaps in our understanding of C difficile. In this review, I will provide an overview of the contribution that genomics has made to our understanding of C difficile as a pathogen.

Keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Clostridioides difficile; Genomic epidemiology; Infection prevention; Whole-genome sequencing.