Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T05:34:57.205Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

What's Lurking Under the Bed? Persistence and Predominance of Particular Clostridium difficile Strains in a Hospital and the Potential Role of Environmental Contamination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Lynne V. McFarland*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Services, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
*
Diabetes Health Enhancement Program, 6727 Rainier Avenue S, # 17, Seattle, WA 98118
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Image of the first page of this content. For PDF version, please use the ‘Save PDF’ preceeding this image.'
Type
Editorial
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2002

References

1.McFarland, LV, Mulligan, ME, Kwok, RYY, Stamm, WE. Nosocomial acquisition of Clostridium difficile infection. N Engl J Med 1989;320:204210.Google Scholar
2.Cohen, SH, Tang, YJ, Rahmani, D, Silva, J. Persistence of an endemic (toxigenic) isolate of Clostridium difficile in the environment of a general medicine ward. Clin Infect Dis 2000;30:952954.Google Scholar
3.Kroker, PB, Bower, M, Azadian, B. Clostridium difficile infection, hospital geography and time-space clustering. Q J Med 2001;94:223225.Google Scholar
4.Samore, MH, Venkataraman, L, DeGirolami, PC, Arbeit, RD, Karchmer, AW. Clinical and molecular epidemiology of sporadic and clustered cases of nosocomial Clostridium difficile diarrhea. Am J Med 1996; 100:3240.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Lai, KK, Melvin, S, Menard, MJ, Kotilainen, HR, Baker, S. Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea: epidemiology, risk factors and infection control. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1997;18:628632.Google Scholar
6.Johnson, S, Samore, MH, Karrow, KAet al. Epidemics of diarrhea caused by a clindamycin-resistant strain of Clostridium difficile in four hospitals. N Engl J Med 1999;341:16451651.Google Scholar
7.McFarland, LV, Brandmarker, SA, Guandalini, S. Pediatric Clostridium difficile: a phantom menace or clinical reality? J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2000;31:220231.Google Scholar
8.Levy, DG, Stergachis, A, McFarland, LV, et al. Antibiotics and Clostridium difficile diarrhea in the ambulatory care setting. Clin Ther 2000;22:91102.Google Scholar
9.Hirschhorn, LR, Trnka, Y, Onderdonk, ALee, MT, Platt, R. Epidemiology of community-acquired Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea. J Infect Dis 1994;169:127133.Google Scholar
10.Pulvirenti, JJ, Gerding, DN, Nathan, C, et al. Difference in the incidence of Clostridium difficile among patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus admitted to a public and a private hospital. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002;23:641647.Google Scholar
11.Mekonen, ET, Gerding, DN, Sambol, SP, et al. Predominance of a single restriction endonuclease analysis group with intrahospital subgroup diversity among Clostridium difficile isolates at two Chicago hospitals. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002;23:648652.Google Scholar
12.Wilcox, MH, Fawley, WN. Hospital disinfectants and spore formation by Clostridium difficile. Lancet 2000;356:1324.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Mayfield, JL, Leet, T, Miller, J, Mundy, LM. Environmental control to reduce transmission of Clostridium difficile. Clin Infect Dis 2000;31:9951000.CrossRefGoogle Scholar