The complex factors that contribute to Clostridium difficile infection
Kate E Mackin A B and Dena Lyras A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Microbiology Monash University, Clayton Vic. 3800, Australia
B Tel: +61 3 9902 9182 Email: kate.mackin@monash.edu
Microbiology Australia 36(3) 104-106 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA15036
Published: 7 August 2015
Abstract
Over the past decade Clostridium difficile has emerged as a serious public health issue, causing both hospital-based epidemics and community-associated disease. The most commonly recognised cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in the human population, C. difficile was initially seen as a nuisance pathogen causing limited disease in the hospital setting. However, the emergence of ‘hypervirulent' strain types, associated with an increase in both morbidity and mortality, has made it a pathogen of great concern worldwide. Infection with C. difficile is also being increasingly documented in animals, with suggestions that animals destined for human consumption may provide a reservoir for disease. The use of antibiotics is considered the main risk factor for the development of human infection; however, many other factors such as strain type, patient age, and host immune response all contribute to disease caused by C. difficile.
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