Clostridium difficile infection in outpatients, Maryland and Connecticut, USA, 2002-2007

Emerg Infect Dis. 2011 Oct;17(10):1946-9. doi: 10.3201/eid1710.110069.

Abstract

Clostridium difficile, the most commonly recognized diarrheagenic pathogen among hospitalized persons, can cause outpatient diarrhea. Of 1,091 outpatients with diarrhea, we found 43 (3.9%) who were positive for C. difficile toxin. Only 7 had no recognized risk factors, and 3 had neither risk factors nor co-infection with another enteric pathogen.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Ambulatory Care
  • Bacterial Toxins
  • Bacterial Typing Techniques
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Clostridioides difficile / classification
  • Clostridioides difficile / isolation & purification*
  • Clostridium Infections / diagnosis
  • Clostridium Infections / epidemiology*
  • Connecticut / epidemiology
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / diagnosis
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / epidemiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Maryland / epidemiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Bacterial Toxins