Clostridium difficile Infection in Outpatients, Maryland and Connecticut, USA, 2002–2007

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.

Keywords

• Clostridium difficile
• diarrhea
• outpatient
• enteric
• pathogen
• bacteria