High frequency of toxigenic Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens coinfection among diarrheic patients at health care facility-onset (HCFO) and community-onset (CO) centers in Bogotá, Colombia
Alex J. Forero,
Marina Muñoz,
Milena Camargo,
Sara C. Soto-De León,
Dora I. Ríos-Chaparro,
Claudia Birchenall,
Darío Pinilla,
Juan M. Pardo,
Diego F. Josa,
Manuel A. Patarroyo,
Juan D. Ramírez
Affiliations
Alex J. Forero
Grupo de Investigaciones Microbiológicas–UR (GIMUR), Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad del Rosario
Marina Muñoz
Grupo de Investigaciones Microbiológicas–UR (GIMUR), Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad del Rosario
Milena Camargo
Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC)
Sara C. Soto-De León
Laboratorio de Investigación Biomédica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Sinú
Dora I. Ríos-Chaparro
Grupo de Investigaciones Microbiológicas–UR (GIMUR), Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad del Rosario
Claudia Birchenall
Hospital Universitario Mayor-Méderi
Darío Pinilla
Hospital Universitario Mayor-Méderi
Juan M. Pardo
Hospital Universitario Mayor-Méderi
Diego F. Josa
Fundación Clínica Shaio
Manuel A. Patarroyo
Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC)
Juan D. Ramírez
Grupo de Investigaciones Microbiológicas–UR (GIMUR), Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad del Rosario
Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of toxigenic C. difficile and C. perfringens infections at health care facility-onset (HCFO) and community-onset (CO), in two health care centers (HCC) in Bogotá, Colombia. A total of 220 stool samples from patients presenting diarrhea acquired at HCFO or CO were analyzed by several PCR tests. Results We found that 65.5% (n = 144) of the population had C. difficile infection, followed by toxigenic C. difficile with 57.3% (n = 126), and finally toxigenic C. perfringens with a frequency of 32.7% (n = 72). Conclusions This study is the first molecular detection and characterization of C. difficile and C. perfringens in HCFO and CO in Latin America and demonstrates a relevant frequency of these two species, including coinfection and strikingly diverse toxigenic profiles, especially in the CO.
