[Study on clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea suspected as nosocomial infection in urology ward]

Between June 2000 and January 2001, 11 patients were diagnosed with Clostridium diffcile (C. difficile)-associated diarrhea in the ward of urology at the Kakegawa Municipal Hospital. Of these 11 patients, 10 had exposure to antimicrobial agents, before the onset of diarrhea. All patients' stools were positive for C. difficile toxin A. After discotinuing antimicrobial agents with or without administering Vancomycin, they recovered from C. difficile-associated diarrhea. Between January 2001 and September 2002, 17 patients who were diagnosed with C. difficile-associated diarrhea in our hospital were classified into two types by PCR ribotyping. Therefore, we suspected a nosocomial outbreak of diarrhea caused by C. difficile.