Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 30, 2026
A Protocol to Characterize the Morphological Changes of Clostridium difficile in Response to Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: May 25, 2017
Molecular characterization of nosocomial Clostridium difficile infection in pediatric ward in Iran
Abolfazl Khoshdel1, Roya Habibian2, Neda Parvin3
1Biochemistry Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Insights
This study found Clostridium difficile in over half of pediatric diarrhea cases, with specific ribotypes like RT027 being common. Continued surveillance is crucial for tracking C. difficile strains in children.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Clostridium difficile is a primary cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea and colitis.
- It poses a significant economic burden on healthcare systems.
- Understanding C. difficile strains in pediatric populations is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To molecularly characterize Clostridium difficile strains from children under five with nosocomial diarrhea.
- To determine the prevalence and distribution of C. difficile ribotypes in this age group.
Main Methods:
- Fecal samples from 100 diarrheic and 130 non-diarrheic children were collected.
- C. difficile isolates were identified through culturing.
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with P3 and P5 primers was used to analyze ribotype distribution.
Main Results:
- Clostridium difficile was detected in 52% of diarrheic children.
- Prevalence was higher in boys (54.7%) than girls (48.9%).
- Children aged 13-24 months showed the highest prevalence. RT027 (11.52%), R1 (9.61%), and R13 (7.68%) were the most common ribotypes.
Conclusions:
- Clostridium difficile is prevalent in Iranian pediatric nosocomial diarrhea.
- Specific ribotypes, including RT027, are common in this population.
- Ongoing molecular surveillance is necessary to monitor C. difficile strains and inform vaccine strategies.
Abstract:
Clostridium difficile is recognized as a major cause of nosocomial acquired antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. It is a significant financial burden on modern healthcare resources. This study aimed to assess the molecular characterization of C. difficile strains isolated from children under 5 years old suffered from nosocomial diarrhea. One hundred diarrheic and 130 non-diarrheic fecal samples were collected from pediatrics less than 5 years old. Samples were cultured and C. difficile isolates were subjected to the PCR technique to study the distribution of ribotypes of C. difficile using P3 and P5 primers. Fifty-two out of 100 samples (52 %) were positive for C. difficile. The prevalence of bacterium in healthy children was 4.61 %. Total prevalence of C. difficile in diarrheic girls and boys were 48.9 and 54.7 %, respectively. Thirteen to twenty-four month age children had the highest prevalence of C. difficile. The most commonly detected ribotypes in the C. difficile isolates of Iranian pediatrics were RT027 (11.52 %), R1 (9.61 %) and R13 (7.68 %). The ribotypes of all of the six bacterial isolates of healthy children was not diagnosed. According to the presence of C. difficile and R27 ribotype, a continued genotype surveillance of this bacterium is necessary to monitor changes in the prevalence of certain strains and to identify the emergence of new strains that could affect future vaccine strategies.
