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Updated: Mar 6, 2026
Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291
Published on: December 10, 2016
Epidemiology and risk factors for Clostridium difficile infection in critically ill patients in Spain: The PROCRID
Antonio Gutiérrez-Pizarraya1, Luis Martín-Villén2, Luis Alcalá-Hernández3
1Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, IBIS/Hospitales Universitarios Virgen Macarena - Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.
Introduction:
Our objectives were to describe the incidence, clinical characteristics, and risk factors for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in critically ill patients and to determine C. difficile PCR-ribotypes.
Methods:
Prospective, observational study in 26 Spanish ICUs. Patients with diarrhea meeting ESCMID criteria for CDI were included. Molecular characterization of isolates was performed using PCR ribotyping.
Results:
Of 4258 patients admitted to the ICUs, 190 (4.5%) developed diarrhea. Only 16 patients (8.4%) were diagnosed with CDI. Ribotype 078/126 (25.0%) was the most frequently identified. The mortality rate was similar in patients with ICD compared to patients with diarrhea not caused by C. difficile (p=0.115). Chronic renal insufficiency was identified as the only factor independently associated with the development of CDI (OR 5.87, 95% CI 1.24-27.83; p=0.026).
Conclusions:
The incidence of CDI in Spanish ICUs is low. Only chronic renal insufficiency was observed to be a risk factor for CDI development.
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