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Updated: Dec 21, 2025

A Protocol to Characterize the Morphological Changes of Clostridium difficile in Response to Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: May 25, 2017
Diagnosis and treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection
Lourdes Mateu1, Gema Fernández-Rivas2, Nieves Sopena1
1Servicio de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol. Departamento de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Recerca Germans Trias i Pujol. CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Badalona, Barcelona, España.
Abstract:
Clostridioides difficile is the main cause of healthcare-associated diarrhoea in adults. The incidence of C.difficile infection (CDI) has increased in recent years. The risk of recurrence of CDI is 15%-25% in a first episode and this risk is increased in subsequent episodes. Toxigenic culture and cytotoxicity tests are the reference techniques for the microbiological diagnosis of CDI. These are laborious and slow techniques and therefore they have been replaced in clinical practice by the application of a multi-step algorithm that includes the detection of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), toxins and molecular techniques. The treatment of choice for CDI is Vancomycin. In recent years, new drugs and new treatment strategies have appeared that are especially useful in the treatment of relapses of CDI.
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