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Updated: Jan 9, 2026
Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291
Published on: December 10, 2016
A severe Clostridioides difficile ribotype 027 infection in Beijing, China, july 2024
Xinfei Chen1,2, Yang Chen3, Han Zhang1,2
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Background:
Clostridioides difficile ribotype (RT) 027 is particularly virulent, capable of causing severe conditions such as ileus, toxic megacolon, hypotension, or shock. Outbreaks of RT027 C. difficile are more frequently reported abroad compared to China.
Methods:
We present a case of toxic megacolon caused by an RT027 C. difficile infection and trace the source of the infectious agent using whole genome sequencing. The agar dilution approach was utilized to determine antimicrobial susceptibility.
Results:
Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the origin of this isolate was located in the same bifurcating branch of strains previously isolated in Beijing in 2012, yet it clusters within a new subcluster. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) differences between this strain and other isolates from mainland China range from 1 to 16, and the SNP differences between mainland China strains and international strains within the FQR1 lineage range from 7 to 37.
Conclusions:
The emergence of hypervirulent RT027 C. difficile necessitates an accurate tracing of its source. Whole genome sequencing can aid in precisely identifying origins. Although RT027 C. difficile remains primarily sporadic in China, enhanced surveillance of C. difficile and stringent hospital infection control measures is imperative.
