Acquisition of Clostridium difficile Colonization and Infection After Transfer From a Veterans Affairs Hospital to an Affiliated Long-Term Care Facility

Abstract

BACKGROUNDClostridium difficile infection (CDI) and asymptomatic carriage of toxigenic C. difficile are common in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). However, whether C. difficile is frequently acquired in the LTCF versus during acute-care admissions remains unknown.OBJECTIVETo test the hypothesis that LTCF residents often acquire C. difficile colonization and infection in the LTCFDESIGNThis 5-month cohort study was conducted to determine the incidence of acquisition of C. difficile colonization and infection in asymptomatic patients transferred from a Veterans Affairs hospital to an affiliated LTCF.METHODSRectal swabs were cultured for toxigenic C. difficile at the time of transfer to the LTCF and weekly for up to 6 weeks. We calculated the proportion of LTCF-onset CDI cases within 1 month of transfer that occurred in residents colonized on admission versus those with new acquisition in the LTCF.RESULTSOf 110 patients transferred to the LTCF, 12 (11%) were asymptomatically colonized with toxigenic C. difficile upon admission, and 4 of these 12 patients (33%) developed CDI within 1 month, including 3 recurrent and 1 initial CDI episode. Of 82 patients with negative cultures on transfer and at least 1 follow-up culture, 22 (27%) acquired toxigenic C. difficile colonization, and 4 developed CDI within 1 month, including 1 recurrent and 3 initial CDI episodes.CONCLUSIONLTCF residents frequently acquired colonization with toxigenic C. difficile after transfer from the hospital, and 3 of 4 initial CDI cases with onset within 1 month of transfer occurred in residents who acquired colonization in the LTCF.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1070–1076