A multicenter retrospective study of Clostridium difficile infection in Ningxia, China

Abstract

Abstract Background: The toxigenic stool culture (TC) was used as the gold standard to evaluate the performance of C. Diff Quick Check Complete and Xpert C. difficile to support the detection of clinical CD. The clinical data of the patients were also retrospectively analyzed to explore the susceptibility factors and susceptible population of Clostridium difficileinfection (CDI) in Ningxia region. Methods: 432 stools were collected from September 2020 to December 2021 from patients who presented with diarrhea after admission to several hospitals in Ningxia, China. CD was detected by enzyme immunoassay (C. Diff Quick Check Complete) and Xpert C. difficile. The results were compared and evaluated with those detected by TC. We also retrospectivelyanalyzed the clinical data and treatment history of patients with definite CDI. Results: C. Diff Quick Check Complete suggested 35 cases of CD, Xpert suggested 31 cases. The Statistical data of two methods were both statistically significant(P<0.05). 25.81% of 31 TC-positive patients had gastrointestinal diseases and hepatobiliary diseases, 22.58% of them were with malignant tumors. 16 (51.61%) of the patients used antibiotics during hospitalization, of which cephalosporins were the most common, accounting for 75.00%. Conclusion: Both Xpert C. difficile and C. Diff Quick Check Complete can be used for the rapid detection of CD, but not as an independent diagnostic method. Clinicians should establish early screening mechanisms to reduce the incidence of CDI in high-risk groups who are elderly, have gastrointestinal diseases, a history of antimicrobial drug use, and a history of recent hospitalization.