Study of Clostridium difficile in South Gujarat region of India

Toxin-producing Clostridium difficile strains is a common cause of diarrhoea today. Clostridium difficile presently has been identified as a causative agent of a spectrum of diseases referred to as Clostridium difficile Infections (CDI). CDI can establish as self-limiting antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) and antibiotic-associated colitis (AAC) to severe and life threatening forms like; pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) and toxic megacolon. Indian studies have reported Clostridium difficile-associated Diarrhoea (CDAD) prevalence rates ranging from 7.1% to 26.6% and its incidence varies considerably from place to place. The present work was conducted with the objective to study Clostridium difficile and its prevalence in the South Gujarat Region of the Gujarat state of India. Alcohol Shock treatment was given to the stool sample, followed by enrichment of spores by inoculating an RCM broth (added with 0.1% sodium taurocholate). After 48 hr., subculture was made on CCFA medium. Plates were incubated anaerobically for 48hrs. The C. difficile isolates were identified by colonial characteristic, fluorescence under UV light and positive Latex Agglutination test. The isolates were further characterized by gram reaction for cellular morphology, spore staining and various biochemical tests as described in Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. Among 271 clinical stool investigated, 176 were of male and 95 were of female patients. In total 16 isolates have been obtained from total of 271 clinical samples i.e. the isolation rate is 5.9% during six month. Among this C. difficile has been isolated from 10 males (62.5%) and 6 females (37.5%). A case of PMC has also been reported in present