1887

Abstract

A large study of the distribution of in the environment of the Cardiff area of South Wales was performed with a methodology designed to maximise recovery. A total of 2580 samples was taken, with 184 (7.1%) yielding isolates. The highest yield for was obtained from river waters, with 14 (87.5%) of 16 samples from four rivers positive, and from sea water samples with 7 (44%) of 15 positive from six beaches on the Bristol Channel. In addition, 7 (46.7%) of 15 samples of lake water were also positive. Twenty-two (21%) of 104 soil samples, taken from random sites in Cardiff, were positive, as were 20% of environmental samples from four Cardiff hospitals. was also isolated from 50% of eight swimming pool waters examined and 1 (5.5%) of 18 of mains tap water. Carriage of in 524 faecal samples of assorted farm animals was . 1%, and was 10% in dogs and 2% in cats. In private residences, the organism was present in 12 (2.2%) of 550 samples. While 2.4% of 300 raw vegetable samples were positive, none of 107 assorted fish gut contents was. These findings indicate that may be more widely distributed in the general environment, particularly water, than was previously thought.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-45-2-133
1996-08-01
2024-04-19
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/jmm/45/2/medmicro-45-2-133.html?itemId=/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-45-2-133&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. George R. H., Symonds J. M., Dimock F. Identification of Clostridium difficile as a cause of pseudomembranous colitis. BMJ 1978; 1:695
    [Google Scholar]
  2. George W. L., Sutter V. L., Finegold S. M. Antimicrobial agent-induced diarrhea — a bacterial disease. J Infect Dis 1977; 136:822–828
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Mulligan M. E., Rolfe R. D., Finegold S. M., George W. L. Contamination of a hospital environment by Clostridium difficile. Curr Microbiol 1979; 3:173–175
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Kim K. H., Fekety R., Batts D. H. Isolation of Clostridium difficile from the environment and contacts of patients with antibiotic-associated colitis. J Infect Dis 1981; 143:42–50
    [Google Scholar]
  5. McFarland L. V., Mulligan M. E., Kwok R. Y. Y., Stamm W. E. Nosocomial acquisition of Clostridium difficile infection. N Engl J Med 1989; 320:204–210
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Hafiz S., Oakley C. L. Clostridium difficile: isolation and characteristics. J Med Microbiol 1976; 9:129–136
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Lindberg R. B., Wetzler T. F., Marshall J. D., Newton A., Strawitz J. G., Howard J. M. The bacterial flora of battle wounds at the time of debridement. A study of the Korean battle casualty. Ann Surg 1955; 141:369–374
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Blawat F., Chylinski G. Pathogenic clostridia in soil and faeces of domestic animals in the Gdansk region. Bull Inst Marine Med (Gdansk) 1958; 9:117–126
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Riley T. V. The epidemiology of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea. Rev Med Microbiol 1994; 5:117–122
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Riley T. V., Wetherall F., Bowman J., Mogyorosy J., Golledge C. L. Diarrhoeal disease due to Clostridium difficile in general practice. Pathology 1991; 23:346–349
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Brazier J. S. Role of the laboratory in investigations of Clostridium difficile diarrhea. Clin Infect Dis 1993; 16: Suppl 4S228–S233
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Borriello S. P., Honour P. Simplified procedure for the routine isolation of Clostridium difficile from faeces. J Clin Pathol 1981; 34:1124–1127
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Jones M. A., Hunter D. Isolation of Clostridium difficile from pigs. Vet Rec 1983; 112:253
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Princewell T. J. T., Agba M. L. Examination of bovine faeces for the isolation and identification of Clostridium species. J Appl Bacteriol 1982; 52:97–102
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Sakata T., Sugita H., Misuoka T., Kakimoto D., Kadota H. Isolation and distribution of anaerobic bacteria from the intestines of freshwater fish. Bull Jap Soc Sci Fish 1980; 46:1249–1255
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Dodds K. L., Brodsky M. H., Warburton D. W. A retail survey of smoked ready to eat fish to determine their microbiological quality. J Food Protect 1992; 55:208–210
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Willis A. T. Anaerobic bacilli in a treated water supply. J Appl Bacteriol 1957; 20:61–64
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Davies J. A. Isolation and identification of clostridia from North sea Sediments. J Appl Bacteriol 1969; 32:164–169
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Matches J. R., Liston J. Mesophilic clostridia in Puget sound. Can J Microbiol 1974; 20:1–7
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Nankivell A. T. The sand filtration and purification of chalk waters. J Hyg 1911; 11:235–258
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Borriello S. P., Honour P., Turner T., Barclay F. Household pets as a potential reservoir for Clostridium difficile infection. J Clin Pathol 1983; 36:84–87
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Riley T. V., Adams J. E., O’Neill G. L., Bowman R. A. Gastrointestinal carriage of Clostridium difficile in cats and dogs attending veterinary clinics. Epidemiol Infect 1991; 107:659–665
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Perrin J., Buogo C., Gallusser A., Bumens A. P., Nicolet J. Intestinal carriage of Clostridium difficile in neonate dogs. Zentralbl Veterinarmed B 1993; 40:222–226
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-45-2-133
Loading
/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-45-2-133
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error