Clostridium difficile in acute and long-stay elderly patients.

A recent report suggested that Clostridium difficile (Cl. difficile) was endemic in chronic-care facilities. We have examined the prevalence of Cl. difficile carriage in 67 patients in a large geriatric hospital. Cl. difficile was sought by both toxin and culture methods, but was not detected in the stools of any patient. These findings suggest that Cl. difficile is not part of the normal faecal flora in elderly in-patients.