Larson H E, Barclay F E, Honour P, Hill I D
J Infect Dis. 1982 Dec;146(6):727-33. doi: 10.1093/infdis/146.6.727.
The epidemiology of Clostridium difficile was studied prospectively in 451 newborn infants by daily screening of fecal samples. Colonization rates in three postnatal wards ranged from 2% to 52%. Many colonizations were sporadic, but on two wards there was evidence of clustering. On one of these occasions prospective environmental sampling yielded C. difficile organisms from a potential common source. Mothers were shown not to be the sources of their infants' organisms. Both toxin-producing and non-toxigenic strains were common; differentiation according to toxin type was epidemiologically useful. Cross contamination is the most likely explanation of the spread of C. difficile among hospitalized infants; the organism could spread among adults who are at risk of developing antibiotic-associated colitis in a similar manner.
通过每日对粪便样本进行筛查，对451名新生儿艰难梭菌的流行病学情况进行了前瞻性研究。三个产后病房的定植率在2%至52%之间。许多定植是散发性的，但在两个病房有聚集现象的证据。其中一次，前瞻性环境采样从一个潜在的共同来源检出了艰难梭菌。已表明母亲并非其婴儿体内病菌的来源。产毒素菌株和非产毒素菌株都很常见；根据毒素类型进行区分在流行病学上很有用。交叉污染是艰难梭菌在住院婴儿中传播的最可能解释；该病菌可能以类似方式在有患抗生素相关性结肠炎风险的成人中传播。
