Skoutelis A T, Westenfelder G O, Beckerdite M, Phair J P
Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
Am J Infect Control. 1994 Aug;22(4):212-7. doi: 10.1016/0196-6553(94)90070-1.
Clostridium difficile is the usual and most important cause of antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous enterocolitis. The source of nosocomial acquisition of the organism in nonepidemic settings has not been determined.
Epidemiologic and microbiologic studies were conducted in a community-teaching hospital complex to assess the impact of carpeting in patient rooms on environmental contamination with C. difficile, along with the prevalence of pseudomembranous enterocolitis. All C. difficile isolates were typed by means of a bacteriophage-bacteriocin typing scheme.
No clear evidence of environmental acquisition of C. difficile in a nonepidemic setting of pseudomembranous enterocolitis was found. Carpeted floors were significantly more heavily contaminated for prolonged periods with clinical strains of C. difficile than were noncarpeted floors.
There was no evidence that contamination of carpeting resulted in increased frequency of pseudomembranous enterocolitis in patients residing in carpeted rooms. Because there is strong evidence of exogenous acquisition of C. difficile during outbreaks, however, room carpeting should be considered a potential reservoir of this organism.
艰难梭菌是抗生素相关性假膜性小肠结肠炎常见且最重要的病因。在非流行环境中医院内获得该病原体的来源尚未确定。
在一所社区教学医院综合设施中开展了流行病学和微生物学研究，以评估病房内铺设地毯对艰难梭菌环境污染的影响以及假膜性小肠结肠炎的患病率。所有艰难梭菌分离株均采用噬菌体 - 细菌素分型方案进行分型。
在假膜性小肠结肠炎的非流行环境中，未发现艰难梭菌环境获得的明确证据。与未铺设地毯的地板相比，铺设地毯的地板被艰难梭菌临床菌株长期污染的程度明显更严重。
没有证据表明铺设地毯会导致居住在铺设地毯房间的患者假膜性小肠结肠炎的发病率增加。然而，由于有强有力的证据表明在暴发期间艰难梭菌可通过外源性途径获得，因此应将病房地毯视为该病原体的潜在储存库。
