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Relapses or reinfections: Analysis of a case of Clostridium difficile-associated colitis by two typing systems

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Abstract

Immunoblotting and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of Clostridium difficile isolates were employed to differentiate reinfection by a newly acquired strain from relapse by an original strain in a 10-year-old patient with four episodes of C. difficile-associated colitis. Immunoblot typing demonstrated subserogroup K-1 of serogroup K for the first and second organisms, subserogroup A-1 of serogroup A for the third organism, and subserogroup G-4 of serogroup G for the fourth organism. PFGE analysis revealed consistent results with immunoblot analysis except that the strains from the fourth episode, whose DNA constantly degraded, were nontypable by this method. Five separate isolates of C. difficile from a specimen of each episode showed identical PFGE patterns, indicating that infections of multiple strains probably did not occur in this patient. These typing results suggested that the second episode after a 17-day course of vancomycin therapy represented a relapse by the strain causing the first episode, and that the third and fourth episodes after tapering vancomycin therapy were reinfections by other strains. Both immunoblot and PFGE typing systems are promising tools for analyzing recurrence of C. difficile infection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Anaerobic Bacteriology, Gifu University, School of Medicine, 40 Tsukasa-machi, 500, Gifu, Japan

    Haru Kato, Naoki Kato & Kunitomo Watanabe

  2. Gifu College of Medical Technology, 795-1 Nagamine, 501-32, Seki, Japan

    Kazue Ueno

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Douhoku Sanatorium Hospital, 7 Hanasaki-cho, 070, Asahikawa, Japan

    Yoko Sakata

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Asahikawa Medical College, 4-5-3-11 Nishikagura, 078, Asahikawa, Japan

    Kozo Fujita

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  1. Haru Kato
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  2. Naoki Kato
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  3. Kunitomo Watanabe
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  4. Kazue Ueno
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  5. Yoko Sakata
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  6. Kozo Fujita
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Kato, H., Kato, N., Watanabe, K. et al. Relapses or reinfections: Analysis of a case of Clostridium difficile-associated colitis by two typing systems. Current Microbiology 33, 220–223 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002849900103

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002849900103

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