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Clostridium difficile in Food and Animals: A Comprehensive Review

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Advances in Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Public Health

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AMIDPH,volume 932))

Abstract

Zoonoses are infections or diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans through direct contact, close proximity or the environment. Clostridium difficile is ubiquitous in the environment, and the bacterium is able to colonise the intestinal tract of both animals and humans. Since domestic and food animals frequently test positive for toxigenic C. difficile, even without showing any signs of disease, it seems plausible that C. difficile could be zoonotic. Therefore, animals could play an essential role as carriers of the bacterium. In addition, the presence of the spores in different meats, fish, fruits and vegetables suggests a risk of foodborne transmission. This review summarises the current available data on C. difficile in animals and foods, from when the bacterium was first described up to the present.

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Acknowledgements

Our most sincere thanks go to Cate Chapman and Josh Jones for their support in editing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science, University of Liège-Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Avenue de Cureghem 10, bât 43bis Sart-Tilman, 4000, Liège, Belgium

    C. Rodriguez, B. Taminiau & G. Daube

  2. Belgian Reference Centre for Clostridium difficile (NRC), Pôle de microbiologie médicale, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

    J. Van Broeck & M. Delmée

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  1. C. Rodriguez
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  2. B. Taminiau
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  4. M. Delmée
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  5. G. Daube
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Correspondence to C. Rodriguez .

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  1. Microbial Biofilm Laboratory, Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Rome, Italy

    Gianfranco Donelli

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Rodriguez, C., Taminiau, B., Van Broeck, J., Delmée, M., Daube, G. (2016). Clostridium difficile in Food and Animals: A Comprehensive Review. In: Donelli, G. (eds) Advances in Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Public Health. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology(), vol 932. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2016_27

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