ReviewBMC infectious diseases2015
Asymptomatic Clostridium difficile colonization: epidemiology and clinical implications.
Review in BMC infectious diseases, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 99 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
99 citing papers in PubMed.
- Trial
- Clostridioides difficile in West Africa: a systematic review of the limited evidence and key knowledge gaps.Global epidemiology · 2026Article
- Article
- Smoking andInfection and drug resistance · 2026Article
- Clinical burden of Clostridioides difficile infection in infective endocarditis: a single-center experience.Internal and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- The emerging view on the roles of butyrate inInfection and immunity · 2025Review
- Clinical Characteristics and Impact of Clostridium difficile Infection during Treatment of Rifampicin-Susceptible Pulmonary Tuberculosis.Tuberculosis and respiratory diseases · 2025Article
- Longitudinal Gut Microbiome Changes Associated with Transitions fromMicroorganisms · 2025Article
- Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Development Map: A Conceptual Map and a Tool to Support Economic Evaluation of AMR Interventions.Applied health economics and health policy · 2025Article
- Use of PCR cycle threshold values for toxins A and B quantification in Clostridioides difficile infections.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Knowledge Assessment of Hospital Nursing Staff in Saudi Arabia RegardingNursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2025Article
- Heterogeneity of Clostridioides difficile asymptomatic colonization prevalence: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Gut pathogens · 2025Article
- Evaluation of shotgun metagenomics as a diagnostic tool for infectious gastroenteritis.PloS one · 2025Article
- Review
- Clostridium perfringens in central Colombia: frequency, toxin genes, and risk factors.Gut pathogens · 2024Article
- Review
- Impact of the Reverse 2-Step Algorithm forOpen forum infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Reviewing theMicroorganisms · 2024Review
- Clostridioides difficile Biofilm.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2024Article
- Animal and In Vitro Models as Powerful Tools to Decipher the Effects of Enteric Pathogens on the Human Gut Microbiota.Microorganisms · 2023Review
39 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has changed over the past decades with the emergence of highly virulent strains. The role of asymptomatic C. difficile colonization as part of the clinical spectrum of CDI is complex because many risk factors are common to both disease and asymptomatic states. In this article, we review the role of asymptomatic C. difficile colonization in the progression to symptomatic CDI, describe the epidemiology of asymptomatic C. difficile colonization, assess the effectiveness of screening and intensive infection control practices for patients at risk of asymptomatic C. difficile colonization, and discuss the implications for clinical practice.
methodsA narrative review was performed in PubMed for articles published from January 1980 to February 2015 using search terms 'Clostridium difficile' and 'colonization' or 'colonisation' or 'carriage'.
resultsThere is no clear definition for asymptomatic CDI and the terms carriage and colonization are often used interchangeably. The prevalence of asymptomatic C. difficile colonization varies depending on a number of host, pathogen, and environmental factors; current estimates of asymptomatic colonization may be underestimated as stool culture is not practical in a clinical setting.
conclusionsAsymptomatic C. difficile colonization presents challenging concepts in the overall picture of this disease and its management. Individuals who are colonized by the organism may acquire protection from progression to disease, however they also have the potential to contribute to transmission in healthcare settings.
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