Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29117204›Full record

ArticlePloS one2017

Prevalence of binary toxin positive Clostridium difficile in diarrhoeal humans in the absence of epidemic ribotype 027.

Alan M McGovern, Grace O Androga, Daniel R Knight, Mark W Watson, Briony Elliott, Niki F Foster, Barbara J Chang, Thomas V Riley

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Microbiology spectrum · 2025
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Temporal Variations in Patterns ofAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021
    Article
  4. Phenotypical and Genotypical Comparison ofThe Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale · 2021
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Prevalence of binary-toxin genes (Gastroenterology and hepatology from bed to bench · 2018
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Alan M McGovernSchool of Biomedical Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Grace O AndrogaSchool of Biomedical Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Daniel R KnightSchool of Biomedical Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Mark W WatsonInstitute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Briony ElliottSchool of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Niki F FosterDepartment of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Barbara J ChangSchool of Biomedical Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Thomas V RileyDepartment of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1351-3740
The University of Western Australia · AUEdith Cowan University · AUMurdoch University · AUPathwest Laboratory Medicine · AU

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Virulence of Clostridium difficile is primarily attributed to the large clostridial toxins A and B while the role of binary toxin (CDT) remains unclear. The prevalence of human strains of C. difficile possessing only CDT genes (A-B-CDT+) is generally low (< 5%), however, this genotype is commonly found in neonatal livestock both in Australia and elsewhere. Zoonotic transmission of C. difficile has been suggested previously. Most human diagnostic tests will not detect A-B-CDT+ strains of C. difficile because they focus on detection of toxin A and/or B. We performed a prospective investigation into the prevalence and genetic characteristics of A-B-CDT+ C. difficile in symptomatic humans. All glutamate dehydrogenase or toxin B gene positive faecal specimens from symptomatic inpatients over 30 days (n = 43) were cultured by enrichment, and C. difficile PCR ribotypes (RTs) and toxin gene profiles determined. From 39 culture-positive specimens, 43 C. difficile isolates were recovered, including two A-B-CDT+ isolates. This corresponded to an A-B-CDT+ prevalence of 2/35 (5.7%) isolates possessing at least one toxin, 2/10 (20%) A-B- isolates, 2/3 CDT+ isolates and 1/28 (3.6%) presumed true CDI cases. No link to Australian livestock-associated C. difficile was found. Neither A-B-CDT+ isolate was the predominant A-B-CDT+ strain found in Australia, RT 033, nor did they belong to toxinotype XI. Previous reports infrequently describe A-B-CDT+ C. difficile in patients and strain collections but the prevalence of human A-B-CDT+ C. difficile is rarely investigated. This study highlights the occurrence of A-B-CDT+ strains of C. difficile in symptomatic patients, warranting further investigations of its role in human infection.

Indexed as

RibotypingADP Ribose TransferasesAustraliaBacterial ProteinsClostridioides difficileDiarrheaGenome, BacterialHumansPolymorphism, Single NucleotidePrevalenceactin-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase, ClostridiumADP Ribose TransferasesBacterial Proteins

Identifiers

PMID29117204
PMCPMC5678700
OpenAlexW2767838781

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.