Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30170546›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2018

Epidemiological and genomic characterization of community-acquired Clostridium difficile infections.

Christina S Thornton, Joseph E Rubin, Alexander L Greninger, Gisele Peirano, Charles Y Chiu, Dylan R Pillai

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Epidemiologic profile of community-acquiredEpidemiology and infection · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. RethinkingEuro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2024
    Article
  4. Characterization of community-acquiredFrontiers in microbiology · 2023
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Surgical Management of Diverticulitis-Associated Clostridioides Difficile Infection.Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract · 2021
    Article
  11. Epidemiology of community-acquired and recurrentTherapeutic advances in gastroenterology · 2021
    Review
  12. Emerging microbes & infections · 2020
    Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. 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

6 authors.

Christina S ThorntonDepartment of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Joseph E RubinCalgary Laboratory Services, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Alexander L GreningerDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Gisele PeiranoCalgary Laboratory Services, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Charles Y ChiuDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Dylan R PillaiDepartment of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. drpillai@ucalgary.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9518-5551

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundClostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in North America and Europe. The aim of this study was to identify epidemiologically-confirmed cases of community-acquired (CA)-CDI in a large North American urban center and analyze isolates using multiple genetic and phenotypic methods.

methodsSeventy-eight patients testing positive for C. difficile from outpatient clinics were further investigated by telephone questionnaire. CA-CDI isolates were characterized by antibiotic susceptibility, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and whole genome sequencing. CA-CDI was defined as testing positive greater than 12 weeks following discharge or no previous hospital admission in conjunction with positive toxin stool testing.

results51.3% (40/78) of the patients in this study were found to have bona fide CA-CDI. The majority of patients were female (71.8% vs. 28.2%) with 50-59 years of age being most common (21.8%). Common co-morbidities included ulcerative colitis (1/40; 2.5%), Crohn's disease (3/40; 7.5%), celiac disease (2/40; 5.0%) and irritable bowel syndrome (8/40; 20.0%). However, of 40 patients with CA-CDI, 9 (29.0%) had been hospitalized between 3 and 6 months prior and 31 (77.5%) between 6 and 12 months prior. The hypervirulent North American Pulostype (NAP) 1-like (9/40; 22.5%) strain was the most commonly identified pulsotype. Whole genome sequencing of CA-CDI isolates confirmed that NAP 1-like pulsotypes are commonplace in CA-CDI. From a therapeutic perspective, there was universal susceptibility to metronidazole and vancomycin.

conclusionsAll CA-CDI cases had some history of hospitalization if the definition were modified to health care facility exposure in the last 12 months and is supported by the genomic analysis. This raises the possibility that even CA-CDI may have nosocomial origins.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overBacterial Typing TechniquesChildChild, PreschoolClostridioides difficileClostridium InfectionsCommunity-Acquired InfectionsCross InfectionElectrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-FieldFemaleGenome, BacterialGenomicsHumans

Identifiers

PMID30170546
PMCPMC6119286

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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.