Antimicrobial-resistant strains of Clostridium difficile from North America

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2012 Jun;56(6):2929-32. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00220-12. Epub 2012 Mar 12.

Abstract

A total of 316 toxigenic Clostridium difficile clinical isolates of known PCR ribotypes from patients in North America were screened for resistance to clindamycin, metronidazole, moxifloxacin, and rifampin. Clindamycin resistance was observed among 16 different ribotypes, with ribotypes 017, 053, and 078 showing the highest proportions of resistance. All isolates were susceptible to metronidazole. Moxifloxacin resistance was present in >90% of PCR-ribotype 027 and 053 isolates but was less common among other ribotypes. Only 7.9% of the C. difficile isolates were resistant to rifampin. Multidrug resistance (clindamycin, moxifloxacin, and rifampin) was present in 27.5% of PCR-ribotype 027 strains but was rare in other ribotypes. These results suggest that antimicrobial resistance in North American isolates of C. difficile varies by strain type and parallels rates of resistance reported from Europe and the Far East.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Aza Compounds / pharmacology
  • Clindamycin / pharmacology
  • Clostridioides difficile / drug effects*
  • Clostridioides difficile / genetics*
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / genetics*
  • Fluoroquinolones
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Moxifloxacin
  • North America
  • Quinolines / pharmacology
  • Ribotyping
  • Rifampin / pharmacology

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Aza Compounds
  • Fluoroquinolones
  • Quinolines
  • Clindamycin
  • Moxifloxacin
  • Rifampin