Clostridium difficile infection in diabetes

Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2014 Sep;105(3):285-94. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2014.06.002. Epub 2014 Jun 21.

Abstract

Diabetes-related hospitalization and hospital utilization is a serious challenge to the health care system, a situation which may be further aggravated by nosocomial Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI). Studies have demonstrated that diabetes increases the risk of recurrent CDI with OR (95% CI) 2.99 (1.88, 4.76). C. difficile is a gram-positive, spore-forming anaerobic bacterium which is widely distributed in the environment. Up to 7% of healthy adults and up to 45% of infants may have asymptomatic intestinal carriage of C. difficile. A large number of strains of C. difficile have been identified. A number of PCR or sequence-based molecular typing methods are available for typing C. difficile isolates. C. difficile virulence evolved independently in the highly epidemic lineages, associated with the expression of toxin genes and other virulence factors. This article briefly reviews recent progresses in the bateriology of C. difficile and highlights the limited knowledge of potential mechanisms for the increased risk of CDI in diabetes which warrants further research.

Keywords: Clostridium difficile; Diabetes; Gut microbiota; Host immunity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Clostridioides difficile* / classification
  • Clostridioides difficile* / pathogenicity
  • Diabetes Complications / microbiology*
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / microbiology*
  • Feces / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • Virulence Factors* / classification

Substances

  • Virulence Factors