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Clostridium difficile Exposures, Colonization, and the Microbiome: Implications for Prevention

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2018

Sara L. Revolinski  and
L. Silvia Munoz-Price
Sara L. Revolinski
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacy, Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
L. Silvia Munoz-Price*
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
*
Address correspondence to L. Silvia Munoz-Price, MD, PhD, 9200 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53226 (smunozprice@mcw.edu).
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Abstract

New studies have been published regarding the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile in topics such as asymptomatic C. difficile colonization, community-associated C. difficile infection, environmental contamination outside healthcare settings, animal colonization, and the interactions between C. difficile and the gut microbiome. In addition to summarizing these findings, this review offers a perspective on the potential impact of high-throughput sequencing and other potential techniques on the prevention of C. difficile.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:596–602

Type
Review Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 39 , Issue 5 , May 2018 , pp. 596 - 602
Copyright
© 2018 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved 

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