Prevalence and risk factors for Clostridium difficile colonization in dogs and cats hospitalized in an intensive care unit

April 17, 2008 — Jennifer Clooten, Stephen Kruth, Luis Arroyo and J. Scott Weese

Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of hospital- and antimicrobial-associated diarrhea in hospitalized humans however the role of C. difficile in diarrhea in dogs has not been defined. A prospective study of C. difficile colonization in dogs and cats was conducted in a veterinary teaching hospital intensive care unit (ICU). Rectal swabs were taken from patients upon admission to the ICU and every third day of hospitalization until discharge or death. C. difficile was isolated from 73/402 (18%) animals; 69% of isolates were toxigenic. Community-associated colonization was identified in 39/366 (11%) of animals that were sampled at the time of admission, while C. difficile was subsequently isolated from 27 of the remaining 327 (8.3%) animals that had a negative admission swab. C. difficile was isolated from seven other dogs during hospitalization, but the origin was unclear because the admission swab was not collected. Administration of antimicrobials prior to admission and administration of immunosuppressive drugs during hospitalization were risk factors for hospital-associated colonization (P = 0.006, OR 4.05, 95% CI 1.4-10.8). Acquisition of C. difficile during hospitalization in the ICU was associated with the development of diarrhea (P = 0.004). Two ribotypes, one toxigenic and one non-toxigenic, predominated.

Jennifer Clooten, Stephen Kruth, Luis Arroyo and J. Scott Weese, Prevalence and risk factors for Clostridium difficile colonization in dogs and cats hospitalized in an intensive care unit, Veterinary Microbiology Volume 129, Issues 1-2, 25 May 2008, Pages 209-214

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Jennifer Clooten, Stephen Kruth, Luis Arroyo and J. Scott Weese,
Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada