Clostridioides (ex. Clostridium) difficile

Paul G. Auwaerter, M.D.
Clostridioides (ex. Clostridium) difficile is a topic covered in the Johns Hopkins ABX Guide.

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MICROBIOLOGY

  • Spore-forming anaerobe, Gram-positive bacillus [Fig 1].
    • Found in human and animal feces, also in water and soils.
    • Reclassified as molecular sequencing suggests that the organism should be in the Peptostreptococcaceae family and termed Peptoclostridium.
      • Clostridioides difficile name selected to differentiate from Clostridiaspp., which are not related but allowing for less clinical confusion moving from the long-standing terminology of Clostridium difficile[12].
  • Produces toxins A and B that cause colitis in humans.
  • Occasionally grown in anaerobic cultures, rarely a cause of infection other than colitis.

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MICROBIOLOGY

  • Spore-forming anaerobe, Gram-positive bacillus [Fig 1].
    • Found in human and animal feces, also in water and soils.
    • Reclassified as molecular sequencing suggests that the organism should be in the Peptostreptococcaceae family and termed Peptoclostridium.
      • Clostridioides difficile name selected to differentiate from Clostridiaspp., which are not related but allowing for less clinical confusion moving from the long-standing terminology of Clostridium difficile[12].
  • Produces toxins A and B that cause colitis in humans.
  • Occasionally grown in anaerobic cultures, rarely a cause of infection other than colitis.

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Last updated: September 14, 2021